Appearance Build

 Reading

Where do you belong below?

he is a giant (of a man)

she’s an Amazon (of a woman)

extremely tall

tallish

above average height

he’s/ she’s got a good figure

he’s/she’s well-built

stocky		petite
plump		thin
corpulent		skinny
built like a barrel		like a pipe cleaner
he’s as square / big / round as he’s tall		there’s nothing of her
obese		like a lamp-post
overweight		puny-looking
squat		slim and slender
muscular		slim

below average height

on the short side

short

tiny

a midget

an ant

Exercise 1

Discuss the answers to these questions in pairs:

1. Which of the above adjectives and phrases would suit a student in your class, a member of your family or a famous pop star?

2. Do you think your build sometimes determines your character? If so, how?

3. What sort of build should gymnasts, footballers and weight lifters have?

4. Which word in each pair of words would you prefer people to use about you? Why?

a) skinny / slim

b) well-built / corpulent

c) overweight / obese

d) all skin and bones / there’s more fat on a chip

e) plump / stocky

f) short / below average height

g) a midget / an ant

5. What is the average height for men and women in your country? Is it changing?

6. What are the advantages and disadvantages of being either very tall or very short?

7. Describe some ways of losing weight.

Speaking

Answer the questions:

1. How tall are you?

2. How would you describe your build?

3. How much do you weigh?

4. What kind of hair have you got?

5. What colour is it?

6. Would you like to be different? If so what would you like?

7. Do you think you have any special features?

8. Are there any facial features you would like to have?

9. Do you like beards?

Exercise 2

Complete the text with words from the box.

bald	straight		strong	narrow	good-looking
ears	beard		blue	thin	serious
heavily	look		glasses	casually	early
smile

• I’m in my ____________ fifties. I’m very tall, and quite ____________ built, but I have rather ______________ shoulders. I’m a little overweight.

• I have _____________ medium length ____________ hair, but I’m going _____________, so there isn’t a lot of it left. I have a grey __________ and moustache. My eyes are ______________ and I wear _____________. I’ve got a rather long face, with a ___________ chin, a big nose and big ______________. I have _______________ lips, and I have a high forehead; I like to think that it looks intelligent.

• Clothes are not very important to me, and I’m usually very ______________ dressed.

• I don’t think I’m very ________________, but I’m not all that bad-looking either. I probably _____________ a bit younger than I am.

From the Neck up

 Reading

Think about hair first. Read different descriptions of hair in the two life stories below.

	Him		Her
at birth	thick (jet) black hair		a few mousy strands
aged 3	curly brown hair		hair in bunches fastened with slides, grips and ribbons
at 13	a crew cut – an early skinhead		hair in plaits, otherwise completely straight
at 16	long sideboards, spiky		in a bun
at 19	shoulder-length hair		back-combed, with a ponytail
at 23	wavy, swept-back, with a side parting		January: she’s a blonde March: she’s a brunette May: she’s a redhead (she’s got auburn hair) July: she’s an ash-blonde October: she’s dyed in pink
at 28	neat style with a fringe		frizzy, slightly streaked
at 35	a few grey hairs		combed forward, a few highlights
at 40	his hair is receding		she’s greying
at 45	he’s balding		her hair is thinning, so she’s experimenting with a wig
at 50	he’s trying a toupee		her hair is going white fast
at 55	completely bald		the wig’s matted, unmanageable so she has a blue rinse

Exercise 3

Read the following dialogue, fill in articles where needed and do exercise after it:

Jill: You know, Lisa, I love your … hair. It’s so thick and dark and curly. Are those curls natural or did you get … your hair permed?

Lisa: Are you kidding? I can’t afford … perm. This is all natural. But I’ll tell you something funny. As … kid, I hated … curly hair. I always wanted to have … straight hair, or … wavy hair like yours. And I always wished I were … blond like you.

Jill: Really? You must be crazy. Your hair’s great. I wish my hair weren’t so light, and I wish it were curlier. And your hair is so thick and mine’s so thin. Oh dear, I just never know what to do with my hair. Should I have it cut … really short, or should I have it … medium length?

Lisa: How about … punk haircut? You could have it very short at … sides and long at … back and on … top, and then you could put some red, green and blue in it.

Jill: Very funny. But you’re right about one thing, Lisa, I really should dye my hair. Do you know I have … few grey hairs already and I’m only twenty-six.

Lisa: Well, at least we women don’t have to worry about going bald. There’s … baldness in my family, you know. My father hasn’t got … hair on his head. He went bald at thirty.

Jill: Hm, I don’t know. Maybe I’d look nice bald, what do you think?

Exercise 4

Decide whether these statements are true or false according to the dialogue:

1. Jill likes curly hair.

2. Lisa’s hair is curly.

3. Lisa has a perm.

4. Jill has wavy hair.

5. Jill has thick hair.

6. Jill has long hair.

7. Jill thinks she would look nice with a punk haircut.

8. Jill wants to change the colour of her hair.

9. Lisa’s father is bald.

 Reading

Read the advertisements and translate them.