Reading: Sean Connery

Sean Connery has made over 70 films and is one of the top five movie actors in the world. But the well-known star was not born into a privileged theatrical family. On the contrary, he grew up in a working-class district of Edinburgh in Scotland during the Great Depression of the 1930s. At that time, unemployment was high and most families were poor, so Sean and his parents were not unusual in living in a two-roomed flat with no bathroom. When his father was unemployed, young Sean, glad to help, would get up at dawn to earn some money delivering milk before he went to school. By the age of ten, he already had the determination to control his own destiny, something that he continued to do throughout his life.

Sean left school at thirteen and worked from dawn to dusk doing any jobs he could find. The milk round provided most of his income, though it was like a hobby for him, because he loved looking after Titch, the horse that pulled his milk cart. But as Sean approached his seventeenth birthday, he was keen to extend his experience of life beyond his work, football and local dances. Despite his parents’ objections, he signed on for seven years with the Royal Navy, boasting to his friends that he was off to see the world.

But this was not to be. After a thorough and rigorous training programme, Sean was sent no further than the south coast of England. By then, he was already doubting whether the Navy was really the right thing for him. For such an independent young man, it was hard not to be allowed to think for himself. Although in the end he had to leave the Navy for medical reasons, he must have had mixed feelings about it. On the one hand, it was a lucky escape; on the other hand, it meant returning home with his tail between his legs and with only a small disability pension to live on.

After the Navy, there followed an unsettled period where he took on a variety of jobs in his home city. He delivered coal, and worked as a labourer and as a French polisher in a furniture business. In fact, he didn’t mind what he did as long as the job paid him enough to subsidise his leisure pursuits, which now included bodybuilding. He even turned down the offer of a job with Manchester United Football Club on the grounds that it wouldn’t leave him enough time or money for his other interests.

Gradually, thanks perhaps to those trips to the gym, his attractive appearance was opening up other areas of work. He became a lifeguard, did a bit of acting and worked as a fashion model for a magazine. The turning point, however, came when he entered the “male beauty” competition known as Mr Universe. Although he didn’t win, he was noticed and, on the strength of his looks alone, got a small part in the musical show South Pacific. Here he began to attract crowds of female admirers. His destiny was finally unfolding. Television plays followed, which then led on to films, both in Britain and the USA. A few years later, Sean would meet the man who was writing the screenplay for the first James Bond film Dr No. He saw in Sean Connery the perfect 007, a role that was to make the actor a household name the world over.

1. Reading Comprehension:

A) Choose the answer A, B or C which you think fits best according to the text.

1. As a young child, Sean Connery’s life was hard because...
A. He came from an unhappy family background.
B. He was forced to do things he did not enjoy.
C. He grew up at a time of economic problems.

2. Why did Sean decide to join the Navy?
A. He wanted to get away from his life in Edinburgh.
B. His parents thought it would be good for him.
C. He couldn’t find any other sort of work.

3. Why did Sean leave the Navy?
A. He found it difficult to accept orders.
B. He was no longer well enough to continue.
C. He was disappointed not to be sent abroad.

4. What does the expression “with his tail between his legs” (underlined sentence) suggest about Sean?
A. He was pleased to be going home to his friends and family.
B. He realised he had made a mistake in joining the Navy.
C. He was ashamed of the way he had behaved whilst away.

5. What was Sean’s attitude to work in the period after he left the Navy?
A. He was only interested in the money he could earn.
B. He was only willing to do work that he enjoyed.
C. He wanted to do jobs connected with his leisure pursuits.

6. Why was Sean chosen for a part in the musical show South Pacific?
A. He came first in a competition.
B. He had previous acting experience.
C. His physical appearance impressed people.

B) Read the text again and match the words in bold to the correct definitions below.

1. To pay towards the cost of something.
2. Difficult and strict.
3. When things keep changing and the future is not certain.
4. Someone who has special advantages, e.g. money.
5. The things that will happen to someone in the future.
6. When it is starting to get dark at the end of the day.
7. A physical condition that makes it difficult to do what most people can do.

Answers :

1. A)
1.C/ 2.A/ 3.B/ 4.B/ 5.A/ 6.C

1. B)
1. Subsidise / 2. Rigorous / 3. Unsettled / 4. Privileged / 5. Destiny / 6. Dusk / 7. Disability

(Be honest and do the activities by yourself before checking the answers)