CLUB: Do you think having branded goods raise your social status? How?

CLUB: What brands would you most like to have but can’t afford?

Hannah: I would love to be able to afford an Apple MacBook, but they are too expensive. Also, I would love to be able to always buy expensive make-up – but instead I only buy one product every so often.

CLUB: How do you feel if your friends have a brand but you don’t?

Hannah: When I was thirteen, my friend got a pair of “UGG” boots for her birthday. It was only a month before my birthday, so I begged and begged my parents for a pair, but they said they were too expensive. Now that I am older, I can see that they were right. And because everyone has a pair now, they don’t seem as special.

CLUB: Do you have any experience of brand bullying?

Hannah: Yes, sometimes. When I was starting secondary school, a lot of older girls wore very expensive branded labels, and if you didn’t wear these brands, then they made fun of you for having non-branded clothes.

CLUB: Do you ever pressure your parents to buy you something even there is a cheaper and nice item available?

Hannah: Yes, but only rarely. I buy most of my clothes out of my own money that I earn doing part-time jobs. But if I’m shopping with my mum, I will beg her to get me one or two items.

CLUB: Do you think having branded goods raise your social status? How?

Hannah: Unfortunately, I think it does. If you see someone in head-to-toe designer clothes, then you automatically rank them as quite high in social status and quite rich.

Text Comprehension

A – Read question 1 and 2 and write TRUE or FALSE next to each statement.

1. Hannah and her friends appreciate products from famous companies.

2. Apple and BlackBerry are common phones.

3. If you have one of the brands mentioned above, you will look trendy.

4. The reason why she doesn’t have an Apple MacBook is due to the price.

5. She buys expensive make-up every so often.

B - Read the rest of the questions and answer the following questions as completely as possible.

1. How old was she when her friend got the Ugg boots?

2. Did Hannah’s parents buy her what she asked for?

3. Does she understand her parents’ attitude now?

4. Was she ever a victim of brand bullying?

5. How did the older girls bully the younger ones?

6. How often does she pressure her parents to buy her the things she wants?

7. Does her mum pay for all her clothes?

8. According to Hannah, is there a connection between branded goods and social status?

C – Read the first two questions again and find SYNOMYMS for these words.

1. famous
2. advanced
3. to be able to buy
4. costly

 

D. Read the last 3 questions and find ANTONYMS for these words.

1. younger
2. always
3. low
4. poor

 

VOCABULARY

A. Give definitions to these words

1. demanding
2. tease
3. craft your own
4. get on with
5. currently
6. advice
7. peers
8. allowance
9. designer labels
10. freedom

 

B. Fill in the gaps with words from the box.

1. slums	3. trainers	5. afford	7. think	9. pleasures
2. unknown	4. study	6. spend	8. seek	10. secret

 

You might ___ that having the latest gear will make you happy. But a recent ___ has shown that poor children in the ___ of India are happier than Britain’s teens – even though they don’t have Hollister hoodies or Adidas ___. What’s the ___ to happiness? Well, children in Delhi say they ___ quality time with their families and enjoy the simple ___ in life. Poormina Khatun works on a landfill in Delhi. Her family cannot ___newspapers or TV, and iPad is an ___ word. “What’s that?” Poormina asked. “I can teach you how to play hide-and-___ if you tell me what an iPad is?”

 

 

 

GRAMMAR

C. Put the sentence in the negative and interrogative form.

1. John used to have an old-fashioned phone.

2. They buy most of their clothes out of their own money.

3. She is shopping with her mum.