Reading test: The economics of beard popularity in the US

In this week's reading test we are going to practise the insert-the-word kind of task.

In the Vox article The economics of beard popularity in the US, a number of words and phrases have been taken out. Insert the word A-M in the corresponding blank. There are three words/phrases you do not need to use. 0 is an example.

The economics of beard popularity in the US

You (0) … think people grow beards (1) … their fashionability or warmth, but author and professor Stephen Mihm says there might be (2) … reason. In a New York Times piece, he claims that in Western countries, trends in beard popularity often closely follow (3) … in capitalism.

(4) … the mid-19th century, communists and labour radicals grew thick Karl Marx–style beards as a form of protest. Members of the business community viewed these movements (5) … scary and threatening to the establishment, and as a result, beards became not allowed in general society. But (6) … these protests ended and capitalist enterprises could safely show their supremacy again, beards came back into fashion, and titans of the business world began to put on impressive displays of facial hair as a means of showing an image of strength and masculine individuality.
In the early 20th century, beards again began to be associated with anti-capitalist movements, and for (7) … a century they were nowhere to be seen in corporate boardrooms and many parts of society.

Then along came the tech boom, (8) … made many untidy computer geeks in Silicon Valley rich and powerful members of the capitalist landscape. People like Steve Jobs, Elon Musk, and Jack Dorsey redefined (9) … we view powerful business heads and have helped bring in a new period of beard acceptance and popularity.


A - another
B - as
C - because
D - because of
E - during
F - how
G - like
H - may 0 Example
I - nearly
J - once
K - other
L - trends
M - which

KEY: 
1D 2A 3L 4E 5B 6J 7I 8M 9F

Talking point: Fashion and trends

This week's talking point is fashion and trends. Before getting together with the members of your conversation group, go over the questions below so that ideas come to mind more easily the day you get together with your friends and you can work out vocabulary problems beforehand.

1. Do people in your country have a reputation for dressing well or badly?
2. Do you think women pay more attention to their appearance than men, or vice versa?
3. Are people generally very fashion-conscious?
4. What is in fashion at the moment for men and women?
5. What are the “current tribes” of young people? What do they wear? Do you like the way they dress?
6. Why are some people obsessed with the way they look?
7. Why is sometimes beauty more valued than intelligence?
8. Do people tend to judge others by the way they dress?
9. Do you think you dress like a typical person from your country? Why (not)?
10. It’s better to buy cheap clothes that don’t last because then you can buy new ones more often. Do you agree?
11. People who follow fashion are usually vain and superficial. Do you agree?
12. It’s very risky to buy clothes online. Do you agree?


Describe these people's appearance:

Celebrating freckles in all their glory

London-based photographer Brock Elbank is on a mission: to photograph as many freckled people as possible. A self-confessed lover of the skin feature, he wants to celebrate freckles in all their glory. For #Freckles he has so far photographed 90 people from around the world



I’ve always liked freckles. I think they are very fascinating. It’s a bit like marmites, it’s the sort of thing you either love the more you hate them.
Because the light dusting certainly is attractive to most people… Who’s that?
That’s Josh Hardwick who’s a… my wife spotted him at an organic farm in Gloucestershire. Yeah, he’s mixed race. He’s got this curly mop of red hair, this sort of honey-coloured eyes. I mean, just incredible-looking kid.
What did the freckled tell you about the reaction of the non-freckled to them, particularly if they’re heavily freckled. Here’s a woman, for example, who’s very heavily freckled, it seems all over her body.
Yes, Leah. We’ve probably done around 90 portraits now. She’s by far… I mean, she’s completely covered, you know, I said, have you ever been teased? No. Have you ever struggled with them? No. I mean, she’s like an exception to the rule because everybody else is kind of, have a love-hate relationship with it I see. One thing I’ve found is that it almost becomes not a therapy session, but people kind of chat and talk about their experience of being teased, as the series is growing I get more emails from people saying how much they struggle with freckles. As a child, you know, they’ve grown to sort of live with them or even like them in later life, and that sort of fascinates me because I don’t understand why people don’t like them.
Were you ever shocked, did you ever walk into a room and think, that is unusual?
Dony, I love unusual. So many people kind of blend in, you walk down Oxford Street, Regent Street, you know, most people, you know, I like people that stand out, they are the kind of people I’m drawn to photograph. The more individual, the better for me.

Twin teens -one black, one white- celebrate their differences

Twins Lucy and Maria Aylmer are twins but most people wouldn't believe it based on their appearance. They have the same mom and dad but Lucy has pale white skin with red hair while Maria has a caramel complexion and thick curly black hair.



These pretty teens are best friends and they're also something else, something that may surprise you.
We’re twins.
Believe it or not, they're twins.
Yeah, we’re twins. We’re twin sisters. With same mom and same dad.
You heard right. They have the same mom and dad. What are the odds that one would be black and one white?
A lot of people are just in shock.
Lucy and Maria Aylmer live in Gloucester, England. Maria has a caramel complexion, brown eyes and thick curly black hair. Lucy has pale white skin with ginger red hair, blue eyes, and freckles. Most people have the same reaction when they hear they are twins.
They say, ‘How did it happen? We don’t believe you.’
So how did it happen? Their mom, Donna, is half black and half white. The twins' dad, Vince, is white. The couple was thrilled when a sonogram revealed they were expecting twins.
I just cried. It was shock.
Mom did a double take when she delivered one black and one white baby.
I’m so glad mom dressed us in such cute little outfits.
Mom dressed her adorable twin daughters in matching outfits, just like twins everywhere, but by age 10, Lucy says she didn’t feel like a twin, so why dress like one?
We don’t look alike. So why should we have to wear the exact same thing.
Maria says she once wished for Lucy’s straight hair.
I used to cry about it. I hate my curly hair.
And Lucy says she was sometimes taunted at school.
They thought I was adopted. They called me a ghost.
Now 18, the twins not only look different. They have very different personalities.
We’re completely different.
Maria loves getting dressed up in chic clothing. She is very outgoing.
I love meeting people. I’m not scared to approach people or anything so...
Whereas I am. I’m terrified of like going up to random strangers.
Lucy prefers casual clothes, but they've come to embrace their uniqueness as black and white twins.
If I have kids one day, they might come out looking like Lucy.

Talking point: Physical appearance and personality

This week's talking point is physical appearance and personality. Before getting together with the members of your conversation group, go over the questions below so that ideas flow more easily with you meet up with your friends and you can work out vocabulary problems beforehand.

• Have you ever airbrushed or photoshopped a photo of yourself?
• Why do some people do it? 
• What features of their appearance do they alter?
• Do you think it is important to age well?
• Are your friends similar to you or different? In what ways?
• Do you think our culture is obsessed with being beautiful?
• Is beauty more valued than personal qualities?
• Do you think that cosmetic surgery improves people's self-confidence?
• Do you think that giving too much importance to physical appearance will make you unhappy in the end?

To illustrate the point you can watch the Madrid Teacher video Talking about style, where three teachers talk about appearance.





The other day I was watching a film with George Clooney and I was reminded, that man has some style! He sure does. I love George Clooney. He’s really captured that old Hollywood style that you don’t see in most actors anymore. You know, that era of Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant. He’s, he’s really got that sharp style.
Elegance.
Yeah, elegance.
I don’t understand what you’re talking about, I don’t. . . What is this style thing you’re talking about, really?
Oh man! Take a look at these people, I mean, if you had them in a lineup or something. Look at their clothing, the way that, the way that they wear vestments compared to the average Joe. Yeah.
The crisp suit and the nicely ironed white shirt and, the way he carries himself also. George Clooney’s, you know, a style icon.
Or a woman, a woman with a dress that, not only is it a beautiful fabric or color but the way that it fits her body, or something like this. The way that it goes with the look in her face. If she’s got a really sharp face maybe it’s a, a crisp fabric.
And then how she accessorizes it: her handbag, her shoes, her jewelry.
Of course. Jewelry, women and jewelry. Christmas is always set.
Sounds really expensive to me. It sounds like you have to have a lot of money, then, to have style.
I don’t think it…, I don’t think you have to. I think you have to have an eye for what looks good and what suits you.
That’s it.
I think that’s really important.
You mean like Versace or Pierre Cardin or…
No, not necessarily at all. I mean, sometimes at a thrift store or a charity shop you can find, you can find a simple button down whose color matches your eyes or your skin tone. Or, for some reason seems to fit your body type perfectly. And then, what? Two or three dollars later, you’re walking out smiling.
Yeah, absolutely. I agree. The only thing it takes is time.
Yes.
You have to want to invest time into looking good, I think.
I remember I bought a second-hand shirt once and after the first day it stunk to high heaven.
Yeah, there’s always that danger.
It had a serious case of body odor, let me tell you.
There’s always that danger. But the people who have style, it’s not just these, the famous Hollywood icons like we’re talking about. I mean, it could be, sometimes you walk down the street and you see someone and turn your head and go, “wow.”
Yeah, it’s true.
Something about what they’re wearing.
OK. And that’s, maybe got something, more to do with, it’s got more to do with, the walk or the look or, no? than the item of the clothing.
Well I wouldn’t, I’d say that’s also a part of style.
Yeah, I think . . .
I mean, the way to get style is not necessarily, is not only shop for clothing. I mean, pay attention to the way that you carry yourself, the cadence in your voice, I mean, there’s a whole lot to style.
Your manners, and the way you treat people, and the way you speak to people. So I think it, you know, you have to behave in a way that matches your clothes and your clothes have to match how you behave.
So, now what we’re talking about is substance, not style.
Style, why do we have to separate the two? Style can be a visual extension of the substance within. And, in fact, I think that might be a perfect definition.
So if you dress plainly, you don’t have style. But you might have substance? Or you can’t possibly dress plainly and have substance?
No, I wouldn’t say that. That’s not fair to all the plain dressed substantial people. But, maybe I should revise my definition of style then.

Redheads celebrate at convention in Ireland

People with red hair have gathered in southern Ireland for the Irish Redhead Convention.

Held over three days the celebrations include crowning the ginger King and Queen, competitions for the best red eyebrows and most freckles per square inch.



People think that red-heads are an endangered species but, guess what, welcome to Crosshaven because we are not.
I love my red hair.
We have red-heads from all over the world and all over Ireland. We are here, together, celebrating. This is amazing.
I’m a read-head and I’m proud.
Sometimes a red-head gets a hard time, sometimes they are teased. This is gingers proud together, fierce and freckly.
I’m read-head and I’m proud.
This is ginger paradise.
Hello, it’s Joleen. Yeah, no problem.
The last week has been completely insane, just the, the global interest in this is phenomenal. My phone has been hopping off the hook. I can’t, my fingers can’t type fast enough to answer the emails, but luckily enough we’ve got a great volunteer team who are going to help us carry through for the weekend.
So, yeah, we’ve invited a lot of interesting people, obviously besides the red-heads we’ve invited a few celebrities, so do… I am hoping that Prince Harry himself is going to turn up this weekend. Fingers crossed! But we did send him a letter to Clarance House, so who knows, will be great to see him. Or Ed Gerhad. I’d love to see Ed Gerhad.
People are actually travelling from all over the world, from Vermont in California, and from Ohio . We even have people travelling as far as away as Dunedin in New Zealand. There’s loads of Germans around and we’ve also got a few visitors from the UK, so it’s really…, you know, it’s become a global celebration of red hair, and I’m just so delighted to be able to welcome them to Crosshaven.
I’d like to become the queen of the redheads and take the title back to the southern hemisphere.
Being a red-head you’re usually the only one in the crowd. And here they’re just everywhere.
The Irish red-heads convention takes place over one whole weekend and you’ve got to do silly things like throw carrots down the lawn.
So much fun, just the atmosphere is great.
I entered the carrot-tossing competition and didn’t win, but it’s good fun, you know.
We’ve been doing competitions all day two days.
16 cms.
How long has it been since you had your hair cut?
I think… February or March.
There’s actually photo booths, that’s really nice as well, where people can come along and get their, their photograph taken to by some professional photographers.
Look at me, look at me, smile!
It’s a really, really nice experience to be here.
There’s quite a serious message just there as well. You hear so many stories of families and kids specially who’ve just  been picked on, and it’s really, really sad to see that, but that’s what’s really nice about this event, you know, you’re empowering like young kids to feel proud of, of who they are and their uniqueness, that’s what I think it’s really special.
So every year we crown a new king and queen to represent us gingers and I’m kind of nervously waiting to see who gets this title because it’s a really big deal, because they will have to represent us for the whole year.
I actually can’t think of any other hair colour in the world where you’ll find such a gathering, such a kind of connection or bond. So we’ve all kind of had like an association of people who are referred to your hair, and that’s the kind of common connection that we can all kind of talk to each other about.

Madrid Teacher: Celebrity narcissits

In our Madrid Teacher series, three teachers discuss celebrities' obsession with appearance and plastic surgery.

Watch the video through to get the gist of what the conversation is about.

Watch the video again. This time pay attention to the following features of spoken English the three people use in the conversation.

• Conversation fillers: Erm; Well; you know
• Agreeing: Yeah, I know; Yeah, exactly; Yes, or course; No, it’s true; Yeah, absolutely
• Repetition: For example
• Paraphrasing what you have just said: I mean
• Emphasising: honestly; really; absolutely; just; even
• Vague language: or something
• Use of like as a connector

Now it's over to you. Get together with a friend or relative, and give your opinion about the topic 'do you think celebrities are obsessed with beauty?', 'do you agree with the lengths some of them go to to look young and beautiful?'. Do not forget to use some of the features of spoken English we have seen in the Madrid Teacher video.

Erm, the other day I was reading this magazine. It’s one of the, those celebrity magazines…
Oh an intellectual …
Yeah, I know…relaxing after work.
I only read those in the dentist… when I go to the dentist, honestly.
Well, I’m not going to mention about that one, but… But I saw a picture of a celebrity and she, you know, it’s like that Sunday when you get up late, you don’t shower, you go to take the dog out…
With your tracksuit on!
Yeah, exactly. And somebody snaps a picture of her, put it in this magazine saying, 'look here she is with all the acne and look at how awful she looks' and in reality she looked fine. But I felt so sorry for all those celebrities that have to walk around all the time and put makeup on before they go anywhere and… I don’t know.
Well, it’s not only celebrities who are doing it. You get a lot of people who are just like concerned, so concerned about the way they look. I, you know, when I go to pick up my child from school, some of the people who go to pick up their children they look like they’ve really dressed up for that occasion. It’s just some people take their personal physical appearance really seriously, don’t they?
Well, you know, in some way I think it is important…
Yes, or course.
… but again, for example, you have to draw the line, for example, have you ever seen, for example, some men that have their eyebrows look better than mine. I mean, not that mine look perfect or anything…
Yours look fine!
…but so like if they’re so… if they’re plucked with such precision, you wonder, for example, should people look that perfect… always?
Also…  yeah, it’s like when stars have face-lifts it always looks really strange, doesn’t it? It makes their face look really unnatural, doesn’t it? They’re like almost “I’d rather look like that than natural.” And they probably know they don’t look natural but for them it’s more important for them to look the way they want to look rather than, …
Something normal.
Yeah… looking natural and normal.
No, it’s true. Lately as I’ve been watching TV or movies I notice it. And it really, it bothers me. She’s had her lips done or she’s had her eyes done. It’s quite clear.
Sometimes those lip jobs look absolutely ridiculous. They just look… you just think…
Like the Joker! Ha-ha!…
It’s like why did you…why did you bother doing that? You just look ten times worst than you did before. You’ve wasted your money and you just look ridiculous.
But in some way if you’re a movie star or something, you still need to do certain things…
Well, that’s what I was saying…
… in order to receive your money and for people to want to see you in the movie theatres. Maybe, maybe you look strange day to day but for the movie perfect. 
It’s perfect. Well, that’s what I was saying with this magazine I felt really bad for this girl. You know, to always have that pressure on you put on by society or the producers or directors I don’t even know. Each to their own, I guess.
Yeah, absolutely.
Everyone is beautiful.
Yes, and we all look perfect just as we are.

Talking point: Appearance

Today's talking point is a follow-up to yesterday's entry on style with our Madrid Teachers. The topic is appearance and it stems from an entry in The New York Times Learning Network, What Does Your Hairsytle Say About You?

Before getting together with the members of your conversation group, go over the questions below so that ideas flow more easily with you meet up with your friends and you can sort out vocabulary issues beforehand.

Are you a fashion-aware person?
How important is appearance for you?
How often do you shop for clothes?
How often do you go to the hair-dresser's?
What style of clothes do you usually wear?
What style of clothes do you never wear?
How do you dress up for special occasions?
Name five situations in which making a good first impression is important.
How do people usually make a good first impression?
What are people who wear tattoos or piercings, dye their hair or have spiky trying to express?
Hippies, goths, skaters... are some well-known teen tribes. To what extent is fitting into a group more important than being an individual?
'You can't judge a book by its cover.'  Do you agree?
What does your hairstyle say about you? Why?
Does your hair affect your personality? Does it make you more or less confident, for example? Or more serious or spontaneous, depending on the style?
Do you spend a good amount of time and money trying to get your hair right?
Do you think about your hair a lot? Explain.
If you could change your hair for a day, just to try on a different look, what would it be? Why?

To gain further insight into the topic, you can read The New York Times article The Afro as a natural expression of self.

Picture source: The New York Times

Madrid Teacher series: Talking about style

Three Madrid Teachers talk about style this week. Their conversation is a bit philosophical and might be a bit hard to follow for intermediate students. If so, read the transcript of the conversation below.

In the first place, watch the video through to get familiar with everything that is being said. Watch it as often as you wish and remember you can read the transcript below.

Now pay attention to the following features of spoken English that the speakers use:

- Use of auxiliary verb for agreement ('he sure does'). That way, we don't have to repeat all the information that another person has just said.
- Use of you know to gain thinking time.
- Showing agreement with what is being said (active listening): Yeah; That's it; Yeah, absolutely, I agree; Ok; Of course; Yeah, it's true.
- Showing disagreement with what is being said: I don't understand what you're talking about; No, not necessarily at all; I don't think you have to
- The use of I mean to rephrase what you have said before so that you can explain your ideas more clearly.
- The use of you mean to check that you have understood correctly.
- Vague language when the right words don't come to mind: What's this style thing you're talking about?; or something like this.
- The use of so as a connector to link ideas.



Now it's over to you. What do you think about style? Try and use some of the features of spoken English we've been commenting on above.


The other day I was watching a film with George Clooney and I was reminded, that man has some style! He sure does. I love George Clooney. He’s really captured that old Hollywood style that you don’t see in most actors anymore. You know, that era of Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant. He’s, he’s really got that sharp style.
Elegance.
Yeah, elegance.
I don’t understand what you’re talking about, I don’t. . . What is this style thing you’re talking about, really?
Oh man! Take a look at these people, I mean, if you had them in a lineup or something. Look at their clothing, the way that, the way that they wear vestments compared to the average Joe. Yeah.
The crisp suit and the nicely ironed white shirt and, the way he carries himself also. George Clooney’s, you know, a style icon.
Or a woman, a woman with a dress that, not only is it a beautiful fabric or color but the way that it fits her body, or something like this. The way that it goes with the look in her face. If she’s got a really sharp face maybe it’s a, a crisp fabric.
And then how she accessorizes it: her handbag, her shoes, her jewelry.
Of course. Jewelry, women and jewelry. Christmas is always set.
Sounds really expensive to me. It sounds like you have to have a lot of money, then, to have style.
I don’t think it…, I don’t think you have to. I think you have to have an eye for what looks good and what suits you.
That’s it.
I think that’s really important.
You mean like Versace or Pierre Cardin or…
No, not necessarily at all. I mean, sometimes at a thrift store or a charity shop you can find, you can find a simple button down whose color matches your eyes or your skin tone. Or, for some reason seems to fit your body type perfectly. And then, what? Two or three dollars later, you’re walking out smiling.
Yeah, absolutely. I agree. The only thing it takes is time.
Yes.
You have to want to invest time into looking good, I think.
I remember I bought a second-hand shirt once and after the first day it stunk to high heaven.
Yeah, there’s always that danger.
It had a serious case of body odor, let me tell you.
There’s always that danger. But the people who have style, it’s not just these, the famous Hollywood icons like we’re talking about. I mean, it could be, sometimes you walk down the street and you see someone and turn your head and go, “wow.”
Yeah, it’s true.
Something about what they’re wearing.
OK. And that’s, maybe got something, more to do with, it’s got more to do with, the walk or the look or, no? than the item of the clothing.
Well I wouldn’t, I’d say that’s also a part of style.
Yeah, I think . . .
I mean, the way to get style is not necessarily, is not only shop for clothing. I mean, pay attention to the way that you carry yourself, the cadence in your voice, I mean, there’s a whole lot to style.
Your manners, and the way you treat people, and the way you speak to people. So I think it, you know, you have to behave in a way that matches your clothes and your clothes have to match how you behave.
So, now what we’re talking about is substance, not style.
Style, why do we have to separate the two? Style can be a visual extension of the substance within. And, in fact, I think that might be a perfect definition.
So if you dress plainly, you don’t have style. But you might have substance? Or you can’t possibly dress plainly and have substance?
No, I wouldn’t say that. That’s not fair to all the plain dressed substantial people. But, maybe I should revise my definition of style then.