In this lesson, you will enter the world of illusions and magic.
study some tricks and learn what makes a good magician.
read about the famous illusionist,
Houdini .

You will also learn the names of occupations that end in – er, -or, -ist, -ian.
the polite imperative “Let’s …” vocabulary connected to the subject.
words with similar meanings.

What is an illusion?

When you focus on the black, you can see two heads facing one another.
When you focus on the white, you can see a wine glass.

There are two people in this one picture.
Take a good look.
Can you see them both?

Look for the eye of the old woman.
It is also the ear of the young woman.

Make sure what you read is what you see !

You have looked at a number of illusions that were all drawn by artists.
But magicians can also create illusions.

There are many magic tricks.
a disappearing act a sword act a coin a card handcuffs rope animals or birds

David Copperfield is a master of magic. He got an airplane to disappear, much to the surprise of the many people standing round it at the time.

David Copperfield also made an Orient
Express train vanish in mid-air above a circle of amazed people.

If you want to be a successful magician, you have to remember a few basic rules.
Let ’s see what they are.
Keep the secret a secret.
Do the trick only once.
Practice before you perform.

Take a look at the four pictures.
They show a sword swallower a fire eater an escape artist a hypnotist
Draw a line from each illusionist to the right picture.

Houdini was one of the most famous illusionists that ever lived.
He was an escape artist. He could get out of what seemed to be impossible situations.

The Great Escape
Wearing handcuffs, chains and leg irons,
Houdini was placed inside a wooden box.
The box was nailed shut and lowered into the East River in New York City.
A minute later, his arms and legs free, Houdini appeared and waved to the crowd.

Still a mystery
A large safe was placed on the stage of a theater. There were no hidden keys inside the safe. Houdini went into the safe and the door was locked.
Then a screen was put in front of it.
Did Houdini get out safely?

There was very little air inside the safe.
When Houdini did not come out, the audience began to get very nervous.
But after 45 minutes, Houdini walked out, to the audience.
To this day, no one knows how he did this trick.

Read these three statements and tick each one if you think it is correct.
Houdini had great technical skill.
Houdini had great physical skill.
Houdini was a great illusionist.

Houdini wrote in his book,
“Handcuffs Secrets”:
“Remember it is not the trick itself that is important, but the style and manner in which it is presented.”
Houdini certainly had style – and other masters of magic, like David
Copperfield , have followed his words.

Houdini collected and studied locks all his life. He understood how they worked.
He was also both strong and agile.
From a young age, he practiced escaping from the ropes tied around him.

In this lesson, ou entered the word of illusions and magic.
studied some tricks and learnt what makes a good magician.
read about the famous magician, Houdini.