SB PERSONAL INFORMATION.pdf

8/22/2019 SB PERSONAL INFORMATION.pdf

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page content

1-2 English vocabulary in use

3 Lets talk- what do they look like?

4-5 Lets talk- Your personality

6-7 Elementary Astrology Reading tasks

8-9 Elementary Astrology Reading

10-12 Teachers notes & answer key

13-16 Elementary Body image

17 Answer key

18 Intermediate Astrology Reading tasks

19-20 Intermediate Astrology Reading

21-23 Teachers notes & answer key

24-27 Intermediate Body image

28 Answer key


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Astrology: reading tasks

1 Which statement is true for you?

a I always read my horoscope and believe what is said.b I read my horoscope but just for fun.c I never read my horoscope its all nonsense!

2 Read your text and fill in the table below:

A Chinese astrology B Western astrology

The zodiac is a cycle of 12 ________. The zodiac is a cycle of 12 ________.

There are ________animals. There are ________star signs.

Each animal is about ________long. Each sign is about ________long.

There are ________elements. There are ________elements.

The zodiac starts ________or ________, The zodiac starts ________or ________,

it depends on ________. it depends on ________.

Your personality depends on ________. Your personality depends on ________.

Dogs are:

_____________________________

_____________________________

Cancerians are:

_____________________________

_____________________________

but they can also be:

_____________________________

_____________________________


_____________________________

_____________________________

They get on well with

_______________________ and_____________________________

They get on well with

_______________________ and _____________________________

3 Are the following statements true or false?

a Both Chinese and Western astrology have animal signs.b There is only one animal sign which is the same for both.c There are two elements which are the same for both.d The horoscopes for both depend on when you were born.e Cancerians and Fire Dogs have very different personalities.f Fire Dogs are 45 years old.

g Cancerians are born in November.

Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2006Taken from theSkills section in www.onestopenglish.com

Zenta Claus picture used with kind permission from BNDjapan.org


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4 Now find your Western star sign personality and your Chinese animalpersonality. Use the following links:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astrological_sign scroll down to The dates of theastrological signs in different systems and find your sign (using the tropical zodiac).Click on your sign.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_astrology scroll down to Table of the lunarcalendar and zodiac and find your Chinese year (remember this starts January orFebruary). Click on your animal.

Western astrology

My star sign is:

Positive adjectives:

Negative adjectives:

Chinese astrology

My animal is:

Positive adjectives:

Negative adjectives:

a How different are the personalities?b Which one is more correct?


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astrological_signhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_astrologyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_astrologyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astrological_sign


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Worksheet 2aAstrology: Reading A

The Fire Dog

In Chinese astrology the Chinese zodiac is made up of a cycle of12 years, and each year is a different animal. The 12 animalsare: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep,Monkey, Rooster (male hen), Dog and Boar (wild pig). The Chinese zodiac starts atthe beginning of the New Year around the end of January or the beginning ofFebruary. The day of the New Year changes because the Chinese use a lunar calendar it depends on the moon. In 2007 the Chinese New Year is 18th February, in 2008 its7th February.

There is also a cycle of five elements, and each year is a different element. The fiveelements are: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water. Therefore its possible to be aWood Rat, or Wood Horse or a Metal Rat or Metal Horse. The whole cycle of animalsand elements takes 60 years.

In Chinese astrology your horoscope is a description of whats going to happen to youin the future, based on the year when you were born. Your personality also dependson your animal and element.

People born under the year of the Dog usually have lots of friends because the Dog isone of the most popular animals. Dog people are honest, intelligent and fair. Dogpeople are also good listeners, they are very generous and are happy to help others.Of course they are also faithful. On the other hand they can sometimes be unfriendlyand aggressive. They can worry a lot. They get along with Horses and Tigers but notDragons.

The last Fire Dog year was 2006 so Fire Dogs are either babies or 60 years old. FireDogs are natural leaders. They often have lots of admirers and an interestingpersonality. They can also be very aggressive.




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Worsheet 2bAstrology: Reading B

Cancer

In Western astrology the zodiac is made up of a cycle of 12 starsigns. The sky is divided into twelve equal parts and each parthas a sign made from the stars. In the past the path of the sunwent from one star sign to another but because the stars move this is no longer true.Each star sign is 30 or 31 days long and the cycle is one year. The zodiac starts on theMarch (or Spring) equinox, usually March 20 or 21 it depends on the sun. This is theday when, on the equator, the sun and night are the same length. The 12 star signsare: Aries the ram (a male sheep), Taurus the bull, Gemini, Cancer the crab, Leo the

lion, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio the scorpion, Sagittarius, Capricorn the goat, Aquarius andPisces the fish. Cancerians are born between 21st June and 23rd July.

There are also four elements, and each element has three star signs. The fourelements are: Fire (Aries, Leo and Sagittarius), Earth (Taurus, Virgo and Capricorn),Air (Gemini, Libra and Aquarius) and Water (Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces). This neverchanges, for example Gemini is always Air and Taurus is always Earth.

In Western astrology your horoscope is a description of whats going to happen to youin the future, based on the position of the stars and the planets when you were born.Your personality also depends on your star sign.

People born under the sign of Cancer (21st June to 22nd July) are usually kind andromantic. When they trust people they can be very faithful. On the other handCancerians are not always easy to understand and can sometimes be difficult to bewith. They can be sweet one minute and then angry the next. They are often moody.Cancerians are often good journalists, writers or politicians. They are very fond offood and eat a lot. They get along with Scorpions and Capricorns.




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Macmillan Publishing Ltd 2007Skills / Reading / Astrology

Astrology: Teachers' notes and t ips elementary

1 Pre-reading tasksa Write horoscope on the board and elicit its meaning (a description of what is

going to happen to somebody in the future, based on when the person wasborn). Do the same for astrology (the study of how the stars and the planetsinfluence peoples lives). Explain that this is the theme of todays reading.

b Ask students where horoscopes can be found (in newspapers andmagazines, on the Internet, from fortune-tellers).

c Give each student a copy of Worksheet 1 and get them to tell each otherwhich statement from question 1 is true for them. It doesnt matter if they talkabout Western or Chinese horoscopes whichever is relevant to them.

d Monitor while students chat and listen for any interesting comments.Tip: listen for interesting storiesIf someone has been to a fortune-teller, ask them to tell the class what happened was theinformation correct?

e Divide the class in half. Then put the students into small groups of about fourstudents. Half the groups are A groups, and the others are B groups.

f Ask the students in the A groups to look at the left column of the table ontheir worksheets and the students in the B groups to look at the right column.In their groups ask them to think about what kind of information is missingand see if they can guess any of the answers.

Tip: do an example or two f irst

Each animal/sign is about _____ long. What information is missing here? Length of body or length oftime? Dogs/Cancerians are _____Elicit that adjectives are needed here to describe personality.

Tip: encourage predictingStudents will be able to understand the text better if theyve anticipated the content.

2 First reading tasksa Students each receive a copy of the reading. They have to read the text and

complete the information for their half of the table only: A students have theChinese astrology reading on Worksheet 2a and fill in the left-hand column, Bstudents have the Western astrology reading on Worksheet 2b and fill in theright-hand column.

b Students have a go on their own first and then compare their answers.Tip: use groups for supportWhen students work together and share answers, it really benefits the weaker ones.

c Stop when all the students have their part of the table filled in. Dont givefeedback but use the answers at the end to help while monitoring.

3 Second reading tasksa Now rearrange the students into AB pairs; ideally they should be sitting

facing each other so that they cannot see either the worksheet or the facingstudents reading text.

b Students now take it in turns to tell each other about their different astrology.The answers are written in the other column.


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Tip: student dictations are multi-skill tasksTo do this information gap students are reading, speaking, listening and writing.

c When this is done, they together decide if the statements in question 3 aretrue or false. They need to refer back to the text and scan it to find therelevant information. Make sure that students are only looking at their owntext and not looking at their partners text.

d When they have finished, they can compare their answers with another pair.e Allow students to read the other text too, not necessarily now, but perhaps

for homework.Tip: encourage different reading ski llsThis is an ideal way to practise scanning. The students have no need to read the whole text again,they simply need to scan to find the relevant information.

4 Post-reading tasks Speakinga When most of the students have finished tell them that the description of the

Fire Dog and the Cancerian is about the same person a very famousperson. Together they decide who the person is.

b When students have had time to discuss who the person might be, ask forsuggestions. Get students to explain why they think its this person. Thereare a number of clues in both texts.

c Feedback: George W Bush is a Fire Dog and a Cancerian. Do studentsagree with the information? Why / why not?

Tip: link the reading to a speaking task

Reacting to information in a text is a real-life activity. Give some help with sentences: I think GeorgeBush is ___________ and / but in the text it says __________.

5 Post-reading tasks Completing a tablea Students are going to complete a table with information about their Western

star sign and their Chinese animal. This can be done together in yourschools computer lab or, if students have easy access to the Internet outsideof school, for homework.

b Explain to students that the sites are for native speakers. So again they haveto use their scanning skills to focus only on the information they need and notget distracted by irrelevant information they dont understand. For eachhoroscope they need to find two or three positive adjectives and two or three

negative adjectives about their personality.c The adjectives they dont understand need to be looked up in a dictionary.d In the following lesson students tell each other about their personality

adjectives and say whether or not they agree with them.e Useful adjectives can be pooled together and recorded.

Tip: look at the sites yourself firstCheck out what students need to do so that you are prepared to help them. If you can have the sitesup on an Interactive Whiteboard to show what needs to be done, this would be the best option.Otherwise, be ready to help students individually.


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Key2

A Chinese astrology B Western astrology

The zodiac is a cycle of 12 years. The zodiac is a cycle of 12 months.

There are 12 animals. There are 12 star signs.

Each animal is about 1 year long. Each sign is about 1 month long.

There are 5 elements. There are 4 elements.

The zodiac starts at the end of J anuaryor the beginning of February

The zodiac starts 20th March or 21stMarch,

it depends on the moon. it depends on the sun.

Your personality depends on your animaland element.

Your personality depends on your starsign.

Dogs are:

honest / intelligent / fair / generous /helpful / faithful

Cancerians are:

kind / romantic / faithful


unfriendly / (very) aggressive


difficult to understand or be with

They get on well with:

Horses and

Tigers

They get on well with:

Scorpions and

Capricorns

3

a true, but Chinese astrology only has animal signs

b true, Aries the ram and the Sheepc false, there are three: Fire, Earth and Waterd truee false, there are some traits which are the same but there are differences toof false, theyre either babies or 60 (2006 was the last Fire Dog year)g false, theyre born from 21st J une to 22nd J uly

NB This is a slightly simplified version of Chinese astrology theres more to it than this.If you have some students in the class who know more about it, then do encourage them toadd more information.


14/29NEWS LESSONS / Body image concerns more men than women / Elementary

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WEBSITE Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2012

Body image concerns more men than women

Level 1 Elementary

Key words1

Find the information2

Fill the gaps in the sentences using these key words from the text. The paragraph numbers are given to

help you.

Find the following information in the text as quickly as possible.

1. Your __________________ is the opinion you have about how attractive your body is. (title)

2. Your __________________ is the way that you look. (para 1)

3. A __________________ is a medicine, food or drink that helps you to pass solid waste more easily when you

use the toilet. (para 3)

4. A __________________ person is thin in an attractive way. (para 4)

5. If a man has a beer __________________, he has a big stomach after drinking too much beer over a long

period of time. (para 4)

6. If a person is __________________, they are a bit fat in the way a healthy baby or a young child is. (para 4)

7. __________________ is an informal word forwomens breasts. (para 4)

8. A __________________ person is big and strong with muscles that have been developed through exercise.

(para 4)

9. __________________ are famous people, especially in entertainment or sport. (para 8)

10. A __________________ is an operation to change the appearance of someones nose to make them more

attractive. (para 9)

1. What percentage of men talk negatively about their body image?

2. What percentage of women talk negatively about their body image?

3. What percentage of men have heard someone talk about their beer belly?

4. What percentage of men think about their appearance at least ve times a day?

5. What percentage of men have made themselves sick to lose weight?

6. What percentage of men in the survey were gym members?

laxative nose job slim boobs chubby

belly appearance muscular celebrities body image



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Level 1 Elementary

Body image concerns more men than

women, research nds

Denis Campbell

6 January, 2012

A recent survey has shown that men worry

more about their body shape and appearance

than women worry about how they look. More

than four in ve men (80.7%) talk negatively

about their body image, compared with 75% of

women. Also, 38% of men would give up at least

a year of their life for a perfect body again, a

higher percentage than women.

This survey tells us that men are worried about

body image, just like women. We knew that

body talk affected women and young people

and now we know that it affects men too,

said Dr Phillippa Diedrichs, from the Centre of

Appearance Research at the University of the

West of England, which did the study of 394

British men.

The survey showed that men are very worried

about their bodies and that some use intensive

exercise, strict diets, laxatives and even make

themselves sick to lose weight or have a

better body.

80.7% talked about their own or others

appearance, e.g. weight, lack of hair or slim

body. 30% have heard someone talk about

their beer belly, 19% have been described as

chubby and 19% have heard other people talk

about their man boobs. 23% said they didntgo to the gym because they were worried about

their appearance. 63% thought their arms or

chests were not muscular enough. 29% thought

about their appearance at least ve times a day.

18% were on a diet to increase their muscles,

and 16% were on a diet to lose weight.

One expert said that it is normally women who

talk about their bodies but the survey shows that

men do this too. Men spend a lot of time talking

about their bodies, and this shows how worried

they are about their appearance, she added.

Almost three in ve men (58.6%) said body talk

affected them, usually negatively. 12% said they

would give up a year of life if they could have

their ideal body weight and shape, 15.2% would

give up two to ve years, 5.3% would give up six

to ten years and 5.3% would give up ten years

or more.

About 4% said they had made themselves sick

to control their weight, while 3.4% said they

used laxatives to control their weight. Almost

a third (31.9%) had exercised in an intensiveway to lose weight, but that might be partly

because 52% of the people in the survey were

gym members. The average gym membership

is 12%.

The men in the survey said the media and

celebrities gave a false picture of physical

perfection. Girls want to be slim and males

want to be big and muscular. It isnt a bad thing

for people to want to look better, but it has

become more like a competition. It has a bad

effect on most peoples mental health, said

one man.

Alan White, a professor of Mens Health, said:

These results are worrying but not surprising.

More and more British men are having cosmetic

procedures, such as a nose job or breast

removal. He said this makes people try to nd a

quick and temporary solution. What they should

do is eat well and exercise.

Guardian News and Media 2012

First published in The Guardian, 06/01/12

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Level 1 Elementary

Comprehension check3

Chunks4

Two-word expressions5

Match the beginnings and endings to make sentences about the text.

Rearrange the words to make phrases from the text.

Match the words in the left-hand column with the words in the right-hand column to make phrases from

the text. The rst answer is given for you.

1. The survey shows that women dont worry

about their bodies

2. A lot of men dont think that their arm or

chest muscles

3. Some men would give up a year or more of

their life

4. A lot of men talk about

5. The survey shows that a lot of men

are worried

6. More and more men

a. for a better body.

b. are having cosmetic procedures.

c. their appearance.

d. are big enough.

e. as much as men worry about their bodies.

f. about their body image.

1. a least at times ve day

2. or years more ten

3. a Mens of Health professor

4. picture physical a of perfection false

5. more men four ve than in

6. lose diet to on a weight

1. body a. effect

2. beer b. percentage

3. body c. talk

4. strict d. shape

5. bad e. belly

6. higher f. member

7. gym g. diet



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Is it a good thing that people worry about the way they look? Why? Why not?

Discussion7

Put these words from the text in two groups according to their stress.

0 o o o 0 o

Word stress6


Level 1 Elementary

appearance percentage laxative muscular negative physical

cosmetic procedure normally intensive exercise perfection


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1 Key words

1. body image

2. appearance

3. laxative

4. slim

5. belly

6. chubby

7. boobs

8. muscular

9. celebrities

10. nose job

2 Find the information

1. 80.7%

2. 75%

3. 30%

4. 29%5. about 4%

6. 52%

3 Comprehension check

1. e

2. d

3. a

4. c

5. f

6. b

4 Chunks

1. at least ve times a day

2. ten years or more

3. a professor of Mens Health

4. a false picture of physical perfection

5. more than four in ve men

6. on a diet to lose weight

5 Two-word expressions

1. c

2. e

3. d

4. g

5. a

6. b

7. f

6 Word stress

NEWS LESSONS / Body image concerns more men than women / ElementaryPH

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Level 1 Elementary

KEY

0 o o o 0 o

laxative

muscular

negative

physical

normally

exercise

appearance

percentage

cosmetic

procedure

intensive

perfection


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Astrology: Reading tasks

1 Whats a rooster?Whats the difference between a sheep and a goat?Whats a wild boar?

2 Read these 12 descriptions. Which one describes youbest? Make a note of the number.

Bright and inspiring.

Fun and easy going.

You make an exceptional parent. 1

Sometimes too honest and ambitious.

Prone to spending too much.

Prone to anger quickly. 2

Very impatient.

Cheerful and popular.

A winner with money. 3

Creative and elegant, best suited forthe arts

Passionate but timid. 4

Trustworthy leader of people.

Generous but stubborn.

High chance for success. 5

Very shy but short tempered.

Likes to be surround by family.

Very impulsive and honest. 6

Intense and wise, but vain.

Determined and passionate.

A winner with money. 7

Good work attitude and hungry forknowledge.

Sometimes eccentric and selfish. 8

Stubborn on outside - very goodhearted inside.

A natural leader. 9

Highly intelligent and able toinfluence others. Great politician.

Inventive and talented, but can beeasily discouraged. 10

A tough spirit- aggressive andcourageous.

A sensitive deep thinker who is honestwith friends. 11

Always very lucky. Talented and affectionate, yet shy

You are a peace seeker. 12



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Astrology: Reading

Theres something about the New Year that always makes meread my horoscope to see what lies ahead. I dont believe in anyof it really but theres comfort in being told that the next 12months will bring health, wealth and happiness (well, itsusually over optimistic, isnt it?).

There are many other people who are also sceptical about astrology and its beliefthat knowledge of the position of the stars and planets can help us understand ourpersonality or predict human affairs. However, despite the lack of scientific evidencein its favour, astrology (not to be confused with astronomy which is the scientificstudy of astronomical objects) has been around for thousands of years, and is

believed by millions of people in both the West and the East.

The Occident has its star signs every month and the Orient has its animals every year.I have to confess that this year Im now more intrigued by the predictions for thefuture because 2007 is significant for me yes, Im a Pig (actually I prefer thealternative Wild Boar!). When I first found out I was a Pig person I was a littledisappointed, and my friends (mighty Dragons, friendly Dogs and ferocious Tigers)sniggered. Pigs have a bad reputation people think theyre dirty animals that smellhorrible and many cultures dont even eat them.

In the Chinese zodiac there are 12 animals and according to one legend, whenBuddha left the earth only 12 animals came to say goodbye to him. As a rewardBuddha named a year after each of the animals in the order that they came to him,and the pig (youve guessed it) came last no doubt snuffling in the undergrowth forfood rather than bounding forward like the sneaky rat that came first. So I thought Iwas unlucky being a Pig but this isnt so. It appears that Pigs are kindly people whoare helpful and giving. They tend to make good friends as they are loyal, thoughtfuland trusting. Pigs are happy, optimistic people and have lots of fun that sounds OKto me! However, Pigs are often naive and apparently its easy to con a Pig. They canalso be very impulsive and react without thinking, and theyre not that great withmoney either. Pigs, it seems, get along with Sheep and Rabbits but, interestingly,not other Pigs, who they should stay clear of (Id better cancel my dinner date withEwan McGregor then!).

The Pig year itself is one of benevolence and is meant to make people feel good. Itsalso considered a good year for business. However, although life in this year will belived to the full, care is recommended with any matters concerning money nowonder Im not rich!

There are different kinds ofPigs though. Like all the animals of the Chinese zodiacthey can be one of the five elements: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water. Im anEarth Pig which is interesting because, according to Western astrology, Im Taurusthe bull and Taurus is an Earth sign too. There are many similarities between thetwo: Taureans also make good friends, are patient and loyal, and hard working. Theyboth dislike quarrels but can be hot tempered at times, and they both have a love for

the good things in life including good food and wine. Fortunately, Taureans have a



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horror of falling into debt and will do anything to stop this happening so thatsuseful! However, unlike Pigs, Taureans can be jealous, inflexible, greedy and

stubborn! Both are industrious, practical, motivated by common sense and level-headed, so no wonder I take all this with a pinch of salt!

Incidentally the word astrology, and astronomytoo, comes from the Greek wordastron, which means star. There are some other interesting origins of words that arelinked to the stars or planets too. The word disaster, for example, comes from theLatin dis-astermeaning bad star. We sometimes call a crazy or strange person alunatic (or the shortened form loony), this is from the word lunarmeaning moon itwas believed that the moon could make some people crazy, especially a full moon. Ajovial person is jolly because they are influenced byJove, the Latin word for theplanet Jupiter. Finally, the word influenza, orflu, comes from the Latin influentia.It was believed the illness was caused by unfavourable star influences. And of course

we call famous singers or film actors stars in recognition of the lucky stars that havebrought them fame and fortune.

So perhaps I have a good year ahead. I wont make a lot of money but it seems Ill behappy with my life and my friends so thats fine by me. Sun nin fy lok!



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Astrology: Teachers notes and tips upper intermediate

1 Pre-reading tasksa Give each pair of students a copy of the worksheet. Ask them to answer thethree questions about animals.

b Before feedback students should compare their answers with another pair.c Elicit answers: a rooster is the American word for a male hen (the British say

cock), sheep tails hang down, they graze (eat grass) and have wool coatswhereas goats tails go up, they browse (eat shrubs) and have hair coats; awild boar is a wild pig.

d Can students guess the theme for the reading? Do they know what animal isfor 2007? Can they name the other animals in the Chinese zodiac?

Tip: have an alternative task for Asian studentsSee if they can name the 12 star signs for the Western zodiac, or put the Chinese animals in theircorrect order.

e Students then read through the 12 personality descriptions on the worksheetand decide which one describes them the best (they are not in the correctorder).

f Get them to help each other with unknown vocabulary. When theyre stuckthey can look the words up in a dictionary.

Tip: use monolingual dictionariesAt this level students shouldnt use bilingual dictionaries; they dont need a translation, they needthe definition.

g Once every student has chosen a description make sure that they havemade a note of the number.

h Meanwhile have a few copies of the Chinese Lunar Zodiac Calendar (at theend of these notes) put up on the walls of the classroom.

i Students take it in turns to rush up and scan the table to find out whichanimal they are they dont need to tell anyone their year of birth if they dontwant to! Remind students that they should be extra careful if they are born in

J anuary or February as the Chinese New Year can start in either month.

Tip: encourage different reading ski llsThis is a scanning exercise and should only take a few seconds per student.

j Now dictate the following: 1 is Ox, 2 Rat, 3 Horse, 4 Sheep or Goat, 5 Dog, 6

Pig or Wild Boar, 7 Snake, 8 Rooster, 9 Dragon, 10 Monkey, 11 Tiger and 12Rabbit.k Get them to tell each other if they identified their animal correctly, and if not,

do they agree with the correct answer?

2 First reading tasksa Students each receive a copy of the reading. They have to read the text fairly

quickly and a) translate the phrase at the end, and / or b) decide if the writerbelieves in astrology and horoscopes a lot, a little or not at all.

b Feedback: this is Happy New Year! in Cantonese. In Mandarin its Xin NienKuai Le! (Gung Hay Fat Choy! means Wishing You Prosperity!) The writer isinterested but doesnt really believe in it at all.



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3 Second reading tasksa Ask students to read the text again and to look out for all the words andphrases which show that the writer doesnt take the information aboutastrology seriously.

b Students compare their answers, there are at least 10 more references.

Tip: do an example firstAsk students to look at the first paragraph and elicit: I dont believe in any of it really. Studentsthen continue working on their own.

c Feedback suggestions: sceptical, the lack of scientific evidence in its favour,intrigued by, according to one legend, it appears that, apparently, it seemsthat, meant to, considered, take with a pinch of salt, perhaps

d When they have finished they can compare their answers with another pair.

Tip: consider not using teacher-centred feedbackPerhaps have a copy of the reading on an OHT so students can come up and underline thephrases, or if you have an IWB use that instead.

Tip: highlight the writers attitudeStudents at this level should learn to recognise if a writer is being funny, sarcastic, serious etc, oras in this case, sceptical but light-hearted.

4 Third reading tasksa Ask students to read the text again and underline parts that they

agree with

disagree with dont understand

5 Post-reading tasks - speaking a In pairs students compare their underlined parts and explain their opinions.

Tip: encourage students to react to the textGive an example of this first: I agree that horoscopes are usually over optimistic, do you? This iswhat we do in real-life and so is an authentic task, students can of course disagree with eachother.

6 Post-reading tasks writing and reading

a The Chinese have decided to add another animal!! Students chose an animaland write an imaginary personality profile for someone born in the year of thecow, dinosaur, penguin. Encourage students to use the new vocabularytheyve learnt during this lesson.

b For follow-up students can read each others descriptions and choose onethey like the best.

Tip: recycle vocabularyTheres a lot of vocabulary in this reading, using the words for the writing will help but have someother activities that recycle useful vocabulary as well.



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Chinese Lunar Zodiac Calendar

New Year began on: Lunar Animal was: New Year began on: Lunar Animal was:

1934 - Feb. 14 Dog 1965 - Feb. 02 Snake1935 - Feb. 04 Pig / Wild Boar 1966 - J an. 21 Horse1936 - J an. 24 Rat 1967 - Feb. 09 Goat / Sheep

1937 - Feb. 11 Ox 1968 - J an. 30 monkey

1938 - J an. 31 Tiger 1969 - Feb. 17 Rooster

1939 - Feb. 19 Rabbit 1970 - Feb. 06 Dog

1940 - Feb. 08 Dragon 1971 - J an. 27 Pig / Wild Boar

1941 - J an. 27 Snake 1972 - Feb. 15 Rat1942 - Feb. 15 Horse 1973 - Feb. 03 Ox1943 - Feb. 05 Goat / Sheep 1974 - J an. 23 Tiger

1944 - J an. 25 Monkey 1975 - Feb. 11 Rabbit

1945 - Feb. 13 Rooster 1976 - J an. 31 Dragon

1946 - Feb. 02 Dog 1977 - Feb. 18 Snake

1947 - J an. 22 Pig / Wild Boar 1978 - Feb. 07 Horse1948 - Feb. 10 Rat 1979 - J an. 28 Goat / Sheep1949 - J an. 29 Ox 1980 - Feb. 16 Monkey

1950 - Feb. 17 Tiger 1981 - Feb. 05 Rooster

1951 - Feb. 06 Rabbit 1982 - J an. 25 Dog

1952 - J an. 27 Dragon 1983 - Feb. 13 Pig / Wild Boar

1953 - Feb. 14 Snake 1984 - Feb. 02 Rat

1954 - Feb. 03 Horse 1985 - Feb. 20 Ox1955 - J an. 24 Goat / Sheep 1986 - Feb. 09 Tiger

1956 - Feb. 12 Monkey 1987 - J an. 29 Rabbit

1957 - J an. 31 Rooster 1988 - Feb. 17 Dragon

1958 - Feb. 18 Dog 1989 - Feb. 06 Snake1959 - Feb. 08 Pig / Wild Boar 1990 - J an. 27 Horse

1960 - J an. 28 Rat 1991 - Feb. 15 Goat / Sheep

1961 - Feb. 15 Ox 1992 - Feb. 04 Monkey

1962 - Feb. 05 Tiger 1993 - J an. 23 Rooster

1963 - J an. 25 Rabbit 1994 - Feb. 10 Dog

1964 - Feb. 13 Dragon 1995 - J an. 31 Pig / Wild Boar

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25/29NEWS LESSONS / Body image concerns more men than women / Intermediate

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Level 2 Intermediate

Warmer1

Warmer1

Fill the gaps in the sentences using these key words from the text. The paragraph numbers are given

to help you.

Find the following information in the text as quickly as possible.

1. _____________________ is an informal word forstomach. (para 1)

2. _____________________ is an informal term forwomens breasts. (para 1)

3. _____________________ behaviour is impossible to control and therefore sometimes harmful. (para 3)

4. A _____________________ is a medicine, food or drink that helps you to pass solid waste more easily when

you use the toilet. (para 3)

5. A _____________________ person is thin in an attractive way. (para 4)

6. If you describe a person as _____________________, they are slightly fat in the way a healthy baby or a

young child is. (para 4)

7. An _____________________ is an emotional state in which something is so important to you that you are

always thinking about it, in a way that seems extreme to other people. (para 5)

8. A _____________________ is someone who answers questions in a questionnaire. (para 7)

9. A _____________________ person is thin and looks physically t and healthy. (para 8)

10. A _____________________ is an operation to change the appearance of someones nose to make them more

attractive. (para 9)

1. What percentage of men would give up a year of their life in exchange for a perfect body?

2. How many men participated in the survey?

3. What percentage of men were prevented from going to the gym because they were worried about

their appearance?

4. What percentage of men had made themselves sick to control their weight?

5. What percentage were gym members?

6. What is the average gym membership in the population?

Key words1

Find the information2

slim boobs chubby belly obsession

laxative nose job respondent lean compulsive



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Body image concerns more men than

women, research fnds

Denis Campbell

6 January, 2012

Recent research has shown that men worry

more about their body shape and appearance

beer bellies, man boobs or going bald than

women worry about how they look. More than

four in ve men (80.7%) talk about their bodies

imperfections, compared with 75% of women.

Similarly, 38% of men would give up at least ayear of their life in exchange for a perfect body

again, a higher percentage than women.

These results tell us that men are concerned

about body image, just like women. We knew

that body talk affected women and young

people, and now we know that it affects men too,

said Dr Phillippa Diedrichs, from the Centre of

Appearance Research at the University of the

West of England, which conducted the study of

394 British men.

The survey revealed that men have high levels ofanxiety about their bodies. Some use compulsive

exercise, strict diets, laxatives and make

themselves sick to try to lose weight.

80.7% talked about their own or others

appearance, e.g. weight, lack of hair or a slim

body. 30% have heard someone refer to their

beer belly, 19% have been described as

chubby and 19% have heard people talking

about their moobs (man boobs). 23% said

concerns about their appearance had stopped

them from going to the gym. 63% thought theirarms or chests were not muscular enough. 29%

thought about their appearance at least ve

times a day. 18% were on a high-protein diet to

increase their muscles, and 16% were on a diet

to slim down.

A spokesperson for the organization that

promoted the research said: Historically, making

conversation about your body is believed to be

something only women do. But it is clear from this

research that men are also guilty of commenting

on one anothers bodies, and in many cases this

is having a damaging effect. Mens high levels of

body talk show that there is a growing obsession

with appearance, she added.

Almost three in ve men (58.6%) said body talk

affected them, usually negatively. 12% said they

would give up a year of life if they could have

their ideal body weight and shape, 15.2% would

give up two to ve years, 5.3% would give up six

to ten years and 5.3% would sacrice ten years

or more.

About 4% said they had made themselves sick

to control their weight, while 3.4% said they used

laxatives for the same purpose. Almost a third

(31.9%) had exercised in a compulsive way

to lose weight, although that might be partlybecause 52% of the respondents were gym

members, when the average is 12%.

Respondents, of whom about a quarter were

gay men, said the media and celebrities gave a

false picture of physical perfection. Girls want to

be slim and males want to be big and lean, and

while it isnt a bad thing for people to want to look

better, it has become more like a competition,

which has a bad effect on most peoples mental

health, said one respondent.

Alan White, a professor of Mens Health at Leeds

Metropolitan University, said: These results are

worrying but not surprising. Theres been a big

increase in the numbers of British men having

cosmetic procedures such as a nose job or

removal of breast tissue; thats gone from almost

nothing to quite a signicant industry over the last

ten years. All this encourages a quick x rather

than appropriate diet and physical tness levels.

Guardian News & Media 2012

First published in The Guardian, 06/01/12

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Comprehension check3

Find the word4

Are these statements true (T) or false (F) according to the text?

1. Men worry about their appearance more than women do.

2. Almost 60% of men are affected by body talk.

3. More women than men would give up a year of their life in exchange for a perfect body.

4. Most of the respondents were gay men.

5. Some people blame the media for unrealistic ideals of physical perfection.

6. Professor Alan White believes the results are surprising but not worrying.

1. a two-word noun meaning a fat stomach that a man gets from drinking too much beer over a long period of

time (para 1)

2. a noun meaning a mark on something that spoils its appearance (para 1)

3. a noun meaning a worried feeling you have because you think something bad might happen (para 3)

4. a noun meaning fat on a mans chest that looks like a womans breasts (para 4)

5. a two-word phrasal verb meaning to lose weight(para 4)

6. a verb meaning to give up something important or valuable so that you or other people can do or have

something else (para 6)

7. a noun meaning famous people (para 8)

8. a two-word expression meaning something that can be done quickly in order to solve a problem or repair

something that is broken, though it may not last long(para 9)

Find the following words and phrases in the text.

Match the words in the left-hand column with those in the right-hand column to make phrases from

the text.

Two-word expressions5

1. go a. protein

2. strict b. weight

3. lose c. down

4. high- d. procedures

5. slim e. bald

6. body f. health

7. mental g. diet

8. cosmetic h. talk



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Complete the table.

Is it a good thing that people worry about their physical appearance? Why? Why not?

Word-building6

Discussion7

noun adjective

1. muscle

2. anxious

3. compulsion

4. t

5. imperfect

6. guilt


29/29



KEY

1 Warmer

1. belly

2. boobs

3. compulsive

4. laxative

5. slim

6. chubby

7. obsession

8. respondent

9. lean

10. nose job

2 Find the information

1. 38%

2. 394

3. 23%

4. about 4%5. 52%

6. 12%

3 Comprehension check

1. T

2. T

3. F

4. F

5. T

6. F

4 Find the word

1. beer belly

2. imperfection

3. anxiety

4. moobs

5. slim down

6. sacrice

7. celebrities

8. quick x

5 Two-word expressions

1. e

2. g

3. b

4. a

5. c

6. h7. f

8. d

6 Webquest

1. muscular

2. anxiety

3. compulsive

4. tness

5. imperfection

6. guilty

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