Language functions: discussing issues; reading comprehension; expressing age

Vocabulary / Topic area: growing old; age; clothes

GROWING OLD
GRACEFULLY
STUDENT WORKSHEET

focus on talking
ACTIVITY 1
In pairs, ask and answer the questions below.

• At what age would you consider someone to be old?

• How many old people do you have a regular contact with? What is their lifestyle like?

• What are the most common attitudes toward the elderly in your country? Have they
changed over time?

• Do you think the situation of the elderly is better than it used to be?

• Do you think the elderly are more respected in your country than in other cultures?

• What will you be like when you get old?

• Everyone wants to reach old age but nobody wants to be old. What is it that makes us
feel that way?

• What are advantages of being old?

• What does phrase: ‘growing old gracefully’ mean to you?

• Do you think that the elderly should act their age? Are there any activities that you
consider inappropriate for the elderly?

www.english-4U.com: JULY 2007 1

focus on vocabulary: expressing age
ACTIVITY 2
Read the sentences and arrange the people from the youngest to the oldest ones.

1. Henry is over fifty. ……………………………………………..

Jack
2. Mercedes is toddler. ……………………………………………..
3. Sam is still a teenager. ……………………………………………..
4. Frank is a pensioner. ……………………………………………..
5. Gordon is celebrating his seventieth birthday. ……………………………………………..
6. Jack is a new-born baby. ……………………………………………..
7. Ella is in her mid thirties. ……………………………………………..
8. Jordan is coming up to school age. ……………………………………………..
9. Victoria has just turned thirty. ……………………………………………..
10. Ralph will soon come of age. ……………………………………………..
11. Elsa is in her late forties. ……………………………………………..
12. Sally is in her early twenties. ……………………………………………..
13. Richard is approaching middle-age. ……………………………………………..
14. Mark is on the wrong side of forty. Gordon
……………………………………………..

focus on
reading
ACTIVITY 3
Answer the questions below and then read the article on page 3 to find out whether
British women have the same opinion.

At what age should women give up wearing …

boob tube
• mini skirts?
• boob tubes?
• pierced-belly buttons? hoodie
• long hair

At what age should men give up wearing …

• jeans?
• hoodies?
• tracksuit trousers?
• football shirts

www.english-4U.com: JULY 2007 2

 Over 28? Time To Ditch The Skirt
It's a fashion question that worries all style-conscious women - what age do I have
to give up wearing mini skirts? Now a survey has revealed the definitive answer:
28.

Lindsay Lohan can get away with it - can you?

Those over this age should drop their skirt lengths, says the survey of 2,500 women.
The study also revealed that bikinis should be binned at 48 and boob tubes are a no-no after
33.
Those with a belly-button piercing should take it out when they hit 35 and those with long
hair should cut it short when they reach 52.
Men can get away with more, says the poll. They can get away with wearing jeans and
trainers until they are in their 60s, while hoodies - a favourite with teenagers - are fine until
the age of 39.
Men should ditch their tracksuit trousers at the age of 44 and stop wearing football shirts at
53.
Almost two thirds of those surveyed think you should grow old gracefully and 40 per cent
worry that when they go out, people think they are dressed 'too youthfully' for their age.
The poll was conducted by Golden Square shopping centre in Warringtons, Cheshire, whose
style expert, Flic Everett said: "The survey shows how unforgiving we can be about clothes.
Ultimately what matter is how you look and feel.
"Nobody wants to be mutton dressed as lamb though - and the secret to style is dressing
appropriately for your shape and age."
Source: http://news.sky.com

focus on vocabulary
ACTIVITY 4
Match the words from the article with their definitions.

style-conscious drop bin

get away with sth ditch no-no

1. to avoid punishment - ..……………………………….

2. to throw something away - ………………………………….
3. not acceptable - ……………………………………….
4. to get rid of - ……………………………………… & ………………………………………
5. paying attention to fashion and style - …………………………………..…

www.english-4U.com: JULY 2007 3