TEST 4

Tattoos: a fading craze?

Tattoos seem like a good idea at the time. But has the craze, especially among young
women, had its day?
As time passes, it’s not just celebrities like Angelina Jolie and Geri Haliwell who are
regretting decorating their bodies. Seventy-five percent of the UK people who have tattoos
eventually regret them, according to a study by the British Journal of Dermatology.

Removal
Melanie Grimes from Manchester is one of these people. She is having the tattoo she
chose when she was 16 years old removed.
Melanie says, “It looks bad. I just picture myself in an evening dress or a wedding dress
and I just see that thing on my shoulder, no.”
Laser treatment is the standard method of tattoo removal. However, this can cost around
£1,000. Add that to the original cost of the tattoo and they can prove a pretty expensive
mistake!

Hope for the future

There is good news! There is a new type of tattoo ink which lasers can make disappear
very easily. That means that if you have a tattoo you get tired of and really want to get rid
of, you just need to have the money to pay for it. Tattoos with this new ink will be more
expensive than normal tattoos. So, think twice!

READING COMPREHENSION

A. Match the words and phrases from text (1 – 5) with its meaning (A – F). There is an
extra answer which you do not need.
1. had its day A. Imagine
2. regret B. popular fashion
3. picture myself C. type of paint used for drawing tattoos
4. craze D. feel bad about something you did in the past
5. ink E. is ending
F. make something prettier

B. Answer the questions about the text.

1. How many people in Britain feel bad about the tattoos they got when they were
younger?
2. What do they want to do to these tattoos?
3. Where is Melanie’s tattoo?
4. What is the main problem about getting a tattoo removed?
5. What is special about the new tattoo ink?

C. Decide whether these statements are true or false. Correct the false ones.
1. Angelina Jolie loves her tattoos
2. 25% of British people are happy with their tattoos.
3. About 75% of Americans regret their tattoos, a study says.
4. You can get a tattoo removed with a laser at a good price.
5. The new kind of tattoos cost more than the original type of tattoo.

GRAMMAR
A. Complete the sentences with a noun made from the verbs in brackets.
1. To write a good story you need a good _________________ (imagine).
2. My friend, Pedro, won a new car in a ______________ (compete).
3. There is a lot of _______________ (employ) in Europe. There are not enough
jobs.
4. We had a good ____________ (discuss) about tattoos and piercings in our
English class today.
5. _____________ (communicate) has been made much easier by the internet.

B. Complete the gaps using the Past Perfect or the Past Simple.
Ian 1.___________ (think) a lot about what tattoo to get before he finally 2.________
(decide). He 3._____________ (see) the tattoo he 4.__________ (like) on a TV
programme a couple of weeks ago.

Marco 5.___________ (never / see) a man with an earring. He 6.___________

(think) it was quite strange. Then is 7._______________ (see) that many people had
them. Even young teenagers. This was the first time he 8.__________ (visited)
Germany. After a few weeks, he also 9._________ (decide) to get he ear pierced.

C. Write the following in reported speech.

1. “I saw a great film on TV last night!”
Jack told
2. “My mother gave up smoking when I was about 10 years old.”
Dean said
3. “Simão’s going to Lisbon next week to see his friend Tiago.”
Anabela told
4. “What are you doing next Saturday evening?”
Timothy asked
5. “Do you want to go to the cinema with me?”
Lídia asked

VOCABULARY

A. Which word doesn’t belong in each group?

1. commercial ad eating disorders publication

2. self image magazine body image depression
3. air brushed natural artificial manipulated

B. Label 10 parts of the body.

Imagem (Teacher’s Resources p. 55)

__________________ __________________
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__________________ __________________

WRITING
Your best friend wants to get a tattoo. You think he should think about it more. Write an
email giving him some advice. (Write between 75 – 100 words)

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