HANDOUT

Sarah Gill: Short att enti on spans are fuelling ultra fast fashion [ link ]
access: 20 t h Nov, 12:06
Seweryn Stempak, 23 r d Nov.

PRE-READING DISCUSSION
 Why do you think that our attention span has declined?
 Are you for or against microtrends? What makes us buy new clothes so eagerly?
 What’s your opinion on buying second-hand clothes?

VOCABULARY WARMUP
1. Match the words (a-c) with their definitions (1-3).

a) dubious important, and often good, is

b) insidious starting to happen OR to make
c) to herald something publicly known,
especially by celebrating or
praising it.
A 2. Thought not to be completely true
B or not able to be trusted.
B 1. T 3. Gradually, secretly causing pain or
o some other type of damage.
be a sign that something

2. Fill in the gaps using the words given. Do not change their forms – it’s not necessary.
longevity glamourize scapegoat

 In Romantism, a lot of authors and poets used to _____ suffering

 The CEO was made the _____ for the company's failures.
 Generally, the present study showed that there was no difference in adult _____
reared on different host plants.

READING COMPREHENSION EXCERCISES

1. Evaluate whether the following statements are true, false, or not given in the article.
Underline the sentences that let you decide.
a. Release of dopamine in our brain while shopping can be only caused by
buying unused items.
b. According to the author, the division of clothing styles based on the seasons is
outdated and illogical.
c. Style and fashion are relative, what’s considered fashionable by one can be
kitschy for another.
 2. Decide, in which paragraph the following thought is stated.
a. Social media is one of the main causes of the decline of our attention span.
b. There is no perfect solution for fast fashioning and the environmental damage
but actions of individuals and rising the societal awareness are fundamental.
c. Our clothing choices are influenced by the surrounding world.

3. Answer the following questions.

 What does the article say about microtrends?
 How is the drop of attention span related to fashion and clothing choices?

VOCABULARY
1. Fill in the sentences using the words given. Do not change their forms – it’s not
necessary.
siniste sumptuar vilified avant reticent satiated fruition crux duped
r y

a. Thank you all for attending this staff meeting. Before we get to the _____of
the matter, I'd like to assure each of you that your jobs are secure.
b. As they wanted to sustain this 'organically grown' spirit, it is not surprising
that they successfully brought a handover to _____.
c. The movie relies too much on _____ background music to create the
suspense that the plot sorely lacks.
d. A long drink of water at last _____ my thirst.
e. At first she was_____, but later she relaxed and was more forthcoming.
f. We were _____ into thinking the dummy was a real alien.
g. Readers of this very _____ novel should not expect to find much in the way
of traditional narrative structure
h. She was _____ by the press because of her conservative views.
i. Strict _____ laws dictated what colors and styles of clothing people of
different classes could wear.

2. From the collocations below, choose the ones that have the same meaning as the
bald phrase. Notice that there might be more than one correct answer!

Let's not get bogged down with individual complaints.

a. so involved in
b. so obvious with
c. so meticulous when it comes to
d. so prompt in

POST-READING DISCUSSION
 Do you think that our attention span will keep declining? If so, how will it affect
our lives? How can we avoid the negative consequences of it?
 Do you agree that social media has a negative impact on self-perception and self-
acceptance?
 What are some other consequences of glamourisation of overconsumption?
 Why do people ignore issues of sustainability?
 How can we raise awareness and limit overconsumption?