COMPREHENSION 1) Read the article and complete the sentences with the right alternative. 1. Stan Lee’s superheroes first appeared in

1. films.
2. TV series.
3. comic books.

2. Lee was born in 1922. He invented his most famous character when he was

1. in his fifties.
2. in his late thirties and early forties.
3. when he was very young.

3. Lee became a comic book writer

1. as his first job.
2. after doing other jobs.
3. because he was full of ideas.

4. Lee believed that comics in the 1940s and 50s were

1. immature.
2. mature.
3. difficult to understand.

5. Lee’s wife told him to

1. write The Fantastic Four.
2. write a story that wasn’t a ‘silly little comic.’
3. quit his job.

6. Lee created many of his characters with the help of

1. his publisher.
2. other artists.
3. his wife.

7. The ‘Marvel Revolution’ superheroes are special because

1. they have special powers.
2. they don’t want their superpowers.
3. they have flaws like ordinary humans.

8. At the very beginning, Spider-Man

1. did not fight crime.
2. fought against criminals.
3. bullied other boys.

9. Watchmen is a comic book that

1. tells the story of some of Lee’s superheroes.
2. is considered literature.
3. is considered the best comic book since 1923.

10. Stan Lee wanted to write comics

1. just for kids.
2. just for intelligent adults.
3. for a wide readership, including intelligent adults.

  VOCABULARY 2) Complete the sentences with the following words. Put the verbs and nouns in the right form, if necessary. to gross  *  franchise  *  to quit  *  to fire  *  flaw  *  misfit  *  to bully  *  odd jobs  *  to pass away  *  villain 1. Another way to say ‘to die’ is to say ______. 2. The evil character who fights the hero is called ______. 3. An outsider, or a person who does not ‘fit’ in society is called a ______. 4. She ______ her job because she didn’t like it any longer. 5. He never showed up at work, so his boss ______ him. He is jobless now. 6. We all have our virtues, and we all have our ______. 7. That boy likes ______ smaller, vulnerable children. He must be stopped. 8. The term ______ is often used to describe a group of films with the same characters and setting. 9. ______ means to earn. 10. He should stop doing______, he should start focusing on a career.   GRAMMAR – Past simple and past continuous 3) Complete the sentences using the verbs provided. Use the past simple or the past continuous. 1. I ______ (to read) a comic book when the phone ______ (to ring). 2. I ______ (to watch) a Marvel film when suddenly Jack ______ (to say): “Look, that actor is Stan Lee!” 3. At 6 o’clock, Mary ______ (to find) me at the library; I ______ (to draw) Iron Man. 4. While Stan Lee ______ (to write) stories, Jack Kirby ______ (to illustrate) them. 5. Stan Lee ______ (to invent) his most famous characters while he ______ (to work) for Marvel. 6. What ______ you ______ (to do) yesterday evening? I ______ (to attend) a comic book convention. 7. I ______ (to see) John at the comic book convention. He ______  (to wear) his Spider-Man costume! 8. Stan Lee ______ (to plan) many new projects when he ______ (to die). 9. I ______ (to like) comic books when I was younger, but today I prefer to read novels. 10. A radioactive spider ______ (to bite) Peter Parker while he ______  (to visit) a laboratory.   SHORT ESSAY 4) Do you like comic books? What’s your favourite comic book or comic book character? Explain why you like it. (60-80 words)   5) Do you think that some (or all) comic books can be considered literature? Explain. (60-80 words)