494Unit 5

Unit 5 Gender studies

Active reading (1)

Reading and understanding

3 Choose the best answer to the questions.

1 What does the research quoted in the passage show?

(a) Men talk more about politics than about football.

(b) Women don’t like speaking about pol

itics and art.

(c) Men gossip just as much as women.

(d) Men and women gossip in exactly the same way.

2 What do men do when women are present?

(a) They tend to talk about themselves.

(b) They change their tone of voice.

(c) They speak more about politics and art than usual.

(d) They let women do most of the speaking.

3 What is the main difference between male and female gossip?

(a) Women don’t realize they are gossiping.

(b) Men only gossip outdoors.

(c) Women speak more about themselves than men do.

(d) Men speak more about themselves than women do.

4 What is “the tone rule” in women’s gossip?

(a) Use a special tone of voice to show that you are gossiping.

(b) It is important to keep a flat unemotional tone.

(c) Don’t change your tone of voice when you sta

rt gossiping.

(d) Always start gossiping by using a low whisper.

5 What is “the detail rule”?

(a) You should avoid boring details when you gossip.

(b) When gossiping about people it’s important to quote what they actually said.

(c) You should avoid talking about why people did something.

(d) It doesn’t matter if your gossip is vague.

6 What does “the feedback rule” say about listeners?

(a) They should keep quiet while someone is gossiping.

(b) They shouldn’t show surprise.

(c) They should believe everything they hear.

(d) They should show interest and enthusiasm.

Dealing with unfamiliar words

5 Match the words in the box with their definitions.

1 in a way that is impossible to doubt and easy to see (decidedly)

2 the reason that you do something (motive)

3 main, or most important (principal)

4 with qualities thought to be typical of men (masculine)

5 to criticize something, or to suggest it is not good enough for you (sniff)

6 lively or active (animated)

6 Complete the paragraph with the correct form of the words in Activity 5.

When Simona Ventura became the host of the Italian TV soccer programme, a lot of people (1)

sniffed

at the decision. What could a woman do in such a (2)

decidedly

male- dominated world? They argued.

But the (3)

motive

behind the choice of Simona as the new presenter soon became apparent. Rather

than change to fit the programme

–

there is nothing (4)

masculine

about her

–

she created a new, more

modern show, the (5)

principal

aim of which is to entertain the whole family. The old style, lengthy and

rather technical analyses of football matches, has been replaced by a lively TV programme, which is

(6)

animated

by guest celebrities, dancers and singers, as well as extracts from the day’s top matches.

7 Replace the underlined words with the correct form of the following words. You may need to make

other changes.

1 Cultural and intellectual programmes tend to be broadcast very late in the evenin

g. (highbrow)

2 At the beginning I was very shy, but I soon got to know everyone and made friends.

(initially)

3 The course I enjoyed most when I was studying linguistics was the one on the relationship between

words and meanings.

(semantics)

4 To find out more about English as a world language, we need reliable people who are able to give

information.

(informants)

5 She sent me a bunch of roses when I got the job, and I did the same when she got promoted.

(reciprocated)

6 For some men there is still a feeling of embarrassment and unease about taking orders from a female

superior.

(stigma)

7 After the goal was disallowed, most of the words I could hear were swear words.

(expletives)

8 You can’t speak like that to someone you don’t know. It’s a matter of rules of social behaviour.

(etiquette)

9 Only after a very careful and time-consuming editing will this book be ready for publication.

(exhaustive)

8 Answer the questions about the words and expressions.

1 Does

scandalous

behaviour

(a) make you feel uncomfortable,

or (b) leave you indifferent?

2 If you

bemoan

something, do you (a) express pleasure, or

(b) complain about it

?

3 If you

rake over

something, do you (a) want to forget it, or

(b) keep talking about it?

4 If you are

appreciative of

something someone has done for you, do you

(a) thank them

, or (b) criticize

them?

5 If a man has an

effeminate

manner, does he make you think of (a) a child, or

(b) a woman?

6 Is

camp

behaviour (a) typical of, or

(b) different from

established norms about the traditional male way

of doing things?

Active reading (2)

4 Choose the best answer to the questions.

1 Which of the following words is marked?

(a) Doctor.

(b) Actor.

(c) Actress.

(d) Poet.

2 What does a marked female ending to a word usually convey?

(a) Physical attractiveness.

(b) A lack of authority.

(c) A lack of seriousness.

(d) Greater professional competence.

3 What did the writer notice at a conference?

(a) All the women were dressed in the same way.

(b) All the men were dressed in the same way.

(c) One of the men wore a cowboy shirt and jeans.

(d) None of the women wore sensible shoes.

4 What did a woman with high heels do at the conference?

(a) She was isolated by her female colleagues.

(b) She was the first to complete a group task.

(c) She broke one of the heels when she had to make a trek.

(d) She took off her shoes and attracted a group of men.

5 What did a male colleague tell a female lawyer to do before she went to court?

(a) To put on a jacket over her blouse.

(b) To do up a button on her blouse.

(c) To undo a button on her blouse.

(d) To wear something with darker colours.

6 What is a woman often asked to do when filling in a form?

(a) Choose from four titles.

(b) Give both her married and unmarried name.

(c) Give information about her married status.

(d) Avoid using the title “Dr”.

Dealing with unfamiliar words

5 Match the words in the box with their definitions.

1 the place where you work

(workplace)

2 to mean something

(denote)

3 to make something or someone become gradually less effective, confident, or successful

(undermine)

4 to think that something is true because it is likely, although you cannot be certain

(presume)

5 a regular and important part or feature of something

(staple)

6 involving or consisting of many people, things, or parts

(multiple)

7 expressing what you mean using clear and effective language

(eloquent)

8 used to describe a word that refers to one person or thing

(singular)

9 behaving in a very unfriendly or threatening way towards someone

(hostile)

10 to say or write words that someone else has said or written

(quote)

11 to give someone responsibility for an important job or activity

(entrust)

6 Complete the sentences with the correct form of the words in Activity 5.

1 Melanie got to her feet and made a

eloquent

defence of the rights of women in the

workplace

.

2 There are a number of words in English, such as

people

, which although technically in the

singular

form, in actual fact

denote

a plural meaning.

3 The dark suit is a

staple

of the businessman’s wardrobe, and I

presume

it will remain so for a long time.

4 The

hostile

reception he got at the meeting is likely to

undermine

all the work that has been done

recently to improve relations between staff and management.

5 Jason suffered

multiple

injuries in the accident, and we didn’t want to

entrust

an inexperienced surgeon

with the operation.

6 I think that most world leaders in th

e next century will be women, but don’t

quote

me on that.

7 Replace the underlined words with the correct form of the following words. You may need to make

other changes.

1 Don’t forget to put on a bit of lipstick and mascara before you go out.

(make-up)

2 The candidate displayed a lack of seriousness which we felt was not appropriate to the position he was

applying for.

(frivolousness)

3 I need to check my free dates in March before I can confirm whether I shall be able to attend the

conference.

(availability)

4 He has an attractive smile which people find hard to resist.

(alluring)

5 This list of participants needs to be put into alphabetical order.

(alphabetized)

6 The first person officially suggested as general secretary had to withdraw due to ill health.

(nominee)

7 After the first remarks offering congratulations the atmosphere at the prize-giving ceremony turned sour.

(congratulatory)

8 The speaker made a comment which I found unfriendly and which meant the opposite of what he really

meant.

(sarcastic)

8 Answer the questions about the words and expressions.

1 Is a

linguistic

problem concerned with

(a) words,

or (b) figures?

2 If you are

disqualified

from an event, do the organizers (a) allow you, or

(b) refuse to allow you

to take

part?

3 Is

rub

likely to mean

(a) a problem,

or (b) a solution?

4 If you have got

myriad

job offers, are you likely to be (a) concerned, o

r (b) optimistic

about your future?

5 If you

let on about

something to someone, do you

(a) tell them about it,

or (b) keep it a secret?

6 If you

duck

something which has been thrown at you, does it (a) hit, or

(b) miss you?

7 If someone speaks to you in an

uppity

way, is their manner

(a) superior,

or (b) humble and polite?

Language in use

say

+

something

/

nothing

/

a lot etc about

1 Rewrite the sentences using

say

+

something

/

nothing

/

a lot etc about

.

1 The boots she wears give a lot of information about her.

The boots she wears say a lot about her.

2 The way he talks about other people gives an indication of his personality.

The way he talks about other people says something about his personality.

3 The way she behaves doesn’t give any indication of her previous career.

The way she behaves says nothing about her previous career.

4 This statement is very revealing about the organization

’s attitude to women.

This statement says a lot about the organization’s attitude to women.

5 This type of task gives some idea about the structure of the final examination.

This type of task says something about the structure of the final examination.

on

+ gerund

2 Rewrite the sentences using

on

+ gerund.

1 When they checked the figures again, they realized there had been a mistake.

On checking the figures again, they realized there had been a mistake.

2 When she was asked, she said she would like to be known by her first name.

On being asked, she said she would like to be known by her first name.

3 When we investigated more completely, we made an important discovery.

On investigating more completely, we made an important discovery.

4 When they heard the news, most people reacted with offers to help.

On hearing the news, most people reacted with offers to help.

5 When people are accused of a crime they haven’t committed, most of them don’t know how to react.

On being accused of a crime they haven’t committed, most people don’t know how to react.

anything but

3 Rewrite the sentences using

anything but

.

1 The organizer of the conference was the opposite of helpful.

The organizer of the conference was anything but helpful.

2 The instructions you left were certainly not easy to follow.

The instructions you left were anything but easy to follow.

3 I felt extremely unsafe wearing those four-inch-high heels.

I felt anything but safe wearing those four-inch-high heels.

4 The weather last week was quite the opposite of warm and sunny.

The weather last week was anything but warm and sunny.

5 I think that attitudes towards women in the company where I work are a long way from being

progressive.

I think that attitudes towards women in the company where I work are anything but progressive.

other than

4 Rewrite the sentences using

other than

.

1 The only thing we do when the three of us meet is gossip.

When the three of us meet we do nothing other than gossip.

2 Men have no real alternative unless it is to wear a suit.

Men have no real alternative other than to wear a suit.

3 The only thing I wish to add is to say how much I have enjoyed the whole day.

I have nothing to add other than to say how much I have enjoyed the whole day.