Veteran movie actress Sophia Loren has stunned the entertainment world by posing nude for the illustrious Pirelli calendar. Ms Loren, 71, has apparently bared all for the camera, wearing nothing but her birthday suit and a pair of diamond earrings. Loren will be the oldest model to appear in the calendar, which is famous for attracting the world’s most beautiful and glamorous models and actresses to appear naked on its pages. The iconic calendar, commissioned annually by the tire manufacturer since 1964, cannot be bought in the shops, but is given as a gift to a select group of around 33,000 high profile customers and celebrities worldwide. Working on the calendar is also a prized and sought after job for the world’s top photographers.

A Pirelli spokesperson confirmed the news by stating: “Sophia Loren has posed for the 2007 Pirelli calendar. The pictures were shot…in America and she looks fantastic - You wouldn't think she is nearly 72 years old." According to the Reuters news agency, Loren “had a lot of fun, like a young girl”, during the shooting. It is an about-turn for legendary Loren, who apparently has turned down dozens of movie roles in her 90-film career that required her to reveal all. She has reveled in her reputation as one of Hollywood’s greatest sirens and managed to maintain her modesty. She reputedly once said: "You have to be born a sex symbol. You don't become one. If you are born with it, you will have it even when you are 100 years old."

WARM-UPS

1. SOPHIA LOREN: Walk around the class and talk to as many students as you can. Find out what students know about Sophia Loren. Ask people who they think is the most beautiful actress or model in the world. Share your findings with new partners.

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

Veterans / posing nude / cameras / birthday suits / diamond earrings / models / calendars / glamour / tires / U-turns / reputations / modesty / sex symbols

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

3. AT 71?: With your partner(s), decide which of the following things a 71-year-old should or should not do. Give each thing a score from 10 (absolutely no problem) to 1 (a definite no-no). Change partners and compare your answers.

____ Pose naked for calendars ____ Wear hip-hop clothing ____ Collect Disney items ____ Go on dates

____ Skateboard ____ Work on a farm ____ Raise children ____ Go to rock concerts

4. U-TURNS: Write down (or brainstorm) three possible U-turns members of your class might take in their lives. Talk about them with your partner(s). Change partners and find out which your partners would consider taking.

5. NUDITY: Which of the arguments below do you agree with? Talk about them with your partner(s).

1. I would never pose nude for the camera. Not for all the money in the world.
2. Posing nude for a glamorous calendar is the same as pornography.
3. The job of a model is an important one.
4. It’s not right for people in their 70s to pose naked for fashion.
5. Nudity should be banned from magazines, movies, calendars, advertising, etc.
6. It’s unfair that most photographs taken of the naked body are of women.
7. I would not object if one of my grandparents wanted to be a nude model.
8. Painting or drawing the naked form is not bad. Photographing it is bad.

6. SEX SYMBOLS: Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with the phrase ‘sex symbol’. Share your words with your partner(s) and talk about them. Together, put the words into different categories.

BEFORE READING / LISTENING

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

a.	Movie actress Sophia Loren has posed for Playboy magazine.	T / F
b.	Sophia Loren wore a special suit on her birthday.	T / F
c.	Sophia Loren has been a model for calendars since 1964.	T / F
d.	The exclusive calendar costs a hefty one hundred US dollars.	T / F
e.	Shooting for the photographs was done in America.	T / F
f.	Ms. Loren said she felt like a young girl while being photographed.	T / F
g.	Ms. Loren has refused many offers to appear nude in movies.	T / F
h.	Ms. Loren said that you have to be born a sex symbol.	T / F

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

a.	illustrious	beauties
b.	bared	wanted
c.	commissioned	U-turn
d.	select	revealed
e.	sought after	relished
f.	pictures	specially ordered
g.	about-turn	snaps
h.	reveled in	distinguished
i.	belles	allegedly
j.	reputedly	exclusive

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

a.	bared all	select group
b.	birthday	all
c.	commissioned	all for the camera
d.	given as a gift to a	the news
e.	a prized and sought	of Hollywood’s greatest sirens
f.	A Pirelli spokesperson confirmed	suit
g.	required her to reveal	once said…
h.	her reputation as one	after job
i.	managed to maintain	annually
j.	She reputedly	her modesty

WHILE READING / LISTENING

GAP FILL: Put the words in the column on the right into the gaps in the text.

Sophia Loren poses nude for calendar

Veteran movie actress Sophia Loren has __________ the entertainment world by posing nude for the __________ Pirelli calendar. Ms Loren, 71, has apparently __________ all for the camera, wearing nothing but her __________ suit and a pair of diamond earrings. Loren will be the oldest model to appear in the calendar, which is famous for __________ the world’s most beautiful and glamorous models and actresses to appear naked on its pages. The __________ calendar, commissioned annually by the tire manufacturer since 1964, cannot be bought in the shops, but is given as a gift to a __________ group of around 33,000 high profile customers and celebrities worldwide. Working on the calendar is also a prized and __________ after job for the world’s top photographers.		birthday illustrious sought stunned iconic bared attracting select
A Pirelli spokesperson confirmed the news by stating: “Sophia Loren has __________ for the 2007 Pirelli calendar. The pictures were __________ …in America and she looks fantastic - You wouldn't think she is nearly 72 years old." According to the Reuters news agency, Loren “had a lot of fun, like a young girl”, during the __________. It is an about-turn for __________ Loren, who apparently has turned down dozens of movie roles in her 90-film career that required her to __________ all. She has reveled in her __________ as one of Hollywood’s greatest belles and managed to maintain her __________. She reputedly once said: "You have to be __________ a sex symbol. You don't become one. If you are born with it, you will have it even when you are 100 years old."		born shooting shot reveal modesty posed legendary reputation

LISTENING

Listen and fill in the spaces.

Sophia Loren poses nude for calendar

Veteran movie actress Sophia Loren has __________ the entertainment world by posing nude for the __________ Pirelli calendar. Ms Loren, 71, has apparently __________ for the camera, wearing nothing but her birthday suit and a pair of diamond earrings. Loren will be the oldest model to appear in the calendar, which is famous for attracting the world’s most beautiful and glamorous models and actresses to appear naked on its pages. The __________ calendar, commissioned annually by the tire manufacturer since 1964, cannot be bought in the shops, but is given as a gift to a __________ group of around 33,000 high profile customers and celebrities worldwide. Working on the calendar is also a prized and __________ job for the world’s top photographers.

A Pirelli spokesperson confirmed the news __________: “Sophia Loren has posed for the 2007 Pirelli calendar. The pictures were shot…in America and she looks fantastic - You wouldn't think she is nearly 72 years old." __________ the Reuters news agency, Loren “had a lot of fun, like a young girl”, during the shooting. It is an __________ for legendary Loren, who __________ has turned down dozens of movie roles in her 90-film career that required her to __________. She has reveled in her reputation as one of Hollywood’s greatest belles and managed to maintain her __________. She reputedly once said: "You have to be born a sex symbol. You don't become one. If you are born with it, you will have it even when you are 100 years old."

AFTER READING / LISTENING

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

• 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 activity. 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 “NUDITY” SURVEY: In pairs / groups, write down questions about nudity.

• 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:

stunned birthday attracting iconic select prized

shot girl U-turn reveal modesty born

DISCUSSION

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

1. Did the headline make you want to read the article?
2. What do you think of nude photographs?
3. Why do you think Sophia Loren wanted to do the photos at the age of 71?
4. What would you think if a close elderly relative decided to do the same thing?
5. Do you think calendars showing naked women are outdated in the twenty-first century?
6. Would you like to be a photographer working on the Pirelli calendar?
7. Do you agree that you are born a sex symbol?
8. Does the world need sex symbols?
9. What is the attitude towards public nudity in your country?
10. Do you think Loren’s photograph will help Pirelli sell more tires?

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

1. Did you like reading this article?
2. What do you think about what you read?
3. What is the minimum amount of money you would accept for posing naked for the camera?
4. Do you think there’s a difference between calendars showing naked women or men and adult magazines showing naked people?
5. What do you think fans of Ms. Loren would think of their idol baring all?
6. Would you like to see the photograph of the naked Sophia Loren?
7. Do you think a 71-year-old’s naked body can look “fantastic”?
8. Are people who pose nude for photographs immoral?
9. Have you ever made any U-turns in your life?
10. Did you like this discussion?

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

1. What was the most interesting thing you heard?
2. Was there a question you didn’t like?
3. Was there something you totally disagreed with?
4. What did you like talking about?
5. Which was the most difficult question?

SPEAKING

LEGEND INTERVIEW: Role play the following interview with your partner.

Student A is a legendary 71-year-old actor who has posed naked for a fashion calendar. It is the first time for this actor to have bared all.

Student B is an entertainment magazine interviewer.

Look at these prompts and think of questions and answers for the interview. Conduct the interview.

Movie career

______________________________________________________________________

Pornography

______________________________________________________________________

Reasons why

______________________________________________________________________

Fans

______________________________________________________________________

Nudity

______________________________________________________________________

71-year-old bodies

______________________________________________________________________

Sex symbols

______________________________________________________________________

Being old

______________________________________________________________________

Playboy / Play girl

______________________________________________________________________

Future assignments

______________________________________________________________________

Change roles and repeat the role play. Comment in groups about the differences between the two role plays.

After the role play, talk about whether you believed what you were saying in your roles.

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 information about the Pirelli Calendar. Talk about what you discover with your partner(s).

3. BARE FLESH GUIDELINES: Make a list of guidelines about how much bare flesh can be exposed on TV, movies, advertisements, magazines, etc. Show your guidelines to your classmates in the next lesson. Which guidelines did you agree or disagree with?

4. LETTER: Write a letter to Sophia Loren. Tell her what you think of her posing naked for a calendar. Show your letter to your classmates in the next lesson. Your classmates will write a reply.

ANSWERS

TRUE / FALSE:

a. F

b. F

c. F

d. F

e. T

f. T

g. T

h. T

SYNONYM MATCH:

a.	illustrious	distinguished
b.	bared	revealed
c.	commissioned	specially ordered
d.	select	exclusive
e.	sought after	wanted
f.	pictures	snaps
g.	about-turn	U-turn
h.	reveled in	relished
i.	belles	beauties
j.	reputedly	allegedly

PHRASE MATCH:

a.	bared all	for the camera
b.	birthday	suit
c.	commissioned	annually
d.	given as a gift to a	select group
e.	a prized and sought	after job
f.	A Pirelli spokesperson confirmed	the news
g.	required her to reveal	all
h.	her reputation as one	of Hollywood’s greatest sirens
i.	managed to maintain	her modesty
j.	She reputedly	once said…

GAP FILL:

Sophia Loren poses nude for calendar

Veteran movie actress Sophia Loren has stunned the entertainment world by posing nude for the illustrious Pirelli calendar. Ms Loren, 71, has apparently bared all for the camera, wearing nothing but her birthday suit and a pair of diamond earrings. Loren will be the oldest model to appear in the calendar, which is famous for attracting the world’s most beautiful and glamorous models and actresses to appear naked on its pages. The iconic calendar, commissioned annually by the tire manufacturer since 1964, cannot be bought in the shops, but is given as a gift to a select group of around 33,000 high profile customers and celebrities worldwide. Working on the calendar is also a prized and sought after job for the world’s top photographers.

A Pirelli spokesperson confirmed the news by stating: “Sophia Loren has posed for the 2007 Pirelli calendar. The pictures were shot…in America and she looks fantastic - You wouldn't think she is nearly 72 years old." According to the Reuters news agency, Loren “had a lot of fun, like a young girl”, during the shooting. It is an about-turn for legendary Loren, who apparently has turned down dozens of movie roles in her 90-film career that required her to reveal all. She has reveled in her reputation as one of Hollywood’s greatest belles and managed to maintain her modesty. She reputedly once said: "You have to be born a sex symbol. You don't become one. If you are born with it, you will have it even when you are 100 years old."

TOP