It is interesting to know
Reading
A. Read the article and find the opinions of all the people who are mentioned in it. Categorise them below.
-
These people dislike a lot of choice
These people like a lot of choice
Which category does the writer belong to? Which category do you belong to?
Overchoice
Some experts are beginning to wonder if 57 varieties of one item may be too much of a good thing.
"You can go into a major shopping mall and become emotionally exhausted in one hour." —jeremy rifkin
By Beth Ann Krier
Have you visited your local Cereal Aisle from Hell lately? Did trying to find the right cereal leave you confused?
Some supermarkets have more than 40 varieties of cereal, and more are on the way.
You say you're getting a headache from just thinking about cereal choices? Trying to find a pain reliever could make your headache even worse. First, you have to know the difference between aspirin, acetaminophen and ibuprofen. Then you have to decide if you want regular or extra-strength formula. Finally, you have to choose capsules, tablets, or caplets.
‘There's just too many products for stores to absorb. Companies have to cut back,’ explained Product Alert executive editor Tom Vierhile. ‘There's about a million cereals now. It's pretty amazing.’
According to Rex Beaber, a Los Angeles clinical psychologist, people can spend a large part of their lives making decisions about what to buy. Most of us already have busy lives, he points out, and it is stressful to spend extra time shopping.
Some shoppers, of course, don't mind this at all. Russian immigrant Anatoly Rosinsky, a musician in Los Angeles, recalls, ‘In Russia, you stand in line for half an hour to buy beer. Then you have one choice if they have beer that day. Here, you spend 30 minutes deciding which beer to buy. In the end, you lose about the same amount of time. But this way it's much more pleasant.’
But some people think there is a bigger problem than lost time: stress.
‘You can go into a major shopping mall and become totally, emotionally exhausted in one hour. The reason is that there are too many items to pick from,’ says Jeremy Rifkin, president of Foundation on Economic Trends.
Rifkin adds that consumers nowadays feel they have to consider environmental questions (such as whether the product is harmful to the environment). They also have to consider health questions (such as whether the product contains harmful additives).
‘It's a tremendous emotional burden,’ he says, ‘well beyond the level of stress that our parents knew 20 years ago.’
From The Los Angeles Times (adapted)
B. Look at the words in bold in the text and try to explain them. Give the Ukrainian equivalents.
Speaking
Do you believe that the large amount of products creates unnecessary stress for shoppers? Find out your groupmates’ opinions. How does a wide selection of goods influence your shopping habits?
Exercise 3
Choose the most suitable word or phrase to complete each sentence.
1. Before we choose a dress for you, let's ...... all the shops.
a) look into b) look through c) look up d) look around
2. This jacket is the kind of thing I want. Can I.......... ?
a) wear it b) dress it c) take it off d) try it on
3. Mrs Forgetful couldn't remember what she had to buy for the weekend as she had lost
her shopping …….. .
a) code b) form c) list d) record
4. ……..-order shopping is popular with housewives.
a) Letter b) Package c) Post d) Mail
5. Everything in the department store is marked with a price……. .
a) mark b) tag c) sign d) notice
6. Mrs Thrifty came to the shop hoping to ….. something.
a) pick on b)pick out c) pick through d) pick up
7. I bought these shoes in the sales. They were a real …….
a) cheap b) purchase c) bargain d) economy
I’m interested in this old car. Is it …..?
a) selling b) a sale c) to sell d) for sale
The street market was full of ……. selling fruit and vegetables.
a) counters b) boutiques c) tables d) stalls
I like your new car. What …… is it?
a) brand b) make c) name d) label
Exercise 4
Put each of the following words or phrases in its correct place in the passage below.
tag, label, cash desk, off-the-peg, refund, sales, try on, fit, till, assistant,
mail order, bargain, receipt, cashier, exchange
If you want to buy a ready-made (or we sometimes say (a)____) jacket, first find the jackets in the shop and look at the (b) _____inside to see the size, material and make. For the price, look at the price (c) _______. To see if it will (d) ________ you, you can (e) _____ the jacket in front of a mirror. If necessary an (f) _____ will help you. You pay the (g) ____, who you will find at the (h) ____. He or she will take your money, put it in the (i) _____, give you your change. Make sure you also get a (j)______ which you should keep and bring back to the shop with the jacket if something is wrong with it and you want to (k) ____ it or ask for a (l) _______ of your money. In clothes shops you pay the fixed price, of course. You don’t (m) _____. Or you can wait until the (n) _____, when many goods are reduced in price. If you don’t like shops, you can stay at home, look at catalogues and newspaper advertisements and do your shopping by (o) ______.
Exercise 5
Translate into English.
Коли купуєте готовий одяг, спочатку вам потрібно знайти його в магазині, потім подивитися на ярлик, де зазначений розмір, матеріал та виробництво.
Якщо ви не любите ходити по магазинам, ви можете залишатися вдома, подивитися каталоги і зробити покупку поштовим замовленням.
Моя сестра неперевершений покупець. Вона вміє добре торгуватись і купити товар за зниженою ціною. Вона ніколи не переплачує.
Він завжди робить покупки зі списком покупок.
Я можу сказати, що я нескупий і немарнотратний покупець. Я тільки люблю купувати якісні речі за помірними цінами.
Якість товару для мене понад усе. Якщо мені подобається товар, я готова купити його навіть за високу ціну.
Вона любить роздивлятися вітрини, і коли заходить до універмагу, то ходить від одного відділу до іншого і не пропускає жодного.
Exercise 6
A. Compare the ways of shopping, using the words given in brackets. Add explanations where possible.
Using local shops is more convenient than going to the centre. Large shops are cheaper than small local shops. This is because they sell more things, so they can reduce prices.
supermarkets / small grocer’s (cheap)
expensive clothes / cheap clothes (good quality)
department stores / small shops (interesting)
staff in small shops / staff in supermarkets (happy)
street markets / ordinary shops (expensive)
local ‘corner’ shops / other shops (expensive)
buying by post / going to shops (difficult)
products in advertisements / the real thing (good)
B. Complete each sentence and give your own opinion.
People say that platinum is the most expensive metal.
Some people say that leather shoes are more reliable than canvas ones.
Generally speaking, gold jewellery is more…
Finding exactly what you want to buy is the most...
When they go shopping, teenagers are not as…
Going shopping with your family is more...
Buying presents for others is not as…
Looking around the shops on Saturday morning is the most…
Going to the supermarket is worse…
Paying with a credit card is not as…
Listening
Have you ever received a free gift with a product? Do offers of free gifts make you buy products?
Listen to a conversation about free gifts. Match the products listed below with the free gifts which were given.
|
gifts bucket comb glasses |
plastic animal picture cards jigsaw puzzle |
products breakfast cereal petrol ice-cream |
washing powder shampoo chewing gum |
Speaking
What else makes you decide to buy something?
a cut-price offer
seeing a new product
an advertisement
the wrapping or packaging
Exercise 7
Put each of the following words and phrases in its correct place in the passage below.
|
advertising |
announces |
audiences |
aware |
|
clothes |
comfortable |
customs |
describes |
|
familiar |
foods |
improved |
living |
|
magazines |
market |
mass communication |
messages |
|
obtained |
products |
radio |
seeks |
|
selling |
suggests |
tastes |
things |