I. Pre-Listening Exercises [Top]

What movie rating systems or guidelines are used in different countries to determine to appropriateness for different audiences? In the United States, the classifications of “G,” “PG,” “PG-13,” “R,” and “NR-17″ (See Motion Picture Association of America for more details). What rating systems are used to rank the quality of movies?

HELPFUL TIP: Before watching a movie, you might want to consider reading some reviews to see if there is objectionable material in it. This is particularly important if you are planning to watch it with younger children.

II. Listening Exercises [Top]

Listen to the conversation by pressing the “Play Audio” button and answer the questions. Press the “Final Score” button to check your quiz.

1. What is one word to describe the father’s opinion about the movie’s storyline?

A. absurd

B. fantastic

C. exciting
2. Whose performance do father and daughter agree upon in the movie?

A. the captain

B. the communications officer

C. the doctor

3. What part of the movie does the father strongly disagree about with his daughter?

A. the photography

B. the soundtrack

C. the acting

4. What kind of movie is this?

A. comedy

B. science fiction

C. western
5. Where does this conversation take place?

A. at a neighbor’s house

B. at a movie theater

C. at the speakers’ home

Score =
Correct answers:


Daughter: Dad, Dad, Dad!

Father: Uh, what, what, uh, uh!?!?

Daughter: The movie is over. You slept through the best part.

Father: Ah, ah, I must have dozed off during the last few minutes.

Daughter: Right. You were gone for so long you should have brought your pillow and blanket. So, what did you think about it?

Father: Well, overall, I’m a little disappointed with the movie. I mean, the story was a little bizarre, you have to admit. I mean, really. How believable is a plot about a captain who navigates his spaceship to the far reaches of the galaxy and encounters a race of frog people. I mean, come on.

Daughter: Ah, I thought it was fantastic [Uhhh]. I mean, you have to admit that the special effects were awesome, and the acting wasn’t bad either.

Father: Ah, come on. What about the ship’s communications officer? I mean, what did you think about him? [Well . . .] Wasn’t he a little weird to you? He was always talking to himself, and he had that funny hairdo?

Daughter: Well, he was a little . . . unusual [Yeah, yeah], but the ship’s doctor was amazing. It was so cool when he brought the captain back to life during one of the battles.

Father: That was pretty realistic, but then the rest of the movie just went from bad to worse. And the photography was so fake!

Daughter: How do you know? You were snoring so loud the neighbors probably had to close their windows. It was that bad.

Father: Ah, well, let’s go to bed

Key Vocabulary [Top]
  • doze off (verb): to fall asleep
    – The little girl began to doze off after spending the whole afternoon at the park.
  • bizarre (adjective): strange, absurd, weird
    – His behavior was so bizarre that he lost his job because of it.
  • plot (noun): the story of a book, play, or movie
    – I was fascinated by the movie’s plot and sound track.
  • admit (verb): accept or acknowledge
    – You must admit that the ending of the movie was a little weak.
  • awesome (adjective): fantastic, great, wonderful
    – The movie was awesome. It was the best I have seen in a long time.
  • weird (adjective): strange, absurd, unusual
    – The book’s plot was too weird for me, so I returned it to the library.
  • fake (adjective): not real, not authentic
    – The scene where the doctor was killed by the shark was so fake. You could easily tell that the shark was just a plastic model.

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