6.

15

LISTENING - AGE

LISTENING - AGE

1.- Choose the correct answer according to what you hear. Audio

1.- What does Dr Johnson think about people who attribute longevity to genetic
factors?
A They are deliberately ignoring the evidence.
B They are unwilling to face reality.
C It may lead them to take silly risks.
D They lack confidence in this belief.

2.- How does Dr Johnson respond when people say most people died young in the
past?
A He explains that this was due to the prevalence of untreatable illnesses.
B He agrees on the basis that so many people died in their infancy.
C He says that people should look at examples from the past.
D He explains that people aged much more quickly in the past.

3.- When, according to Dr Johnson, can a job shorten life expectancy?

A When it is so disagreeable that people are really unhappy at work.
B When the burden of responsibility is too great.
C When there is a demand to meet unrealistic deadlines.
D When workers are paid in accordance with how much they produce

4- How does Dr Johnson explain the role of conscientiousness in longevity?

A It makes people feel anxious about their health.
B It forces people to change the way they live.
C It makes people consider simplifying their lives.
D It ensures that people take good care of themselves

5.- Dr Johnson says that marriage contributes to women's longevity

A if they are content with the relationship.
B if their partner is happy about their being together.
C if they get married when they're young.
D if their partner also lives for a long time.

6.- What is Dr Johnson's attitude to the theory about the longevity of widows?
A He is not fully convinced but hopes it is valid.
B He believes future research will prove it to be false.
C He acknowledges the possible existence of alternative theories.
D He dismisses it as mere speculation that requires proper study.
 6.15

Script

Interviewer: Thank you for joining us this morning, Dr Johnson. Both my father and
my grandfather were in their 90s when they died and I like to think I've inherited
their long-life genes. What are my chances of making a century?

Dr Johnson: Well, Heather, I can see that you share a tendency with many to give
biology pride of place in the longevity stakes. As I see it, putting so much emphasis
on genetics is just wishful thinking. People set great store by the fact that they have
family members who've lived into their 80s and 90s in the vain hope that they can
ignore warnings about harmful habits like smoking - a completely foolhardy
attitude, as far as I'm concerned. I hate to say it, but having family members who've
lived long lives doesn't mean that you will do so yourself.

Interviewer: Oh. Mind you, most people died before their 40th birthday in the old
days anyway, didn't they?

Dr Johnson: In fact, the idea that they all died young is another misconception, in
my view. I always tell people to take a good look at old family photographs. When
they do, they see there are plenty of elderly people in them. It's true that without
antibiotics, everyone was more vulnerable to ' diseases, particularly babies and
children. Because a lot of

babies and children died, the mean age at death is much lower even though those
who did happen to make it into adulthood had almost as good a chance of living a
long life as we do today.

Interviewer: And life was a lot less stressful then, so that would have helped too.

Dr Johnson: In fact, I think the stresses were just different, but the idea that having
a stress-free life is the key to eternal youth is yet another myth. Granted, a
miserable job you dislike causes the wrong kind of stress and may be a factor in
your dying young but in cases where you like your job, even if it is tough and you
rise to the challenges it presents, you are actually more likely to have a long life.
And of course, responsible, conscientious people who look forward to going to work
also achieve professional success.

Interviewer: But doesn't that contradict the idea that laid- back people live longer?

Dr Johnson: Well, they don't, necessarily. One of the most important factors is
actually conscientiousness.

Conscientious people are more likely to pay attention

to their health and to avoid life-threatening habits like smoking or drinking too
much. They'll also be more inclined to avoid very fattening foods but they won't
veer to the other extreme of starving themselves. Oh, this is another thing that I
really must make clear: just because animals on a very low-calorie diet live longer,
it doesn't necessarily mean that we do. Starvation dieting is disastrous for your
health.
 6.15

Interviewer: I seem to be getting all the factors wrong but, surely, being happily
married does lead to a happier life, doesn't it?

Dr Johnson: It depends. For men, being married is closely related to being happy
and healthy and if a man is happy with the relationship and healthy, his partner
tends to be as well. Sadly, when the boot is on the other foot - that is, if a woman is
happily married and her partner is not - then it won't have such a positive impact on
the length of her life. This always strikes me as rather unfair. It doesn't matter how
close they are in age, she always worries about him and feels responsible for him.

Interviewer: What about widows? I've read they often live longer than women whose
partners are still alive.

Dr Johnson: Yes, that's true. Women establish and maintain strong friendship
networks. Perhaps once they are on their own, they can enjoy and find support in
these networks more than they could when their partners were still alive. This is just
a theory, of course. There are almost certainly other explanations.

Interviewer: Indeed! Well, thank you very much for joining us, Dr Johnson. I've been
keeping track of all the beneficial factors and I don't think I'm doing too badly!

Dr Johnson: That's good to hear. Thank you for having me on the programme

Answer key

1-C 2-C 3-A 4-D 5-B 6-C

LISTENING – GROWING UP

2) Work in pairs. Put the developmental milestones in the order that a child learns
to do them. Then listen to the extract from a radio programme and check. Audio

· Recognise familiar faces · Enjoy hiding games

· Learn to put on her own clothes · Try to be a help

· Know her own name and respond to it · Return a smile

2.2) Write down the phrases the speaker uses for each of the milestones.

Answer key

a) Return a smile --> recognise familiar faces --> know her own name and respond
to it --> enjoy hiding games --> try to be a help --> learn to put on her own clothes
 6.15

b) smile back --> know who’s who --> recognise her own name and react to it -->
get a real kick out of the game of peekaboo --> display helpful behaviour --> get
the hang of dressing herself

LISTENING - MANNERS

3.- You hear an older man and a younger woman discussing changing
attitudes to manners. Audio

1. What change in manners does the man disapprove of?

A not saying thank you
B not giving up seats for women
C not eating in a certain way

2. Both speakers agree that queuing

A is rarely done these days.
B is popular with the elderly
C is a cultural convention.

Answer key

1-A 2-C

LISTENING - APPEARANCE

4.- You will hear a radio programme about a treatment for removing frown
lines and wrinkles from your forehead. Audio

1- Dr Evans says most of his patients prefer receiving the treatment at parties
because
a) it is not complicated to administer
b) they do not want to risk being seen by the media
c) they are too busy to go to his surgery
d) they enjoy socializing

2- What do we learn from Lynnie about the injections?

a) the effects are temporary
b) they are quite painful
c) there are no side effects
d) they can lead to addiction

3- Dr Evans says that he has botulism injections himself in order to

a) advertise his business
b) look good for his wife
c) hep him feel more confident
d) impress the media
 6.15

4- Lynnie says of the treatment that it

a) is comparable to meditation
b) is beyond the means of most people
c) offers good value for money
d) has become a routine

5- How have other people reacted to Lynnie’s treatment?

a) they cannot understand why she has the injections
b) they have become accustomed to her appearance
c) they are glad it has helped her overcome depression
d) they have apologized for comments they made earlier

6- Dr Evans says that people at the parties

a) are normally more talkative than usual
b) compliment him on his appearance
c) are surprised at how hard he works
d) are unaware how tired he feels

Script

P: In search of a more youthful appearance, many people nowadays are turning to

Botox®, the botulism toxin which is purified and used in small doses to remove
unwanted wrinkles. With me is Dr Duncan Evans, who regularly turns up at parties
to inject the guests with the toxin, and Lynnie Highfield, one of Dr Evans' patients
and a regular Botox partygoer. Dr Evans, perhaps I should begin by asking why this
treatment takes place at parties, and not in a surgery?

DE: That's very simple, really. It's easier, and more convenient, for people to go to a
social gathering at a friend's house, than to give up their valuable time getting into
central London. When I first started out in this business, I'd often be asked to go to
the homes of the rich and famous, the type of people who didn't want to get caught
by the press going into a clinic. Now, though, it's mainly people who've simply got
too much going on in their lives to justify making the journey in.

P: Is that your case, Lynnie?

L: Yes, it is. Plus, of course, we have a good time. I've been to several parties in the
last couple of years and you tend to meet up with the same people. That's largely
because the benefits of the injection tend to wear off after three or four months so
we all keep going back for more.

P: Is it painful?

L: Nowhere near as painful as having your legs waxed, I can tell you! Just a slight
discomfort as the needle goes in, that's all. And there are no serious side effects –
or so Dr Evans tells us - just some minor bruising and an outside chance of getting
some fluey, cold-like symptoms.

P: So, Dr Evans, how does it work? Why would anyone want to have a poison
injected into their body?
 6.15

DE: Well, yes, poison it most certainly is, and a deadly one at that. But injected in
small quantities into the forehead it does nothing more than paralyse the muscles
that cause frown lines and wrinkles. Different people use it for different reasons - to
make them feel better, to look younger, to enable them to get work on television -
whatever. Of course, I need to set a good example if I want to convince people of
the benefits of the treatment, so I regularly hand over the needle to my wife, who
does it for me. She's a qualified nurse, so I have every confidence in her.

P: Does it work for you?

DE: Well, I make a living, if that's what you mean, but perhaps I should have started
younger - as you can see, I've still got one or two faint lines there.

P: And how about you, Lynnie? Why do you have the injections?

L: For me, it's a way of growing old gracefully. I mean, we all use moisturizer, we all
take care of ourselves. I think it's just an extension of that. Many people might
baulk at the price, but I think it's fairly affordable. It's certainly worth doing, anyway.
I look upon it now as normal maintenance - something that needs doing on a
regular basis. I also like doing meditation, as well. I want to feel beautiful on the
inside as well as on the outside.

P: And have other people noticed the effects?

L: Yes, they have. And they've grown used to my new look now, of course, but when
I first went for treatment, they didn't say, 'Oh, you do look younger', which is, of
course, why I had it done. It was more of a 'you look less stressed' or 'you don't look
so depressed'. Before the treatment, you see, I had these terrible hereditary lines, a
kind of constant frown, which made it look as though I was permanently unhappy. I
was always saying, Tm fine. Really. It's just the way I look'. Now I don't have to
make excuses for my appearance anymore.

P: You must be very proud of your work, Dr Evans, knowing the effect it can have on
people's lives. And it's fun, too, I imagine.

DE: It's certainly a wonderful feeling seeing people grow in confidence and self-
esteem. I'm not a great one for being charming and chatty when I'm working,
though - that would just be too draining. Dealing with 20-odd patients in one
evening is not normal, by any stretch of the imagination, and it takes a lot out of
you. But no one seems to notice that. I'm obviously so fresh-faced and young-
looking ...

P: Now it's funny you should mention that, because I've been dying to ask you about
your age…

Answer key

1-C 2-A 3-A 4-D 5-B 6-D

 6.15

LISTENING – TATTOOING

5- You hear part of an interview with the organizers of an exhibition on

the art of tattooing. Audio

1- Both the organizers say than an aim of the exhibition is to

a) challenge beliefs about why some people have tattoos
b) demonstrate how much variety of design there is in tattooing
c) explain why tattooing is a growing phenomenon globally

2- According to the woman, in Maori culture tattoos were worn

a) only by powerful men
b) to indicate social status
c) mainly on the face

Script

M: In the West, tattooing is still not regarded as mainstream art, so one of the
reasons for putting the exhibition together is to break down people's preconceptions
about this art form. There's this stereotype of tattoos being worn by people trying to
show that they're non-conformist in some way – but certain cultures have long been
wearing tattoos to show exactly where they do fit in society.

W: Yeah, they're seen as sacred and the patterns are often incredibly intricate. But
if you're from a culture that associates tattoos with antisocial behaviour - you might
regard a tattooed person with suspicion, I suppose. That's the kind of mentality the
exhibition hopes to confront, really. Um, a large part of the exhibition is dedicated
to the Maori people of New Zealand; as with other Polynesian cultures, tattoos for
Maori were an indication of a man's rank within the tribe. But unique to Maori was
how facial tattooing also indicated his ancestry - that's why it's essentially taboo for
non-Maori men to copy them. That's not to say that Maori women weren't tattooed -
but it was often done on the chin. Anyway, the exhibition really does provide a
fascinating look at the history of tattooing. There's also a collection of tools on view
which are worth ...

Answer key

1-A 2-B