Read the following statements. Say whether you agree with them or not, explain why.

BEAUTY CONTESTS

1. I never watch beauty contests. They are like a cattle market! I think they insult the intelligence of women. No woman with any self-respect would ever enter a competition like this. I find them totally degrading.

2. I certainly don't take them seriously. They are harmless fun, really. I mean, you see prettier girls every day in shops and offices. But people earn a living from their intelligence or from their abilities. Why shouldn't they make money from their appearances.

3. I occasionally watch them, but I don't think I'd like them if I were a woman. After all a lot of girls would just look as good with the make-up, clothes and lights. Anyway, beauty is only skin-deep. I often feel irritated when I'm watching a beauty contest. The values are false.

4. I always watch them I like looking at pretty girls. I’d rather watch a beauty con test than a programme about politics. There is not enough glamour in the world. If you don’t like it, you can always switch off the television.

 

Think over the following questions. Come up with your arguments.

1. How important is the way we look in our everyday life? Does it matter at all?

2. Why do people take pains trying to beautify themselves: to have a better figure, bigger eyes, etc? Can’t they just accept themselves as they are?

3. Who does appearance matter more for: men or women? How can you account for it?

4. What do you think of the existing ideals of male and female physical beauty? Are they something that inspires you or something that makes you feel inferior and worthless just because you don’t match them?

5. What do you think of beauty contests? Do they really help reveal genuine beauty?

 

Consider the following statements. Say whether you agree with them making use of your active vocabulary.

1. Good looks make it possible for you to feel self-confident and secure.

2. A good-looking person has more chances to get a good job and be successful in personal life.

3. You are likely to react more positively to attractive people.

4. Appearance doesn't matter all that much, really. You must be taken for what you are, not for what others want you to be.

5. Appearance has nothing to do with your professional or personal wellbeing. These things depend on what kind of person you are, not on your good looks.

6. Every person's appearance is unique: it's only his or her body, hair, nose, eyes. We should be proud of what we have.

7. It's only natural that people want to look more attractive. But they certainly shouldn't go to extremes and make achieving of perfection their lifetime goal.

 

Part V

Writing

Listen to dictations 1-10 and write them down.

2. Making use of the scheme describe your favourite relative/ group-mate/ friend.

	I believe, the man is...	...young/ middle-aged/ elderly/old...about/under/over 50/80 etc.
Age	Perhaps, he...	...is in his mid-/early/late 20's/30's etc....has/hasn't come of age
	And he is certainly...	...in/past his prime ...in the prime of youth/life
Height	I can say that he is...	...tall/short/of medium height...below/above average height
Build	As for his build, he seems to be...	...stout/overweight/plump/thin/slim/lanky...of athletic/powerful build
	You wouldn't call him... He is just...	...fat/well-built
General Appearance	In my opinion, he looks...	...attractive/handsome/smart/quite plain...weird/funny etc.
Hair colour and style Face/Features	...with his... and...	(hair colour and style) (face, features)
Complexion	As to his complexion, I think his skin is quite...	...pale/ ruddy/sunburnt
	And it certainly looks...	...healthy/unhealthy
Eyes	You can't but notice his eyes, which are...	...warm/cold/smiling/deep-set etc.
Distinguishing features	But his most distinguishing feature is...	...his beard/moustache/scar/dimples...his smile/forehead etc.
Dress	He is dressed in... clothes. He is wearing... clothes.	...scruffy/shabby/casual/ smart/conservative...elegant/fashionable etc.
Personality	On the whole, he seems to be a... sort of person.	...quiet/cheerful/moody/ shy/sociable/lively...pleasant/sophisticated/friendly etc.

Unit II WHAT ARE YOU LIKE?

In this unit we are going to learn how to describe a person’s character.

Part I

Study the words and word-combinations you can’t do without:

quiet/even-tempered/calm

talkative/sociable/friendly

reserved/shy

thoughtful/considerate/ thoughtless

moody/ miserable

lively/cheerful

amusing/boring

polite/rude

reliable/ dependable

sophisticated

aggressive/ ambitious

 

VOCABULARY NOTES

 

quiet adj 1. someone who is quiet always behaves in a calm and gentle way and is not easily made angry, upset, or excited; Syn. even-tempered, calm; 2. used about people who are not talking or who do not usually talk much; Ant. talkative; e.g. a quiet sensitive boy/ She is thoughtful, quiet and controlled.

calm adj relaxed and quiet, not angry, nervous, or upset, e.g. An hour after the accident, I was starting to feel calmer. | to stay/keep/remain calm I tried to stay calm and just ignore him.

reserved adj unwilling to express your emotions or talk about your problems, e.g. Ellen was a shy, reserved girl.

shy adj nervous and uncomfortable in the company of other people, e.g. a shy smile/ I’ve always been a bit shy.

thoughtful adj always thinking of the things you can do to make people happy or comfortable; Syn. considerate; Ant. thoughtless; e.g. Paul is very thoughtful. It was really very thoughtful of you to remember my birthday.

moody adj 1. annoyed or unhappy, e.g. He seemed moody all morning. Syn. miserable 2. often changing quickly from being in a good temper to being in a bad temper; e.g. a moody teenager/He was generally moody and unpredictable. Ant. even-tempered

sociable adj sociable people are friendly and enjoy talking to other people, e.g. a pleasant, sociable couple/ He is a sociable kind of man. Syn. talkative; Ant. unsociable

friendly adj behaving in a pleasant, kind, warm way, e.g. Russian people are generally believed to be very warm and friendly. Ant. unfriendly

lively adj very active, having a lot of energy, e.g. a lively group of students

cheerful adj tending to be happy most of the time, e.g. Stephen was a cheerful child. Syn. lively; Ant. moody, miserable

amusing adj funny and entertaining, e.g. Her husband is the most amusing person I’ve ever met.

Ant. boring

polite adj someone who is polite has good manners and behaves in a way that is socially correct, e.g. He is always polite and does the right thing. Ant. impolite/rude

reliable adj a reliable person is someone you can trust to behave well, work hard, or do what you expect them to do, e.g. Sarah is a charming and reliable person. You can depend on Max - he is very reliable. Syn. dependable; Ant. unreliable

sophisticated adj 1. knowing and understanding a lot about a subject, e.g. Consumers are getting more sophisticated and more demanding. 2. knowing a lot about things such as culture, fashion, and the modern world, e.g. She was elegant and sophisticated.

aggressive adj 1. behaving in an angry or rude way that shows you want to fight, attack, or argue with somebody, e.g. aggressive behaviour/ Jim’s voice became aggressive. 2. someone who is aggressive is very determined to win or be successful, e.g. A successful businessman has to be aggressive. Syn. ambitious

Additional vocabulary

arrogant

deceitful

easy-going

generous

hard-working

honest

kind

lazy

mean

modest

nervous

optimistic

patient

pessimistic

reasonable

sensible

sensitive

silly

untidy

EXERCISES

I. Transcribe and translate the words:

quiet; even-tempered; calm; talkative; sociable; friendly; reserved; shy; thoughtful; considerate;

moody; lively; cheerful; amusing; boring; polite; rude; reliable; dependable; sophisticated; aggressive; ambitious; miserable; thoughtless.

 

II. Give English equivalents for the following:

 

Общительный; надежный; скучный; угрюмый, неуравновешенный; вежливый; веселый, жизнерадостный; грубый; спокойный, невозмутимый; уравновешенный; тихий, немногословный; разговорчивый; дружелюбный; застенчивый, стеснительный; светский, утонченный; напористый; забавный, веселый; сдержанный; внимательный, чуткий; энергичный, живой.

III. Match the synonyms:

1. Quiet a) funny

2. Thoughtful b) well-mannered

3. Talkative c) dependable

4. Cheerful d) even-tempered

5. Amusing e) considerate

6. Reliable f) ambitious

7. Polite g) lively

8. Aggressive h) sociable

 

IV. Match the opposites:

 

1. Calm a) rude

2. Considerate b) reserved

3. Talkative c) nervous

4. Moody d) boring

5. Polite e) thoughtless

6. Amusing f) cheerful

V. Complete the sentences with appropriate words from exercises III
and IV.

 

1. Tina is very ______. She has made friends with everybody else in the class already. 2. Jack’s such a ______ little boy. I’ve never seen him in a bad mood. 3. Bruno’s so ______. I don’t think he’s spoken to any of the other students yet. 4. Oh, Laura’s impossible. One minute life is wonderful and the next minute she’s in her room crying. How can she be so ______? 5. Martin can be very ______at times. He’s got a great sense of humour. 6. Mark’s so _______. He keeps getting into fights. 7. Simon’s very ______. He’s always buying me little presents. 8. Tony isn’t very _______. He has bad manners. 9. He isn’t very ______. He promises to do things but half the time he forgets. 10. Kate’s brother is so _______. He’s always making people angry or upset because he just doesn’t consider their feelings.

 

VI. Match the words with their definitions:

1. generous a) believing that good things will happen in the future;

2. easy-going b) always telling the truth, not cheating or stealing;

3. sensitive c) not easily annoyed, worried or upset by problems;

4. lazy d) having a desire to be successful, rich or powerful;

5. ambitious e) able to wait calmly for a long time;

6. honest f) willing to give money in order to help people;

7. optimistic g) able to understand other people’s feelings;

8. patient h) not liking work and physical activity;

9. arrogant i) reasonable, practical;

10. sensible j) thinking that they are more important than other people.

 

 

VII. Arrange these words in pairs of opposites:

 

Mean, lazy, sensitive, optimistic, arrogant, silly, honest, hard-working, easy-going, deceitful, generous, sensible, thoughtless, pessimistic, modest, nervous.