Lesson:10 Questions for Robin Williams

Grammar

Read the following sentences aloud.

Vocabulary

Learn the definition of the following words then write sentences with them.

1. poke
2. lay waste
3. depth
4. therein
5. impending
6. shelter
7. deflect
8. midsts
9. comprise
10. crucible
11. core
12. scatter
13. spooky
14. dare
15. commune
16. thrilling
17. humbling

Picture Gallery

Explore the gallery and associate the images and words.

• 

  Asteroids

• 

  Crucible

Video

Watch the video.

Listening comprehension

Answer the following questions according to the video.

1. What is the suggestion given by Dr. Tyson for solving the educational problem in the areas of physics and mathematics?
2. Why does Dr. Tyson say children are born scientists?
3. In what way do scientists and engineers react to impending disaster?
4. Why does Dr. Tyson say he feels big?
5. What kind of questions did Sir. Isaac Newton ask?

Conversation

Answer the following questions to the best of your ability.

1. Did you enjoy the video?
2. Are you any good at math and physics?
3. Were you very curious when you were a child?
4. What did your parents do when you were playing with something that could break?
5. What things keep you awake at night?
6. What would you do if an asteroid was headed for the earth?
7. Do you feel it's important to be ready for disasters?
8. How do you feel in relation to the universe?
9. If you could meet and talk with any scientist who’s ever lived, who would it be and why?
10. Is there an author that helps you commune through time?

Reading practice

Read the transcript.

Transcript:

I'm not gonna lie. When I get hungry, I get stupid. 12 years back I screwed up, ok? I follow the scent, I took a bite and then a tranquilizer dart comes from out of nowhere and I wake up in Bagdad. So, that was depressing!

Belinda: Hi, I'm Belinda Luscombe. This is Time Magazine's 10 questions. Today, we are asking our questions with Robin Williams. Hello, Mr. Williams.

Robin Williams: Welcome, miss Luscombe.

BL: So, in your new play, "The Bengal Tiger at the Bagdad Zoo", you're playing the tiger.

RW: Yes.

BL: How does one prepare to play a tiger? Prowling?

RW: A little pacing, biting whenever possible... and basically playing the soul of a tiger so I don't have to do a lot of tiger behavior - except for that. But it's pretty much a two-legged tiger cause I'm in a cage in the beginning and I treat it more like jail. But it's, you know, the essesnce of a tiger with not a lot of- no costume except for these beaten-up clothing.

BL: This is your Broadway debut in a serious broadway play...

RW: Yeah, when I did "Godot", it was under Broadway. That was about 20 years ago, actually. So, yeah, this is probably debut.

BL: And you left Julliard in what, 1975?

RW: 5, yeah. I left school, I fell in love and went back to live in San Francisco.

BL: Ahm, this is actually a serious play... (RW: Uhum, very!) and does your appearance in the play reflect any personal feelings you have about the Iraq war?

RW: You know, I've been there 5 times; Afghanistan, 6... my feelings are more about- I mean, I'm still wondering "where are the weapons of mass destruction?" Even though they had Hussein- they had the guy himself who you'd think out of everybody knew... "Saddam, where is it?" "I'm not telling." Too late, he's gone! How weird is that? Crazy. But my feeling about the war is the blablabla of ghost, specially. I mean, this war is... I was just there recently and, you know, they're winding down. In quotes. They're supposed to be out of there by Christmas next year so... What do we come back from? What's the damage to the Iraqi? What's the damage to us? What do you leave from there when it just ends? You know, like you said, in the lines in the play about "You americans think when something dies, that's it, it's over." But when you go to the Middle-East you realize that there's a real sense of "thing stay around".

BL: You did a stand-up tour in 2009: "Weapons of Self-Destruction". If I went to the right club on the right night, might I find you? Would you still have a...

RW: I haven't been able to go out yet, since I've started the play. But I think I'm gonna have to start to go out again cause it's about time. Now that I've got the gig, I can start to go out, you know, do shows, maybe on the weekends. Just to, I... cause I've started to, you know, I'm starting to get the urge to go back in again. And it's important to go out and do it, cause there is just so much to talk about. The fact that Donald Trump wants to see Obama's birth certificate is kinda - I want to see his hairline first!

BL: Absolutely! Why did you stop?

RW: I believe the hair is actually him! I believe at night he walks into a small room, sits down and the heir goes (-makes squeaky noises-) "Who should we marry next?", "We're going out." ,"Put your name on that building."

BL: Ok, leading on from that question - that answer, (RW: ... leading on to that...) is being funny sometimes a hinder as to social interaction?

RW: Example, I was once walking in an airport and a woman came out to me and said "Be zany". Big time!

BL: But what about with say, family. Do you sometimes...

RW: Oh, no! It's... years ago, my... I was reading a story to my daughter, I was doing voices and everything and she turned to me and said: "Just read the story."

BL: Ouch! Snap!

RW: Yeah, and just stay to the main points.

BL: Please, no voices.

RW: No voices, yeah. "Thanks, dad."

BL: How often does someone else make you laugh?

RW: Oh, big time!

BL: Is it kids or is it... ?

RW: No, kids do. Comics of, comedians who make me laugh, Chris Rock, Louis C. K., Patton Oswald. And I've been hanging out with Mort Sahl and that's been a gift! Being hanging out with him is two things: It's history but it's also just he's amazingly funny and still has everything going in all cylinders which has been wonderful!

BL: So, you can, hen you get older as a comic, you stay funny? You can still.. What do you need to...

RW: (in an old man voice) You try to stay funny as you get older as a comedian - and then you get to this point going (in electronic throat voice) "Good evening ladies and gentlemen, nice to have you here and thank you for coming to my show." You try to stay funny, yeah? I mean when you see like, Don Rickles or like, Mort and you see these guys who are just still doing great... that's what keeps them alive, I mean, it's what keeps them going!

BL: Ahm, Billy Cristal has said that "stand up is how comedians process things that are painful" (RW: Yeah.) but, does that mean we have to wish more painful things on you?

RW: You don't have to, I find them! I was filming in, you know that's kinda a bit... Tourette's is the thing when people say kind of nasty things. Is there... is there, another thing of like, a positive Tourette's "THAT DRESS IS BEAUTIFUL! YOUR LEGS ARE NICE!" Where everything is wonderful: "YOU REALLY ARE LOVELY!" "Nice, nice eyes. NICE EYES!" So, your teeth are beautiful... "YOUR TEETH ARE BEAUTIFUL! ALL OF THEM!"

BL: Why does it have to go the other way?

RW: Well, I think, actually because it's the subconsciuous creeping out but, then you think: Is that a nice idea? Subcoscious is going "I really like you!" Não faço a menor ideia do que ele disse no fim dessa resposta, sério mesmo!

BL: You are sort of unique among comedians, I don't think you've actually written a book...

RW: No, I hope not to! (BL: You hope not to?) Specially a biography. I mean, I have a lot of friends who are authors who are great! I just don't have the discipline to do it. The learning, somewhat. But the discipline as to really sit down and write a book... maybe... cut to a 5 years from now: "I'm here with my new book... so that's the way you like it...". But I don't think so.

BL: Yeah, you can just talk into a tape recorder and someone would just type it up for you. We do that here at Time!

RW: Well, then I should do a book!

BL: I got, you've gone through all my questions!

RW: We did it. Every question! Good job!

Exercises

Lesson:10_Questions_for_Neil_deGrasse_Tyson/ExerciseA1