CHECK
2 Listen and read the first part of the article and answer the questions. James Bond – An icon of British fiction and film
James Bond is one of the UK’s fictional heroes and the star of many films. He is a famous spy. He lives in London and works for the British Secret Service. His code number is 007. His father is Scottish and his mother is Swiss.
1 Who is James Bond? 2 Where does he live?
The author of the James Bond books is Ian Fleming (1908– 1964), an English writer with experience of the Secret Service. The twelve James Bond books are some of the best-selling novels (= romanzi) of all time, and the Bond films are popular all over the world. The films are an important part of the British film industry. They are filmed at Pinewood Studios in England.
3 Who is Ian Fleming? 4 What is the author’s nationality? 5 How many novels about James Bond are there? 6 Which country do the films come from?
Venture Level 1 . Venture into Culture, p.52 © Oxford University Press PHOTOCOPIABLE © Oxford University Press 1 Listen and read the second part of the article and complete the fact file.
From the books and films, we can see that Bond is a man with extraordinary abilities. Of course he can use a gun (= pistola) and ski really well (Thunderball), but did you know that he can also play golf (Goldfinger) and cards (Casino Royale)? He can’t play any musical instruments at all, but he can speak French and German.
FACT FILE abilities: What can he do? • use a (1) • ski • play golf and (2) • speak (3) and German
Bond is a handsome man. There are many Bonds in the films, and they all look a bit different. In the books, Bond has got short, straight, dark hair, and cold, blue-grey eyes. He is tall and slim, but quite well-built. He has got scars (= cicatrici) on his face, hands and shoulders.
physical description: What does he look like? • handsome • short, straight, dark (4) • cold, (5) eyes • tall and slim • quite (6) • (7) on face, hands and shoulders
Venture Level 1 . Venture into Culture, p.52 © Oxford University Press PHOTOCOPIABLE © Oxford University Press His personality is complex. He is very patriotic, but also quite violent. He loves eating and drinking – in one story, he drinks 46 different drinks! He is clever and funny, but he is hardly ever sympathetic, and he hasn’t got a lot of friends.
personality: What’s he like? • complex • very (8) • quite violent • (9) and funny • hardly ever (10) • hasn’t got a lot of friends
Venture Level 1 . Venture into Culture, p.52 © Oxford University Press PHOTOCOPIABLE © Oxford University Press