It may sound a bit banal at first but the contest of Miss Universe offers English learners a good opportunity to practise English in several ways.
In Miss Universe 2011 the participants had to do a video in which they answered three questions:
Do you believe in life on other planets?
What advantages do women have over men?
If you were an animal, what would you be and why?
The videos give us the opportunity to listen to a variety of English accents, both native and non-native, and they are not too hard to understand. Besides, they can be used as an introduction if we are studying or revising the second conditional, or if the topic of stereotypes, women vs men, has come up in class. Finally, students can answer the questions for themselves after they have seen the videos.
Self study activity:
Watch the videos and complete the blanks in the transcripts with the missing words.
Great Britain
Do you believe in life on other planets?
I actually do believe in life on other planets or I’d like to think that there is life on other planets, to think that we are only one in the whole solar system, it feels pretty (1) ..., so I would definitely like to think that there is life on other planets, even if it is as tiny as an ameba or something, just something is there.
What advantages do women have over men?
I think that women and men are pretty much equal even if they are not treated as such. But I think one advantage is maybe that they can (2) ... better than men. A man would probably disagree, but I think that women have to do so many things, and also they have the advantage of being able to carry life, which is something a man is unable to do, and I think that’s a (3) ..., so that’s a definite advantage.
If you were an animal, what would you be and why?
If I was an animal I would probably be a (4) ..., because (4) ... get to reinvent themselves into a (5) ..., which I have just here. So, yeah, I’d probably be a (4) ... that turns into a big beautiful (5) ... and then they get to fly whenever they want to go, so it’s free-travel, so I’d be a (4) ... into a (5) ... .
Australia
Do you believe in life on other planets?
I do believe it’s very possible and I’m not sure whether I’d like to meet them.
What advantages do women have over men?
Maybe (6) ... , I think women are a lot more (6) ... than men. Obviously this is a big assumption about men, but I think, yeah, men could be a little bit more (6) ... especially at (7) ... .
If you were an animal, what would you be and why?
Probably a (8) ... . I definitely think if I were an animal I would be a (8) ... , because it just would be amazing to fly wherever you had to go.
US
Do you believe in life on other planets?
I do believe in life on other planets. I don’t think that we are the only ones. Well so are science geeks, of course. I'm reading about (9) ... from outer space and if there’s really life on other planets.
What advantages do women have over men?
I think the advantage that women have over men is, the (10) ... about being a woman is that we can create life and they are here because we are here.
If you were an animal, what would you be and why?
If I could be an animal I’m pretty sure I would be a (11) ... and that’s because I feel I’d walk in (12) ... miles per hour, and that’s how fast they go, so I think I would definitely be a (11) ... .
Key:
1 lonely 2 multitask 3 gift 4 caterpillar 5 butterfly 6 patience 7 airports 8 bird 9 aliens 10 beauty 11 cheetah 12 eighty-six
