A Which sentence (1-3) best describes what it’s about?

1. How parents choose names for their children.

2. The effect your name can have on your life.

3. Why some names are more attractive than others.

B Write T (true) or F (false) after the following sentences.

1. Your name doesn’t have any influence on how happy you are.

2. Your name could stop you getting a job.

3. People with unattractive names don’t normally work as hard as people with attractive ones.

4. An actress called Agnes might want to change her name.

5. British parents today tend to call their children after film or TV characters.

6. Parents shouldn’t give children two names.

Ex. 2

Your name

Describe how or why you received your name.

Do you think your name had an effect on your life?

Is your name usually considered old-fashioned/traditional/glamorous?

Do people have a stereotype which they associate with your name?

Have you got a nickname, or have you ever had one?

Names in your country

Which names have become popular in recent years? Is this because of TV/films/sport, etc.?

Have any names become unpopular? Why?

Do parents tend to name their children after family members?

Do you have a negative attitude towards any particular names?

What kind of things do you think parents should take into account when they choose names for their children?

ACT YOUR AGE

Ex. 1

Do you think there is an upper or lower age limit for:

· Getting married

· Having children

· Learning a new language

· Traveling around the world

· Worrying about how you look

· Leaving home

· Starting a new career

· Dancing to pop music in public

· Learning to ski

· Riding a motorbike

· Wearing jeans

Discuss your answers with a partner. Are there any other activities you think have age limits?

Ex. 2

Read the article and decide which statements are true for the writer.

a) I wish I’d never met him.

b) I should have been honest about my age.

c) If I’d told him my age at the beginning, he might have left me.

d) I shouldn’t have told him about my disastrous existence.

e) If I was a man, the age difference wouldn’t be a problem.

f) It’s all his fault: if I hadn’t met him I wouldn’t have turned into an ageist and a liar.

AGEISM TURNED HER INTO A LIAR

For most of my life, age has seemed unimportant. My friends of both sexes have been younger, older or the same age. When I was in my early thirties I had a very enjoyable and fulfilling relationship with a man of 23. One of the most attractive men I know is in his mid fifties.

The first time I experienced a problem with age was on my fortieth birthday. Much to my surprise, it was a deeply traumatic event. Forty seemed to be much older than 39. I used to like it when people told me I liked young for my age, but then I realized that they were just telling me how old I was. Anyway, I slowly got over the shock and tried to convince myself that life begins at 40…

I met him playing badminton. He was impressed with my exciting lifestyle – lots of traveling and some writing. I found him fun, kind, amusing and very attractive. He’s 31 and looks about 19. He has no idea about how old I am.

All my life I’ve been totally honest. I return extra change to astonished shopkeepers, I’ve never traveled without a ticket and in job interviews I always come out with all the reasons why I should not be employed.

Early on in the relationship I told him the truth about my disastrous existence – my divorce, my financial difficulties, the relationship that destroyed my faith in men. I even admitted that I dye my hair. The sky did not fall in and he didn’t run screaming from the house. I did tell him I’m older than he is, but something stopped me from coming clean about my actual age.

And now I’m in trouble – serious trouble. Silence has made the problem much greater. If I had told him before, it wouldn’t have become such a big issue. If I had been brave enough to admit that I was 11 years older than him, I wouldn’t be in this crazy situation now. I lie about jobs, years abroad and education; he wonders how I’ve managed to fit so much living into my life; I conveniently can’t remember the music of my teenage years.

The other day, I even hid my passport under a pile of papers. I’m worried about organizing a get-together with my friends in case one of them says something like, ‘Doesn’t she look good for her age.’

The longer I remain silent, the more likely he is to find out and I’m frightened. For once in a very long time I’ve found someone who makes me happy and I don’t want to lose it.

I know that if I was a man, I would never have got into this mess. Eleven years’ difference is nothing for a man. But it’s the other way round and the world judges older women harshly, and I’m afraid he would do the same.

I have become an ageist and a liar and I have no one to blame but myself.

Ageism is prejudice against older people, for example through refusing them employment. It is a new word, following the models of racism and sexism.

Ex. 3

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