II. Vocabulary in context text: gucci: a family story

Drama. Murder. Father against son. Brother against brother. Gucci's story is like an Italian opera, full of complex and violent relationships. But after hard times and horror stories, the name stands today as an icon in the world of luxury goods.

Guccio Gucci founded the company in Florence in 1921. He soon earned a reputation for high-quality handbags and other leather goods. He himself designed some of the firm's best-known products.

Following Guccio's death in 1953, his two sons, Aldo and his movie-star brother Rodolfo, took the reins. Aldo took Gucci global, open­ing stores in New York, London, and Tokyo. In just a short period of time, the company had risen to the summit of the fashion world, with film stars proudly wearing Gucci styles.

The Gucci brothers didn't always see eye to eye. In fact, they fought constantly over every aspect of the business. Their children joined in the battle, and Aldo's son managed to send his 81-year-old father to prison. By the late 1980s, the company was in financial trouble, and something had to be done. Rodolfo's son Maurizio sold the remainder of his um to a foreign group in 1993, taking the company completely out of the Gucci family's hands. But its revival was about to begin.

1995 was a year of triumph and tragedy for Gucci Group (its new name). On the plus side, Tom Ford, a young American designer, be­came the creative director. His first clothing line was a roaring success, making Gucci hip and hot again. 1995 was also the year the company went public. That very same year, Maurizio Gucci was murdered outside the Gucci office in Milan. His ambitious ex-wife, intensely angered by his decision to remarry, was later convicted of hiring a professional killer to do the job. Now that's drama!

The company grew with a series of purchases, including Yves Saint Laurent and Balenciaga. In 2004, Gucci Group was bought by PPR, one of Europe's largest companies. Tom Ford also left Gucci that year, a decade after leading the company back to glory.

The Gucci brand continues to shine bright, with sales of US$7.7 billion in 2007. Over 400 Gucci stores and other dealers sell the label's watches, handbags, clothing, and other fine goods. Through all the drama, the luxury legend lives.

Key words for text I

Nouns: be murdered creative hip and hot label luxury goods purchase remainder revival roaring success stake summit triumph violent

Verbs: to convict to design to earn to hire to see eye to eye

to take the reins

EXERCISE 7. MATCH THE WORD WITH THE DEFINITION

1. label 2. summit 3. luxury 4. triumph 5. remainder

a) the number left after a subtraction b) very rich, pleasant, and comfortable surrounding c) an outstanding victory d) a slip attached to something to identify it e) the highest point

EXERCISE 8. FILL IN THE CHART WITH THE APPROPRIATE WORD FORMS FOR EACH VOCABULARY ITEM. (AN X IS BEEN PLACED IN THE BOX IF THERE IS NO RELATED FORM). USE A DICTIONARY TO HELP YOU IF YOU ARE NOT SURE. WRITE YOUR OWN SENTENCE WITH EACH WORD

NOUNS	VERBS	ADJECTIVES	ADVERBS
murder
		creative
	convict
			troublesomely
anger
	roar
		successful
purchase
			triumphantly

EXERCISE 9. DISCUSS THE QUESTIONS

When did Guccio Gucci found the company? Who is proudly wearing Gucci styles? How long were members of the Gucci family involved in running the company? How did Tom Ford help Gucci? Are Gucci items very big status symbols in Ukraine? Why? Do you buy Gucci items? Is it worth paying a lot for the label?

EXERCISE 10. FILL IN THE BLANKS WITH THE WORDS FROM THE TEXT

label	triumph	convict	troubles	luxury
fashion	purchase	earn	reputation	murder
violent	financial	murder	stakes	anger

1. He peered at the ……… on the bottle.

2. He finally expressed his deep ……… at being mistreated.

3. My last big ……… was a van.

4. It was sheer ……… to relax on the beach.

5. The rush hour traffic is ……… .

6. The prisoner was ……… of robbery.

7. The only thing needed for evil to ……… is for good men to do nothing.

8. He was in a ……… temper.

9. They were playing for high ……… .

10. She kept her ……… to herself.

11. The company is in ……… difficulties.

12. Big hats are no longer in ……… .

13. He had the ……… of being a heavy drinker.

14. The rush hour traffic is ……… .

15. His accomplishments ……… respect for him.

EXERCISE 11. TRANSLATE

1. Вони постійно сварилися, саме тому не змогли жити разом. 2. Коштовності треба дарувати без етикеток. 3. Після смерті батька донька почала керувати фірмою. 4. Чоловік завжди віддавав зароблені гроші своїй дружині. 5. Цей будинок відповідає проекту мого найкращого друга. 6. Його фірма процвітала, і він почав заробляти багато грошей. 7. Мої та братові погляди не збігаються, але це ніяк не впливає на нашу повагу один до одного. 8. Мій компаньйон не зміг працювати в торговельному бізнесі, саме тому він продав залишок своїх ставок. 9. Я дуже люблю робити покупки сама. 10. Ми найняли робітників, щоб вони допомогли нам добудувати будинок. 11. Це вбивство вразило все місто, і ніхто не міг зрозуміти, хто скоїв злочин. 12. На ярлику було написано, що річ із Франції, а сорочка була виготовлена в Україні. 13. Її виступ був дуже успішним, і їй подарували багато квітів. 14. Саме цю жінку визнали винною в смерті свого чоловіка. 15. Ми орендували машину на добу, щоб можна було побачити Крим. 16. Це була чиста перемога: вони виграли з рахунком 3:0. 17. Наш творчий директор – гарна й талановита людина. 18. Вона завжди тримається на висоті, навіть коли щось трапляється в її житті. 19. Наша родина заробила багато грошей, і ми вирішили поїхати до Криму. 20. Мода грає важливу роль в житті дівчат.  

EXERCISE 12. THE CONCEPT “HOT” CAN BE GRADED. SUGGEST YOUR GRADING IN VOCABULARY STEPS. EXPLAIN YOUR CHOICE

H ot: recent, latest, new, fresh

EXERCISE 13. FORM A SMALL GROUP. DISCUSS THESE QUESTIONS

1. Where would you go to buy sneakers, a pair of socks, a shirt, a pair of boots, a newspaper, flowers, some bread, a piece of lamb?

2. What can you buy at the men’s outfitter’s, a bookstall, a knitwear department?

3. Describe your own design of an ideal shopping center. Draw it.

4. How do we call a) a person who comes into a shop to buy something; b) a shop where one can buy different manufactured goods; c) something that we have bought? d) a piece of paper showing the sum of money paid for some goods.

5. Do you have a favorite brand/shop/supermarket? Where do you usually go shopping?

6. What do you think about ordering things from clothing catalogues? Which catalogues do you know? How much information can you get from them?

7. You are going to travel to Florida for a vacation. It is going to be very hot. What are you going to put in your suitcase?

8. You are going to travel to the mountains for a vacation. It is going to be very cold. What are you going to pack in your suitcase?

9. Describe the clothes people wear a) on a special occasion; b) in a gym; c) at an office.

10. Do you prefer to buy lots of cheap clothes or a few more expensive items of clothes?

EXERCISE 14. FILL IN THE GAPS WITH THE DATES BELOW. PUT THE INFORMATION ABOUT FASHION IN THE RIGHT ORDER. DESCRIBE FASHION IN THE 90S AND AT THE BEGINNING OF THE 21 CENTURY

a) Before the First World War b) In the Roaring Twenties c) In the 1930s and 40s

d) In the 1950s e) The-1960s h) In the late 1960s g) The 80s

1. ……… people were richer and teenagers spent a lot of money on clothes. For men this was the age of the teddy boy. Teddy boys wore long jackets in very bright colors – pink, orange or yellow – and very tight trousers called 'drainpipes'. For women jumpers with wide skirts and short socks were the fashion. Both men and women wore shoes with long pointed toes. The women's shoes had high stiletto heels.	2. ……… and the early 70s the hippy 'flower power style was in. Women wore loose maxi-dresses. Men wore jeans and brightly colored shirts or T-shirts. Clothes were very colorful. Very long hair was fashionable for men and women, and beards became more common (but only for men).	3. ……… fashions did not change very quickly. Men wore dark suits. They had short hair and moustaches were popular. Women wore long dresses and they had long hair. Under their dresses they wore stiff corsets. These gave women a very narrow waist, but they were very uncomfortable.
4. ……… brought teenagers with punk hairstyles in red, blue, purple and green, and brightly colored makeup.	5. ……… saw a revolution in clothes. Everything changed. This was the time of the mini-skirt and long boots. For the first time in the twentieth century men had long hair – the famous Beatle haircut.	6. ……… hair, dresses and coats became longer again. Men's fashion didn't change very much. Men wore a suit, a tie and usually a hat, too. Moustaches were less popular.
7. ……… dresses and hair became much shorter. People saw women's knees for the first time! Corsets disappeared. A straight figure with no waist or bust was fashionable. For men, trousers with very wide legs became fashionable. They were called Oxford bags.	8. In the 1990s people ………	9. The beginning of the 21 century was marked by ………

(Answers on page 138)

EXERCISE 15. MATCH THE WORDS WITH THEIR MEANINGS

TALKING ABOUT ADVERTISING

a commercial a leaflet a poster classified ads

1. a large sheet of paper advertising something, for example, a play, a film or a concert.

2. a small piece of paper used for door-to-door advertising.

3. small adverts placed by private individuals in a newspaper.

4. a TV or radio advert.

EXERCISE 16. USE THESE WORDS TO COMPLETE THE SENTENCES

a) influence b) sponsor c) hype d) slogan

e) competitors f) publicity g) agency

1. – Do people really buy things just because they've seen them advertised on TV?

– Of course they do! Advertising has a huge ……… on all the choices we make.

2. Advertisers like to think of a clever ……… to make people remember their product. For example, Coca Cola's is `It's the real thing.'

3. Nike are going to ……… the next World Cup. All the players will have to wear the Nike on their shirts.

4. Most companies spend a lot of money on advertising. It's the only way they an stay ahead of their ……… .

5. My sister's just got a job working for an advertising ……… in London.

6. – Did you see Jodie Foster on that chat show last night? She was really good. She's been on all the shows this week. It's all just ……… for her new film.

7. – You went to see Spielberg's new film at the weekend, didn't you? What was it like? – Well, considering all the ……… , I thought it was a bit disappointing.

(Answers on page 138)

REMEMBER We use hype when we think the advertising is exaggerated.

EXERCISE 17.

A) DISCUSS THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS, THEN READ THE LETTERS AND PROCEED TO THE TASK

1. Which TV ad do you like best? Why?

1. Which one(s) do you dislike? Why?

2. If you could change some ad, which one would you change? How?

3. Can you give an example of a catchy ad? What do you like about it?

4. Which do you think is a bad example of advertising? Why?

Dear Mrs. Gently, Help me, please. Advertisers are experts at persuading people. They really want to sell the product they’ve just launched. What are the qualities of a good magazine ad? How to choose? Unhappy Mary

Dear Mary, When you read anything that expresses an opinion, ask : ”What is the author’s reason for writing it?” This will help you to decide if you agree or not. When you look at an advertisement: Read and listen carefully to separate opinion from fact. What’s true? What’s the opinion? Remember that famous people are paid to say good things about the product. They might not know much about the product. Understand that ads only talk about the best features of the product. They won’t tell you what’s bad. Look for words like always, best, never, and forever that are difficult to guarantee. They are signs that the ad is not totally fact. Mrs. Gently