Inside

Out

James Bond

WORKSHEET

A

There can’t be much doubt that James Bond is the world’s most famous fictional spy.

He was created in the early 1950s by the English author Ian Fleming in a book called

Casino Royale, the first of a long series, and in 1962 he appeared for the first time in

cinemas in the film Dr. No. Since then there have been twenty-two Bond films, all of

which have been successful. The first actor to play Bond (and, in many people’s

opinion, still the best) was the Scotsman Sean Connery. The most recent is Daniel

Craig, who was in Casino Royale (based on Fleming’s book) in 2006 and Quantum of

Solace in 2008.

As anyone who has seen any of the films will know, Bond works for the British secret

service, his assignments take him to lots of exotic places around the world, and his

enemy is usually a shadowy international criminal or terrorist organisation. It isn’t

clear exactly how old Bond is, but he’s probably in his late thirties or early forties,

this being the age of almost all the actors who play him. He is intelligent, calm in

dangerous situations, and likes to introduce himself with the famous words, ‘Bond.

James Bond.’ He is also handsome (usually with dark hair, although Daniel Craig is

blonde), well-dressed and rarely without female company – the list of ‘Bond girls’

over the years has included some very famous actresses. His famous code number is

007 (‘double-oh-seven’), with the ‘00’ standing for ‘licence to kill’. He does indeed

kill people from time to time but his violence is always represented as being justified.

Bond films are well-known for their gadgets, which are often used by Bond himself:

an exploding key ring, a wristwatch that fires a laser beam and a surfboard containing

electronic communications equipment are just three examples.

Although in some ways the Bond films have stayed the same, there are some

interesting ways in which they reflect social changes. One of the most obvious is that

the early Bonds were smokers, while the more recent ones are never seen with a

cigarette. Also, Bond’s boss in the secret service, ‘M’, is now female, which perhaps

reflects the fact that the real life British security service, MI5, was headed by a

woman for the first time in the 1990s.

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Inside

Out

James Bond

WORKSHEET

B

Exercise 1

Here are some simple definitions for words that appear in the text on Worksheet A.
Find the words they refer to and fill in the gaps.

1. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ (noun) an object made of wood or plastic that surfers use for

riding on waves

2. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ (adjective) physically attractive (almost always used to describe a

man, not a woman)

3. _ _ _ _ _ _ (noun) someone who smokes cigarettes

4. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ (adjective) imaginary (often describes a person or situation in a

book or film that is not about real life)

5. _ _ _ _ _ _ (adjective) unusual and exciting (often because it is in, or from, a

faraway place)

6. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ (noun) a piece of work given to someone as part of their job or

studies

7. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ (adjective) describes someone or something we don’t know much

about (often, in the cases of people and organisations, because they don’t want us

to know too much)

8. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ (adjective) right, valid

Exercise 2

Decide whether the following statements are true (T) or false (F), or if the text doesn’t
say (D).

1. The first actor who played James Bond was English.

2. MI5 had been led by a woman before the 1990s.

3. Casino Royale was the only book Ian Fleming wrote about James Bond.

4. Bond travels a lot.

5. Bond defeats his enemies without using violence.

6. Bond’s boss, ‘M’, has always been a woman.

7. Bond got married in one of the films.

8. Bond often uses gadgets.

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Inside

Out

James Bond

WORKSHEET

C

Exercise 3

Team A

Using the information in the text on Worksheet A, make questions using the words in
the boxes. Use only one box for each question, and don’t repeat any questions. When
you have prepared the questions, Team B will have to answer them as part of a quiz.

When

real life

code number

What colour

introduce

himself

surfboard

What is the

name

different

dangerous

situations

Who

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Team B

Using the information in the text on Worksheet A, make questions using the words in
the boxes. Use only one box for each question, and don’t repeat any questions. When
you have prepared the questions, Team A will have to answer them as part of a quiz.

When

from time to

time

How old

wristwatch

stand for

Who enemy

rarely

without

What is the

name

How many

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It is photocopiable, but all copies must be complete pages. Copyright © Macmillan Publishers Limited 2009.