A A ENGLISH IN VIDEO

Robot comedy
Lesson code: VPMV-G7B8-RZE6 ADVANCED

1 Warm-up
What is stand-up comedy? Can you think of any famous stand-up comedians?

2 Watching and listening - Part 1

Heather Knight runs Marilyn Monrobot Labs, which creates socially-intelligent robots. You are going
to watch her give a talk and demonstration of one of her robots at TEDWomen, a global event held in
December 2010. Before you watch, look at the words below from the first part of the talk, and match
them to their definitions on the right:

1. robotics a. a new business activity

2. dramatic arts b. approval for a performance, involving clapping the hands and
making noise
3. venture c. disapproval for a performance by making a noise
4. adorable d. performances in front of people, e.g. acting in a play
5. applause e. the science of making and using robots
6. booing f. very attractive and small, making you feel great affection

What do you think the demonstration is going to be about? Watch the first part of the video clip to see
if you are right.

3 Checking understanding
Put `T' (True) or `F' (False) next to the statements below:

1. The speaker is interested in entertainment and robotics.

2. The robot Data is named after a character from the television series Star Trek.
3. The robot cannot know what the audience thinks of its performance.
4. The audience can show their approval by holding up the red paddles.
5. The audience who are not in the middle section can only show their response with applause or booing.
6. The robot can learn from the audience and make decisions.
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Review your flashcards at least 3-5 times a week for 20 minutes to keep the material fresh in your memory.
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 Robot comedy
A A A A ENGLISH IN VIDEO

4 Watching and listening - Part 2

In the second part of the video, the robot is going to tell three jokes. Before you watch, answer the
questions below:

1. Name four things the Swiss are renowned for.

2. Name three things the French are renowned for.
3. What is the common emergency telephone number used in the USA and Canada?
4. Explain the difference between the terms rare, medium and well-done. What else do these words
mean?
Now watch the second part of the video. Did you get the jokes?

5 Find the words

Study the transcript for the second part of the video. Put each words or phrase in bold next to the
correct definition below:

1. takes a short, fast breath because of surprise or shock:

2. takes something quickly out of its place: (informal)
3. an area of land covered with trees:
4. is heard on the phone again:

6 Adjectives for describing humour

The adjectives below are often used to describe jokes and people's sense of humour. Match them to
their correct definitions on the right.

1. amusing a. childish, silly

2. hilarious b. clearly making an effort to be funny but not succeeding
3. lame c. extremely funny
4. black d. funny in a clever way without showing emotion
5. immature e. funny in an ironic, slightly unkind way, e.g. "Working hard, I see!"
to someone who is playing computer games.
6. try-hard f. mildly funny
7. dry g. not funny at all
8. crude h. related to taboo topics, especially death
9. sarcastic i. rude and offensive
10. corny j. very unoriginal and therefore not funny

Describe Data's jokes using the adjectives above.

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You can review this worksheet online at www.linguahouse.com/ex

Review your flashcards at least 3-5 times a week for 20 minutes to keep the material fresh in your memory.
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P H OT
 Robot comedy
A A A A ENGLISH IN VIDEO

7 Talking point
Discuss any of the following questions:

1. Do you think robots can replace stand-up comedians?

2. What kind of humour do you like?
3. What kind of humour is popular in your country?

8 Flashcard review
Don't forget what you learned in this lesson! Go to www.linguahouse.com, click `Learning English' and
enter Lesson code: QWERTYUIOPASDFGHJKLZXCVBNM1234567890-.

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You can review this worksheet online at www.linguahouse.com/ex

Review your flashcards at least 3-5 times a week for 20 minutes to keep the material fresh in your memory.
PI

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Linguahouse.com OC
P H OT