Personality1Complete the sentences with the key words in bold from the text.

1 Researcherslongagofounda______________betweencigarettesmokingandlungcancer,butsmokingisstillquitepopulardespitethesenegative______________.

2 Thereisalsosome_____________thatsecond-handsmoke,breathinginsmokefromotherpeople’scigarettes,canbeharmfulaswell.

3 Thoughthefilmwaspopular,______________complainedthatitwasjustanotherpredictableandunrealisticactionfilm.

4 Shemadeseveral______________aboutthefuture,butnoneofthemwere______________.

Read the text below and answer the question.

Hard-working employees wanted: Libras and Virgos need not apply

In2009,aninsurancecompanyinAustriaranajobadvertisementinseveralmajornewspapersthatread,‘Wearelookingforpeopleover20forpart-timejobsinsalesandmanagementwiththefollowingstarsigns:Capricorn,Taurus,Aquarius,AriesandLeo.’Severalequalitygroupscomplainedthatthiswasnotafairemploymentpractice.

Whatdoyouthinkaboutthiskindofemploymentpractice?

a Astrologyisfairlyaccurate,soitisOKforthecompanytodothis.

b Astrologymightbeaccurateinsomecases,butnotforeveryone.Itisratherunfairforthecompanytodothis.

c Astrologyisnotaccurate.Thisisaveryunfairpractice.

Discussyouranswerwithapartner.

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As above, so below?In1979aFrenchresearcher,MichelGauquelin,tookoutanadvertisementinaParisnewspaperofferingfreepersonalizedhoroscopes.Tothefirst150peoplewhoresponded,hesentoutreadingsgivingdetailsoftheirpersonality,andthenheaskedthemtoreportbackontheaccuracyoftheinformation.Anamazing94percentrepliedthattheirreadingswereveryaccurate.Thereweretwothingstheresearcherdidnotmentiontotherespondents,however.Firstly,all150people,regardlessoftheiractualbirthdates,receivedthesamereading,wordforword.Secondly,thereadingthattheyreceivedwasonepreparedwiththetimeanddateofbirthofaFrenchdoctorcalledMichelPetiot,whowasconvictedofmultiplemurdersduringtheSecondWorldWar.

Astrologyisthebeliefthatthepositionofplanetsandstarsatthetimeofaperson’sbirthhasastronginfluenceontheperson’scharacterandfuture.AstrologyoriginatedinancientBabyloniamorethan3,000yearsago,andisstillbelievedbyasizablepercentageofpeopleintheWest.Recentsurveyshavefoundthat31percentofAmericansbelieveinastrology,and52percentofEuropeansconsiderastrologytobeascience.ManynewspapersintheWestcarryhoroscopes,allowingpeopletogetdailyadviceaccordingtotheastrologicalsigncorrespondingtotheirparticularbirthdate.Astrologyisnotjustfortheaverageperson,either.FormerUSPresidentRonaldReaganwasabelieverinastrology,andaccordingtoapresidentialaide,everymajordecisiontakenbythePresidentduringhiseightyearsinofficewasfirstcheckedwithawell-knownastrologer.FormerFrenchPresidentJacquesChiracissaidtohavecheckedhishoroscopeeverymorning.

Despitethepopularityofastrology,thescientificcommunityquestionstheaccuracyofthistheory.Forexample,anotherstudybyMichelGauquelinexaminedthehoroscopesof15,560professionalsfromfiveEuropeancountries,andcouldfindnolinkbetweenastrologicalsignsandoccupations.Perhapsthemostdamagingstudieshavebeentheonesonastro-twins(heredefinedaspeoplewhoarebornonthesameday).Thepremiseissimple:ifone’sdateofbirthhasaneffectonone’scharacterandfuture,thenpeoplebornonthesamedayshouldbemoresimilartoeachotherthantothosebornondifferentdays.Thesestudiesexaminedthousandsofpeoplewhosharedbirthdates,lookingforsimilaritiesinpersonalityandintelligence,yetfoundthatthesepeoplehadnomoreincommonwiththeirastro-twinthanwithanyoneelse.Scientistsalsosaythatabeliefinastrologyhaspotentialforconfirmingstereotypesandencouragingdiscrimination.

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Ifresearcherslargelydismissastrologyassuperstition,whydosomanypeopleintheWeststillbelieveit?Formost,itisbasedontheirpersonalexperience.Theyhavefounditworksforthem,sowhatdoesitmatterwhatthestudiessay?Criticsofastrology,however,counterthis‘butitworksforme’defencewithtwoexplanationsregardingwhybeliefsinastrologymayseemjustifiedtosome.Thefirstiscalledconfirmationbias.Confirmationbiasreferstothetendencyofpeopletopaymoreattentiontoevidencewhichseemstoagreewithandjustifytheirbeliefs,andtoignoreorforgetanyevidencethatsuggeststheymightbewrong.Someonemightrememberaparticulartime,forexample,whenanastrologertoldthemtheywouldfindloveinaparticularyear,butforgettheothertimeswhentheastrologergottheirpredictionswrong.

Secondly,thereiswhatisknownastheForereffect.TheForereffectstatesthatpeopletendtoviewgeneralstatementsthatcouldapplytomanypeopleasbeinghighlyaccurateforthemindividually.Considerthefollowingstatements:Howmanyaretrueforyou?

• Youseemcalmandincontrolontheoutside,butonintheinsideyousometimesfeeluncertainandafraid.

• Youareanindependentthinker,andacceptnewideasonlyaftercarefulevaluation.

• Attimesyouareshy,butinsomecircumstancesyoucanbeoutgoingandtalkative.

Domostofthosedescriptionsmatchyou?Well,itturnsoutthatthemajorityofpeoplefindthosestatementstrueforthem(onlyaveryfewpeopleareshyinallsituations,forexample).ThisexplainswhynearlyallthepeoplewhorepliedtoGauquelin’sadvertisementthoughtthehoroscopereadingmatchedthemwellindividually.

Regardlessofwhetherornotthereisanytruthinastrology,formanypeopleitissomethingtheydoforfunanddon’ttakeveryseriously.Annie,anAmericanuniversitystudent,says‘Ireallydon’tknowifastrologyistrueornot,butit’ssomethingfuntotalkaboutwithfriends,andit’salwaysinterestingtoreadmyhoroscopeinthemorningandseeifitturnsoutright.AslongasI’mnotpayingmoneytoletanastrologertellmehowtorunmylife,what’stheharm?’

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decide if the sentences are True (T) or False (F). Then write the line number where the evidence is.

1 Theresearchreportedinthefirstparagraphgivesevidenceoftheaccuracyofastrology.

T□  F□    Linenumber:_____

2 AstrologyisbelievedbymillionsofpeopleinAmericaandEurope.

T□  F□    Linenumber:_____

3 Mostscientificresearchdoesnotsupportastrology.

T□  F□    Linenumber:_____

4 Confirmationbiascanmeanrememberingonlyevidencethatsupportsyourbeliefs,andforgettingevidencethatgoesagainstyourbeliefs.

T□  F□    Linenumber:_____

5 TheForereffectshowsthatquiteoften,astrologerscangiveexactandhighlyaccurateinformationaboutpeople.

T□  F□    Linenumber:_____

6 Thearticlesuggeststhatmanypeoplewhobelieveinastrologyarenotharmedbyit.

T□  F□    Linenumber:_____

answer the questions.

1 Inline9,whatdoestheexpressionword for wordmean?

a Usingdifferentwords,buthavingthesamemeaning

b Usingexactlythesamewords

c Usingthesamenumberofwords

2 Inline28,whatdoesthephrase,questions the accuracy of this theorymean?

a Theydon’tunderstandwhythetheoryisaccurate

b Theyareverycuriousabouttheaccuracyofthetheory

c Theyhavestrongdoubtsabouttheaccuracyofthetheory

3 Inline33,whatdoespremisemean?

a Astatementonwhichatheorycanbebased

b Asolutiontoaquestion

c Anideawhichisfalse

4 Inline42,largelymeans …

a mostly b inabigway c strongly d loudly

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5 Whatisthemeaningoflines67-68?

a Youfeelcalmwhenyouareinnaturalplaces,likeparksandmountains,butfeelnervousandafraidinsidebuildings

b Youarecalminfamiliarplaces,butcanfeelafraidinneworstrangeplaces

c Eventhoughyoumightfeelupsetorscared,youappearcalmtootherpeople

6 Inthefinalparagraph,whatwordorexpressionmeanshappens in a particular way?

_____________________________

discuss the questions with a partner.

1 Whatisyourstarsign?Doyouconsideritanaccuratedescriptionofyourpersonality?

2 Mostscientistsrejectastrology.Whatisyourreactiontothis?

a Theyareprobablyright.Itisjustasuperstition.

b Theymightbewrong.Perhapsmoreresearchisnecessary.

c Theyareprobablywrong.Itseemsclearthatthereisalinkbetweenone’sstarsignandpersonality.

3. Whatotherbeliefsdoyouknowwhichclaimtopredictpeople’spersonalities?Doyouthinktheyareaccurate?

Complete the sentences with the correct word.

For example:

Whoknowswhatwillhappennextyear?Noonecan predict thefuture!

a proveb predictc rejectd justify

1 IntheWest,thereisa_______________thatbreakingamirrorbringsbadluck.Noonereallybelievesitthesedays,though.

a superstitionb theoryc warningd stereotype

2 Sayingyoucheatedinatestbecauseyourmarkisimportanttoyouisnotagoodreasonforcheating.Thereisnogoodexcuseyoucanmaketo_______________cheating.

a proveb deny c stated justify

3 Thecompanyonlyemployswhitepeople,sosomepeopleareaccusingitofracial_______________.

a discriminationb conformityc influenced warning

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4 Theresearcherwantstotesthernew______________aboutlanguagelearning.She’snotsureifitwillwork,butshewantstofindout.

a candidateb stereotypec theoryd survey

5 Althoughsomepeoplesmokeandneverfallill,the______________forbecomingillismuchhigherinpeoplewhosmoke.

a warningb accuracyc potentiald trend

6 Thisnewproductisnotsafe.Weneedto_______________peoplenottobuyit.

a justifyb denyc concluded warn

7 I’mabitofa_______________ofthenewgovernment.Idon’tthinkitdoesanythingright.

a criticb researcherc broadcasterd psychologist

8 WhydoyouthinkthatallEuropeanmensmokeanddrinktoomuch?That’sjusta_______________.Therearemanywhodonot.

a theoryb superstitionc stereotyped trend

Circle all the words that match your personality.

Aries: passionate,direct,creative

Taurus: calm,peaceful,stable

Gemini: adaptable,clever,active

Cancer: loving,dependable,helpful,cautious

Leo: confident,outgoing,proud,trusting

Virgo: perfectionist,hard-working,selfish

Libra fair,sociable,friendly,romantic

Scorpio: mysterious,powerful,charismatic

Sagittarius: enthusiastic,adventurous,optimistic

Capricorn: ambitious,patient,proud,stubborn

Aquarius: independent,individualistic,considerate

Pisces: spiritual,sensitive,idealistic,creative

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in the text on page 11, several words are in bold. Write them next to the correct antonym below.

For example:lazy hard-working

1 dependent 6 shy

2 pessimistic 7 insecure

3 unoriginal 8 selfish

4 adaptable 9 cold

5 considerate 10 humble

Read the sentences and cross out the unnecessary words.

For example:

Thistheoryisbasedonstudiesthatwereconductedin2001.

1 Studentswhoarecomingearlytomorrowwillgetextrapoints.

2 Theladywhoisworkingonthecontractsaidshehasn’tfinished.

3 Themanbroughtinabagthatwasfullofmoney.

4 Actorswhoareinblockbustersoftenbecomeveryfamous.

Combine the sentences into one using relative clauses. Then reduce the relative clause.

For example:

i have a friend. he is living abroad. he speaks english well.

I have a friend living abroad who speaks English well.

1 Myfriendhasabook.ThebookwassignedbyStephenKing.

2 Islamisareligion.ThereligionwasfoundedbytheProphetMuhammad.

3 The Lord of the Ringsisafilm.Thefilmwasbasedonabook.

4 ThepyramidsinEgyptarehugestructures.Theywerebuiltbythousandsofslaves.

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GrammarRelative clauses

We often shorten relative clauses. The relative pronouns that and who, and the following be verb, are optional in these sentences:

Beliefs that are based on superstition … Beliefs based on superstition …

A broadcaster who is named Naomi … A broadcaster named Naomi …

Americans that are aged between 13 and 64 … Americans aged between 13 and 64 …

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Read the following passage and indicate how closely each personality type is like you.

PERSONALIZATION

Are blood group andpersonality related?

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In the West, some people believe that an individual’s personality and character can be predicted according to the time of the year that the person was born. The Chinese believe that the year of birth determines character. In the past century, a relatively new belief has arisen: the idea that personality is related to ABO blood group. The blood-group personality theory started in Japan in 1927, when a secondary-school administrator noticed personality similarities and differences among his staff. The theory soon went out of fashion, but was brought back in force in the 1970s. The belief is still strong in Japan, and is now becoming increasingly popular in neighbouring countries.

Is the belief accurate, or is it just a modern-day superstition? Why not test it for yourself? First read each description and decide how well it matches your own personality. Then check to see if the ABO blood-group theory accurately predicted your personality.

1 People with this blood group are individualistic. They are creative and curious, and are always open to new adventures and challenges. They live life with passion, and tend to be optimistic and outgoing. Their main weakness is a tendency to be selfi sh, which can cause them to be irresponsible and forgetful of others. They are unpredictable, which can make them very entertaining and charming, but this can also make close relationships with them diffi cult. They can also be jealous. They are often good cooks.

__ This is me exactly

__ This is generally like me

__ Some things are like me, but not all of them

__ This isn’t generally like me

__ I’m completely different

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2 Peoplewiththisbloodgrouparenaturalleaders.Theyareconfident,charismaticandambitious,andprefertobethecentreofattention.Evenindefeattheyareoptimisticaboutthefuture.Theyareoftenathleticandprefertobeactive.Theirmainweaknessispride,whichcanleadthemtobestubborn.Theylovetobearoundpeople,butalsotendtobeuncommittedinrelationships.Theyoftenhavetroublefinishingwhattheystart.

__ Thisismeexactly

__ Thisisgenerallylikeme

__ Somethingsarelikeme,butnotallofthem

__ Thisisn’tgenerallylikeme

__ I’mcompletelydifferent

3 Peoplewiththisbloodgroupareseriousandhard-working.Theyaregenerallyconservative,responsibleandtendtofollowtherules.Theyareoftenperfectionists,wantingeverythingtobedoneproperly,andtheyfeelstressedwhenthingsdon’tworkoutthewaytheyplanned.Theyseemcalmandfocusedindifficultsituations,buttheytendtoavoidconfrontationsandarguments.Theyareusuallyshyandquiet,andcanbesensitivetocriticism.Theytendtobecautious,andcanbeverystubbornaboutdoingwhattheyfeelisright.Theyarewell-organizedandpunctual.Theymakekeengardeners.

__ Thisismeexactly

__ Thisisgenerallylikeme

__ Somethingsarelikeme,butnotallofthem

__ Thisisn’tgenerallylikeme

__ I’mcompletelydifferent

4 Peoplewiththisbloodgrouparecontradictory,easilyswitchingfromoneextremetoanother.Theycanbecoolandconfidentonemoment,thensensitiveandindecisivethenext.Theycanbeoutgoingandsociableinsomesituations,butthenshyatothertimes.Theyareveryconsiderateandgeneroustosomepeople,butalsostrict,critical,andunforgivingtoothers.Generally,theyareunpredictableandindependent,seeingthemselvesasseparatefromthegroup.Theyareoftenveryanalyticalandrationalintheirviews.

__ Thisismeexactly

__ Thisisgenerallylikeme

__ Somethingsarelikeme,butnotallofthem

__ Thisisn’tgenerallylikeme

__ I’mcompletelydifferent

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Complete the sentences with information about you.

1 ThepersonalityIammostlikeisnumber__.

2 Otherpersonalitiesthataresimilartomearenumbers__.

3 Thepersonalitythatisunlikemeisnumber__.

What is your blood group? Check below to see which descriptions match the blood groups. did the abo blood-group personality theory accurately predict your personality? discuss the answer with a partner.

1. = blood group B2. = blood group O3. = blood group A4. = blood group AB

a Itwasveryaccurate.Thedescriptionofmybloodgroupismoreaccurateformethananyother.

b Itwasfairlyaccurate.Thedescriptionofmybloodgroupmatchesmewell,butsodoesthedescriptionofanotherbloodgroup.

c Itwasn’tveryaccurate.Otherblood-groupdescriptionsmatchmemoreclosely.

d Itwasmostlywrong.

e Itwascompletelywrong!

The following summary has incorrect information in each sentence. underline the mistakes.

TheABOblood-grouppersonalitytheoryclaimsthatourbloodgroupcanshapeourfuture.ItwasfirstproposedbyascientistinJapaninthe1920s.Itbecamelargelyforgottenforseveraldecades,butthenbecamepopularagainbeginninginthe1990s.PeopleinbloodgroupAareconsideredtobehardworkersandsomewhatliberal.TypeApeoplearehard-workingperfectionistswhoenjoyconfrontation.Theytendtobedisorganized,sensitiveandpunctual.

PeopleinbloodgroupBtendtobeverycreativeandconsiderate.Theylovechallengesandeasilymakecloserelationships.PeopleinbloodgroupOliketosetbiggoalsfortheirfuture,andusuallyfinishwhattheystart.Theyenjoymeetingtheirfriendsandnewpeople,andareunlikelytodivorce.Finally,peopleintheABbloodgrouparenotalwaysgoodatfollowingrules,buttheyarealwayssociable.Theirpersonalitydoesn’tchangeoften,andgenerallytheyareverylogicalintheirviews.

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