Learn English with Blade Runner

• ☐ ☐ ☐ off-world [adj] - not on Earth
• ☐ ☐ ☐ a blade runner [n] - a police officer who hunts androids or robots
• ☐ ☐ ☐ a skin job [n] - an android (replicant) that looks human
• ☐ ☐ ☐ slaughter [v] - kill
• ☐ ☐ ☐ a shuttle [n] - a spaceship
• ☐ ☐ ☐ spot [v] - see, notice
• ☐ ☐ ☐ an aerial patrol [n] - an airplane that searches for criminals
• ☐ ☐ ☐ fried [v] - killed (with electricity)
• ☐ ☐ ☐ a replicant [n] - a robot or android
• ☐ ☐ ☐ the Voight-Kampff test [exp] - a series of questions used to determine whether an individual is a human or a replicant
• ☐ ☐ ☐ infiltrate [v] - enter a place in order to acquire secret information
• ☐ ☐ ☐ ammunition [n] - bullets, bombs, missiles
• ☐ ☐ ☐ the incept date [n] - the date that a robot was made (born)
• ☐ ☐ ☐ a Nexus 6 [n] - the newest model (type) or replicant (robot)
• ☐ ☐ ☐ optimum self-sufficiency [exp] - able to survive without help
• ☐ ☐ ☐ reckon [v] - believe, think
• ☐ ☐ ☐ a fail-safe device [exp] - a device that stops a machine from becoming dangerous
• ☐ ☐ ☐ the machine [n] - a device used to determine whether someone is a human or a robot

[n] - noun,  [v] - verb,  [phv] - phrasal verb,  [adj] - adjective,  [exp] - expression

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Deckard	Bryant

• The film takes place in Los Angeles in the year 2019 (the future).
• The wealthiest humans have left Earth to live off-world in colonies on other planets.
• Deckard is a retired blade runner - a person who hunts and retires (kills) replicants.
• Replicants are robots that look exactly like humans.
• Replicants are made by the Tyrell Corporation.
• Replicants were outlawed on Earth after a few instances of replicants attacking humans.
• The Voight-Kampff test is a series of questions used to determine if someone is a replicant.

1. The announcement is encouraging people to move to _______.
   another city
   another country
   another planet
   
   
2. Deckard ______ what the two men are saying.
   understands
   doesn't understand
   
   
3. Deckard ______ that he is a blade runner.
   admits
   doesn't deny
   denies
   
   
4. Deckard ______ the law.
   broke
   didn't break
   
   
5. ______ replicants escaped ______ weeks ago.
   4, 2
   4. 4
   6, 2
   6. 4
   
   
6. A few nights ago, the replicants tried to ______ the Tyrell Corporation.
   rob
   destroy
   break into
   escape from
   
   
7. Two of the replicants ______.
   escaped
   disappeared
   were killed
   were captured
   
   
8. Leon is ______.
   easy to kill
   hard to kill
   
   
9. Roy Batty is ______
   a killer
   a loader
   a combat model
   a pleasure model
   
   
10. Roy Batty was built in ______.
    2006
    2016
    2060
    
    
11. Zhora is ______.
    a killer
    a loader
    a combat model
    a pleasure model
    
    
12. Pris is ______.
    a killer
    a loader
    a combat model
    a pleasure model
    
    
13. Replicants are similar to humans but they ______.
    can't be killed
    can live forever
    don't need food, water, or air
    were designed to have no emotions
    
    
14. The designers are worried that replicants might ______.
    be trying to kill Deckard
    be developing emotions
    be trying to escape earth
    have extended their lifespans
    
    
15. Replicants have a ______ lifespan.
    very short
    very long
    
    
16. Bryant tells Deckard to ______.
    interview a new replicant
    find the replicants
    kill the replicants
    
    

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Directions: Write sentences about the video clip using the words given. You can change the word form or add words, but you cannot change the word order. Use a present time frame (tense).
( ) = optional   [ ] = necessary

Instrucciones: Escriba oraciones sobre el videoclip usando las palabras dadas. Puede cambiar la forma de la palabra o agregar palabras, pero no puede cambiar el orden de las palabras. Usa el tiempo presente.

Instrucciones: Escribe oraciones sobre el videoclip usando las palabras dadas. Puede cambiar la forma de las palabras o agregar palabras, pero no puede cambiar el orden de las palabras. Usa tiempo presente.

지시 : 주어진 단어를 사용하여 비디오 클립에 대한 문장을 씁니다. 어형을 변경하거나 단어를 추가할 수 있지만 어순은 변경할 수 없습니다. 현재 시제를 사용합니다.

airship / advertise / chance / move / off-world / colony

An airship is advertising the chance to move to off-world colonies.

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while / Deckard / eat / noodle / two / police / officer / arrest / him / take / him / police / station

While Deckard is eating noodles, two police officers arrest him and take him to a police station.

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at / police / station / Bryant / admit / have / Deckard / arrest / bring / him / police / station

At the police station, Bryant admits to having Deckard arrested (in order) to bring him [to/into] the police station.

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Bryant / explain / why / he / bring / Deckard / police / station

Bryant explains why he brought Deckard to the police station.

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six / replicant / three / male / three / female / escape / off-world / colony

Six replicants, three male(s) and three female(s), escaped from an off-world colony.

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while / replicant / try / break / Tyrell / Corporation / two / them / kill

While the replicants were trying to break into the Tyrell Corporation, two of them were killed.

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only / four / replicant / remain / Leon / Roy Batty / Zhora / Pris

Only four of the replicants remain: Leon, Roy Batty, Zhora, and Pris.

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replicant / perfect / copy / human / being / except / they / lack / human / emotion

Replicants are perfect copies of human beings, except they lack human emotions.

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Tyrell / Corporation / designer / give / replicant / four / year / lifespan

Tyrell Corporation's designers gave replicants a four-year lifespan.
The Tyrell Corporation designers gave replicants a four-year lifespan.

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Bryant / want / Deckard / go / Tyrell / Corporation / test / replicant

Bryant wants Deckard to go to Tyrell Corporation (in order) to test a replicant.

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The text below is from a graded reader of the novel [ Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? ] .

1. Which parts of the video are the same as the novel?
2. Which parts of the video are different from the novel?
3. Which parts of the novel are not in the video?

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On his way to work, Rick, like so many other people, stopped outside one of San Francisco's larger pet shops. In the centre of the long shop window stood an ostrich in a heated plastic cage. It was, Rick knew, the only ostrich on the West Coast. He spent a few minutes staring at the price, and as a result he was late arriving for work at the police station.

While he was unlocking his office door, his boss, Police Inspector Harry Bryant, appeared at his side.

"I want to see you at nine thirty in Dave Holden's office," Inspector Bryant told him. "Holden," he added, "is in Mount Zion Hospital. Half his backbone was blown away by a laser gun. It'll be a month, at least, before they can fit him with a new plastic one."

"What happened?" Rick asked, shocked. Holden had been fine the day before.

"Nine thirty," Bryant repeated, and walked away.

Rick entered his own office. Holden was one of the best. His attacker must have been one of the new super-intelligent androids with the Nexus-6 brain. Most police forces were protesting about them, in Russia as well as across America. The company that had developed the Nexus-6 was difficult to control, though, because its main factory was on the planet Mars.

Rick took a large brown envelope from his desk drawer, then looked at the time. He looked through it until he found what he wanted: all the most recent information on the Nexus-6.

The figures were extraordinary. The Nexus-6 had a choice of ten million separate electrical pathways in its brain; in less than a second these androids could react in one of at least fourteen different ways. They were more intelligent than some classes of human specials, so no intelligence test would trap them. The only hope of recognizing them was by using the Voigt-Kampff Empathy Test; only humans were capable of feeling empathy with other life forms. Rick, and other followers of Mercerism, had no problem experiencing the feelings of other living creatures. Humanlike androids did not have this quality. They stood alone, so they were considered killers. Rick and his colleagues could kill them without breaking the laws of Mercerism.

It was already nine thirty. Rick quickly put the papers back in the envelope and hurried to Holden's room. Inspector Bryant was already in there, using the videophone.

"I see you've brought the information on the Nexus-6," Bryant said, putting the phone down as Rick entered.

"Yes, I thought it must be them," Rick answered. "How many androids are involved and how far did Dave get?"

"There were eight to start with," Bryant said, checking Holden's notes, which were on the desk in front of him. "Dave killed the first two."

"And the others are here in Northern California?"

"Dave thinks so. That was him on the phone."

"I'm ready to take Dave's place," Rick offered.

Bryant thought for a moment. "Dave used the Voigt-Kampff Test on those he suspected. You realize that the test was not prepared specially for the Nexus-6? No test has been."

He paused. "Dave thinks it's accurate. Maybe it is. But before you look for the other six, I want you to fly to the Rosen Corporation in Seattle and talk with the people who made them."

"And test the new androids?"

"Yes. I'm going to phone the company now and discuss the possibility of including several humans in the tests. You won't know which ones they are." Bryant suddenly pointed his finger at Rick. His face was serious. "This is a very responsible job. Dave has a lot of experience behind him."

"So have I," Rick said.

"Your jobs usually come through Dave. He chooses them carefully.

But now you've got six that he intended to kill himself, and one of them shot him first. Max Polokov. That's what it calls itself. If Dave was right, of course - his list of names is only as accurate as the Voigt-Kampff Test itself.

And so far the test has only been given to the first three, the two Dave killed and then Polokov. Dave was giving the test when Polokov lasered him."

"Then Dave was right," said Rick.

"Go to Seattle," Bryant ordered. "Take a station car."

Rick stood up. "Can I take Dave's notes with me?" he asked. "I want to read them on the way."

"Let's wait until you've tried that test," Bryant said.

His voice was not encouraging, Rick noted uneasily. He stood up, feeling miserable. But Dave's sudden disappearance from work meant he could earn six thousand dollars if he killed all six androids. He should be pleased. He breathed deeply for a moment and then turned his mind to Seattle.

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[ printable .pdf ]

1. Deckard is a blade runner. What is a blade runner?
2. What does Bryant want Deckard to do? Why?
3. What do we learn about replicants from this clip?
4. Why are humans worried that replicants might develop emotions?
5. The cops speak a mix of languages. Why? Which languages can you hear? Can you understand anything that they say?
6. This movie was made in 1982 and set in 2019. What did the movie predict well? What did it get wrong?
7. Blade Runner was one of the first movies to popularize the dystopian future genre. What more recent movies seem to borrow (or steal) aesthetics or ideas from this movie? Try to think of a few specific movies and a specific image or idea.