General Listening Quiz

What are some common personal or health problems we encounter in our lives? How could hair loss affect a person’s personal appearance and feelings about themselves?

1. Hair loss is a natural part of getting older.
2. Baldness affects a person’s confidence.
3. People should not try to hide their baldness.
4. Hair loss treatments are too expensive for most people.
5. Bald people are often judged unfairly.
6. Wigs and hairpieces are a good solution for hair loss.
7. Men worry more about hair loss than women do.
8. Some people look better bald than with hair.
9. Society cares too much about appearance, including hair.
10. In some cultures, baldness is seen as a sign of wisdom or strength.

“face up to” = accept something difficult
“Having problems is a part of life, and sometimes you just have to face up to them.”

“mince words” = be indirect by using mild words
“I wish you didn’t mince words every time we need to resolve a problem. Just tell me what you think.”

Listen to the recording and answer the questions. (See transcript)

Here are some words and expressions that appear in the recording:

• baldness (noun): hair loss
  – Baldness affects many men in their twenties and thirties.
• to bring something up (verb phrase): to start talking about something
  – Please don’t bring up the subject again. We’ve already discussed it many times.
• toupee (noun): a fake hair piece for men
  – I thought about buying a toupee, but I’d rather not wear one.
• uh-uh (paralinguistic expression): informal way of saying “no.”
  – Aren’t you going to the party tonight?
  Uh-uh. I have finished a 20-page report by Monday, and I’m only on page one.
• regenerate (verb): to start or stimulate new growth
  – We hope that this medication with regenerate new nerve endings.

In the Pre-Listening Exercise, you were asked to think about common health problems, like the ones below. Now, discuss these with a partner. Are there any home remedies or medicines that you use in your country?

Examples:

Problems:

• overeating
• no love life
• inability to control spending habits
• strained relationship with a family member

Solutions:

• Maybe you could drink more water before meal time to reduce your appetite.
• Have you ever thought of going to more parties with your friends?
• You should come up with a monthly budget for your expenses.
• What about sitting down with that family member and having a very open discussion?

Use the internet to find more or more products or services to deal with and treat the problems mentioned above. What are the claims made by each product? Are there guarantees made on its effectiveness? How much does the product or service cost?