Interviews

High-intermediate

1. Brainstorming: Begin by asking students to brainstorm in pairs or small groups about the concept of time travel. Encourage them to discuss questions such as:

   • What do they think of when they hear the term “time travel”?
   • Would they like to travel to the past or the future? Why?
   • What are some potential benefits and drawbacks of time travel?

2. Vocabulary Preview: Provide students with a list of key vocabulary words from the interview, such as “time travel,” “future,” “past,” “ancestor,” “eject button,” “crisis,” etc. Have students predict the context in which these words might be used in the conversation.

Here are some words and expressions that appear in the video:

enjoy (verb): to take pleasure or satisfaction in something
– Maria enjoys painting landscapes in her free time.

interaction (noun): the action or influence of two or more things upon one another
– The interaction between the characters in the novel creates a captivating storyline.

crisis (noun): a time of intense difficulty, trouble, or danger
– During the financial crisis, many families struggled to make ends meet.

rechargeable (adjective): able to be restored to full power after being depleted
– I prefer using rechargeable batteries for my electronic devices to reduce waste.

absolutely (adverb): with no qualification, restriction, or limitation; totally
– Would you like some dessert?” “Absolutely, I’ll have the chocolate cake, please.”

Now, watch the interview and answer the comprehension questions. You can also turn on the automatically-generated captions for the video once you start it.

Randall: In this video, Emily, let’s talk about time travel. If you have the opportunity to travel into the future, let’s just say 50 years or travel into the past 50 years, and again, I’m defining particular times. Or you could just determine 100 years in the future, 2000 years into the past. Which would you choose? Future or past and why?

Emily: Can I ask how long I will be there for?

Randall: Uh, you can go as long as you want. I mean, you could be there for, you know, ten minutes. You could be there for a year. Your presence in the past, in the future will not change other elements of what has happened. So if you go into the past, you will not change the future. There will be no impact of you traveling, uh, into the past or the future. Which would you choose?

Emily: I would choose the past. I really enjoy history, but it’d have to be at least 100, 200 years. 50 years? That’s way too close but

Randall: I would still be alive.

Emily: I could visit my dad as a baby.

Randall: Yeah, I don’t know. When I think about that. I think I’d like to go to the past. And me, I think I would go more to the distant past. I would just like to, you know, let’s say go 10,000 years in the past 20,000 years to see the interaction of our of our ancestors for what it was like, and then have a button that I could press, that they could be immediately returned rather than, you know, you know, maybe 50 what, the.

Emily: Eject button in case of a crisis.

Randall: Kind of like the eject button. I’m done. Beep. I just would want to make sure that whatever button I’m holding has rechargeable batteries or, you know, the batteries are fresh and I don’t get stuck into the past.

Emily: Absolutely.

Intermediate:

1. Do you like to learn about things that happened a long time ago or things that might happen in the future?
2. If you could go back in time, where would you go?
3. If you could go into the future, what would you want to see?
4. Do you think it’s possible for someone to travel in time like in movies?
5. Why do you think Emily and Randall prefer different time periods for time travel?
6. Emily mentions wanting to visit her dad as a baby if she could travel to the past. Why do you think she chooses this specific moment?
7. Randall talks about wanting to see the interaction of our ancestors if he could travel to the past. Why do you think he finds this interesting?
8. What precautions do Emily and Randall mention for time travel? Why do you think these precautions are important?

Advanced:

1. How do Emily’s and Randall’s reasons for choosing a specific time period for time travel reflect their personal interests and values?
2. Emily mentions that she enjoys history but prefers to visit a time period at least 100 or 200 years in the past. Why do you think she has this preference?
3. Randall discusses the idea of an “eject button” or a way to immediately return from a trip to the past. How does this reflect his concerns or fears about time travel?
4. Beyond the interview, what ethical and philosophical implications arise from the concept of time travel, especially regarding its potential impact on history and the future?