page content - filipenses · pdf filea chinese astrology b western ... or wood horse or a...

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1-2 English vocabulary in use

3 Let’s talk- what do they look like?

4-5 Let’s talk- Your personality

6-7 Elementary Astrology Reading tasks

8-9 Elementary Astrology Reading

10-12 Teacher’s notes & answer key

13-16 Elementary Body image

17 Answer key

18 Intermediate Astrology Reading tasks

19-20 Intermediate Astrology Reading

21-23 Teacher’s notes & answer key

24-27 Intermediate Body image

28 Answer key

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 – it’s 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:

• _____________________________

• _____________________________

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 2006 Taken from the Skills section in www.onestopenglish.com Zenta Claus picture used with kind permission from BNDjapan.org

4 Now find your Western star sign personality and your Chinese animal personality. Use the following links: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astrological_sign scroll down to The dates of the astrological 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 lunar calendar and zodiac and find your Chinese year (remember this starts January or February). 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_sign

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_astrology

Worksheet 2a Astrology: Reading A

The Fire Dog In Chinese astrology the Chinese zodiac is made up of a cycle of 12 years, and each year is a different animal. The 12 animals are: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster (male hen), Dog and Boar (wild pig). The Chinese zodiac starts at the beginning of the New Year – around the end of January or the beginning of February. 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 it’s 7th February. There is also a cycle of five elements, and each year is a different element. The five elements are: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water. Therefore it’s possible to be a Wood Rat, or Wood Horse or a Metal Rat or Metal Horse. The whole cycle of animals and elements takes 60 years. In Chinese astrology your horoscope is a description of what’s going to happen to you in the future, based on the year when you were born. Your personality also depends on your animal and element. People born under the year of the Dog usually have lots of friends because the Dog is one of the most popular animals. Dog people are honest, intelligent and fair. Dog people 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 unfriendly and aggressive. They can worry a lot. They get along with Horses and Tigers but not Dragons. The last Fire Dog year was 2006 so Fire Dogs are either babies or 60 years old. Fire Dogs are natural leaders. They often have lots of admirers and an interesting personality. They can also be very aggressive.


Worsheet 2b Astrology: Reading B

Cancer In Western astrology the zodiac is made up of a cycle of 12 star signs. The sky is divided into twelve equal parts and each part has a sign made from the stars. In the past the path of the sun went 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 the March (or Spring) equinox, usually March 20 or 21 – it depends on the sun. This is the day when, on the equator, the sun and night are the same length. The 12 star signs are: 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 and Pisces the fish. Cancerians are born between 21st June and 23rd July. There are also four elements, and each element has three star signs. The four elements are: Fire (Aries, Leo and Sagittarius), Earth (Taurus, Virgo and Capricorn), Air (Gemini, Libra and Aquarius) and Water (Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces). This never changes, for example Gemini is always Air and Taurus is always Earth. In Western astrology your horoscope is a description of what’s going to happen to you in 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 and romantic. When they trust people they can be very faithful. On the other hand Cancerians are not always easy to understand and can sometimes be difficult to be with. 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 of food and eat a lot. They get along with Scorpions and Capricorns.


© Macmillan Publishing Ltd 2007 Skills / Reading / Astrology

Astrology: Teachers' notes and tips – elementary 1 Pre-reading tasks

a 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 was born). Do the same for astrology (the study of how the stars and the planets influence people’s lives). Explain that this is the theme of today’s reading.

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

c Give each student a copy of Worksheet 1 and get them to tell each other which statement from question 1 is true for them. It doesn’t matter if they talk about Western or Chinese horoscopes – whichever is relevant to them.

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

e Divide the class in half. Then put the students into small groups of about four students. 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 on their 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 missing and see if they can guess any of the answers.

Tip: do an example or two first Each animal/sign is about _____ long. What information is missing here? Length of body or length of time? Dogs/Cancerians are _____ Elicit that adjectives are needed here to describe personality.

Tip: encourage predicting Students will be able to understand the text better if they’ve anticipated the content. 2 First reading tasks

a 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 the Chinese astrology reading on Worksheet 2a and fill in the left-hand column, B students have the Western astrology reading on Worksheet 2b and fill in the right-hand column.

b Students have a go on their own first and then compare their answers. Tip: use groups for support When 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. Don’t give feedback but use the answers at the end to help while monitoring.

3 Second reading tasks a 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 facing student’s 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.


Tip: student dictations are multi-skill tasks To 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 are true or false. They need to refer back to the text and scan it to find the relevant information. Make sure that students are only looking at their own text and not looking at their partner’s 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 skills This 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 – Speaking

a 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 famous person. Together they decide who the person is.

b When students have had time to discuss who the person might be, ask for suggestions. Get students to explain why they think it’s this person. There are a number of clues in both texts.

c Feedback: George W Bush is a Fire Dog and a Cancerian. Do students agree 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 George Bush is ___________ and / but in the text it says __________. 5 Post-reading tasks – Completing a table

a Students are going to complete a table with information about their Western star sign and their Chinese animal. This can be done together in your school’s computer lab or, if students have easy access to the Internet outside of school, for homework.

b Explain to students that the sites are for native speakers. So again they have to use their scanning skills to focus only on the information they need and not get distracted by irrelevant information they don’t understand. For each horoscope they need to find two or three positive adjectives and two or three negative adjectives about their personality.

c The adjectives they don’t 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 first Check out what students need to do so that you are prepared to help them. If you can have the sites up on an Interactive Whiteboard to show what needs to be done, this would be the best option. Otherwise, be ready to help students individually.


Key 2

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 January or the beginning of February

The zodiac starts 20th March or 21st March,

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

Your personality depends on your animal and element.

Your personality depends on your star sign.

Dogs are: honest / intelligent / fair / generous / helpful / faithful

Cancerians are: kind / romantic / faithful

but they can also be: unfriendly / (very) aggressive

but they can also be: 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 Sheep c false, there are three: Fire, Earth and Water d true e false, there are some traits which are the same but there are differences too f false, they’re either babies or 60 (2006 was the last Fire Dog year) g false, they’re born from 21st June to 22nd July NB This is a slightly simplified version of Chinese astrology – there’s more to it than this. If you have some students in the class who know more about it, then do encourage them to add more information.

NEWS LESSONS / Body image concerns more men than women / Elementary•P

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E© 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 for women’s 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 someone’s 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 five 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 ElementaryBody image concerns more men than women, research findsDenis 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 five 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 didn’t go 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 five 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 five 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 five 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 intensive way 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 isn’t 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 people’s mental health”, said one man.

Alan White, a professor of Men’s 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 find a quick and temporary solution. What they should do is eat well and exercise.

© Guardian News and Media 2012First 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 first answer is given for you.

1. The survey shows that women don’t worry about their bodies …

2. A lot of men don’t 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 five day

2. or years more ten

3. a Men’s of Health professor

4. picture physical a of perfection false

5. more men four five 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

1 Key words

1. body image 2. appearance3. laxative4. slim5. belly6. chubby7. boobs8. muscular9. celebrities10. nose job

2 Find the information

1. 80.7%2. 75%3. 30%4. 29%5. about 4%6. 52%

3 Comprehension check

1. e2. d3. a4. c5. f6. b

4 Chunks

1. at least five times a day2. ten years or more3. a professor of Men’s Health 4. a false picture of physical perfection5. more than four in five men6. on a diet to lose weight

5 Two-word expressions

1. c2. e3. d4. g5. a6. b7. f

6 Word stress


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Body image concerns more men than women Level 1 Elementary

KEY

0 o o o 0 o

laxative

muscular

negative

physical

normally

exercise

appearance

percentage

cosmetic

procedure

intensive

perfection

Astrology: Reading tasks

1 What’s a rooster? What’s the difference between a sheep and a goat? What’s a wild boar? 2 Read these 12 descriptions. Which one describes you

best? 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 for the 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 for knowledge. • Sometimes eccentric and selfish. 8

• Stubborn on outside - very good hearted inside.

• A natural leader. 9

• Highly intelligent and able to influence others. Great politician. • Inventive and talented, but can be easily discouraged. 10

• A tough spirit- aggressive and courageous. • A sensitive deep thinker who is honest with friends. 11

• Always very lucky. • Talented and affectionate, yet shy

• You are a peace seeker. 12

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 Taken from the Skills section in www.onestopenglish.com

Astrology: Reading

There’s something about the New Year that always makes me read my horoscope to see what lies ahead. I don’t believe in any of it really but there’s comfort in being told that the next 12 months will bring health, wealth and happiness (well, it’s usually over optimistic, isn’t it?). There are many other people who are also sceptical about astrology and its belief that knowledge of the position of the stars and planets can help us understand our personality or predict human affairs. However, despite the lack of scientific evidence in its favour, astrology (not to be confused with astronomy which is the scientific study 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 I’m now more intrigued by the predictions for the future because 2007 is significant for me – yes, I’m a Pig (actually I prefer the alternative Wild Boar!). When I first found out I was a Pig person I was a little disappointed, and my friends (mighty Dragons, friendly Dogs and ferocious Tigers) sniggered. Pigs have a bad reputation – people think they’re dirty animals that smell horrible and many cultures don’t even eat them. In the Chinese zodiac there are 12 animals and according to one legend, when Buddha left the earth only 12 animals came to say goodbye to him. As a reward Buddha named a year after each of the animals in the order that they came to him, and the pig (you’ve guessed it) came last – no doubt snuffling in the undergrowth for food rather than bounding forward like the sneaky rat that came first. So I thought I was unlucky being a Pig but this isn’t so. It appears that Pigs are kindly people who are helpful and giving. They tend to make good friends as they are loyal, thoughtful and trusting. Pigs are happy, optimistic people and have lots of fun – that sounds OK to me! However, Pigs are often naive and apparently it’s easy to con a Pig. They can also be very impulsive and react without thinking, and they’re not that great with money either. Pigs, it seems, get along with Sheep and Rabbits but, interestingly, not other Pigs, who they should stay clear of (I’d better cancel my dinner date with Ewan McGregor then!). The Pig year itself is one of benevolence and is meant to make people feel good. It’s also considered a good year for business. However, although life in this year will be lived to the full, care is recommended with any matters concerning money – no wonder I’m not rich! There are different kinds of Pigs though. Like all the animals of the Chinese zodiac they can be one of the five elements: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water. I’m an Earth Pig which is interesting because, according to Western astrology, I’m Taurus the bull and Taurus is an Earth sign too. There are many similarities between the two: Taureans also make good friends, are patient and loyal, and hard working. They both 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


horror of falling into debt and will do anything to stop this happening so that’s useful! 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 astronomy too, comes from the Greek word astron, which means star. There are some other interesting origins of words that are linked to the stars or planets too. The word disaster, for example, comes from the Latin dis-aster meaning bad star. We sometimes call a crazy or strange person a lunatic (or the shortened form loony), this is from the word lunar meaning moon – it was believed that the moon could make some people crazy, especially a full moon. A jovial person is jolly because they are influenced by Jove, the Latin word for the planet Jupiter. Finally, the word influenza, or flu, 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 have brought them fame and fortune. So perhaps I have a good year ahead. I won’t make a lot of money but it seems I’ll be happy with my life and my friends so that’s fine by me. Sun nin fy lok!


Astrology: Teachers’ notes and tips – upper intermediate

1 Pre-reading tasks a Give each pair of students a copy of the worksheet. Ask them to answer the

three 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 coats whereas goats tails go up, they browse (eat shrubs) and have hair coats; a wild boar is a wild pig.

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

Tip: have an alternative task for Asian students

See if they can name the 12 star signs for the Western zodiac, or put the Chinese animals in their correct order.

e Students then read through the 12 personality descriptions on the worksheet and decide which one describes them the best (they are not in the correct order).

f Get them to help each other with unknown vocabulary. When they’re stuck they can look the words up in a dictionary.

Tip: use monolingual dictionaries

At this level students shouldn’t use bilingual dictionaries; they don’t need a translation, they need the definition.

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

h Meanwhile have a few copies of the Chinese Lunar Zodiac Calendar (at the end 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 which animal they are – they don’t need to tell anyone their year of birth if they don’t want to! Remind students that they should be extra careful if they are born in January or February as the Chinese New Year can start in either month.

Tip: encourage different reading skills This 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 12 Rabbit.

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 tasks

a 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 writer believes in astrology and horoscopes a lot, a little or not at all.

b Feedback: this is Happy New Year! in Cantonese. In Mandarin it’s Xin Nien Kuai Le! (Gung Hay Fat Choy! means Wishing You Prosperity!) The writer is interested but doesn’t really believe in it at all.


3 Second reading tasks a Ask students to read the text again and to look out for all the words and

phrases which show that the writer doesn’t take the information about astrology seriously.

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

Tip: do an example first

Ask students to look at the first paragraph and elicit: I don’t believe in any of it really. Students then 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 seems that, 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 feedback Perhaps have a copy of the reading on an OHT so students can come up and underline the phrases, or if you have an IWB use that instead.

Tip: highlight the writer’s attitude Students at this level should learn to recognise if a writer is being funny, sarcastic, serious etc, or as in this case, sceptical but light-hearted.

4 Third reading tasks

a Ask students to read the text again and underline parts that they • agree with • disagree with • don’t 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 text Give an example of this first: I agree that horoscopes are usually over optimistic, do you? This is what we do in real-life and so is an authentic task, students can of course disagree with each other.

6 Post-reading tasks – writing and reading

a The Chinese have decided to add another animal!! Students chose an animal and write an imaginary personality profile for someone born in the year of the cow, dinosaur, penguin…. Encourage students to use the new vocabulary they’ve learnt during this lesson.

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

Tip: recycle vocabulary There’s a lot of vocabulary in this reading, using the words for the writing will help but have some other activities that recycle useful vocabulary as well.


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 Snake 1935 - Feb. 04 Pig / Wild Boar 1966 - Jan. 21 Horse 1936 - Jan. 24 Rat 1967 - Feb. 09 Goat / Sheep 1937 - Feb. 11 Ox 1968 - Jan. 30 monkey 1938 - Jan. 31 Tiger 1969 - Feb. 17 Rooster1939 - Feb. 19 Rabbit 1970 - Feb. 06 Dog 1940 - Feb. 08 Dragon 1971 - Jan. 27 Pig / Wild Boar 1941 - Jan. 27 Snake 1972 - Feb. 15 Rat 1942 - Feb. 15 Horse 1973 - Feb. 03 Ox 1943 - Feb. 05 Goat / Sheep 1974 - Jan. 23 Tiger 1944 - Jan. 25 Monkey 1975 - Feb. 11 Rabbit 1945 - Feb. 13 Rooster 1976 - Jan. 31 Dragon 1946 - Feb. 02 Dog 1977 - Feb. 18 Snake 1947 - Jan. 22 Pig / Wild Boar 1978 - Feb. 07 Horse 1948 - Feb. 10 Rat 1979 - Jan. 28 Goat / Sheep 1949 - Jan. 29 Ox 1980 - Feb. 16 Monkey 1950 - Feb. 17 Tiger 1981 - Feb. 05 Rooster 1951 - Feb. 06 Rabbit 1982 - Jan. 25 Dog 1952 - Jan. 27 Dragon 1983 - Feb. 13 Pig / Wild Boar 1953 - Feb. 14 Snake 1984 - Feb. 02 Rat 1954 - Feb. 03 Horse 1985 - Feb. 20 Ox 1955 - Jan. 24 Goat / Sheep 1986 - Feb. 09 Tiger 1956 - Feb. 12 Monkey 1987 - Jan. 29 Rabbit 1957 - Jan. 31 Rooster 1988 - Feb. 17 Dragon 1958 - Feb. 18 Dog 1989 - Feb. 06 Snake 1959 - Feb. 08 Pig / Wild Boar 1990 - Jan. 27 Horse 1960 - Jan. 28 Rat 1991 - Feb. 15 Goat / Sheep 1961 - Feb. 15 Ox 1992 - Feb. 04 Monkey 1962 - Feb. 05 Tiger 1993 - Jan. 23 Rooster 1963 - Jan. 25 Rabbit 1994 - Feb. 10 Dog 1964 - Feb. 13 Dragon 1995 - Jan. 31 Pig / Wild Boar


http://lynncoins.com/DOG_gold_coins.htm

http://lynncoins.com/rat_mouse.htm

http://lynncoins.com/goat.htm

http://lynncoins.com/ox.htm

http://lynncoins.com/smonkey.htm

http://lynncoins.com/tiger_gold.htm

http://lynncoins.com/other_gold.htm

http://lynncoins.com/rabbit.htm


http://lynncoins.com/dragon.htm


http://lynncoins.com/horse.htm

















http://lynncoins.com/snake.htm










http://lynncoins.com/horse.htm










NEWS LESSONS / Body image concerns more men than women / Intermediate•P

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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 for stomach. (para 1)

2. _____________________ is an informal term for women’s 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 fit and healthy. (para 8)

10. A _____________________ is an operation to change the appearance of someone’s 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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Level 2 IntermediateBody image concerns more men than women, research findsDenis 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 five men (80.7%) talk about their bodies’ imperfections, compared with 75% of women. Similarly, 38% of men would give up at least a year 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 of anxiety 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 their arms or chests were not muscular enough. 29% thought about their appearance at least five 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 another’s bodies, and in many cases this is having a damaging effect.” Men’s high levels of body talk show that there is a growing obsession with appearance, she added.

Almost three in five 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 five years, 5.3% would give up six to ten years and 5.3% would sacrifice 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 partly because 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 isn’t a bad thing for people to want to look better, it has become more like a competition, which has a bad effect on most people’s mental health”, said one respondent.

Alan White, a professor of Men’s Health at Leeds Metropolitan University, said: “These results are worrying but not surprising. There’s been a big increase in the numbers of British men having cosmetic procedures such as a nose job or removal of breast tissue; that’s gone from almost nothing to quite a significant industry over the last ten years. All this encourages a quick fix rather than appropriate diet and physical fitness levels.”

© Guardian News & Media 2012 First published in The Guardian, 06/01/12

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Comprehension check3

Find the word 4

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 man’s chest that looks like a woman’s 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. fit

5. imperfect

6. guilt


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Body image concerns more men than women Level 2 Intermediate

KEY

1 Warmer

1. belly2. boobs3. compulsive4. laxative5. slim6. chubby7. obsession8. respondent9. lean10. nose job

2 Find the information

1. 38%2. 3943. 23%4. about 4%5. 52%6. 12%

3 Comprehension check

1. T2. T3. F4. F5. T6. F

4 Find the word

1. beer belly2. imperfection3. anxiety4. moobs5. slim down6. sacrifice7. celebrities8. quick fix

5 Two-word expressions

1. e2. g3. b4. a5. c6. h7. f8. d

6 Webquest

1. muscular2. anxiety3. compulsive4. fitness5. imperfection6. guilty

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