Answer the questions as quickly as possible.

 

In which country/countries should you

a) hide the bottom of your feet?

b) ask if it is OK to smoke inside?

c) avoid walking over money?

d) avoid sitting on tables?

e) avoid touching someone's head?

f) speak to the oldest person first in a business meeting?

g) avoid taking wine to dinner parties?

h) avoid crossing your legs in front of older people?

i) remove your shoes before entering a house?

j) blow your nose privately?

 

UNIT XXXIII

Super Size Me

In 2004, American independent film-maker Morgan Spurlock released Super Size Me, a feature-length documentary that attacked the fast-food industry and specifically McDonald's. The title comes from McDonald's former policy of encouraging customers to buy the largest size of whatever they ordered from the menu, which Spurlock regarded as one of the factors contributing to the obesity epidemic in children and adults sweeping the United States.

The documentary largely took the form of an experiment in which Spurlock aimed to eat only McDonald's food three times a day for thirty days. At the outset of the film, he weighed a healthy 185.51 pounds, but gained 24.5 pounds by the end of the month. During this time, he experienced mood swings, sexual dysfunction, and severe liver damage, to the extent that his doctor insisted he return to a normal diet immediately. Spurlock also suffered depression, lethargy and headaches, and found to his horror that these could be relieved by eating more McDonald's food. In other words, he had become addicted to its high sugar and casein content.

The film was nominated for an Academy Award and was one of the highest-earning documentaries in the US that year. The McDonald's Corporation, however, was not amused and set up a website (www.supersizeme-thedebate.co.uk) to dispute Spurlock's claims. At the same time, it also discontinued its Super Size policy, but denied it had anything to do with the film.

 

Post-reading tasks

Answer the questions as quickly possible.

1. Morgan Spurlock called his film Super Size Me as a reference to

a) the fact that he had enjoyed fast food meals since childhood.

b) the way that McDonald's persuaded people to buy large portions.

c) the trend in the US for people to be overweight.

 

2. The effects of just eating fast food led Morgan Spurlock to experience

a) certain psychological problems.

b) a change in attitude towards the fast food industry.

c) doubts about continuing the experiment.

 

3. According to the writer, what happened after the film was released?

a) Morgan Spurlock acknowledged that parts of his film were misleading.

b) The McDonald's Corporation was forced to admit that its Super Size policy was wrong.

c) US cinemas sold a large number of tickets for Super Size Me.

 

 

UNIT XXXIV

Film

When was the last time you came out of a very successful film and really felt you'd got your money's worth? It's hard not to be disappointed nowadays, since every film receives huge amounts of publicity months before it's released, and inevitably it won't live up to your expectations. Even Hollywood seems to have realized that its best film-making years are over, which is possibly the reason why we seem to be faced with so many remakes recently.

If you're a fan of film, you'll know that King Kong was originally released in 193 3, again in 1976, and once more in 2005. The main female actor puts on a good show, and the big gorilla looks more realistic, but isn't a third form of this story a little excessive? War of the Worlds first terrified audiences in 1953; the budget wouldn't even have covered Tom Cruise's salary in his adaptation last year. The latest remake falls into the thriller-mystery type of film, with Nicolas Cage as the star in The Wicker Man. The location moves from Scotland to somewhere off the Washington coast, and audiences who are too young to remember the 1973 film will still be gripped by the suspense. Nevertheless, professional opinion is that surely there are other stories worthy of the big screen? When you remake a classic, it is easy to guess the result will always be a poor imitation.

 

Post-reading tasks

Answer the questions.

1. What can we infer about the writer's attitude to remade films?

a) He believes in general that they are not worth doing.

b) He feels that some are better adaptations than others.

c) Не thinks that remakes require well-known actors to be successful.

 

2. Replace the words/phrases in bold in the text with words from the texts in Unit 4. The first letter of each word is given as a clue.

a) h …                     d) the 1 …

b) p …                         e) r …

с) g …                          f) p …

 

UNIT XXXV

Fashion

Forget face lifts, breast implants, and Botox injections - the latest trend in New York City is cosmetic toe amputation* surgery. A growing number of New York women are opting for an operation that means they can squeeze their feet into pointy high-heeled shoes, preferably those made by designers Manolo Blahnik or Jimmy Choo. Advocates of the procedure stress the value of height in making the right impression in business and society circles. 'They give a woman that extra confidence in her appearance says New York podiatrist* Dr Fay Miller, who claims to have performed more than fifty 'foot enhancement surgeries.' In fact, the term 'amputation' has misled many would-be patients. The second toe is cut open, part of the bone is removed, and the toe is sewn back up, causing the flesh to shrink. This still seems gruesome, but is not actually whole amputation. Some members of the American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Society deeply oppose this kind of operation, believing it can often result in permanent disability and be excruciating. They would also discourage women from wearing high heels since they can lead to a number of serious problems including knee, pelvic, back, and shoulder pain. Despite their warnings, New York women are continuing to make appointments with Dr Miller. Vanity, it seems, is a strong kind of painkiller.

 

*amputation = the removal of a part of the body (for example an arm) in a medical operation

*podiatrist = a specialist in the care of feet and the treatment of foot diseases

 

Post-reading tasks

Answer the questions.

1. According to the writer, why are women having operations on their feet?

a) Their toes had been damaged as a result of wearing high heels.

b) Other operations to improve their appearance have not satisfied them.

c) Their feet do not fit the kind of shoe they want to wear.

 

2. What does the writer claim is confusing about this kind of foot surgery?

a) What the operation involves.

b) Who is legally allowed to perform it.

c) The kind of physical problems it may cause.

 

3. Find a word in the text that means

a) someone who strongly supports something.

b) to make someone believe something that is incorrect.

c) horrible/disgusting.

d) to disagree with or disapprove of something.

e) extremely painful.

f) the fact of being too interested in your appearance.

 

 

UNIT XXXVI

Controversial Issues

 

 

A. At 62, Patricia Rashbrook is so far the oldest woman in Britain to give birth. The healthy baby boy, nicknamed JJ, was conceived through IVF,* after several previously failed attempts. The treatment was carried out by Dr Antinori, an Italian doctor who runs a fertility clinic in Rome. The birth sparked controversy among those in the fertility profession and attracted media attention around the world. JJ was Ms Rashbrook's fourth child; the youngest of the other three was 18 when his new sibling was born. John Farrant, Ms Rashbrook's new husband, told the media that they were well able to meet the child's needs. The couple say that they are in good health, but in the event that they both meet an untimely death, friends have agreed to become surrogate parents.

В . We can divide opinion on this issue into two major camps. Those who are vehemently against older people giving birth say that the parents are only thinking of themselves. They believe that the child will be ashamed of having much older parents as he or she grows up. Furthermore, there is considerable likelihood that the child will be bereaved much sooner in life than is normal. Those in the other camp, however, point to the fact that many children are brought up by grandparents and benefit from this arrangement. Older parents can often offer the child greater financial security and constant devotion. Moreover, they argue that if the government ever started to impose legal restrictions on the types of people who could have children, there is no telling where those restrictions would end.

 

*IVF = In Vitro Fertilization: the medical process in which a woman's egg is fertilized outside the body and then put back inside to grow into a baby

Post-reading tasks

Paragraph A