Make Me

BE UTIFUL...

 I- Read the text carefully.

Many teenagers and children are not satisfied with just trendy clothing or hair dyes any more.
At the same time, the new generation no longer goes by the idea that the natural skin and hair
colour given to the child by the parents is sacrosanct.
In reality, there is no real definition of beauty; it’s dictated by the culture in which you
5 live, and is constantly changing. Sadly what this means, though, is that young people –
particularly girls just like us – regardless of where we live – are always struggling to achieve
something that’s impossible.
It’s difficult being a young person in the 21 st century. Not only do we have pressure
placed on us to do well at school but there’s peer pressure and on top of this everywhere we
10 turn, we’re overwhelmed with messages about how we should look, rather than appreciating
ourselves.
It’s not surprising then that many of us see no harm in altering the way we look through
plastic surgery.
Like thousands of young women in the UK, Katharine
15 Fewings, 14, and Samantha Chanadet Denny, 11, both from
London, don’t see the problem with young people opting for
plastic surgery if they feel unhappy with the way they look.
Both have even gone as far as thinking about what they’d
have done if they were to actually go through with it: “I’ve
20 thought about having my eyes pulled a bit. I think they’re too
round”, says Samantha.
Katharine adds that if there was no cost involved she’d
have her nose changed because she doesn’t like it the way it is
at the moment.
25 Katharine admits that it is mainly the media and the way they portray celebrities that has
influenced the way she feels: “Most people who are famous have perfect figures, beautiful
faces and you know that they’ve had plastic surgery to look that way.”
Samantha agrees and thinks it’s OK if a woman wants to look like a certain stereotype,
because at the end of the day, not everyone is perfect.

www.english.peopledaily.com47

A. Say whether these statements are True (T) or False (F).

Quote from the text to support your answers.

1. For many teenagers it’s enough to wear fashionable clothes and colour their hair. _False__
“Many teenagers and children are not satisfied with just trendy clothing or hair dyes any more.”
...........................................................................................................................................
2. Beauty has nothing to do with the culture you live in. _Is false because culture have
influence. Like the text say the culture have many influence, “by the culture in which you
live, and is constantly changing. Sadly what this means, though, is that young people.”
3. Young people, mainly girls, are never satisfied with the way they look. True___
The text say us that : “the young people – particularly girls just like us – regardless of where we
live – are always struggling to achieve something that’s impossible.”

4 For many teenagers having plastic surgery is a perfectly normal option. True
Like Samantha for many teenagers ia a perfectly normal option, the text talk that Samantha, don’t
see the problem with young people opting for plastic surgery if they feel unhappy with the way
they look.
5. What prevents Katharine from having a nose job is the money involved.
True. Katharine talks that if there was no cost involved she’d have her nose changed because she
doesn’t like it the way it is at the moment.

B. Complete the sentences according to the text.

1. Nowadays young people change not only, just trendy clothing or hair dyes any more.

but also by the idea the natural skin and hair colour given to the child by the parents is

sacrosanct.

2. Besides being influenced by by the culture in which you live, and is constantly changing.

the concept of beauty by the culture in which you live is constantly changing. To achieve the

impossible is something girls are never satisfied with the way they look

3. There are several reasons why it’s difficult to be a teenager in the 21 st century:

 Not only do we have pressure placed on us to do well at school but there’s peer pressure

and on top of this everywhere we turn

 we’re overwhelmed with messages about how we should look, rather than appreciating

ourselves.

Katharine and Samantha would like to have plastic surgery because if they feel unhappy with the

way they look and because that it is mainly the media and the way they portray celebrities that
has influenced the way she feels: “Most people who are famous have perfect figures, beautiful
faces and you know that they’ve had plastic surgery to look that way.”

4. If they could, Katharine would change she’d have her nose changed, while

Samantha agrees and thinks it’s OK if a woman wants to look like a certain stereotype,

5. Katharine blames t is mainly the media and the way they portray celebrities for the way she

feels.

6. According to Katharine, celebrities have perfect bodies because they’ve had plastic surgery to

look that way.

C. What do the following words refer to?

1. we (l. 12) –young person, our generation

2. both (l. 22) – Katharine and samantha

3. it (l. 23) – admits the way

4. my (l. 23) –

5. they (l. 27) - everyone......................................................................................................

6. they (l. 29) - ...................................................................................................................

D. Reread paragraphs 1 to 4. Match the words/expressions

on the left with their meaning on the right.

1. trendy (l. 2) c a) not being important

2. sacrosanct (l. 5) b b) sacred

3. dictated (l. 7)h c) attain

4. regardless of (l. 10) e d) trying very hard

5. achieve (l. 10) g e) determined

6. struggling (l. 10) a f) very fashionable

7. overwhelmed (l. 14) g) changing

a h) difficult for someone to resist

or know how to react

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
c b h e g a a

E. Fill in the gaps with a suitable word.

 skin  looks  concerns  feature

 adolescence  valid  child  fears

Teenagers have many of the same (1) …fears…………………………… about their appearance as adults
have. In fact, during (2) adolescence, these concerns may be especially acute.
Parents sometimes worry that young people are overly worried about their (3)
concerns. Adults are well aware that many of these (4) looks and concerns will fade with time.
Naturally, you don’t want your (5) feature to do something irrevocable that may be regretted later.
But if your child has a serious need to change a particular (6) feature, minimize (7) cild.
blemishes, scars or birthmarks, or address anomalies resulting from injury or disease, you should
know that plastic surgery might be a (8) valid. option.

II – FOCUS ON LANGUAGE
A. Circle the correct answers.

1. John and her / his wife have gone to Greece.

2. Ann has lost its / her keys.
3. That’s not my / mine coat.
4. This coat is my / mine.
5. Their house is much bigger than our / ours.
6. That dog has hurt it’s / its ear.
7. They’ve taken my car: theirs / their isn’t running.
8. “Who did that?” “It was I / me.”

B. Present Perfect or Past Simple? Fill in the blanks

with the correct verb tense.

1. She …mets………………………………. (meet) him last Summer.

2. They d´ont see (not see) her for ages.
3. He had (have) problems with the central heating in the last couple of days.
4. They wroot (write) the e-mail yesterday, but they dónt know (not know) how to send it.
5. Julie keeps (keep) a diary since she was 12.
6. Hurry up! The film had just begin (just/begin).
7. She lives (live) here for 5 years and went abroad afterwards.
8. Give me a few minutes. I d´ont think(not think) about your offer yet.
9. Tom d´ont tell (not tell) me anything so far.
10. He studied (study) French from 1994 to 1996.
11. You ha already broke (already/break) three glasses today!
12. We had eat (eat) too much last night.
13. The President and his family had visited (visit) Russia.

C. Fill in the blanks with the correct tense of the verbs in brackets.

1. If Sue continues (continue) spending so many hours in front of the computer, she will lose her
sense of reality.
2. She d´ont have (not have) any real friends if she keeps spending all her time with virtual
friends.
3. If I was (be) you, I would buy a good anti-virus programme.
4. If you d ´ont play (not play) computer games, you’ll have more free time.
5. If you d´ont was (not be) busy today, we will have lunch together.
6. You d ´ont have spend (not spend) ages trying to find things on your desk if you tidied it every
week.

D. Follow the example:

My parents don’t live near here, so I don’t see them very often.
But if my parents lived near here, I would see them more often.

1. She has many problems. She feels depressed.

But if have many problems, she would feel depressed.
......................................................................................................................................
2. She doesn’t train hard, so she won’t succeed.
But if train hard, She would be sucecful.
Paul doesn’t have much pocket money. That’s why he doesn’t buy more games for his
computer.
But if had much pocket money, I would buy more games for my computer.
Young people don’t interact with adults, so they don’t share their problems.
But if young people interact with adults, they would share their problems.