Cosmos Laundromat - English Practice With Short Films

Listening

Test your understanding

1. What did Franck try to do at the beginning of the film?

A. He tried to end his life. B. He decided to go traveling. C. He tried to call Victor. D. He just tried to keep busy.

2. What did Victor put on Franck's neck?

A. a rope. B. a necklace. C. an electronic device. D. a plastic toy.

3. What best describes the purpose of Victor's visit to Franck?

A. To help someone travel because they were on an island. B. To give hope to someone who had given up. C. To teach kindness to someone who had forgotten how to help people. D. To remind someone how to be brave.

4. How did Franck wake up at the end of the movie?

A. In his own body on his island. B. In a new body on his island. C. In his own body in a strange new world. D. In a new body in a strange new world.

5. Where did the final scene of the movie take place?

A. On the island. B. In a laundromat. C. On tv. D. On a train.

Find the Mistakes

There are five mistakes in the writing below. Can you find them all?

This is the story of the struggles of a depressed sheep named Franck. Franck lives on a flat island that is covered in tall trees. At the start of the movie, we see that he is depressed and trying to commit suicide. He tries to hang himself from a tree, but fails when a branch snaps off. Still tied to the branch, he slowly pushes it towards a cliff at the edge of the island with the intention of throwing himself off. But before he can do so, a man calls to him from behind and introduces himself as Victor. Victor offers positive words, which Franck is not interested in at first. Eventually Franck decides to give Victor a chance and allows him to remove the rope and strap an electronic device to his neck. Victor assures Franck that he has made the right choice and that this device will change his life completely. Franck, still confused, asks what he should do with it, but Victor, who is already leaving, just tells him to sing when he hears music. While walking away, Victor starts listening to an old-fashioned tape player and powerful rap music starts playing. He then presses a button on his watch, activating the device on Franck's neck. In the dark sky, a machine appears amongst the swirling clouds and a colorful vortex starts to descend from it. Franck, frightened, tries to run away but is sucked into the vortex. After the screen fades to black, Franck wakes up in a new and strange world full of unique looking plants and bugs. He is in a new body (a monkey) but is still wearing the device. The scene spins and we see that this whole world is contained in a washing machine. The machine is in a laundromat with several other machines that contain something similar. Victor suddenly pops out of the machine in the corner and prepares to smoke a cigarette. But before he can smoke, his watch starts buzzing and he goes to bed.

Vocabulary

Drag the correct word to each blank.

Real Talk

Here you will find some language that can often be heard in real life, but isn't usually found in textbooks.

Kind of

"Kind of" is a very common informal phrase. It means "to some extent" or "not exactly". It is often used to make a statement or opinion less direct or strong. Example: "I was kind of hoping to leave early."

On about

The phrase "on about" means "talking about", but is a little disrespectful as it suggests that the speaker's words are not worth listening to. "What are you on about?" is a more common way of using this phrase.

Speaking Activities

Are you interested in some group speaking activities? Contact us to find out more about how you can talk about this film with a class and a teacher!