6 Clothing serves many functions beyond just protecting our bodies. Clothing can tell a lot about the people who wear it.

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Jesse Flynn
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1 TEXT 2 WHAT YOUR CLOTHES SAY ABOUT YOU 1 People wear clothes mainly to protect their bodies from the cold or the burning sun, from insect bites and injuries, and from the unwelcome eyes of strangers. However, what people wear can also carry a message about who they are and their role in society. For example, when you visit nearly any country in the world, you will notice that young people everywhere are wearing fashionable blue jeans, not for work, but for social occasions such as parties and concerts. The jeans are signs to show how these young people view themselves: I m modern and stylish. I m relaxed and confident. I m different from the traditional older generation. Jeans make such an important statement that, in some groups, an opinion about a person might be formed by the brand of jeans he or she is wearing. As a result, some young people feel forced to spend hundreds of dollars to acquire a single pair of designer jeans. They buy those jeans just to be in fashion. 2 An even more direct method in which people make statements about themselves is through messages printed on T-shirts. One says Oxford University. Another reads Italy 2006 World Cup. There are many kinds of T-shirt messages. They can mean allegiance, i.e. connection, to schools and sports teams. The main aims of such T-shirts are to advertise places, make political statements, serve as wearable travel souvenirs, and keep important occasions alive. These wearable messages are seldom ambiguous, or unclear. They clearly tell others: This is what I want you to know about me. 3 Just as blue jeans and T-shirts say a great deal about the people who are wearing them, so does the Western business suit. It says that the person wants to impress others with his or her professional status. A fitted jacket and matching trousers form a man's suit, while a fitted jacket and matching skirt compose a woman's suit. A collared shirt and a necktie are integral parts of the man's outfit. In other words, they are essential parts of the man s wear. On the other hand, stockings and high-heeled shoes complete the woman's. Often this clothing is not what the person chooses to wear, but it is what a company requires its top-level employees to wear. The business suit is similar to a uniform in other occupations. 4 A uniform identifies the occupation of many people. Military personnel are easy to identify by their uniforms. The same is true for police officers, fire fighters, and doctors. In certain contexts, special clothing is worn to differentiate the occupation of people, and also their authority. For example, the judge's black robe is a clear indicator of her role and authority. Similarly, the chef's tall white hat indicates his job, and it also shows that he's in charge in the restaurant's kitchen. 5 Societies choose different ways to show marital status. In Western societies, women - and often men - wear wedding rings on their left hands. Other cultures use different symbols. Hindu women, for example, wear red powder in their hair after they marry. Unmarried Amish women wear black bonnets on their heads, while married women wear white ones. 6 Clothing serves many functions beyond just protecting our bodies. Clothing can tell a lot about the people who wear it. 7

2 PART A. Guess the meanings of the following words using the clues and explanations in the text. DO NOT change the form of the word and write ONE WORD only. 1. acquire (para. 1) : 2. allegiance (para.2) : 3. ambiguous (para. 2) : 4. indicates (para. 4) : PART B. Answer the following questions. Give short answers where possible. 1. What does the writer want to show by giving the jeans example in para.1? 2. Write TWO aims of T-shirts with messages on? a) b) PART C. Fill in each gap below using the information in paragraphs 3, 4 and 5 in the text. You may need to make some changes. Paragraph 3 A fitted jacket, trousers, a collared shirt and a necktie compose a top-level male employee s suit. On the other hand, in order to complete their jackets and skirts, top-level female employees are required to wear (1a) and (1b) often contrary to their preference. Paragraph 4 Military personnel, (2a), (2b) and fire fighters are easily identified by their uniforms. In addition to showing different occupations, special clothing is also worn to show (3). A judge s black robe is an example of this. Paragraph 5 (4a) is shown differently in societies. In India, women wear red powder in their hair to show that they are (4b). In Amish culture, women wear (5a) if they are single and wear (5b) if they are married. 8

3 COLLOCATIONAL VOCABULARY to protect sb /sth (from sth) (v.): to keep sb /sth safe from harm, injury, damage or loss to protect sb /sth against sth protection against sth (n.) protective (of sb /sth ) (adj.) unwelcome (adj.): unpleasant, annoying X welcome (adj.) statement (n.): a written or spoken announcement on an important subject; sth you say or write that states a fact or gives information to make a statement (on sth): to shop people what you think or believe by behaving in a particular way forced (adj.): done or happening because the situation makes it necessary or because sb makes you do it feel forced to do sth: to feel you have to do sth because the situation makes it necessary or because sb. makes you do it * Are you ready to protect yourself in case of attack? * The hat only partially protects your face from the sun. * This warm jacket will help to protect you against the cold. * A healthy diet provides protection against diseases. * Protective clothing is essential when going out in winter in Canada. * She is very protective of her children. * Jones's book revealed an unwelcome truth which no one really wanted to hear. * Pat was a very welcome guest. * Add to the report a simple statement about the company s environmental policy. * The minister was asked to make a statement on the progress of the talks. * He s trying to make some kind of statement by dressing like that. * She was forced to go out of the race due to a knee injury. * Some men complain that they feel forced to buy a gift for their wives or girlfriends for Valentine s Day. to acquire sth (v.): to get sth, for example by buying it or by being given it to acquire sth from sb (v.) souvenir (n.): sth you buy or keep to remember a special event, place, travel or holiday travel souvenir souvenir of sth to keep sb /sth + adj. (T/I/v.): to stay in a state, position or place without changing the situation; to continue a situation * We acquired the shares for 1.75 each. * His newly acquired BMW is blue. * The business was acquired from Orion four years ago. * I always drop by a souvenir shop when I travel. * I kept the ticket as a souvenir of my trip. * Keep her warm and give her plenty of water to drink. * Police tried to keep the two rival groups apart. ambiguous (adj.): if sth ambiguous, it is not clear, therefore is open to be understood in more than one way ambiguously (adv.) ambiguity (n.) * The wording of his statement was highly ambiguous. * Criterion statements which are ambiguously worded or imply broad domains may suggest a range of test items of varying difficulties. * Legal documents must be free of ambiguity. 9

4 to impress sb /sth (with sth): to make sb. admire or respect you; if sb /sth impresses you, you admire them impression (of sth./ that + noun clause) (n.) get/have/give/make an impression to be under the impression impressive (adj.) professional status (adj.): sb s position in a profession/related to work that needs special skills and qualifications social status marital status (n.): whether you re married or single, etc. high/low/privileged status to require sb to do sth (v.): if a rule, law, contract etc. requires you to do sth, you must do that thing to require sth (v.): to need sth required (adj) requirement (for sth) (n.) to identify sb/sth (as/by sth). (v.): to recognize sb./sth. and say who or what they are (clearly/easily/readily) identifiable (adj.) identification (n.) context (n.): the general situation in which sth happens, which helps to explain it in context (n.): within the situation in the context of sth * I was impressed by her professionalism. * Sarah was hoping to impress him with her cooking. * Their ability deal with any problem impressed me. * I got/had the impression that he was bored. * Monica gives the impression of being shy. * Remember that it makes a bad impression if you re late. * I think Mick was under the impression that we were married. * The list of their achievements was pretty impressive. * Our organization seeks to improve the professional status of disabled people. * Dr. Harrison held a high status at university. * The form asks for personal information such as name, date of birth and marital status. * The agreement requires all parties to stop using violence. * Working with young children requires a lot of patience. * His poems are now required reading in most literature courses. * Applicants must satisfy the requirements for admission to the university. * Do these comply with our safety requirements? * The gunman in Wednesday's attack has been identified as Lee Giggs, an unemployed truck driver. * The informant asked not to be identified. * He identified the dead woman as his wife. * Two of the suspects have been identified by the clothes they were wearing. * In this case, the source of the pollution is clearly identifiable. * The identification of a problem is the first step towards solving it. * These events are meaningless outside their historical context. * The decline in the stock market has to be seen in context. * In the context of Russian history, the recent events are not surprising. 10

5 to differentiate sth (v.): to see or show difference between things to differentiate between things/people (v.) to differentiate sb/sth from sb/sth to indicate sth/that + noun clause (v.): to show that sth exists or is likely to be true indicator of sth (n.): a fact showing sth; a sign indication (that + noun clause) (n.) indicative (of sth) (adj.) to be in charge (v.): to be the person who has the control of or is responsible for sb./sth in charge of sb/ (doing) sth to serve (v.): to be used for a particular purpose/function to serve as sth to serve to do sth (e.g. remind/illustrate/emphasize/strengthen) * Present your arguments in clearly differentiated paragraphs. * Neil is color-blind and cannot differentiate between red and green. * The ability to speak differentiates humans from other animals. * Recent evidence indicates that the skeleton is about 3 million years old. * He has indicated his intention to resign. * With some goods, cost is the most reliable indicator of quality. * These statistics are indicative of a widespread problem. * There are strong indications that the case will be referred to the Court of Appeal. * Who is in charge of those 20 people? * I m in charge of organizing the music for the party. * The nurse in charge explained the kind of treatment to be applied. * The spare room serves as an office. * His death serves to remind us that it is so dangerous to use drugs. * It's a very entertaining film but it also serves an educational purpose. * This table serves a lot of functions including that of an ironing board. VOCABULARY PRACTICE A. Complete the sentences with the correct forms of the words in italics. 1. protect, protective, protection a) These systems are rigidly organized and of their members. b) The cover is intended to the machine from dust. c) There is evidence that vitamin C gives against cancer. 2. impress, impression, impressive a) The final score gives a false of the game. b) Among the guests was an array of authors and critics. c) One candidate in particular has us with her knowledge. 3. require, required, requirement a) To find out about entry for students, write to the college admissions board. b) Regulations students to attend at least 90% of the lectures. c) A valid passport and a visa are for travel to Cuba. 4. identify, identifiable, identification a) Eye witnesses have the gunman as an army sergeant. b) The police were easily by their uniform. c) His body was taken to Brighton mortuary for. 5. indicate, indication, indicative, indicator a) Research that over 81% of teachers are dissatisfied with their salary. b) Recent economic developments are that trade is improving. c) Dark green leaves are a good of healthy roots. d) This rude behavior is of her whole negative attitude, I'm afraid. 11

6 B. ODD ONE OUT: Find the word that does not go with the given vocabulary item and cross it out. e.g. a) hobby provide b) support c) money d) information 1. keep sth. a) warm b) alive c) full d) darkness 3. a) be under b) be close c) give d) make (the/an) impression 2. a) professional b) social c) situational d) marital status 4. a) clearly b) ambiguously c) readily d) easily identifiable C. Study the following sentences from the text. Tick the option(s) that can replace the linkers. 1. People wear clothes mainly to protect their bodies from the cold or the burning sun, from insect bites and injuries, and from the unwelcome eyes of strangers. However, what people wear can also carry a message about who they are and their role in society. That is In addition Nevertheless Although 2. What people wear can also carry a message about who they are and their role in society. For example, when you visit nearly any country in the world, you will notice that young people everywhere are wearing fashionable blue jeans. Such as So that For instance To illustrate 3. Jeans make such an important statement that, in some groups, an opinion about a person might be formed by the brand of jeans he or she is wearing. As a result, some young people feel forced to spend hundreds of dollars to acquire a single pair of designer jeans. Therefore On the contrary Thus Consequently 4. A collared shirt and a necktie are integral parts of the man's outfit. In other words, they are essential parts of the man s wear. In order to That is But On the other hand 5. The judge's black robe is a clear indicator of her role and authority. Similarly, the chef's tall white hat indicates his job. Likewise Like Unlike For example 6. Unmarried Amish women wear black bonnets on their heads, while married women wear white ones. whereas but though despite the fact that 12

7 ANSWER KEY PART A. 1. buy 2. connection 3. unclear 4. shows PART B. 1. (To show) what people wear can also carry a message about who they are and their role in society 2. Any two to advertise places, make political statements, serve as wearable travel souvenirs, and keep important occasions alive PART C. 1. a. stockings b. high-heeled shoes 2. a. police officers b. doctors 3. authority 4. a. Marital status b. married 5. a. black bonnets on their heads b. white bonnets / white ones VOCABULARY PRACTICE A. 1. a) protective b) protect c) protection 2. a) impression b) impressive c) impressed 3. a) requirements b) require c) required 4. a) identified b) identifiable c) identification 5. a) indicates b) indications c) indicator d) indicative B. 1. d 2. c 3. b 4. b C. 1. Nevertheless 2. For instance; To illustrate 3. Therefore; Thus; Consequently 4. That is 5. Likewise 6. whereas; but 13

Clothing: Fashion, Fabrics, & Construction Chapter 1-Influences on Clothing, Chapter 2-Cultures and Customs, & Chapter 4- Clothing and

Clothing: Fashion, Fabrics, & Construction Chapter 1-Influences on Clothing, Chapter 2-Cultures and Customs, & Chapter 4- Clothing and Self-Expression Explain why someone would choose to wear each of the