Vocabulary Tasks

1 Complete the following statements using words from the text about Madonna.

a) I usually take people at _______value and then regret it.

b) I have no __________ ambitions, but I'd quite like to earn a lot of money.

c) I have an amazing __________ for wasting time, particularly when I need to do something urgently.

d) I'm always disappointed when I see a film ___________ of a novel I've read.

e) When I was at school I __________ my work very seriously.

f) I've recently __________ a new look.

2 Put these sentences into the correct order.

1) Susan has got brown/large/round/eyes.

2) Klaus has got blue/bright/eyes/small.

3) Mary has eyes/green/large.

4) Mariko has almond-shaped/large/dark brown/eyes.

3 Which of the adjectives can go with these nouns? (Note that many can go with more than one).

blonde curly dark fair large long pale round straight

complexion eyes face hair mouth nose

SPEAKING

1) Express your own opinion of Madonna and her music.

2) Say what image you think suits her best.

3) Talk about your famous people.

4) How do the appearance and personality interact?

Text 6

DISCUSSION POINTS

1) Have you ever argued with your parents over the clothes you wear or the hairstyle/make-up you choose?

2) Do you know anything about teenage cults (skinheads, goths, hippies, punks …)?

3) Why do the teenagers react against their families? Do they want to show that they are different?

4) Why do the teenagers imitate people they look up to, chiefly film stars and pop performers?

5) What do teenagers believe in joining the youth cults?

READING

UNDERSTANDING TEENAGE CULTS

Someone is talking about Goths.

Shall we move onto something else. Well, of course these are Goths. You can tell from the costume and make up. They're really interesting. When they started up in the early eighties nobody thought that they would, you know, last.

They were a mixture of quite a lot of other fashions... you know the emphasis on black, well this was something that was very much punk. There was also another fashion at the time -I don't know whether you remember it or not - well it was called the New Romantics - people dressed up in, you know, velvets and lace and stuff like that. Soft and rich fabrics. It looked a little bit like fancy dress I guess. It took its inspiration from, what, aristocratic fashion from two hundred years ago.

Anyway, as I was saying the Goths were really a mixture of all these things. But what makes them different I suppose is their philosophy. They are into mystical things and wear silver jewellery, often with a religious significance. They can look really striking with their white skin and swept back hair, you know they brush it right back.

Another thing is that they have a rather negative view of life. You know, you expect young people to be optimistic and full of life and enthusiasm, but Goths aren't like that. They are quite pessimistic and interested in death. They have this attitude that everything is doomed and somehow tragic. They also have this fascination with TV programmes like the Munsters and the Addams family. It seems to appeal to kids, and I think there are always lots in every generation, who like to look on the dark rather than the bright side of life. You can go almost anywhere in England now, even to the smallest village and find a few Goths together as a small group, very much isolated from other kids of the same age.

The name Goths, of course, comes from the neo Gothic period, you know Dracula, Frankenstein, Mary Shelley and all that.

Comprehension check

1. What clothes/jewellery and make-up do Goths wear?

2. What fashion influenced Goths?

3. What are Goths` interests and philosophy?

4. Do you know the origin of their name?