Read the passage and do the tasks.
India’s Modern Women
The country’s younger generation is shedding submissive attitudes, wants careers, and longs for wealth. And marketers are paying attention. When the first American music videos and popular TV shows began appearing in Indian homes in the early 1990s thanks to satellite and cable, many pundits predicted Indian society would never be the same. For the first time, female viewers saw independent, successful women and fun, sensitive guys. Sex and divorce were openly discussed in these TV imports and couples kissed passionately - then still a taboo in Indian TV shows and movies.
Indeed, the impact on younger generations of Indian women has been profound. Whereas Indian women traditionally have been submissive to parents and husbands and valued frugality and modesty, a number of sociological studies show that young Indian females now prize financial independence, freedom to decide when to marry and have children, and glamorous careers. A generation back, women would sacrifice themselves and believed in saving. Today, it is spend, spend, spend. It is OK for a woman to want something for herself, and people will accept it if she goes out into a man’s world making a statement.
Because today’s young women are the key consumer group of tomorrow, these shifts have big implications for marketing companies. And the trends come out clearly in two recent studies. One study examined 3,400 unmarried women aged 19-22 of different income and social levels. Altogether, the project involved 40 focus groups in five large urban areas and five smaller cities. In some cases, the researchers lived with the women for a while to study them more closely. The researchers supplemented this data with interviews of journalists, teachers, and psychologists.
Among the findings:
- Guilt-free materialism. 51% of young single women in major urban areas say it is necessary to have a big house and big car to be happy. In smaller cities, 86% agreed with this statement. This shows that the less women have, the greater are their aspirations. One woman interviewed was making just $200 a year but said she wants to own a jet plane. A typical comment in recent interviews was, 'I want money, fame, and success.'
- Parental ties. Traditionally, parents regarded girls as somebody else’s future property. They arranged marriages for their daughters, and then the daughters would go away and take care of their in-laws, so parents needed and doted on sons. However, today’s young women are rebelling against that. 67% say they plan to take care of their parents into their old age - and that means they need money. The company Unilever played on that sentiment with a recent controversial - but successful - ad for its Fair and Lovely line of beauty products. A daughter came home and found that her parents had no sugar for coffee because they couldn’t afford it. She became an airline hostess after using the Fair and Lovely products to make her beautiful. She then visited her parents and took them to a first-class restaurant.
- Marital freedom. Now, many women say they will marry when ready - not when their parents decide to marry them off. 65% say dating is essential, and they also want to become financially independent before they marry. 76% say they want to maintain that independence afterwards. 60% say they will decide how to spend their own salaries. What is more, 76% say they will decide when to have children. They now regard this as the woman’s decision completely. In big metro areas, 24% say they never want children, and that number reaches 40% in smaller cities.
- Individualism. Female role models in Indian culture used to personify perfection. Now, 62% of girls say it is OK if they have faults and that people see them. They do not want to be seen as Mrs. Perfect. Popular TV role models are like Phoebe in ‘Friends’ - women who commit blunders.
- Careerism. A decade ago, most young women saw themselves as housewives. After that, most said they wanted to be teachers or doctors. If they had a profession at all, it had to be a noble cause. Now, it is about glamour, money, and fame. A surprising 45% of young single females say they would like to be journalists. This may be because prominent female Indian journalists, especially TV reporters, are seen as very glamorous. Another 39% say they would like to be managers, 38% are interested in design, and 20% think they want to be teachers. Interestingly, 13% say they would like to be in the military. The percentage of those saying they want to be a full-time housewife is minuscule.
- Modern husbands. The relationship with the husband used to be one of awe. Now, women want a partner and a relationship of equals. A recent Whirlpool ad shows a man washing the family clothes before his wife comes home from work, while a Samsung home appliance ad shows a husband and wife cooking together.
The text refers to 6 main findings when young Indian women were surveyed.
Which finding contains each of the following pieces of information?
Young Indian women who want more tend to be poorer.
Few young Indian women want to be housewives.
Most young Indian women want to take care of their retired parents.
Most young Indian women want to be financially independent.
Complete the following sentences using NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the text for each gap.
are freely talked about on American TV shows.
Young women are considered to be the future’s most important by many companies.
Most young Indian women surveyed agree that before marriage is necessary.
In the past, young Indian women who wanted careers were most likely to consider teaching or becoming doctors because each of these is considered to be .
Do the following statements agree with the information given in the passage?
In each blank, write:
| TRUE | if the statement agrees with the information |
| FALSE | if the statement contradicts the information |
| NOT GIVEN | If there is no information on this passage |
The effect of American culture on young Indian women was not forecast when satellite and cable TV arrived in India.
Researchers used three methods to get their data.
Most young Indian women are aiming for perfection.
Most of the best journalists on TV in India are women.
Modern men and women in India cook together.
Read the passage and do the tasks.
THE FACE OF MODERN MAN?
A. In response to the emergence of the ‘metro-sexual’ male, in other words, an urban, sophisticated man who is fashionable, well-groomed and unashamedly committed to ensuring his appearance is the best it can be, a whole new industry has developed. According to research conducted on behalf of a leading health and beauty retailer in the UK, the market for male cosmetics and related products has grown by 800% since the year 2000 and is expected to continue to increase significantly. The male grooming products market has become the fastest growing sector within the beauty and cosmetics industry, currently equivalent to around 1.5 billion pounds per annum.
B. Over the last decade, a large number of brands and companies catering for enhancement of the male image have been successfully established, such operations ranging from male-only spas, boutiques, personal hygiene products, hair and skin care ranges, and male magazines with a strong leaning towards men’s fashion. Jamie Cawley, proprietor of a successful chain of London-based male grooming boutiques, holds that his company’s success in this highly competitive market can be attributed to the ‘exclusivity’ tactics they have employed, in that their products and services are clearly defined as male-orientated and distinctly separate to feminine products offered by other organizations. However, market analyst, Kim Sawyer, believes that future growth in the market can also be achieved through sale of unisex products marketed to both genders, this strategy becoming increasingly easy to implement as men’s interest in appearance and grooming has become more of a social norm.
C. Traditionalists such as journalist Jim Howrard contend that the turn-around in male attitudes which has led to the success of the industry would have been inconceivable a decade ago, given the conventional male role, psyche and obligation to exude masculinity; however, behavioral scientist Professor Ruth Chesterton argues that the metro-sexual man of today is in fact a modern incarnation of the ‘dandy’ of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century. British dandies of that period, who were often of middle class backgrounds but imitated aristocratic lifestyles, were devoted to cultivation of their physical appearance, development of a refined demeanor and hedonistic pursuits. In France, she adds, dandyism, in contrast, was also strongly linked to political ideology and embraced by youths wishing to clearly define themselves from members of the working class revolutionary social groups of the period.
D. Over recent decades, according to sociologist Ben Cameron, gender roles for both sexes have become less defined. According to research, he says, achievement of status and success have become less important in younger generations of men, as has the need to repress emotions. Cameron defines the traditional masculine role within western societies – hegemonic masculinity – as an expectation that males demonstrate physical strength and fitness, be decisive, self-assured, rational, successful and in control. Meeting this list of criteria and avoiding situations of demonstrating weakness, being overly emotional or in any way ’inferior’, he says, has placed a great deal of pressure on many members of the male population. So restrictive can society’s pressure to behave in a ‘masculine’ fashion on males be, Professor Chesterton states that in many situations men may respond in a way they deem acceptable to society, given their perceived gender role, rather than giving what they may actually consider to be the best and most objective response.
E. Jim Howard says that learning and acquiring gender identity makes up a huge component of a child’s socialization and that a child who exhibits non-standard behavioral characteristics often encounters social and self image difficulties due to the adverse reactions of their peers. According to Kim Sawyer, media images and messages also add to pressures associated with the male image, stating that even in these modern and changing times, hegemonic masculinity is often idolized and portrayed as the definitive male persona.
F. Whilst male stereotypes and ideals vary from culture to culture, according to Professor Chesterton, a universal trait in stereotypical male behavior is an increased likelihood to take risks than is generally found in female behavior patterns. For this reason, she attributes such behavior to the influence of genetic predisposition as opposed to socially learned behavior. Men, she says, are three times more likely to die due to accident than females, a strong indication he says of their greater willingness to involve themselves in precarious situations. Ben Cameron also says that an attitude of invincibility is more dominant in males and is a predominant factor in the trend for fewer medical checkups in males and late diagnosis of chronic and terminal illness than in their more cautious and vigilant female counterparts.
G. Jamie Cawley, however, remains optimistic that the metro-sexual culture will continue and that what society accepts as the face of masculinity will continue to change. He attributes this to a male revolt against the strict confines of gender roles, adding that such changes of attitudes have led and will continue to lead to establishment of greater equality between the sexes.
The passage has seven paragraphs A-G. Choose the correct heading for paragraphs B-D and F-G from the list of headings below.
Write the correct number i to viii in boxes in the blanks.
List of headings
| i | Basis and predictions |
| ii | Revolution or recurrence? |
| iii | Servicing a growing demand |
| iv | The surfacing of a new phenomenon |
| v | A long-held mindset and its downsides |
| vi | Influence on minors |
| vii | Hereditary predilection |
| viii | Effects of external pressures |
Example: Paragraph E: viii
Paragraph B:
Paragraph C:
Paragraph D:
Paragraph F:
Paragraph G:
Do the following statements agree with the information given in the passage?
In each blank, write
| TRUE | if the statement agrees with the information |
| FALSE | if the statement contradicts the information |
| NOT GIVEN | If there is no information in this passage |
Sales in the female health and beauty market have slightly declined over recent years.
The rise of ‘dandyism’ in England and France is attributed to similar factors.
Emotional reaction is contradictory to hegemonic masculine behavior.
There is a correlation between men’s belief that they are indestructible and their decreased likelihood to seek medical advice.
Look at the following list of statements based on changes in male image and behavior.
Match each statement with the correct person A-E. Write the correct letters A-E in each blank.
| List of Contributors | |
| A | Jamie Cawley |
| B | Kim Sawyer |
| C | Jim Howard |
| D | Professor Ruth Chesterton |
| E | Ben Cameron |
Male behavior patterns have changed in a way that would have been considered implausible in the past.
Traditional benchmarks of masculinity are often exacerbated by the press.
Metro-sexual culture has developed as a response to modern men’s dissatisfaction with traditional images.
The need to conform to society’s expectations of male behavior may impede men’s decision-making and judgment.
There is potential in a market which makes no differentiation between products for males and females.
Read the passage and do the tasks.
Food and drink in China
Section A:
Most Westerners will have tasted and enjoyed Chinese food in various forms in their own countries, and may even have learned the delicate art of eating with chopsticks. But they may be less prepared for what the writer Colin Thubron memorably describes as the 'passionate relationship' of the Chinese to food. Folk memories of famine are recent (the last were in the 1960s) and there are still areas where people's diet is limited and poor.
Refrigeration is more widespread now, but the Chinese almost never eat 'ready meals'; food is freshly cooked for each meal, and fish, meat and poultry are often killed only a short time before they are cooked. Shopping in the markets or shops is done with immense gusto, and everything is prodded, shaken, sniffed and thoroughly checked before being purchased.
It is debatable whether, in purely Western terms, the Chinese eat a 'healthy' diet. They eat many vegetables, things are cooked fast so that the goodness is not destroyed, and people eat small quantities fairly frequently-'grazing', rather than eating huge meals at one sitting, which is one reason why they tend to be much slimmer than people in the increasingly obese West. On the other hand, they use a large amount of the very salty MSG (monosodium glutamate, or taste powder) in their cooking, as well as sugar; and in some regions of China there is a high incidence of certain types of cancer, due to the overuse of pickling, the only way some vegetables can be preserved through the winter.
At any rate, the Western visitor will experience a fantastic range of different foods, some wonderful (dumplings, tofu, sweet and sour soup, Mongolian hotpot, and hundreds more treats), and some less to Western tastes, such as 'hundred-year-old eggs' or donkey stew. If the Westerner is overwhelmed by a desire for a more familiar food, these days help is at hand.
In the bigger cities, though more rarely in the rural areas, there are plenty of fast- food outlets selling hamburgers and pizzas; there are some Italian, Indian, Japanese, Korean and Mexican restaurants, and also newly opened supermarkets (mostly French) that sell the foods of which, in the past, homesick Westerners could only dream-for example, bread, cheese, milk, coffee and real chocolate.
Section B:
Chinese local dishes are said to have four, eight and ten culinary schools, depending on which authority is consulted. Canton, Shandong, Sichuan and Yangzhou make up four of them: if you count Hunan, Fujian, Anhui and Zhejiang, you have eight culinary schools; add in Beijing and Shanghai, and that makes ten. You should also try the Middle Eastern-type cooking of the Muslim minorities, such as the Hui and Uighur people, whose roadside stalls produce wonderful (and very cheap) lamb kebabs wrapped in naan bread with salad and hot spicy sauce. Here are a few pointers about some of the schools of cookery.
Section C:
Cantonese cuisine adopts the good points of all other culinary schools, and its selection of ingredients is extensive. River food and seafood are widely used, as well as birds, rats, snakes and insects. There is a saying that 'The Cantonese will eat anything with wings, except a plane, and anything with four legs, except a table.' Cantonese cuisine pays attention to the use of fresh ingredients and has unique cooking methods. Representative dishes are 'three kinds of snake stewed', cat meat, snake soup, casserole mountain turtle and crispy skin suckling pig.
Shandong cuisine is dominated by seafood, reflecting its nature as a peninsula surrounded by the sea. Typical dishes include stewed sea cucumber with scallion, stewed snakehead eggs, sea slugs with crab ovum, Dezhou grilled chicken and walnut kernel in cream soup.
Sichuan cuisine is renowned for its searingly hot, peppery flavour. The variety of tastes is summed up in the phrase 'a hundred dishes with a hundred flavours'.
Famous dishes include shredded pork with fish flavour, stewed beancurd with minced pork in pepper sauce, and dry-roast rock carp.
Those who are not used to extremely hot food should proceed with care. The Sichuanese use a special black pepper that leaves the lips numb a bit frightening the first time it happens, but not unpleasant when one grows accustomed to it.
Huaiyang cuisine integrates the cream of dishes in Yangzhou, Zhenjiang, Huaian and other places south of the Yangtze River, stressing freshness and tenderness, careful preparation, cutting skill, bright colour, beautiful arrangements and light flavouring.
Famous dishes include beggar's chicken, fried mandarin fish with sweet and sour sauce, sliced chicken with egg white, salted duck, steamed crab meat and minced pork balls cooked in a casserole.
Section D:
Vegetable dishes have been popular since the Song dynasty (960-1279) and they were greatly developed in the Ming and Qing dynasties (1368-1911). They were divided into three schools: Monastery Vegetable Dishes, Court Vegetable Dishes and Folk Vegetable Dishes.
The main features of vegetable dishes are their unique style and their health benefits. Main materials include green leaf vegetables, fruit, edible mushrooms, and bean-curd products with vegetable oil as a condiment, all of which are delicious in taste, rich in nutrition, easy to digest, and believed to be helpful in preventing cancer.
Section E:
The Chinese drink large quantities of tea (mostly 'green tea', as opposed to the 'black' tea that is more commonly drunk in the West) and they add no milk or sugar. Tea is drunk constantly at meetings and at work, less so in restaurants and at formal meals, though it is always available if asked for. It is usually served in mugs with lids to keep it warm. Teabags and tea strainers are not used, and drinking tea without swallowing a mouthful of tea leaves requires concentration: try using the lid as a strainer when sipping.
Tea is divided into green, black, perfumed, white and Wulong tea. The most valuable green teas are Longjing and Biluochun; black tea, Qihong and Yunfeng; scented tea, Jasmine; white tea, Yinzhenbaihao, Gongmei and Shoumei; Wulong tea, Dahongpao and Tieguanyin. The Chinese will frequently give beautifully decorated tea caddies of special teas as a present.
Other drinks you may be offered are yellow rice wine, served hot in little porcelain cups. It tastes rather like sherry. More lethal is Maotai, the Chinese answer to vodka; there are also many light Chinese beers, as well as a growing range of Chinese wines, Great Wall wine is perhaps the best known and has improved considerably since the producers set up a joint venture with a French wine-grower. Soft drinks such as mineral water and Coca Cola are available everywhere, and fruit juices made from the exotic tropical fruits grown in the south of China are delicious.
Section F:
One interesting development in the 1990s has been the re-emergence of teahouses, traditionally the haunts of the intellectuals and literati, who would idle away hours in stimulating conversation or in composing poems. In workaholic, post-liberation China, such establishments were considered a decadent remnant of the feudal society. But with the emergence of the five-day working week, and with more emphasis on quality leisure time, the traditional teahouse is once again blossoming in major cities. Teahouses have one thing in common: tranquillity - a precious commodity in China. The quiet atmosphere is broken only by leisurely music played on the zheng, a twenty-one- or twenty-five-stringed plucked instrument, in some ways similar to the zither. Conversation tends to be carried out in hushed tones. Teahouses are located at quiet places in beautiful surroundings, often near lakes; most cities have several now. The teahouse has its own slot on TV, too-the British television company Granada has co-produced with Chinese TV a 230-part TV soap called Joy Luck Street, based around the comings and goings in a teahouse; it was inspired by the long-running British TV soap Coronation Street, whose central location is a good old English pub.
Section G:
Among men in China, much less so among women, smoking is widespread, and at formal meals, cigarettes are almost always offered along with the tea. Most Chinese people do not seem to be at all worried about the links between smoking and health problems. It is very hard to escape from other people's cigarettes in restaurants. Young Chinese men set on having a good night out can even be seen holding a lit cigarette in one hand and a pair of chopsticks in the other-managing to smoke and eat at the same time.
Source: Kathy Flower, Culture Smart!: China, 2010
The passage has 7 sections. Which section contains the following information?
Write the correct letter A-G in each blank.
Note: you may use any letter more than once.
Regional cuisines of China:
The importance of food in Chinese culture:
Cigarette-smoking in Chinese culture:
Overview of four regional culinary schools:
Popular Chinese drinks:
The importance of vegetable dishes in Chinese cooking:
The importance of teahouses in Chinese culture:
Complete the summary below. Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer.
The Chinese are known to have what is often called a 'passionate relationship' with food, and the buying and cooking of it is done with enthusiasm.
Although aspects of Chinese cuisine are very healthy, such as the use of many different and the habit of eating small amounts of food often, the adding of MSG to cooking, too much added sugar, and the can be linked to high levels of some cancers in China.
In addition to the availability of some Western foods in China nowadays, there are several regional cuisines to choose from. The Cantonese cuisine is known to use many ingredients; Shandong cuisine uses a lot of , Sichuan cuisine is known to be hot and spicy, and Huiyang food combines the flavors and colors of the best dishes from places the Yangzte River.
The Chinese drink teas, wines, spirits and beers, with one Chinese wine company more recently developing wine with a wine-grower. Chinese teahouses are usually situated near cities in and are places for quiet conversation.
Cigarette-smoking is a popular pastime, particularly with men.