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Body Image​

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Warm-Ups

Listening
Listen to the following conversation.

(Scenario – Gabriella and Susan are friends, resting in lounge chairs beside a swimming pool. Gaby is a common nickname for those with the name Gabriella.)




Dictation

Fill in the blanks as you listen to the dialog again.

Gabriella: Susan! I’ve never (1)         . You have a perfect body!
Susan: Thanks, Gaby. (2)                           .
Gabriella: How do you stay (3)                      ?
Susan: Mostly, I have my parents to thank. They made me (4)     .
Gabriella: You (5)        . This is your natural body?
Susan: I haven’t had plastic surgery, if (6)        .
Gabriella: Susan! (7)          without a lot of work.
Susan: I’m no exception. I (8)            and exercise every day.
Gabriella: Well, I wish I looked as good as you do.
Susan: I’d like to point out that (9)        . I’m alone.

Useful Expressions

Make complete sentences by writing the best expression in each blank.

• a. I’m not that beautiful, but it’s ___________________.

2-

• b. I’d ______________ that your eyes and lips are simply gorgeous.

3-

c. He’s stout, but he’s not fat, _________________________.

4-

d. Too much sun, alcohol and tobacco have ___________________.

5-

e. When it comes to eating too much of the wrong foods, _________.

Listening & Speaking

Speaking : Body imageModel Dialog

Listen as the teacher reads the model dialog.
(Scenario – Jane Smith, a health counselor, is in her office speaking with an older woman, Naomi.)





Jane: Hello, Naomi. What can I do for you today?
Naomi: Hello, Jane. I wanted to talk with you about getting plastic surgery.
Jane: Naomi, you look wonderful. What are you thinking?
Naomi: It’s kind of you to say so, but I don’t feel attractive any more.
Jane: What’s the difference between being attractive and being young?
Naomi: I don’t understand.
Jane: Youthful beauty is only one of the things that makes us attractive.
Naomi: I never thought about it like that.
Jane: Women get older, and I’m no exception. But we can still be attractive.
Naomi: Can you be more specific?
Jane: We all enjoy people who are energetic, humorous, positive and outgoing.
Naomi: I’m not a couch potato, if that’s what you mean.
Jane: Not at all. I’d just like to point out that you’re attractive now.
Naomi: But my body is aging and changing. I don’t want that.
Jane: Time and my daily choices have made me what I am today. You too. You don’t need surgery; you are already attractive. Save your money.
Naomi: Thank you, Jane. You’ve given me a lot to think about.

Guided Speaking

With a partner, take turns completing the answers to the questions.

1.  full, well-shaped lips
2.  men with broad shoulders very attractive
3. best facial features are my eyes and my nose
4.  it makes people look strange and unnatural
5. to have my crooked nose straightened
6. I like the way I look
7. they want to look younger or more beautiful
8. it can hide the effects of aging 

Why do you think people want plastic surgery?
Because (1)                                  .
 Do you think plastic surgery makes people look young?
Give one reason why And why not.
Yes, because (2)     .
No, I don’t. Because (3)                    .
 What are your best facial features?
My (4)                                     .
 Is there any part of your body that you want to change?
Yes, I want (5)                                          .
No, because (6)                                                   .
 Which facial features are most attractive to you?
I really like (7)                             .
 What body features of others are most attractive?
I find (8)                          .

Line Graphs

Read the chart, and learn about cosmetic surgery trends during the past decade.

Speaking : body image

Pair Work

Look at the line graph above, and complete the following sentences below to describe it.

a. The rate decreased between        and    ,    and    ,
      and        .
b. There was          between 1999 and 2001.
c. There was an increase of almost           million cases in 2007, compared to 1997.

2. Now describe the chart in more detail.

Example: In the graph, I can see there was a huge increase in plastic surgeries in a decade.
I can see two peaks in 2001 and 2004.…

3. Interview two of your classmates with the following questions. Circle Y for yes, N for no. Discuss the results.

speaking : body image

Focus on Usage

Focus on Usage (expressions of increase and decrease)

• This year the rate went up to 57%, compared to 51% in 2007.
• The economy had reached a low point and its slide had ended.
• Earnings rocketed at a rate of over 67% per quarter.
• The sales surged more than 50%.

Reading and Discussions

Read the following passage, and answer the questions.
Use the words provided below each question.

Body Image

Speaking : body imageThe way you think about your own body is called your body image. If you have a negative body image, it means you don’t like your body. If you don’t like your body, you probably don’t like yourself. In this way, body image is connected to self-esteem.
Body image might be improved by plastic surgery. However, this does not always result in higher self-esteem. Sometimes, the main reason for a negative body image is psychological, not physical. In such cases, plastic surgery alone cannot help. First, learn to appreciate everything about yourself, not just your appearance.
You can also try to improve your body image by managing how and what you eat. A good diet consists of eating the proper amounts of healthy foods. If you follow a good diet for a long time, you can lose weight and feel better about yourself over time. Unfortunately, many people are impatient.
They have a negative body image, and they want to change the way their body looks right away.
A third way to change your body is through exercise. Exercise can change the shape of your body. It can also make you feel more energetic and relieve your stress. These are important because changing how you feel can change your body image, too.

4 self-esteem: a respect for oneself
7 psychological: related to mind psychic
17 energetic: displaying energy
18 relieve: to reduce; to lessen

1. According to the reading passage, what are three ways you can improve your body image?

appreciate, diet, exercise, stress, benefit

Your answer may begin like: First, you need to learn to appreciate everything about yourself, ....

2. Is your body image more positive, or more negative?

positive, strong, negative, mirror, body, hair, old, bright

Your answer may begin like:
Generally positive. First, I’m taller than average because it runs in my family. Second,....

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