• Reading "Appearance"
• 1. Read the text paying attention to the words and expressions in the bold. Finish the
• sentence below choosing the most suitable variant according to the main idea of the text from
• your
• point ofview. Explain your choice.
• The Maasai people are satisfied with their physical appearance because …
• a) they don't watch TV and don't read books.
• b) they have a high opinion of their appearance.
• c) they wear a lot of jewelry.
• d) they don't know what technology is.
• e) they have their own definition of beauty.
• f) behavior and character are more important for them than appearance.
• Body Dissatisfaction?
• Maybe the Maasai Have the Answer
• It is common knowledge that many Americans are unhappy
• with their appearance. However, do people in other cultures feel the
• same? Social researcher Robert Biswas-Diener wanted to find out,
• so he went to Kenya to study the Maasai people.
• He conducted his study in a village that had no television, no
• magazines, or other forms of media. He asked the people questions
• such as, "How satisfied are you with your physical appearance?" Their answers were surprising.
• Everyone in the village was completely satisfied! They sometimes said that other people in the
• village were unattractive, but they had a high opinion of their own appearance.
• Why do the Maasai have such a healthy outlook on physical beauty? According to Dr.
• Biswas-Diener, there are several reasons. One of the most important is that they focus on things
• they can control,
• … every single person I interviewed mentioned jewelry as necessary for attractiveness. .
• the Maasai wisely focus on adornment rather than the body itself when trying to appear
• attractive.
• There is also a major difference in the way the Maasai look at their bodies. Out of 120
• people that were interviewed, only one mentioned breast size when asked to describe a good-
• looking woman. Instead, the Maasai talked about cleanliness, white teeth, short hair, height
• (tall is good), and elongated ear lobes. (Maasai women lengthen their ear lobes by wearing heavy
• earrings.)
• Americans, on the other hand, are obsessed about things over which they have limited
• control. Plastic surgery, diets, liposuction, face lifts, exercise programs, and breast implants are
• part of a culture that wants to control all aspects of physical appearance. Americans believe they
• have more control over their physical appearance than the Maasai do. And they are correct.
• Technology gives them more control. Ironically, this control makes them feel more dissatisfied.
• Perhaps the greatest difference that the researcher found between American and Maasai
• cultures is the definition of attractiveness itself. In the Maasai language, the word for physical
• appearance can also be used to describe morality. In fact, the Maasai usually think about
• attractiveness in terms of both physical traits and moral character. When he asked the Maasai to
• describe a good-looking person, they often used adjectives such as friendly, well-respected,
• disciplined, and brave.
• So it seems according to the research that the Maasai are more satisfied with their physical
• appearance for three main reasons. They focus more on adornment than physical attributes.

When they do think of bodily characteristics, they focus on those they can easily change. Finally, the

Maasai consider behavior and character, as well as physical beauty, when they think about

attractiveness.

2. Fill in the gaps according to the ideas in the text.

1. Everyone in the world is

2. Jewelry can turn an

with his

person into a

appearance.

one.

3. Television and magazines make people be

with their

appearance.

4. To be

＿ for people around you, you must first of all have a

opinion of your own

appearance.

5. The more control over their appearance people have, the more they are

6. Every culture has its

definition of beauty.

7. Behave yourself, be friendly and polite and you will be ＿ for everyone.

with it.

3.

Explain the meaning ofthe words below in one English sentence.

the Maasai people, appearance, jewelry, plastic surgery, technology, character.

4. Are the statements below True, False or is there No information about it in the text?

Correct the false statements.

1.

The Maasai people are totally satisfied with their physical appearance and character.

2.

The Maasai people are self-confident people.

3. To appear attractive, the Maasai wear expensive and fashionable clothes.

4. The Maasai women are beautiful because they work much.

5. A woman with an average breast size, white teeth, long blond curly hair, of short height is

a good-looking woman for the Maasai.

6. The Maasai men live longer than women.

7.

Technological achievements give Americans more opportunities to be attractive.

8. Morality is equal to physical appearance for the Maasai.

9.

Americans are unhappy with their appearance because they watch TV too much.

10.The Maasai people drink row blood from their cows to make their body strong.

11.Ear piercing and the stretching of earlobes are the part of Maasai beauty.

12.Plastic surgery can change ordinary into extraordinary.

5. Finish the sentences below. Express your own ideas.

1.

An attractive

person for me is …

2. I judge people by their …

3. I like that I have got … and I don't like … as for my appearance.

4. As for jewelry,

…

5. Plastic surgery

…

6. … can make every person beautiful.

7. In my opinion the most Russian people are happy/unhappy with their physical appearance,

• because …