“Dear Guest, Welcome to the most beautiful and coveted network in the U.S.” This is the greeting you receive at a new and exclusive Internet site that has just been launched in the U.S. Membership requirements are very specific – you must be very beautiful or handsome. If you don’t have a great body or a model’s face, you are rejected. The site’s introduction says: “It is a meeting place which is reserved for people who, because of their attractive appearance and personal qualities, stand out from the majority.”

It is a social networking site for dating and friendship. Applicants are accepted or turned down based on scores given to their photos by existing members. The site recommends the photos should be sexy but not pornographic. People can submit their photo and details up to 50 times. This gives wannabe beauties and hunks lots of time to improve their looks. Greg Hodge, managing director in the U.S., said the site exists: “so that people who are sick of wasting time and money meeting unattractive people on the Net can meet others they deem aesthetically pleasing.”

WARM-UPS

1. INTERNET: In pairs / groups, talk about the sites you like visiting on the Internet. How often do you visit new sites? What kinds of sites have you bookmarked or added to your favorites? Do you regularly visit English language or learning sites?

2. QUICK DEBATE: Students A think beauty and looks are not important to be successful in life. Students B think being beautiful or handsome is very important to have a successful life. Change partners often.

3. CHAT: In pairs / groups, decide which of these topics or words are most interesting and which are most boring.

Guests / beautiful people / beauty / coveted things / networking / the elite / friendship / dating / Internet dating sites / model looks

Have a chat about the topics you liked. For more conversation, change topics and partners frequently.

4. BEAUTIFUL: Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with the word “beautiful”. Share your words with your partner(s) and talk about them. Together, put the words into different categories.

5. MY GOOD POINTS: In pairs / groups, tell each other what you think your good points are. Talk about your looks and personality. Say nice things about your partners’ looks and personalities.

6. SITES: Which of the following sites do you often use? What do you like or dislike about them?

1. Google
2. Yahoo
3. BBC
4. CNN
5. English studying sites
6. Fashion sites
7. Sports sites
8. Shopping / auction sites
9. Hobby sites
10. Other

Change partners and compare what you talked about.

BEFORE READING / LISTENING

1. TRUE / FALSE: Look at the article’s headline and guess whether these sentences are true (T) or false (F):

a.	An Internet site has started that only accepts beautiful people.	T / F
b.	The site started last year in Japan and is now in the U.S.	T / F
c.	You don’t need a great body to join the site.	T / F
d.	The site is a place where ordinary people can date beautiful people.	T / F
e.	Membership is based on scores your photo gets from members.	T / F
f.	Pornographic photos will make your entry into the site easier.	T / F
g.	You can try to join as many as 50 times.	T / F
h.	The site is for people fed up with meeting ugly people on the Net.	T / F

2. SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article:

a.	coveted	refused
b.	greeting	candidates
c.	launched	fed up
d.	rejected	desired
e.	stand out	post
f.	applicants	started
g.	submit	believe
h.	wannabe	attract attention
i.	sick	welcome
j.	deem	hopeful

3. PHRASE MATCH: Match the following phrases from the article (sometimes more than one combination is possible):

a.	the most beautiful and	and details
b.	the greeting	qualities
c.	membership requirements are very	the majority
d.	personal	turned down
e.	stand out from	you receive
f.	applicants are accepted or	pleasing
g.	submit their photo	coveted network in the U.S.
h.	lots of time	of wasting time and money
i.	sick	specific
j.	aesthetically	to improve their looks

WHILE READING / LISTENING

GAP FILL: Put the words in the column on the right into the correct spaces.

Site for beautiful people only

“Dear Guest, Welcome to the most beautiful and _______ network in the U.S.” This is the greeting you _______ at a new and exclusive Internet site that has just been _______ in the U.S. Membership requirements are very _______ – you must be very beautiful or handsome. If you don’t have a great _______ or a model’s face, you are _______. The site’s introduction says: “It is a meeting place which is _______ for people who, because of their attractive appearance and personal qualities, _______ out from the majority.”		stand launched rejected coveted body reserved receive specific
It is a _______ networking site for dating and friendship. Applicants are accepted or _______ down based on scores given to their photos by _______ members. The site recommends the photos should be sexy but not pornographic. People can _______ their photo and details up to 50 times. This gives _______ beauties and hunks lots of time to improve their _______. Greg Hodge, managing director in the U.S., said the site exists: “so that people who are _______ of wasting time and money meeting unattractive people on the Net can meet others they _______ aesthetically pleasing.”		sick submit turned deem wannabe social existing looks

AFTER READING / LISTENING

1. WORD SEARCH: Look in your dictionaries / computer to find collocates, other meanings, information, synonyms … for the words ‘body’ and ‘face’.

• Share your findings with your partners.
• Make questions using the words you found.
• Ask your partner / group your questions.
   

2. ARTICLE QUESTIONS: Look back at the article and write down some questions you would like to ask the class about the text.

• Share your questions with other classmates / groups.
• Ask your partner / group your questions.

3. GAP FILL: In pairs / groups, compare your answers to this exercise. Check your answers. Talk about the words from the gap fill. Were they new, interesting, worth learning…?

4. VOCABULARY: Circle any words you do not understand. In groups, pool unknown words and use dictionaries to find their meanings.

5. STUDENT “BEAUTY” SURVEY: In pairs / groups, write down questions about beauty and beautiful people.

• Ask other classmates your questions and note down their answers.
• Go back to your original partner / group and compare your findings.
• Make mini-presentations to other groups on your findings.

6. TEST EACH OTHER: Look at the words below. With your partner, try to recall exactly how these were used in the text:

coveted greeting requirements great introduction qualities

dating scores submit improve sick pleasing

DISCUSSION

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

1. What did you think when you saw this headline?
2. Did the headline make you want to read the article?
3. Would you like to join BeautifulPeople.net?
4. What do you think of people who want to join this site?
5. Do you think this site is just for vain people?
6. What does this kind of site say about the world?
7. Do you worry about your looks and body?
8. Would you like to meet and date people from this site?
9. Do you think there is too much elitism in the world?
10. Do your “personal qualities” make you stand out from the majority?

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

1. Did you like reading this article?
2. What did you think about what you read?
3. What kind of social network do you have?
4. Would you like to give scores to the photos posted to the site?
5. Would you try to join the site 50 times?
6. Would you like to change your looks?
7. Have you ever thought about having cosmetic surgery?
8. What are you sick of wasting time and money on?
9. Do you think the Internet is a good place to meet and date people?
10. Did you like this discussion?

AFTER DISCUSSION: Join another partner / group and tell them what you talked about.

1. What question would you like to ask about this topic?
2. What was the most interesting thing you heard?
3. Was there a question you didn’t like?
4. Was there something you totally disagreed with?
5. What did you like talking about?
6. Do you want to know how anyone else answered the questions?
7. Which was the most difficult question?

SPEAKING

LOOKS: You have been offered the chance to have free cosmetic surgery. Talk to your partner(s) about your opinion on various parts of your face and body and give them a score from 1 to 10. What would you like to change?

BODY PART	YOUR OPINION AND SCORE	CHANGES YOU WOULD LIKE TO MAKE
Hair
Wrinkles
Eyes
Nose
Ears
Mouth
Chest
Bottom
Legs
Other

Change partners and explain what you discussed with your previous partner(s).

LISTENING

Listen and fill in the spaces.

Site for beautiful people only

“Dear Guest, Welcome to the most beautiful and ________ network in the U.S.” This is the greeting you receive at a new and ________ Internet site that has just been launched in the U.S. Membership requirements are very ________ – you must be very beautiful or handsome. If you don’t have a great body or a model’s face, you are ________. The site’s introduction says: “It is a meeting place which is ________ for people who, because of their attractive appearance and personal qualities, ________ ____ from the majority.”

It is a social networking site for ________ and friendship. Applicants are accepted or turned down based on scores given to their photos by ________ members. The site recommends the photos should be sexy but not pornographic. People can ________ their photo and details up to 50 times. This gives wannabe beauties and ________ lots of time to improve their looks. Greg Hodge, managing director in the U.S., said the site ________: “so that people who are sick of wasting time and money meeting unattractive people on the Net can meet others they ________ aesthetically pleasing.”

HOMEWORK

1. VOCABULARY EXTENSION: Choose several of the words from the text. Use a dictionary or Google’s search field (or another search engine) to build up more associations / collocations of each word.

2. INTERNET: Search the Internet and find more information on BeautifulPeople.net. Share your findings with your class in the next lesson.

3. X-People.Net: Create an idea for your own Internet site. You must replace the “X” in the heading with an adjective. Write down the aims of the site, the membership requirements and what members can do online and offline. Describe your sites to your classmates in your next lesson. Did you all want to join each other’s sites?

4. LETTER TO THE SITE: Write a letter to the head of BeautifulPeople.net. Tell him/her what you think of the site. Read your letter to your classmates in the next lesson. Did you all write about similar things?

ANSWERS

TRUE / FALSE:

a. T

b. F

c. F

d. F

e. T

f. F

g. T

h. T

SYNONYM MATCH:

a.	coveted	desired
b.	greeting	welcome
c.	launched	started
d.	rejected	refused
e.	stand out	attract attention
f.	applicants	candidates
g.	submit	post
h.	wannabe	hopeful
i.	sick	fed up
j.	deem	believe

PHRASE MATCH:

a.	the most beautiful and	coveted network in the U.S.
b.	the greeting	you receive
c.	membership requirements are very	specific
d.	personal	qualities
e.	stand out from	the majority
f.	applicants are accepted or	turned down
g.	submit their photo	and details
h.	lots of time	to improve their looks
i.	sick	of wasting time and money
j.	aesthetically	pleasing

GAP FILL:

Site for beautiful people only

“Dear Guest, Welcome to the most beautiful and coveted network in the U.S.” This is the greeting you receive at a new and exclusive Internet site that has just been launched in the U.S. Membership requirements are very specific – you must be very beautiful or handsome. If you don’t have a great body or a model’s face, you are rejected. The site’s introduction says: “It is a meeting place which is reserved for people who, because of their attractive appearance and personal qualities, stand out from the majority.”

It is a social networking site for dating and friendship. Applicants are accepted or turned down based on scores given to their photos by existing members. The site recommends the photos should be sexy but not pornographic. People can submit their photo and details up to 50 times. This gives wannabe beauties and hunks lots of time to improve their looks. Greg Hodge, managing director in the U.S., said the site exists: “so that people who are sick of wasting time and money meeting unattractive people on the Net can meet others they deem aesthetically pleasing.”

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