The man who sold the Moon

ESL Lessons: True Stories

A printable worksheet for story-based English conversation classes.

Difficulty: Upper Intermediate B2

PDF: The man who sold the Moon

Warm-up

Have you ever wasted money on something? For example, a gym membership you hardly used.

Vocabulary Match

banned •• agreement
promptly •• mistake
treaty •• quickly
oversight •• stopped
thrives •• grows
certificate •• document

Vocabulary Answers

bannedstopped
promptlyquickly
treatyagreement
oversightmistake
thrivesgrows
certificatedocument

True Story

Listen and fill in the blanks with words from above.

In 1980, an out-of-work American named Dennis Hope discovered an odd gap in international space law. The United Nations ________ ________ countries from owning planets, but forgot to mention ordinary people. Taking advantage of the ________, Hope ________ claimed the Moon and opened a business selling lunar land for around twenty dollars an acre.

Each buyer received an official-looking ________, a lunar map, and mineral rights. Amazingly, his bizarre company has sold plots to over six million customers, including Hollywood celebrities and three former US presidents. Lawyers argue the documents are completely worthless, yet the lunar business continues to thrive.

In 1980, an out-of-work American named Dennis Hope discovered an odd gap in international space law. The United Nations treaty banned countries from owning planets, but forgot to mention ordinary people. Taking advantage of the oversight, Hope promptly claimed the Moon and opened a business selling lunar land for around twenty dollars an acre.

Each buyer received an official-looking certificate, a lunar map, and mineral rights. Amazingly, his bizarre company has sold plots to over six million customers, including Hollywood celebrities and three former US presidents. Lawyers argue the documents are completely worthless, yet the lunar business continues to thrive.

Quiz

  1. What did Dennis Hope discover in 1980?
  2. How much did Dennis Hope charge for an acre of lunar land?
  3. Who are some of the people that bought lunar land from Dennis Hope?
  4. What do lawyers say about the documents Hope provides?

Quiz Answers (examples)

  1. An odd gap in international space law.
  2. Around twenty dollars.
  3. Hollywood celebrities and three former US presidents.
  4. They argue the documents are completely worthless.

True or False

  1. Dennis Hope was a lawyer before claiming the Moon. T F
  2. The United Nations treaty banned countries from owning planets. T F
  3. Over six million customers have bought lunar land. T F

True or False Answers

  1. False
  2. True
  3. True

Conversation

A:Hey Dennis, did you really sell the Moon?
B:Yep, and business is booming!
A:How do people react when you tell them?
B:They usually laugh, then ask for a plot next to a celebrity.
A:Do you think anyone will ever live there?
B:Who knows? But if they do, I hope they pay rent!

Discussion

  1. Have you ever wanted to visit space or the Moon? Why or why not?
  2. Would you buy a cheap piece of land on the Moon as a joke or a gift?
  3. Do you think human beings will actually live on the Moon one day?
  4. Who do you think should own the Moon: the United Nations, private companies, or nobody?

Further Reading

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/space-who-owns-moon-science

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