The James Bond stuntman who ran across crocodiles

ESL Lessons: True Stories

A printable worksheet for story-based English conversation classes.

Difficulty: Elementary A2

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Warm-up

Do you know what James Bond's code number is? (Yes, it's 007.)

Vocabulary Match

stuntman •• action
dangerous •• risky
stitches •• thread
stunt •• alligator
crocodile •• pro risk taker
chewed •• ate

Vocabulary Answers

stuntmanpro risk taker
dangerousrisky
stitchesthread
stuntaction
crocodilealligator
chewedate

True Story

Listen and fill in the blanks with words from above.

In the 1973 movie Live and Let Die, there was a very ________ ________ where James Bond ran across crocodiles. The man who did the stunt got hurt and needed almost 200 ________ on his head and leg. The stunt was done by a man named Ross Kananga, who owned a ________ farm in Jamaica. He had done some other film work before.

To do the stunt, the crocodiles were tied down in the water so they couldn't move. Kananga ran across their backs, but it took him five tries to do it right. He said that after the first try, the crocodiles knew what was going to happen and were ready for him. They even ________ off his clothes, including his shoes. Kananga got 193 stitches on his leg and face because of the crocodiles.

He got paid $60,000 for doing the stunt, but he said it wasn't enough.

In the 1973 movie Live and Let Die, there was a very dangerous stunt where James Bond ran across crocodiles. The man who did the stunt got hurt and needed almost 200 stitches on his head and leg. The stunt was done by a man named Ross Kananga, who owned a crocodile farm in Jamaica. He had done some other film work before.

To do the stunt, the crocodiles were tied down in the water so they couldn't move. Kananga ran across their backs, but it took him five tries to do it right. He said that after the first try, the crocodiles knew what was going to happen and were ready for him. They even chewed off his clothes, including his shoes. Kananga got 193 stitches on his leg and face because of the crocodiles.

He got paid $60,000 for doing the stunt, but he said it wasn't enough.

Quiz

  1. Who did the stunt?
  2. Why couldn't the crocodiles move?

Quiz Answers (examples)

  1. A man named Ross Kananga.
  2. Because they were tied down in the water.

True or False

  1. The movie "Live and Let Die" was released in 1983. T F
  2. Ross Kananga owned a crocodile farm in Australia. T F
  3. The crocodiles chewed off his clothes. T F

True or False Answers

  1. False
  2. False
  3. True

Conversation

Director:Great job, Ross! You were amazing.
Ross:Thanks, I tried my best.
Director:But, umm, I forgot to press record...
Ross:Seriously? You're kidding, right?
Director:I wish I was. Can you do it again?
Ross:Well, okay! I don't have anything else to do!

Discussion

  1. Have you ever watched a James Bond movie?
  2. Would you like to perform stunts for a movie? Why or why not?
  3. Have you ever seen a crocodile or other dangerous animal?

Further Reading

https://www.joe.ie/movies-tv/james-bond-crocodile-stunt-725877


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