14. Read the text below and think of the word which best fits each space. Use only one word in each gap.

People nowadays put a lot of efforts to make themselves become more beautiful (1) _____ develop their self-confidence. As we can see that joining a gym or fitness center, going to a beauty salon, or even putting themselves under the knife of cosmetic surgeons become more and more prevalent recently. However, why do people always focus on and take extra care of their physical appearance?

Firstly, people are often influenced by the media. Many advertisements use attractive celebrities to publicize and promote their products. The advertisements usually use a super model (2) _____ has a slim body shape, big round eyes and perfect white skin to show what beauty is and how superior they are. They want to build up an image of success through an attractive appearance and try to distribute the concept of beauty to the people. (3) _____ we want to be successful and popular, we must have a so-called charming look just like the models in the magazines. The media would sometimes use ugly or fat people in their advertisements, but always in a negative and miserable way. As we can see that only the obese and hideous people are teased, bullied and repulsed by others in the movies. They always have a lower status and suffer an unpleasant life in the film. Therefore, under the influence of the media, the concept of beauty and slim means successful, favorable and powerful (4) _____ obesity and ugliness means failure and poor is already deep-rooted in every people’s mind.

(5) ______, people are always affected by the peers and the people surrounding. They think that having an attractive appearance is everything. They may misconceive that the more the attractive appearance, (6) ______ the benefits and welcomes they can achieve from peers and other people. (7) _____, sometimes when they feel unsuccessful and desperate, they would impute it to their appearance or when they are repelled by others, they would blame for their ugly look. (8) _____, attractive physical appearance can build up one’s self-confidence and self-esteem. They will have a very high and positive self-evaluation towards themselves (9) _____ they think they are more appeal and supreme among the others. It eventually builds up their confidence and beliefs in doing things successfully and favorably in their life. Thus, there is no wonder (10) ______ so many people strive for a beautiful look.

Character

15. a) Classify the following words into two groups: 1) good (virtuous) characteristics; 2) bad (evil) characteristics. Compare your answer with your partner.

attentive, ambitious, aggressive, arrogant, brave, blunt, childish, communicative, calm, caring, considerate, cruel, capable, consistent, conceited, confident, condescending, chatty, courageous, discreet, dishonest, distant, determined, deceitful, easy-going, earnest, energetic, fair, friendly, generous, headstrong, insolent, industrious, idle, immature, lazy, manipulative, mean, miserly, moody, nervous, open, organized, obstinate, opinionated, outgoing, patient, polite, passionate, proactive, rude, reserved, selfish, single-minded, sincere, shy, sensitive, serious, scrupulous, stubborn, smug, sociable, spiteful, temperamental, tolerant, tactless, timid, unreliable, vain, witty.

b) Think of three people you know who you can describe using some of adjectives above. Tell your partner about each person, giving examples of how he/ she behaves which show why you have chosen those adjectives.

Example:

My sister is a very headstrong person. She really wanted to travel around the world on her own. Everyone tried to persuade her not to do it because it was dangerous but she decided to do it anyway.

c) In pairs discuss what sort of people you appeal to / dislike.

Example:

I appeal to people who are organized and ambitious. They inspire me.

I don’t find people who are lazy and idle to be pleasant to deal with.

16. Choose the adjective above to complete the following sentences to describe a person’s character.

1) People who are usually surrounded by friends are _____.

2) People who are quick to see the point are ____.

3) People who think only of themselves are ____.

4) People who feel uneasy in company are ____.

5) People who keep their thoughts to themselves are ____.

6) People who easily lose their patience are ____.

7) People who enjoy other people’s confidence are ____.

8) People who feel deeply are ____.

9) People who are always sure of themselves are ____.

10) People who intrude their views on others are ____.

17. a) Listen to ten people describing different people they know. For each one write an adjective given in italics from Exercise 16 which you think describes him / her best. (from Acklam R.Total English Upper Intermediate. / Richard Acklam, Araminta Crace – Pearson Education, 2005. – P. 106.)

b) Which of the qualities from Exercise 16 do you think successful people (a good teacher, a good doctor, a good lawyer) usually have, and which can prevent you from being successful? Give reasons. What traits of characters do you appreciate in a bosom friend?

Example:

I think that most successful people are very determined and single-minded but if you are too headstrong it could go against you because…

18. a) Read the text which describes your zodiac sign and fill in the table writing positive and negative traits. Compare the characteristics given with your real personality. Which three traits do you think are true about you? Please list and give a reason for each.

b) Exchange the notes with your partner to find out which sign of the zodiac he / she was born under. Speak about your partner’s traits.

Aries (March 21 - April 20)

Individuals born under Aries are intelligent, confident, and highly ambitious. They are assertive and make their point with such an impact that most people around them tend to agree with them. Arians are self-driven and hence, born leaders. Arians have a magnetic personality which makes them very popular - as friends and as individuals who are followed by many for their intellectuality and personality. Arians are always enthusiastic about everything they take up. They use the same metric to others. This makes them come across as demanding. Arians are ambitious individuals with a go-get-it attitude, but the bawdy side of it is their tendency to show off these achievements, sometimes to the displeasure of others. Their leadership abilities tend to make them over-bearing which gives them an aura of assertiveness, but the adverse side of it is that Arians are intolerant and impatient to the opinion of others.

Positive traits

Negative traits

Taurus (April 21 - May 20 )

Taureans are strong-headed individuals. They are patient, and hence, reliable. Taureans show high levels of ambition when it comes to things that interest them. They are affectionate and passionate people, and hence make great lovers. Taureans think from their head, rather than their heart. They are not very emotional. They are practical and make decisions after a lot of pondering over. This makes a Taurus individual’s decision dependable and worth trusting. Since they ponder over every little thing and think it through before taking a final call, Taureans are considered good decision-makers but their inability to take quick decisions is looked upon by many as a lazy and laid-back attitude.

Taureans tend to get jealous of other achievers. They are stubborn in their approach to certain things, and are inflexible when it comes to adjusting their decisions. Taureans are selectively over-enthusiastic. They can become very ambitious if something excites them to the core; alternatively Taureans won’t even touch anything if it does not appeal to them.

Positive traits

Negative traits

Gemini (May 21 - June 20)

The twins in the Gemini symbol represent a Gemini’s dual nature. It primarily represents a Gemini’s flexibility; they can adapt themselves to the mood of people around them. One advantage of this is that Geminis earn a lot of friends and well-wishers. Geminis are born with an awesome quick wit and hence, are always popular. Geminis are very talkative. They love collecting knowledge in bits and pieces, although they may not have extensive knowledge about any one particular thing. Geminis are good with money and make exemplary financial decisions. They are adventurous and often excel in games that involve rough physical combat. The fact that Geminis adapt easily and transform themselves makes them highly unreliable and hard to understand. Geminis are a bunch of haphazard and unorganized individuals. Geminis can be extremely malicious and deprecatory about someone who rubs them the wrong way.

Positive traits

Negative traits

Cancer (June 21 - June 30)

Cancerians always feel the need for constant reassurance and intimacy which makes them extremely adorable. They are fun to be with once you get to know them. Cancerians are eccentric and this gives way for a lot of entertaining moments one can spend with them. They have commendable imagination which gives way to a unique creative gyre. People born under this sign are blessed with the unique ability to quickly and flawlessly put to words their most complicated thoughts. Cancer individuals are considered the best when it comes to romance and are extremely giving and caring of their partner. They expect the same in return all the time. Cancerians are moody and sometimes very insensitive. Their incessant need for intimacy and love can make them either very demanding or very untrustworthy. They have a tendency to magnify problems unnecessarily and panic about them. Cancerians also go through constant emotional shifts. They do not take criticism in a good way, neither do they accept their mistake quickly.

Positive traits

Negative traits

Leo (July 23- August 22)

Leos have a cheerful outlook toward life and look enthusiastically upon everything they undertake. They think positively and this instills in them a sense of pride about everything they accomplish. Leos are highly creative and are born leaders. They become the center of attention everywhere they go. However, unlike Arians, Leos never get over-bearing with their leadership act; they accompany, rather than leading from the front. Leos hold no grudge, and are the best friends a person could have. Leos build genuine, warm, and tender relationships. They can go out of their way to accommodate someone. Leos tend to get insecure when the focus of attention shifts from them to someone else, especially someone they don’t like. If not given due credit and recognition, Leos slump into disappointment and take a very long time to recover. They tend to give up easily; never recognizing the fact that one more try, a harder attempt at accomplishing something may work in their favor. Although not over-bearing, Leos do hold the risk of becoming despotic in their attempt at staying the sole leader.

Positive traits

Negative traits