مکالمه ی فعالانه قسمت الف

ACTIVE SPEAKING / PART A

CAN HUMANS CHANGE?

Franz Stigler was an ace German fighter pilot facing a wounded US bomber plane on its last legs.

Was Franz Stigler a German fighter pilot or a British fighter pilot? Franz Stigler was a German fighter pilot. Was he facing a US bomber plane on its last legs? Yes, he was facing a US bomber plane on its last legs.

Franz could have easily destroyed the plane, but he held his fire.

What could Franz have easily done? Franz could have easily destroyed the plane. Did he destroy the plane? No, he didn’t destroy the plane. He held his fire.

In that moment of mercy, he remembered the words of his commander.

What did Franz remember? Franz remembered the words of his commander.

“Franz, it’s not for your enemy that you do this.”

Did he say, “you do this for your enemy.” No, he didn’t say you do this for your enemy.” He said, “It’s not for your enemy that you do this.” “You do this for yourself, for your soul, so that one day if God willing you survive this war, you can live with yourself.” Who said, “one day if god willing you survive the war, you can live with yourself”? Franz’s commander said, “one day if god willing you survive this war, you can live with yourself.” Franz was the son of a WWI pilot and learned how to fly when he was a child.

What did Franz’s father do? Franz’s father was a WWI pilot. When did Franz learn how to fly? Franz learned how to fly as a child.

When WWII broke out, his brother became a fighter pilot, but Franz wasn’t eager to join the fight.

Did Franz want to join the war? No, Franz didn’t want to join the war. He wasn’t eager to fight.

He became a flight instructor until one day his brother was shot down and killed.

What did Franz become? Franz became a flight instructor. What happened to Franz’s brother? Franz’s brother was shot down and killed.

Franz wanted revenge and became a fighter pilot himself.

What did Franz want? Franz wanted revenge. Did he become a fighter pilot? Yes, he became a fighter pilot.

Franz quickly made a name for himself after 22 successful missions.

Did Franz become well known? Yes, Franz quickly made a name for himself. How many successful missions did he fly? He flew 22 successful missions.

In fact, he was on the verge of winning the Knight’s Cross.

What was he on the verge of? He was on the verge of winning the Knight’s Cross.

He only needed to shoot down one more enemy plane to get the prestigious medal.

What did he need to do to get the prestigious medal? He only needed to shoot down one more enemy plane to get the prestigious medal.

While Franz was an experienced and respected pilot, US 2nd Lieutenant Charlie Brown was as green as they come.

Was Franz green? No, Franz wasn’t green. He was an experienced pilot. Was Charlie green? Yes, Charlie was as green as they come.

Originally a farm boy from West Virginia, Charlie joined the air force and was sent to England.

Where was Charlie from? Charlie was originally from West Virginia. Where was he sent after he joined the air force? After he joined the air force, he was sent to England.

After pilot training, he was ready to fly his very first mission.

What was he ready to do after pilot training? After pilot training, he was ready to fly his very first mission.

He would fly in a plane called a B-17 Flying Fortress.

What plane would he fly? He would fly a plane called a B-17 Flying Fortress.

It was a heavily armed plane with space for 8,000 pounds of bombs and 11 machine guns.

Was it heavily armed? Yes, it was heavily armed. How many machine guns did it carry? It carried 11 machine guns.

The B-17 carried two pilots, five gunners, a navigator, a radio operator and a bombardier.

How many pilots did the B-17 carry? The B-17 carried two pilots. How many total crew members did it have? It had ten total crew members.

Charlie was just 20 years old, and he was in command.

Who was in command? Charlie was in command. How old was Charlie? Charlie was just 20 years old.

Charlie’s mission was to bomb an airplane factory in Bremen, Germany.

What was Charlie’s mission? Charlie’s mission was to bomb an airplane factory in Bremen, Germany.

250 anti-aircraft guns guarded Bremen.

How many anti-aircraft guns guarded Bremen? 250 anti-aircraft guns guarded Bremen.

As they approached the town, Charlie’s B-17 was hit.

What happened to Charlie’s B-17? Charlie’s B-17 was hit.

Charlie’s plane successfully dropped its bombs, but the plane was in dire straits.

Was the plane in good condition? No, the plane wasn’t in good condition. The plane was in dire straits.

They’d lost two engines, and their power was reduced by 40%.

How many engines did they lose? They lost two engines. What happened to the plane’s power? The plane’s power was reduced by 40%.

They were sitting ducks.

Was Franz a sitting duck? No, Franz wasn’t a sitting duck. Charlie and his crew were sitting ducks.

As 15 German fighter planes attacked them, they lost oxygen and Charlie blacked out.

How many German fighter planes attacked them? Fifteen German fighter planes attacked them. What happened to Charlie? Charlie blacked out. Why did Charlie black out? Charlie blacked out because they lost oxygen.

The plane began to dive. After falling a thousand feet, Charlie awoke to see the ground rushing towards him.

What began to dive? The plane began to dive. How far did the plane fall? The plane fell a thousand feet. What did Charlie see when he woke up? When he awoke, he saw the ground rushing towards him.

He pulled out of the dive and lost the German fighter planes, but they were far from in the clear.

Were they in the clear? No, they weren’t in the clear. They were far from in the clear.