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Recommendations of English Materials

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0% found this document useful (0 votes)
21 views44 pages

Recommendations of English Materials

Uploaded by

Huyền Lê
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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SELECTION OF TV SHOWS

Suits
The action takes place in a fictional
law firm in New York. The series is
about a tandem of a self-taught
lawyer who pretends to be a Harvard
graduate and one of the best lawyers
in the city.

Stranger Things
The series is set in the fictional town of
Hawkins in the 1980s. The plot follows
a group of kids and teens whose
world is turned upside down when
one of their friends goes missing. The
series is about villains, monsters, and
even another world.

13
GLOW
In the center of the plot is a girl
named Ruth, who all her life has
dreamed of becoming a famous
actress. But life gave her only a role
in a series about female wrestlers.
So Ruth finds herself in a world of
bouffant hair, glitter, and spandex.

Big Bang Theory


The main characters of the series
are physicists-geeks. They know
everything about the universe but
are absolutely helpless in
communicating with the opposite
sex. The situation changes when an
aspiring actress and waitress Penny
moves next door.

14
Why Women Kill
The series follows the stories of three
women from different decades: a
housewife in the 1960s, a socialite in
the 1980s, and a lawyer in the 2010s.
Times are different, the problem is the
same. Despite the changed role of
women in the world, their reactions to
unfaithfulness remain ambiguous.

Big Little Lies


What can unite five women from a
California town? Brunches, love of
shopping or jogging in the morning?
Not really. The correct answer is
murder during the prom.

15
Silicon Valley
This is a comedy about young IT
people who are desperately trying to
come up with a breakthrough startup.
They all live under the same roof of an
eccentric entrepreneur.

House of Cards
The series is about political games,
why a congressman helps a
presidential candidate, and what
happens when one of the parties
violates the agreements.

16
Game of Thrones
This is a series with many characters
and several storylines. The first storyline
is dedicated to the struggle of
influential houses for the Iron Throne of
the Seven Kingdoms, the second is
about the descendant of the
overthrown dynasty, an exiled princess
who plans to regain the throne; the
third is about the ancient brotherhood,
protecting the kingdoms from northern
threats. This is a story about human
passions, the lust for power, political
intrigues, and the fate of despotic
rulers.

Black Mirror
The main focus of the series is the
impact of modern technology on
human life. This frightening series is
about what life in a society captured
by gadgets can turn into.

17
The Morning Show
What happens behind the scenes of
the everyday shows on TV channels?
In the series, you will find the answer.
There is a battle for ratings, intrigues
of the team, and ambitions of each
character.

Thirteen Reasons Why


Why would a schoolgirl decide to
commit suicide? There may be 13
reasons for this, which her classmate
has to figure out.

18
The Crown
The series is a chronicle of the life of
Queen Elizabeth II. It’s about the
political rivalry and behind-the-
scenes intrigues that become part of
the life of the ruler. She is just
beginning her journey in the struggle
for power.

Peaky Blinders
This is the story of one family that runs
the most feared and powerful local
gang and has gained unprecedented
influence not only at their home. It’s a
crime drama with Cillian Murphy
about the life of English gangsters in
the 1920s.

19
Friends
It’s one of the best comedy series in
the history of American television. The
plot revolves around six friends who
live in one neighborhood and spend
their free time together. This series has
it all: ridiculous stories, killer jokes,
support, and love.

Sex And The City


This is a story of four friends who look
at life differently and overcome
problems. The series shows their daily
life, experiences, and search for love.
Enjoy funny situations and interesting
dialogues from confident and frank
ladies.

20
And Just Like That…
Continuation of the cult series "Sex
and the City". The events happen in
our time in New York. The main
characters are three friends who are
already over fifty, but age has not
changed them, they are still bright
and self-confident.

Emily in Paris
The plot develops about an American
girl Emily, who goes to work in Paris.
The girl faces the customs of the
French, a different philosophy of their
life and approach to work. It’s a light
series about adventures with new
colleagues, friends, and lovers.

21
Sherlock
The heroes of Arthur Conan Doyle’s
works, Sherlock Holmes and John
Watson, were transported to our
world. Unexplained crimes are taking
place in London, the police are
powerless. Sherlock and John help in
solving complicated and confusing
cases.

True Detective
The first season of the series tells the
story of partners who are
investigating a murder in Louisiana.
The second is about police officers
investigating the death of a politician.
In the third season, an aging
detective recalls the circumstances of
the murder which happened in 1980.

22
White Collar
"To solve the most intricate crime, you
need to hire the best criminal" — that
phrase perfectly describes the plot.
To catch major criminals, the
policeman asks one of them for help.

How I Met Your Mother


In 2030, the main character gathers
the children together and tells them a
long story about meeting their
mother. It all starts with the friends’
marriage when the main character
decides to find his love. Thus begins a
series of acquaintances with a variety
of girls, each of whom he imagines as
a potential wife.

23
The Walking Dead
The zombie apocalypse is already
here. The world, in its usual form, no
longer exists. This is what the main
character sees when he wakes up
from a coma. Seeing the situation, he
remembers about his wife and child.
Now his goal is to find his family.

24
SELECTION OF MOVIES:

Forrest Gump
The main character, Forrest Gump, is
a weak-minded, kind, open-hearted,
and unsophisticated man. The movie
is a story about his life: incredible
stories about how he became a
famous football player, a war hero,
a tennis player, then one of the
owners of Apple and a billionaire. But
the only thing he dreams about is the
mutual love of the girl with whom he
was friends in childhood.

Pretty Woman
It’s a love story between a rich man
and a poor woman. The main
character is left without a roof over
her head and is forced to work as an
easy girl. One day her life changes.
She meets a millionaire who becomes
something more than just a client ...

25
The Mask
This bright movie stars the king of
comedy, Jim Carrey. A mask, found by
chance, changes the life of a shy
bank employee. When he puts it on,
he becomes a completely different
person, insane and invulnerable.

The Shawshank
Redemption
The main character is a bank
employee who is mistakenly
sentenced to life imprisonment. To
stay away from prison cruelty, he
starts working in the library at the
prison. After 20 years, he receives
confirmation that he was convicted
by mistake and prepares an escape
plan.

26
Groundhog Day
Time in the life of the main character
has stopped. Every day is February 2
and he lives through the same events.
He is trying to reap the benefits from
his comical position and have fun to
the fullest. Now he has one cherished,
simple dream left — February 3.

Harry Potter and the


Philosopher's Stone
Harry, an orphan boy, has lived in the
house of his cruel uncle and aunt for
10 years. One day a big man bursts
into his life with interesting news. It
turns out the boy is a wizard. Now
young Harry will have to learn the
world of witchcraft and wizardry, and
face challenges.

27
The Holiday
It’s the story of two heartbroken
women. They find each other online
and decide to swap their lives by
house exchange. This vacation starts
a new chapter in the lives of both
heroines.

The Lake House


The main character decides to move
from the lake house to the bustling
city. Before that, she leaves a note in
the mailbox for the future owner of the
house. After a while, the girl decides
to visit the old house and sees a letter
in the mailbox. It was an answer to
hers from the son of the architect of
the house. That’s how their romantic
relationship begins.

28
Love actually
The movie shows nine parallel
storylines a month before Christmas.
Absolutely all the characters and their
stories are intricately intertwined with
each other. The main message is that
love is everywhere. Sometimes it is
love that pushes to rash acts.

The Terminal
This is a story about a man who gets
stuck at a New York airport. The
protagonist's visa is canceled while
he was still in flight, so he cannot go
through passport control, but he
cannot fly back either, because all
flights to his country have been
canceled. Now his home is the
terminal.

29
The Matrix
The main character Neo learns that
the world in which people live is just a
computer virtual reality controlled by
machines. Machines keep people in a
state of hallucination in order to feed
on their energy. Neo takes the side of
the fight against Artificial Intelligence
to return freedom to humanity.

Pulp Fiction
It’s a comedy with elements of drama.
The movie tells about two hitmen who,
in between fights, tell each other
stories from their lives. So three stories
are unfolding, each of them is funny
and tragic at the same time.

30
Pirates of the Caribbean:
The Curse of the Black
Pearl
The charismatic and desperate pirate
Jack Sparrow sets off on a journey on
the ship the Black Pearl. One day, the
ship is attacked and the daughter of
the local governor is taken prisoner.
Jack Sparrow leads the rescue
operation.

The King’s Speech


In 1925, the Duke of York speaks to the
stadium spectators and radio
listeners. He suffers from stuttering, so
the performance goes terribly — long
pauses, some of the words are
incomprehensible. So he takes a
series of classes with different speech
therapists. Everything is useless. Until a
speech therapist from Austria with an
extraordinary approach appears in
the life of the Duke.

31
Click
A workaholic architect works hard to
get promoted, and he has no time for
family. One day, he finds a remote
control that can fast-forward his life.
After playing for a while, the main
character realizes that he did not
prioritize correctly and fast-forwarded
important moments in his life. You'll
have to make up for the lost time.

Marley and Me
A calm life of a young couple, who
have everything planned for years to
come, is disturbed by one event. They
adopted a puppy, not just a dog, but
an uncontrollable labrador. It is the
dog that becomes the main test in
the life of a couple.

32
Home Alone
After a fight with his parents on
Christmas Eve, Kevin wishes they
would disappear from his life. In the
morning, the whole family of the boy
leaves for vacation, forgetting to take
Kevin with them. On top of that, the
main character's house becomes the
target of robbers, but Kevin is smart
about it and protects his home.

WHY ARE THEY NOT DIVIDED INTO LEVELS?

The division of movies and series into categories according to the


level of English is simply a convention. When creating a movie,
directors and screenwriters do not think “Well, what level of English
is it suitable for?”. So lists of movies for different levels are often
created on the basis of subjective opinion.

There is a basic principle: if you want to watch something easier,


choose examples from the list above. More difficult are such
movies as fantasy, adventure or about a certain profession or
area (politics, business, finance, and so on).

33
WITH OR WITHOUT SUBTITLES?
You can turn on subtitles, but I recommend you watch without
them if possible. Because it is important to follow what is
happening in the scene and not be distracted by the words
below.

Instead of reading lines, take a better look at the actors: watch for
expressions on their faces. After all, in real life, people use body
language, which you will also have to master because charm and
charisma play a key role in building business and friendships. !

When should I start watching TV series in English without subtitles?


When you want to train your ears, learn modern vocabulary and
slang.

There is also a compromise: turn on subtitles when you really need


them and then turn them off.

34
QUOTES FROM TV SERIES IN ENGLISH
In addition, it is convenient to learn a language from TV shows: it is
both being entertained and studying at the same time. You can
also improve your spoken English and learn professional terms.

For example, imagine yourself at an appointment with an American


doctor. You are trying to explain why you came and what you
want. At this dramatic moment, you will thank heaven for eight
seasons of House.

So, here is a selection of phrases that will definitely come in handy


when talking with native speakers.

• I never gave up on you.


• Told ya!
• Later!
• Get back here.
• Step right up, ladies and gentlemen!
• Keep your voice down.
• He has nothing to do with this.
• Do I make myself clear?
• Geez!
• We got a deal?
• I’ll be damned!

35
• Man are gonna come along and teach you things.
• What are we supposed to do with her?
• There’s hardly a scratch on her.
• It’s a goddamn miracle.
• I doubt she’ll see it that way.
• You understand, dear, your mother’s passed on?
• You know what that means, don’t you?
• It’s interesting, go on.

• My friends and I were obsessed with Gossip Girl.


• Fake it till you make it.
• So, you’re single in Paris?
• How are you enjoying Paris?
• You’re not wearing the perfume.
• I will keep all of that in mind for our marketing materials.
• I am looking for a friendly face to talk to.
• I hope to become a valuable member of your team.

36
• I need to get out of this!
• This network has every right to terminate you.
• Someone else could be in the driver’s seat.
• She is throwing me under the bus.
• We are facing the biggest crisis in
our history.
• I don’t fit the mold.
• It’s barely news!
• Your words spoke to America.
• My life just ended for no good reason.

• I’m dumping you. For her.


• It’s not about money, it’s my vocation.
• My mum doesn’t do boyfriends.
• I had a mental breakdown.
• I just have no room in my life for dating.
• Have you dropped something? No? Why are you eyeballing
the ground, then?
• I have just had my eyebrows done, and I was looking on fleek.
• Dancing is not really my thing.
• For shits and giggles.
• Well, you won't be snogging anyone tonight.
• If you chicken out now, The Wild Bunch is gone for good!
37
• Gallaghers are a lot of things but no one says we back down
from a challenge.
• If we weren’t so screwed we wouldn’t ask for your help.
• Dude almost drowned me in my own hot tub.
• You don’t have to help us.
• I am taking my time with this.
• I took what was mine.
• I’m not fishing for a pep talk.
• No pun intended.
• Silver lining? Finally, have the house for ourselves.
• For the record, I do not want to be sent to a place like this.

• As soon as I post this, you're gonna get a load of new followers.


• What's your handle?
• Now that I'm back, I'm gonna feature your finstas, surface those
subtweets, and crack your caches.
• I haven't been seeing you around the school very much.
• I'm trying to keep a low profile.
• And if she were to leave, Obie would just pine for her like the
puppy he is.
• Oh, these are gorge.
• I don't need you to pile on too, Max. I am exhausted.

Well, how many new phrases did you come across? I'm sure you've
never seen at least a few of them before. Below you will find tips
on how to get the most out of a TV show or movie. Keep reading!
38
LIFE HACKS AND RULES ON HOW TO
BENEFICIALLY WATCH MOVIES AND SERIES

Choose TV shows taking into account two criteria: language level


and interests.

Everything is clear with the level of English: the language in The


Simpsons and House M.D. is different. To understand what suits
you best, you just need to listen to their dialogues. If you can’t get
involved, you will have to look for something simpler or more
difficult.

Choose a story according to your interests. Do you dream of


working as a lawyer in Washington, finding investments for your
own IT startup, or conquering the Hollywood Olympus? Then look
for a series on your topic.

It is not necessary to look up every unfamiliar word in a dictionary.


If you come across a new word, try to find it in a picture search. So
you can draw an associative series and remember a new word for
a long time. If you use a dictionary, try the Cambridge Dictionary
or Oxford Dictionaries.

Slow down playback speed. There are moments when actors in a


movie or TV series speak too fast and you can't catch the line. Of
course, you can read the subtitles, but you shouldn't ignore
listening comprehension. In addition, streaming services Kinopoisk,
Netflix, and Amazon Prime Video have a playback speed control
function. There is nothing shameful in watching a moment that you
did not understand at a speed of 0.5 or even 0.25. If you do not
use streaming platforms, then there is another way out — to install
a special browser extension. For example, for the Google Chrome
browser, use SpeedUp extensions, Netflix, Prime videos, or Video
Speed Controller.

39
Template for new vocabulary from series and movies.
Word/Phrase Meaning in English Example

Drip Cool and stylish outfit Look at Emma’s drip! She is


so gorgeous.

Task: watch a movie from the selection above and write a review
about it.

40
SELECTION OF YOUTUBE CHANNELS

BUSINESS AND NEWS

The Economist. The channel provides authoritative information


and opinion on international news, politics, business, finance,
science, technology, and connections between them.

Forbes. About business, entrepreneurship, investment, and


leadership. The channel has a lot of success stories of people who
influence our world in one way or another.

Business Insider. A channel about everything related to business:


global technologies, finance, markets, and strategies.

Google Small Business. The channel is about business and for


business. There small business owners can get tips, tools, and
resources to grow their business online.

Stanford Graduate School of Business. An educational channel


featuring the ideas of the world's leading educators and famous
guest speakers. By watching the video, you can feel like a member
of the Stanford GSB community.

GaryVee. Gary is an entrepreneur. He helps brands from the


Fortune 1000 list. On his channel, Gary shares business tips and
motivational videos.

41
EDUCATIONAL CHANNELS

The School of Life. The goal of this channel is to help people live
more peacefully. On the channel, you will find videos about how to
understand yourself, improve your relationships and become more
self-confident when you face difficulties.

TED-ed. An educational channel with short films on various topics.


All videos are created by teachers and animators. The material is
presented in simple and accessible English.

Big Think. It’s a source of useful educational content prepared by


experts. Channel experts are leaders in their fields and talk about
ideas and skills that are important in the 21st century.

The Financial Diet. This financial literacy channel won't make you
cry. There you can find everything you need to know about money
and how to live better. It will be clear even for a beginner.

CrashCourse. The channel has short educational videos on


different topics from school subjects to social sciences,
psychology, and media.

OverSimplified. Here they talk about complex things, like


revolution and war, in super simple language.

Timeline World History Documentaries. This channel is about


world history. The channel's creators feature unique
documentaries and series from leading broadcasters including the
BBC, Channel 4, Discovery, and PBS.

VOX. The channel will help break through the informational noise
and understand what drives the events in the headlines and in our
lives.

42
ENTERTAINMENT CHANNELS

Saturday Night Live. Here you'll find your favorite sketches,


behind-the-scenes clips, and exclusives featuring your favorite
hosts and actors.

Jimmy Kimmel Live. On this channel, you can watch excerpts of


interviews from the late-night talk show of the same name. Visiting
the host, Hollywood stars share stories and funny moments.

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. One more channel with
excerpts of funny moments from the show of another Jimmy:
comedy sketches, musical parodies, interviews with celebrities,
funny games, and backstages.

TheEllenShow. Excerpts from the daytime show "The Ellen


DeGeneres Show": comedy, celebrities, music artists, and
interesting stories.

The Late Late Show with James Corden. The channel has videos
where stars sing karaoke, improvise and play games with the host.

43
FASHION AND CULTURE

Rolling Stone. About music, culture, and entertainment. The


channel has a lot of exclusive interviews, live performances, and
news from the world of culture.

Vanity Fair. Here you can find talks about people, places, and
ideas that define contemporary culture. The channel broadcasts
about everything in the contemporary world: from art and
entertainment to business, politics, and international relations.

i-D. This channel is devoted to fashion, culture, individuality, and


youth. It spotlights unique and diverse perspectives to engage in
fashion and youth culture.

Vogue. A channel about fashion in the context of culture and the


modern world. The channel shows how fashion affects the way we
dress, live and communicate; what we eat, what we listen and
watch.

CineFix. An educational and entertaining channel about cinema.


Movie buffs will appreciate it.

44
TECHNOLOGY

The Verge. A team of journalists explores how technology will


change lives in the future. The channel features product reviews,
technology news, and so on.

CNET. It’s a place of explanation and navigation in the changing


world of technology. With the help of this channel, you will find out
what new developments appear in the areas of modern life, like
healthcare, home, money, culture, climate, and others.

Tech Insider. Here you will learn everything you need to know
about technology today: gadgets, manuals, games, digital culture
and much more.

TKOR. The name of the channel stands for "The King of Random".
Videos are dedicated to exploring life through all sorts of life
hacks, experiments, and random weekend projects.

45
DIFFERENT TOPICS

CollegeHumor. Comedy channel. The channel also has a lot of


sketches, quirky clips, web series, etc.

High on Life. A channel for those who want to fall in love with life
again. The videos on the channel are devoted to different topics,
but they are similar in one thing — they inspire you to go out and
explore the world.

Mark Weins. The owner of the channel, Mark, has found an


unobvious benefit from travel — the opportunity to taste food from
all over the world. The channel is about delicious street food and
tips for travelers!

Jamie Oliver. A channel about unusual recipes, masterclasses,


and delicious food from British chef Jamie Oliver.

46
SELECTION OF PODCASTS

Podcasts are a great language booster. You can simultaneously


immerse yourself in something that interests you, expand your
vocabulary and improve your listening skills. The greatest thing
about podcasts is that you can listen to them anywhere and
choose from a variety of topics: fashion, history, mythology, fitness,
and whatever you want. Don't know which podcast to choose?
Here is a selection:

7 Deadly Sins
Stephen Fry is an English actor, comedian,
and writer. In the podcast, he talks about
the seven sins in a way that will make you
laugh heartily and think about how people
behave.

Gucci Podcast
The podcast will allow you to look into the
inner workings of the fashion house and find
out how the collections are created. Each
episode reveals the inspiration and vision of
the Florentine fashion house.

Great Lives
This is kind of a biographical series in which
famous guests tell the biography of those
who inspired them. You will learn about the
life of John Rockefeller, Nikolo Tesla, Charles
Dickens, and other prominent historical
figures.

52
How to Fail
We are taught to win, but not how to accept
defeats. This podcast focuses on situations
where something went wrong. Every week a new
guest tells what his failures taught him and how
they helped him on the way to victory.

The English We Speak


The podcast will introduce you to the most used
English words and phrases. Each episode lasts
less than three minutes, and this time will be
enough to master the essential phrases of
spoken English.

American English Pronunciation Podcast


The podcast about the nuances of
pronunciation. Here you will learn to distinguish
the subtleties of sound pronunciation,
intonations, and stresses.
The podcast is educational, so I advise you to
take notes while listening.

Luke’s English Podcast


Fans of British English will especially enjoy this
podcast. The host, Luke Thompson, talks about a
variety of topics in each episode and educates
listeners at the same time. Podcasts are not
about something sophisticated, they are
reflections on everyday life, so everyone will
understand them.

Choose any and upgrade your listening skill!


53
LEARN ENGLISH WITH AUDIO SERIES
If you don't have enough time to watch TV shows in English, then
there is one excellent solution! Try a new format — audio series. In
English-speaking countries, this format is very popular and a new
episode is expected as it was the Game of Thrones.

What’s the difference between audio series and podcasts? The


former is just a series we all used to just in an audio format,
without visuals or settings, but with music and sounds that replace
the visual component. Audio series are divided into episodes,
which are united into seasons. They have a storyline, characters
voiced by different actors, and a soundtrack — everything is like in
regular TV series.

Audio series are not audiobooks, where the text is simply read
aloud. They are also not like podcasts, in which different people
meet, discussing topics. The format of audio series is closer to that
of radio shows you might have listened to in childhood. These were
dramatizations of literary works, in which much attention was paid
to audio effects: recording of steps, shots, sounds of nature, and
the noise of cars. Probably, during the development of podcasts,
this genre has been revived and turned into audio series. Only
now, stories and plots are composed from scratch, or, if it is a
documentary genre, they are based on real stories.

If You can listen to audio series


anywhere: while jogging, on the way
to work or school, while walking the
dog, or cooking. You are getting your
things done while listening to a
fascinating story, improving your
English by practicing your listening
skills, and getting used to the accents
of native speakers.
54
In addition to boosting listening skills, audio series are also
interesting: captivating plots and thoughtful sound design soak
you up in the story. Also, there’s a lot of room for imagination: you
can imagine what the characters and the setting look like.

However, this format is not suitable for beginners. Since audio


series rarely have subtitles, you can start listening to them when
you are at the Intermediate level.

You can listen to audio series on Apple Podcasts or Acast.


Episodes are also available on the websites of studios that
produce audio series like Gimlet and QCode.

You can download audio series in advance and listen to them


offline without an Internet connection.

Nowadays most audio series are science fiction, thriller, or


detective, in which it is easy to convey the atmosphere with the
help of sounds and audio effects. Space flights, blaster and pistol
shots, eerie music, sudden creaking, explosion, brake screeching —
such sounds are not easy to pick up for a comedy or a love
drama.

Below is a ready-made selection of


audio series that are captivating
and that will help you improve your
English.

55
Blackout. A radio DJ from a small town is forced to
protect his family after the town's entire power grid
collapses under mysterious circumstances. The
audio series shows what our world might look like
with only one radio left of all technology.

Wolf 359. About the adventures of the crew on a


fictional space station that revolves around the
star Wolf 359 (BTW, it’s not fictional). Each episode
is a note from the logbook about the life of the
team, which was assigned to perform several
experimental tasks.

Mission to Zyxx. Imagine adding the absurdity and


humor of BoJack Horseman to Star Wars and Star
Trek. That would be Mission to Zyxx. What is
interesting about this audio series is that the plot
and dialogues are a complete improvisation of the
actors.

Gaslight. Danny has gone missing: at the end of


her senior year, she disappeared, leaving family
and friends, including her best friend Becca, at a
loss. The audio series begins several years after the
disappearance when an unexpected visitor turns
up on the doorstep of Becky and her husband.

Homecoming. The plot revolves around the


Homecoming (Return home) organization, which is
engaged in the rehabilitation of former soldiers.
The principle of its work remains a mystery to
everyone. The story is told through recordings of
telephone conversations and sessions with a
psychotherapist.

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Carrier. Raylene is a truck driver. For some reason,
the customer makes strange demands on the
transportation of cargo: the trailer must be cooled
to a certain temperature, and the cargo must be
delivered to Chicago by 5 am. As soon as Raylene
sets off, she begins to suspect that some kind of
creature is hidden inside the trailer.

Victoriocity. A detective comedy. Even Greater


London, 1887. In this vast metropolis, inspector
Archibald Fleet and journalist Clara Entwhistle
investigate a murder, only to find themselves at the
center of a conspiracy of impossible proportions.

Limetown. Journalistic investigation of a mysterious


disappearance. Ten years ago, more than three
hundred men, women, and children disappeared
from a small town in Tennessee. Nobody has ever
heard from them again. American public radio
reporter Leah Haddock tries to get to the bottom
of the incident.

The Habitat. In Hawaii, an experiment was


conducted to simulate life on Mars. Six volunteers
were isolated for a year in near-Martian conditions
so that NASA could understand what life on the red
planet is like. During the experiment, audio diaries
were kept, from which the Gimlet studio created an
exciting documentary audio series.

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SELECTION: WHAT TO READ IN ENGLISH
Books, as well as films, are not strictly divided into levels, but there
are general recommendations. If you want something easy to
read, go with modern novels, classics, or fairy tales, if something
more difficult, then opt for non-fiction, science fiction, and
detective stories. Again, the main thing is to enjoy the process. If
you don’t know what to choose in the bookstore, then use the
selection below.

ENGLISH CLASSICS

The Story of King Arthur and His Knights by Howard Pyle


The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
The Hobbit, or There and Back Again by J.R.R. Tolkien
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (Chronicles of Narnia, #1)
by C.S. Lewis
Animal Farm by George Orwell
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

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NON FICTION
Asteroids & Meteoroids by Grace Hansen
A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson
The Sixth Extinction by Elizabeth Kolbert
A Promised Land by Barack Obama
Unnatural Causes by Richard Shepherd
A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking
21 Lessons for the 21st Century by Yuval Noah Harari

NOVELS

The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros


Wonder by R.J. Palacio
Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
Beach Read by Emily Henry
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
Me Before You by Jojo Moyes
Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren
When You Get the Chance by Emma Lord
Running Wild by K.A. Tucker
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

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DETECTIVES
Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie
And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

FANTASY
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling
The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
The Fellowship of the Ring (The Lord of the Rings #1) by J.R.R. Tolkien
Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones
American Gods by Neil Gaiman
Dune by Frank Herbert
Dealing with Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede
The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

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STUDYING NEW VOCABULARY
Vocabulary is the foundation of a language. Even if you have just
started learning English and do not understand grammar, it is a
wide vocabulary that will help you make an order in a cafe or ask
for directions abroad. Learning new vocabulary also helps improve
all four language skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. In
short, if you want to upgrade your English on all fronts, start by
learning new vocabulary. The cards "1000 words you need to know
at the Intermediate level" will help you with this. They contain
vocabulary that is most often found both in the everyday speech of
native speakers and in print media, films, on television, basically,
everything that surrounds a person. Having mastered these words,
you will upgrade your vocabulary to a confident Intermediate.
Improve your vocabulary and notice how your understanding and
communication in English improve!

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