UNIT 1 : FAMOUS PEOPLE

TOPIC : TAYLOR SWIFT

1 Taylor Alison Swift was born on December 13, 1989, in Reading, Pennsylvania, and grew
up in the suburban Philadelphia area. Her father, Scott Kingsley Swift, was a financial
advisor, and her mother, Andrea Gardner Swift (née Finlay), was a homemaker who
worked previously as a mutual fund marketing executive. She has a younger brother
named Austin. Swift spent the early years of her life on a Christmas tree farm in Cumru 5
Township, Pennsylvania. She attended preschool and kindergarten at the Alvernia
Montessori School, run by Franciscan nuns, before transferring to the Wyndcroft School.
The family then moved to a rented house in the suburban town of Wyomissing,
Pennsylvania, where she attended Wyomissing Area Junior/Senior High School.

2 At the age of nine, Swift became interested in musical theater and performed in four 10
Berks Youth Theatre Academy productions. She also travelled regularly to New York City
for vocal and acting lessons. Swift later shifted her focus toward country music inspired
by Shania Twain's songs. She spent her weekends performing at local festivals and
events. She later felt sure that she needed to go to Nashville, Tennessee, to pursue a
music career. At the age of eleven, she travelled with her mother to visit Nashville record 15
labels and submitted a demo tape of Dolly Parton and Dixie Chicks karaoke covers. She
was rejected. However, she never gave up.

3 When Swift was about 12 years old, a computer repairman taught her how to play three
chords on a guitar, leading to her first effort as a songwriter, "Lucky You". In 2003, Swift
and her parents started working with New York-based music manager Dan Dymtrow. 20
With his help, Swift modelled for Abercrombie & Fitch as part of their "Rising Stars"
campaign, had an original song included on a Maybelline compilation CD, and attended
meetings with major record labels. After performing original songs at an RCA Records
showcase, Swift was given an artist development deal and began making trips to
Nashville frequently with her mother. 25

4 In Nashville, Swift worked with experienced Music Row songwriters such as Troy Verges,
and The Warren Brothers. Swift was signed by the Sony/ATV Tree publishing house, but
left RCA Records when she was 14. At an industry showcase at Nashville's Bluebird Cafe
in 2005, Swift caught the attention of Scott Borchetta, a DreamWorks Records executive
who was preparing to form his own independent record label, Big Machine Records. She 30
became one of the first signings, and her father purchased a three percent stake in the
fledgling company at an estimated cost of $120,000. Her first album, Taylor Swift was
released on October 24, 2006. It peaked at number five on the Billboard 200 and spent
157 weeks on the chart, marking the longest stay by any release in the 2000s. As of
August 2016 the album has sold over 7.75 million copies worldwide. 35

Comprehension
UNIT 1 : FAMOUS PEOPLE
TOPIC : TAYLOR SWIFT

1. From paragraph 1,
a) when was Taylor Swift born?
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
b) where did Swift spend the early years of her life?
........................................................................................................................................
2. From paragraph 2,
a) why did she travel regularly to New York City?
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
b) What was her reason of going to Nashville?
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
3. a) From paragraph 3, which word is similar in meaning with the word regularly?
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
b) According to paragraph 3, who taught her to play a guitar?
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………....
4. From paragraph 4, which recording company did Swift sign with after she left RCA Records?
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
5. From paragraph 4, how many copies of her first album were sold until August 2016?
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
6. In your opinion, is Taylor Swift successful? Give your reason.
Opinion:………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
Reason: ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Summary
Write a summary on how Taylor Swift became successful. (Lines 10 – 35)
At the age of nine, Swift became interested in musical …

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Information Transfer
UNIT 1 : FAMOUS PEOPLE
TOPIC : TAYLOR SWIFT

1. Birthday : ....................................................................................

2. Place of birth: .............................................................................

Parents:
3. Father : .....................................................................................
4. Mother : ......................................................................................
TAYLOR SWIFT

5. High school : .................................................................................

6. At age 9:
.....................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................

7. Worked with experienced Music Row songwriters such as

...................................................................................................

8. Joined ......................................................................... in 2005.

First album:
9. Number of weeks on Billboard 200 chart : ...............................
10. ..................................... copies were sold worldwide.

Answers
Comprehension
UNIT 1 : FAMOUS PEOPLE
TOPIC : TAYLOR SWIFT

1 (a) December 13, 1989

(b) a Christmas tree farm in Cumru Township, Pennsylvania
2 (a) for vocal and acting lessons
(b) to pursue her music career
3 (a) frequently
(b) a computer repairman
4. Big Machine Records
5. over 7.75 million

Summary
1. Swift became interested in musical theater and performed in four Berks Youth Theatre Academy
productions.
2. She also travelled regularly to New York City for vocal and acting lessons.
3. Swift later shifted her focus toward country music inspired by Shania Twain's songs.
4. She spent her weekends performing at local festivals and events.
5. She went to Nashville, Tennessee, to pursue a music career.
6. At the age of eleven, she travelled with her mother to visit Nashville record labels and submitted
a demo tape.
7. She was rejected. However, she never gave up.
8. attended meetings with major record labels.
9. After performing original songs at an RCA Records showcase, Swift was given an artist
development deal
10. In Nashville, Swift worked with experienced Music Row songwriters
11. Swift was signed by the Sony/ATV Tree publishing house, but left RCA Records when she was 14.
12. In 2005, she became one of the first signings of Big Machine Records
13. Her first album, Taylor Swift was released on October 24, 2006.
14. It peaked at number five on the Billboard 200 and spent 157 weeks on the chart, marking the
longest stay by any release in the 2000s.
15. As of August 2016 the album has sold over 7.75 million copies worldwide.

Information Transfer
1. December 13, 1989.
2. Reading, Pennsylvania
3. Scott Kingsley Swift
4. Andrea Gardner Swift (née Finlay)
5. Wyomissing Area Junior/Senior High School
6. interested in musical theater and performed in four Berks Youth Theatre Academy productions.
7. Troy Verges, and The Warren Brothers
8. Big Machine Records
9. 157 weeks
10. over 7.75 million