ACADEMIC LISTENING TEST PRACTICE
DWAYNE JOHNSON - GO TO WORK!
DWAYNE JOHNSON - GO TO WORK!
For Students Preparing for Academic Tests / IELTS and TOEFL
Listen as you read the script.
Playing Time: 2 minutes 32 seconds
If you like to watch Hollywood movies as much as I do, especially Hollywood action movies, then you are probably already familiar with Dwayne Johnson’s face and his name. You might also know that he’s American and that his nickname is “the Rock”. However, did you know that he is also a Canadian citizen?
Here are a few more things that you might not have known about this man. He was born in 1972 in a small city called Hayward (near San Francisco) in California. Because Dwayne’s father was a wrestler, Dwayne often travelled with his family (his parents, brother and sister) and lived in many other cities when he was growing up. He even lived here in New Zealand for a short while. Moving around so much was difficult for Dwayne because he found it difficult to make many new friends. Partly because of this, he often felt angry and frustrated and so he often got into fights. As a result, the police arrested him several times.
Things started to change for the better, however, when he was in high school when he started to play football. Dwayne loved to play football so he felt happier, he made more friends, and his grades improved. He later continued to play football while he was in college. This wasn’t unexpected because in college he was already very big: he was 193 centimeters tall and he weighed 113 kilograms. After college, he became a wrestler just like his father and his grandfather had been in their younger days.
Many people say that he was one of the best wrestlers in the world. Dwayne was happy as a wrestler, but he wanted to try something new. That’s when he decided to try acting, and in 2002, he starred in a big Hollywood movie called, The Scorpion King. The movie was very popular and Dwayne went on to make many more films that are loved by people all over the world. Although Dwayne Johnson has had many jobs, he says that, “being a father is the greatest job that I have ever had.” He has three children and now lives in Florida. What is Dwayne’s advice on how to be successful? He has this to say: “Surround yourself with brilliant people. And go to work!”
Here are a few more things that you might not have known about this man. He was born in 1972 in a small city called Hayward (near San Francisco) in California. Because Dwayne’s father was a wrestler, Dwayne often travelled with his family (his parents, brother and sister) and lived in many other cities when he was growing up. He even lived here in New Zealand for a short while. Moving around so much was difficult for Dwayne because he found it difficult to make many new friends. Partly because of this, he often felt angry and frustrated and so he often got into fights. As a result, the police arrested him several times.
Things started to change for the better, however, when he was in high school when he started to play football. Dwayne loved to play football so he felt happier, he made more friends, and his grades improved. He later continued to play football while he was in college. This wasn’t unexpected because in college he was already very big: he was 193 centimeters tall and he weighed 113 kilograms. After college, he became a wrestler just like his father and his grandfather had been in their younger days.
Many people say that he was one of the best wrestlers in the world. Dwayne was happy as a wrestler, but he wanted to try something new. That’s when he decided to try acting, and in 2002, he starred in a big Hollywood movie called, The Scorpion King. The movie was very popular and Dwayne went on to make many more films that are loved by people all over the world. Although Dwayne Johnson has had many jobs, he says that, “being a father is the greatest job that I have ever had.” He has three children and now lives in Florida. What is Dwayne’s advice on how to be successful? He has this to say: “Surround yourself with brilliant people. And go to work!”
Note: For more cool ESL resources about movies, visit my All Things Topics site.
