PENGUIN READERS Teacher’s notes LEVEL 5 Teacher Support Programme
The Bourne Supremacy
Robert Ludlum killed by another man who later took on his identity to work for the U.S. government. During the operation, he was shot in the head and lost his memory. A Canadian woman, Marie, now his wife, helped this man recover his memory. He is now known as David Webb and he teaches in Maine. Havilland explains that they need Webb to return to Asia as Bourne in order to stop a plot organized by Sheng Chouyang, a Chinese minister of state. McAllister goes to Webb’s house and tells him that a banker, Yao Ming, believes that Bourne has killed his wife but Webb doesn’t believe him. Some time later, Marie is kidnapped. Webb vows to find her and kill those who have hurt her using the powers he has as Jason Bourne. About the author The phone rings and Webb speaks to Marie and her kidnapper who says that Webb must go to Suite 690 at the Robert Ludlum (1927–2001) is the American author of Regent Hotel in Kowloon. numerous action-packed thrillers that have been hugely popular throughout the world. His novels include The Chapters 4–5: Webb, using the name of Cruett, arrives Bourne Trilogy, of which The Bourne Supremacy is the at the Regent Hotel and refuses to take the suite that second. Three films that are loosely based on this trilogy has been arranged for him. The assistant manager, and star Matt Damon as Bourne have also achieved Mr. Liang, finds him another room. He then goes great box office success. For more information, see the shopping for clothes and weapons and when he arrives Introduction to the book. back at his room, he finds out that Liang had been trying to ring him urgently. He sticks an ice pick into the wall Summary just inside the door and hides in the passage. Liang arrives Chapter 1: The story begins in 1985 in Kowloon, a and enters his room and screams in fear when he sees the district of Hong Kong. A priest dressed in white appears pick. Webb then arranges for a car to take him around in the harbor and heads toward a nightclub, accompanied town and asks the driver to get him a gun. Later, he by a short, strong Chinese man. The priest enters the observes how Liang leaves the hotel and goes to a public nightclub alone and whispers the name of a powerful telephone. Webb approaches him and gunfire explodes. taipan in the manager’s ear. He then sits down and nods Liang gives Webb the number he was going to call and to a Chinese man, who is smoking a few tables away. when the gunfire stops, Webb phones and eventually This man’s table bursts into flames causing chaos and speaks to his wife. The man who is holding her captive fights among the clientele. The priest now passes through tells Webb that the great taipan, Yao Ming, wants to meet a door unnoticed, cuts the throat of a guard, and kills him. Webb goes to Kowloon to meet the taipan. First he five taipans. He then writes a name in blood on a piece tackles the taipan’s three guards, leaving them hurt and of cloth. He goes back into the club, drops his white unconscious. Then he enters the apartment where the robe and machine gun on the floor and leaves. Outside taipan is, but he is not alone and Webb has to put his gun he cleans make up from his face and disappears into the on the floor. Webb tells the taipan that he didn’t kill his streets as a well-dressed Westerner. Inside the club, the wife. The taipan says he already knows and explains that manager discovers what has happened and sees that there is a new man, his enemy, acting as Jason Bourne and the name on the cloth is that of Jason Bourne. he wants Webb to capture him. Later that day, the taipan, who is really Lin Wen-zu of British Intelligence, meets Chapters 2–3: In Colorado, in the United States, a former McAllister in a house near Kowloon and tells him that his ambassador called Havilland has a meeting with the guards have been injured and Marie is ill and may need to undersecretary, McAllister. He explains that the original go into the hospital. Jason Bourne was working for the enemy when he was
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The Bourne Supremacy
Chapters 6–7: Marie is under guard in the hospital. She plane to Hong Kong with Webb’s doctor, Mo Panov. At manages to escape and goes to the Canadian consulate. Tiananmen Square, Bourne enters Mao Zedong’s tomb She discovers that an old acquaintance of hers, Catherine convinced that the assassin and his employer are going to Staples, works there and she asks her for help. Meanwhile, have a meeting there. Once inside, however, he realizes Webb discovers that the new Jason Bourne can be that the whole thing is a trap for him and d’Anjou. A fight contacted through a Frenchman who can be contacted by follows, and Bourne manages to escape after shooting at a dealer at a casino in Macao. He goes to the casino and the glass box that contains the remains of Mao Zedong follows and fights with a trained assassin, who later leads creating chaos. Once outside again, he realizes that him to the place where he can find the Frenchman. There d’Anjou has been taken away in a van by the enemy. is a gun fight and Webb fights with a man who turns out Conklin and Panov arrive in Kowloon, use a decoy to lose to be an old friend, d’Anjou. D’Anjou explains that he had the people who are watching them and then make their previously trained a man to behave like Jason Bourne to way to Marie’s hotel. They then go to meet Catherine, but be an assassin for him in Asia. The man, however, started when she arrives at her apartment, a black car pulls up and accepting other contracts and d’Anjou now wants to kill Catherine is killed. Conklin orders the CIA man who is him. He says he will help Webb to find him. Meanwhile, with him to drive to Victoria Peak. He is convinced that Havilland and McAllister discover that Catherine is Havilland is being tricked. helping Marie and they send men to her apartment. Marie Chapters 12–13: Bourne goes to the Jinshan Bird is nearly captured again but she manages to escape with Reserve, having previously seen a suspicious van with Catherine in her car. this name on it outside the assassin’s hotel. He breaks in Chapters 8–9: Catherine goes to see Havilland and through the fence in time to see many cars and a truck McAllister and accuses them of lying to Webb and Marie. turn up. Seven prisoners, including d’Anjou, get out of the They convince her, however, that it was necessary to trick latter. Killing two guards, Bourne manages to follow the Webb into going to Asia as Bourne in order to stop the prisoners as they are taken through a gate and down a path plans of Sheng Chouyang and avoid a war. Webb and into the woods. Eventually he arrives at a meeting ground d’Anjou go to Kai Tak airport where it is suspected that where he sees Sheng Chouyang torturing and killing the an assassination attempt will take place against some prisoners. D’Anjou’s turn arrives and Sheng asks him British and Chinese leaders. Webb manages to identify about the whereabouts of Bourne. D’Anjou in refusing to the assassin, the new Bourne, who has planted a bomb tell him and sends Bourne the message that he is prepared under the leaders’ car. He manages to warn the leaders, to die in order to help him kill Sheng. Bourne creates a who get out of the car before it explodes, but the new diversion using firecrackers and manages to capture the Bourne escapes. They are then told by a contact that imposter although he fails to kill Sheng. Meanwhile, the new Bourne has been called to Beijing. Webb and Conklin meets Havilland and McAllister at the house d’Anjou travel there and follow the new Bourne to a hotel. on Victoria Peak. He tells them about Catherine’s death Meanwhile, Marie speaks to Catherine on the phone and demands to know the truth about what is going on. and begins to suspect that Catherine is no longer to be Bourne takes his prisoner to a small airport and manages trusted. She then sees Catherine with McAllister from the to hijack a plane after blowing up some fuel trucks. He apartment window and knows it is a trap. She runs from orders the pilot to fly south. the apartment. Chapters 14–15: Havilland meets Conklin and tells him Chapters 10–11: Bourne and d’Anjou see a priest come that Bourne is in Hong Kong with the assassin, but as out of the hotel they are watching and get on a bus they don’t have Marie, they can’t get to him. Conklin says heading for Tiananmen Square. D’Anjou tells Bourne he will bring Marie to the house. Later, Bourne arrives he is the imposter he had trained, and they take a taxi to at the house with the assassin and begins a battle with Tiananmen Square, too. Meanwhile, Marie checks into a the soldiers there. After a lot of explosions and fighting, hotel under a false name and phones Alex Conklin, a man Bourne sees Conklin and remembers the times he had who had once been a close friend of David’s. He knows tried to kill him before. He shoots at him, but fails to kill about what is happening and he promises to get the next him. He lets the assassin run away and he is eventually
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The Bourne Supremacy killed by one of the soldiers. Bourne sees Marie but he Heroism: Bourne is one man against all the evil forces doesn’t recognize her because she is in disguise and he that surround him. He fights to protect his family and thinks it’s a trick. She talks to him and he finally realizes although he often kills, he doesn’t lose sight of what is she is his wife. Photographs of Bourne pretending to morally right. be dead are taken to be released to the press. Bourne then insists on going back to Macao with a plan to trap Discussion activities Sheng. With McAllister, he travels back undercover and Before reading McAllister tells Bourne that he must play a role in the 1 Discuss: Write the word SPY on the board and put plan, too. He plans to tell Sheng that he will destroy the students in small groups to discuss the following file that tells about his plans for Hong Kong. The two questions: Which famous spies from real life or books men arrive at the secret meeting place and Sheng arrives do you know of ? What are they like? What kind of things do they usually do? Are their lives dangerous? in a helicopter. Sheng and McAllister talk but McAllister’s Is it necessary to have spies? Would you like to be a spy? plan fails because Sheng has already had the report stolen Get feedback from the whole class. from Victoria Peak. There is shooting and McAllister is 2 Pair work: Write BRITAIN, USA, CHINA, injured but then Bourne appears and kills Sheng. The two HONG KONG on the board and tell students to men escape in Sheng’s helicopter and Bourne and Marie talk to a partner about what they know of each of these four places. Get feedback from the whole class are reunited. and then ask students to discuss with their partner which of these places they would most like to visit in Background and themes the future and why. Identity: Bourne has a serious problem of identity having 3 Research: As a follow-up to activity 2, ask students to lost his memory during a secret operation. In this book, use the Internet to find out two more facts about each of the four places discussed previously. Get feedback he is often represented as two people or one person with from the class. a split personality; the quiet academic David Webb and 4 Discuss: Put the students in small groups to discuss the super-tough assassin Jason Bourne. He struggles the following questions: Have you seen any of the constantly with this dichotomy as he clings to the life he Bourne movies? What do you remember about the plots? prefers of Webb, while being forced by others to revert Did you like them? Do you usually like thrillers, action, or spy movies? What other kind of movies do you like? to that of Bourne. The question of identity is also crucial What good movies have you seen recently? to other characters in the book, as shown through the introduction of an imposter who pretends to be Bourne, Introduction or Marie’s successful disguise that prevents her husband After reading 5 Pair work: Write the following words on the board: from immediately recognising her. Maine, kidnapped, Central Intelligence Agency, plane, International politics: As in all of Ludlum’s novels, the memory, money. Now put the students in pairs to talk backdrop to the action is a world based on real political and write about how these words are relevant to the life of David Webb without looking back at the book. and economic events. In the case of The Bourne Supremacy Get feedback from the whole class. the context is Britain’s handing over of the rule of Hong 6 Discuss: Put the students in small groups to discuss Kong to the Chinese in 1997 and the political tensions the following questions: What other places besides that surrounded this act. Hong Kong have been British colonies? Why did countries usually take other countries as colonies? Was it good for Conspiracy theory: Ludlum frequently presents a Britain to have colonies? Was it good for other countries vision of the world in which powerful entities such as to be a colony? Why do these colonies not exist today? governments, international corporations, the military, or Chapter 1 organized gangs will conspire to defend (if they are good) While reading (p. 1, after “… the music changing or bring down (if they are bad) the status quo. He suggests between Western and Chinese.”) that ordinary citizens should be wary of believing what 7 Pair work: Point out to the students that Kowloon is any of these organizations present as truth as it will more a place for tourism and entertainment and then ask than likely not be so. them to answer the following questions in pairs: Which are the most popular places for tourism in your country? Why do you think this is? What kind of entertainment do you prefer and why?
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The Bourne Supremacy
After reading Chapters 4–5 8 Pair work: Explain to the students that the word Before reading taipan was originally used to refer to a foreign 15 Guess: On the board, write Webb will stay in businessman in China or Hong Kong. Now ask them Suite 690 of the Regent Hotel. Ask students to talk to answer the following questions in pairs: What kind in pairs to guess whether they think this statement of people make good business people? What does their will be true or not. Get feedback, encouraging everyday work consist of ? Why can it be difficult to do students to give their reasons. business in a foreign country? Would you like to be a business person? While reading (p. 14, after “If there is anything else 9 Write: Tell the students to imagine they are reporters you need, contact me.”) for a local Kowloon newspaper. Tell them to write an 16 Pair work: Remind students that Mr. Liang, the article reporting the nightclub incident. Remind them assistant manager, has just had an argument with the to include a headline and make it dramatic for the receptionist. Put students in pairs to make a list of reader. common problems that occur between bosses and their employees. Get feedback from the class and then Chapters 2–3 ask students to talk about what they consider to be a While reading (At the end of page 5) good boss, drawing on their own experiences. 10 Discuss: Remind students that Havilland has told 17 Guess: (p. 15, after “… and reached for his jacket.”) McAllister that he is going to tell him the truth about Put students in pairs to guess what is on Webb’s Jason Bourne. Now put them in small groups to shopping list. Get feedback, encouraging students to discuss the following questions: Do important people say why they chose what they did. such as politicians or ambassadors always tell the truth? 18 Write and discuss: (p. 16, after “The assistant What do they sometimes lie about? How do they make manager rushed inside.”) Ask students to make a list people believe this is the truth? Is there sometimes a good in pairs of things that people are often frightened of. reason for doing this? Get feedback, writing the things on the board. Put 11 Pair work: (p. 6, after “He didn’t know who he was students in small groups to discuss their feelings or who he was meant to be.”) Ask students to answer toward these things, and to assess how valid people’s the following questions in pairs: Have you got a good fear of these things are. memory? What do you do to help yourself to remember things? When people lose their memories after an illness After reading or an accident, in what ways does life become difficult? 19 Write and ask: On the board, write What was the 12 Discuss: (At the end of Chapter 2) Elicit from woman at the entrance to the market doing? Elicit the students the way in which the Chinese and the British answer (Skinning snakes). Ask students to write economies varied at this time and then put them in another question about something in Chapters 4–5. groups to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of Check their work as they do this. Now have students each system. stand up and walk around the class, asking and answering each others questions. After reading 13 Pair work: Remind students that Webb’s doctor Chapters 6–7 advised him to do some exercise when he was feeling Before reading bad. Put students in pairs to talk about the benefits 20 Pair work: Remind students that Marie is ill and that different forms of exercise have. Ask them also to put them in pairs to make a list of five non-life say if there are ever any drawbacks of doing exercise. threatening illnesses in English, along with the 14 Pair work and write: Remind students that two symptoms of that illness. Rearrange the class so that crimes, murder and kidnapping, have been referred to all the students are working with a different partner. in this chapter and then ask them in pairs to make a Tell students to take turns to explain their illnesses to list of all the other crimes they know in English. Get their partners, who have to guess the name. feedback and write the words on the board. Now ask students individually to choose four of the crimes and While reading (p. 28, after “I go to Macao, to the to write a definition of those crimes. Students work Kam Pek casino.”) together with their partner again, reading out their 21 Discuss: Elicit from the students what people do in definitions without saying the name of the crime. a casino (gamble) and then put them in groups to Students guess which crime their partner is defining. discuss the following questions: Do many people gamble in your country? What do people usually gamble on? Is this a bad thing? Have you ever gambled?
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The Bourne Supremacy
After reading Chapters 12–13 22 Pair work: Remind students that both Webb and Before reading Marie have met up with old friends in Chapters 6–7. 28 Guess: Tell students that Bourne is going to the Ask them to talk about what they know about these Jinshan Bird Reserve. Ask them in pairs to guess what people and where they met. Get feedback and then he will find there and what he will do. Get feedback. ask students to write down the name of an old friend who they haven’t seen for some time. Tell them to talk While reading (p. 61, after “But he is the enemy!”) about this person to their partner and explain how life 29 Discuss: Put students in small groups to discuss the has changed since they last saw that person. following questions: What moral decision is Bourne trying to make here? Does he make the right one? How Chapters 8–9 do people’s ideas of what’s right and wrong change in While reading (p. 39, after “I’m beginning to situations of conflict or war? Should there be some rules understand, Mr. President. Thank you.”) that people have to follow? Do countries and people 23 Discuss: Put students in small groups and ask them always behave fairly? to say what they know about the present president of the United States. Ask them to talk about what good After reading and bad things they think he has done or is doing. 30 Pair work: Write the following words on the board Get feedback. and put students in pairs to talk and write about how 24 Pair work: (p. 43, after “You are so French …”) they were significant in the last two chapters without Write a list of nationalities on the board and put looking back at the book: FENCE, PRISONERS, students in pairs to talk about the stereotypes GATES, SIGNAL, DISEASE, FUEL. associated with those nationalities. Get feedback from Chapters 14–15 the whole class and put students in groups (of mixed nationality, if possible) to discuss the extent to which Before reading those stereotypes are true. 31 Guess: Put students in small groups to predict the answers to the following questions: Where will After reading Bourne take the impostor? What will he do with him? 25 Write and guess: On the board, write Bourne Will Conklin help Havilland? What will happen to pretended to be a Canadian Secret Service officer at Sheng Chouyang? Kai Tak airport. Elicit which word is wrong from the students (Israeli not Canadian). Now students choose While reading (At the end of Chapter 14) a sentence from Chapters 8–9 and rewrite it changing 32 Role play: Divide the class in two, A and B, and get one word. Students walk around the class, reading out Group A to think of reasons why Bourne feels he their sentences and the other students have to identify must go to Macao. Ask Group B to think of ways in and correct the mistake. which Marie could persuade him not to go. Then rearrange the class so that a person from Group A is Chapters 10–11 working with a person from Group B. Tell them to Before reading role play a conversation between Bourne and Marie 26 Pair work: Ask the students in pairs to discuss the using the points they had discussed earlier. following two questions: What does Webb/Bourne think After reading is happening? What is really happening? Get feedback. 33 Game: Put the students into small groups and ask After reading them to write five questions about any part of the 27 Pair work: Write the following questions on the book. When they’ve finished, each group reads out board and put students in pairs to answer them: their questions and the other groups have to write What was strange about the van? How did the impostor their answers on a piece of paper. The group with the get to Tiananmen Square? Who did Marie call from the most correct answers wins. hotel and why? How did Bourne get inside Mao Zedong’s 34 Discuss: Put the students in small groups to discuss tomb? How did Bourne know the tomb was a trap? Why the following questions: What did you like about the did Mo give the bear to Harold? Why did Conklin need book? Was there anything you didn’t like? Do you think a tie? Why was Marie worried when Conklin said they some of the characters are good and some of them are were going to meet Catherine? evil, or are they all a mixture of good and evil? Do you think anything like this happens in real life?
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