28th April 2020
Top Gear is a famous British show about cars, motoring, driving and crashing !
Here is an opportunity to hear British English being spoken at a natural pace, and to learn new expressions and colloquialisms (everyday spoken words, not usually found in student text books).
Top Gear Vietnam
The chaps arrive in Vietnam are are given a challenge … to buy a car for 15 million Dong. That sounds a lot of money, but it is nowhere near enough to buy a car, not even an old, second-hand one. Instead they decide they can only afford motorbikes.
Now for the challenge.
This clip has subtitles. Watch it repeatedly, concentrating on the body language, the expressions on the faces and the way two of the men are excited while Jeremy (the very tall man in the Vietnam T-shirt) is less than happy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sKg-jCV-YM0&list=PLPJI_c2ou1sQgmufw3aUzI1h5ZLQpZybv&index=2
[Note: some of the subtitles are WRONG !]
The challenge is to ride their motorbikes from Sai Gon (Ho Chi Minh City) to the North, past Ha Noi, near the Chinese border.
Richard, the smallest man, tells Jeremy his scooter will be useless … why ?
What expression does Richard use to mean ‘out of control’ ?
How does James, the man in the white shirt, describe the challenge ?
What is Jeremy’s reaction ? Can you copy his expression and voice ?
What would be the problem riding a bike like this Vietnam ?
What is the longest or strangest or worst journey you have ever made ?
Tell the class about it, trying to use as many new expressions as you can, and with the appropriate stress and intonation.
Pronunciation
Try to sound like to the chaps – intonation and stress and phrases.
Top Gear Vietnam (07.00 – 8.46): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1zfuBgCUqY&t=48s
Worst car in the world
What are the problems ? Can you imitate Jeremy’s intonation ?
“…known in Vietnam as the ‘common car’ has an engine, but it’s hard to say what sort.”
watch the whole clip here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nd5ka91fkDo
Thay Paul's Notes 