Pre-Reading Activities

A: Vocabulary work

1. Do you know the meanings of these words? Find the meanings for any that you don't know:

 

champagne	Alcoholics Anonymous	clinic
jet-set	hedonistic	marijuana
fashion shows	millionaire	drug abuse
sober	photo shoots	cat walk

2. Think of some different headings to put these words under. Write two or more headings and then sort the words and write them under the headings.(You may put the same word into two different categories.) After you have done this, compare your list with someone else.

Suggested answer "Fashion": fashion shows, jet-set, photo shoots, cat walk, millionaire, etc. "Problems with alcohol and drugs": drug abuse, sober, marijuana, etc.

 

B: Think about...

In pairs or groups, answer these questions:

1. What do models do?
2. Do you know the names of any models?
3. What kind of training for their work do models have?
4. What are the advantages of their work?
5. Would you like to be a model? Why or why not?
6. What words from the list in A do you associate with modeling. Why?

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Worksheet for Group A

Today you're going to read part of an article about supermodel, Kate Moss.

Reading Activities

A: Comprehension

As you read the article, write the best answer from the list of choices in bold:

1. Kate Moss has been a famous model for 5 / 10 / 15 years.
   
   
2. According to the article Kate Moss says she was never / always / sometimes drunk when she performed in fashion shows.
   
   
3. In the article she says she began drinking in photo shoots / on catwalks / in the homes of her friends.
   
   Suggested answer 10 always in the homes of her friends

Kate Moss Admits 'Losing Plot' On Booze, Drugs LONDON Thursday February 18 (Reuters) - (...continued...) Moss, 25, described a hedonistic jet-set life of champagne, vodka and marijuana in her decade as a top international model. Moss, who came to fame as a waif-like 15-year-old, said that in the worst days of her addiction she started drinking at 10 in the morning and would carry a hip flask on photo shoots. Moss said she had not walked down a catwalk sober in 10 years in a world where some top models regularly started their days with champagne. "That's what you do. You just kind of have champagne. You always have champagne before shows. Always. Even at 10 in the morning. It got to the point one time when we said 'We're not going out without any champagne.' Terrible.'' Millionaire Moss, who now attends meetings of Alcoholics Anonymous, said she started drinking and smoking marijuana at the age of 12 in the homes of friends on her way to school in south London. Copyright 1999 Reuters Limited.

B: Asking questions

Wait until Group B have completed their worksheet, then pair up with a person from Group B and ask them the questions below and write down their answers.

1. What did Moss do in November last year?
   
   Suggested answer Booked herself into a clinic specializing in alcohol and drug abuse.
   
   
2. What has she thrown away?
   
   Suggested answer Her hip flask.
   
   
3. How does she feel now about her life?
   
   Suggested answer Very happy.
   
   
4. How does she feel now about her job?
   
   Suggested answer She likes it.
   
   
5. How long did she stay in the London clinic?
   
   Suggested answer 5 weeks.
   
   
6. What does she hope to do now?
   
   Suggested answer She hopes to "put the past behind her."
   
   

End of Worksheet for Group A

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Worksheet for Group B

Reading Activities

Today you're going to read part of an article about a supermodel, Kate Moss. You are going to read about her life now.

A: Comprehension

As you read the article, choose the best answer from the list of choices in bold:

1. According to the article Kate Moss says she was never / always / sometimes drunk when she performed in fashion shows.
   
   
2. (A hip flask is a small metal bottle which can be carried in a pocket and usually contains alcohol.) Moss has thrown away her hip flask because it's the wrong color / it's no longer fashionable / she doesn't want to drink any more.
   
   
3. Now she is very happy because she is sober / single / a supermodel.
   
   Suggested answer always she doesn't want to drink any more. sober

Kate Moss Admits 'Losing Plot' On Booze, Drugs LONDON Thursday February 18 (Reuters) - (...continued...) British supermodel Kate Moss has revealed she is a recovering alcoholic who at one stage had not walked down a catwalk sober for 10 years. But she told The Face magazine in an interview that "things got out of control'' and that after five weeks in a London clinic specializing in drink and drug abuse she hopes to have put the past behind her. After booking herself into a London clinic in November, she says she has now thrown out her hip flask and has never been happier. "I'm sober. I'm single. I have great friends. I like my job. I'm not stupid,'' she said. Copyright 1999 Reuters Limited.

B: Asking questions

Wait until Group A have completed their worksheet, then pair up with a person from Group A and ask them the questions below and write down their answers.

1. When did Kate Moss become famous?
   
   Suggested answer 10 years ago when she was 15 years old
   
   
2. What time of day did she have her first drink?
   
   Suggested answer 10 am
   
   
3. When did she first start drinking (alcohol)?
   
   Suggested answer At the age of 12.
   
   
4. What does she say models drink before a fashion parade?
   
   Suggested answer Champagne.
   
   
5. How often do they drink this?
   
   Suggested answer Always.
   
   
6. What did she take on photo shoots?
   
   Suggested answer A hip flask. ______________________________________________

End of Worksheet for Group B

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C: Thinking Carefully

Now read the complete article and then answer these questions:

1. Kate Moss said in an interview that "things got out of control''. What things got out of control?
   
   Suggested answer Her drinking and her lifestyle.
   
   
2. "I kind of lost the plot really there a little bit.'' What does 'losing the plot' mean? Why does she say these words?
   
   Suggested answer She may feel that she forgot what her life was meant to be about and forgot why she was living.
   
   
3. In the article Moss said "I don't want to go back to how I was.'' What does she mean?
   
   Suggested answer She doesn't want to go back to her former lifestyle in which she was continually drunk. She acknowledges she is a recovering alcoholic.
   
   
4. Why do you think Moss said "I'm not stupid,'' at the end of the article?
   
   
   Suggested answer Different answers are acceptable for this question. Moss may mean that she is not silly enough to throw away her life by drinking or she may mean that she knows she is very lucky to have a good job and good friends or she may be defending her intelligence.
   
   

Kate Moss Admits 'Losing Plot' On Booze, Drugs LONDON Thursday February 18 (Reuters) - British supermodel Kate Moss has revealed she is a recovering alcoholic who at one stage had not walked down a catwalk sober for 10 years. Moss, 25, described a hedonistic jet-set life of champagne, vodka and marijuana in her decade as a top international model. But she told The Face magazine in an interview that "things got out of control'' and that after five weeks in a London clinic specializing in drink and drug abuse she hopes to have put the past behind her. Moss, who came to fame as a waif-like 15-year-old, said that in the worst days of her addiction she started drinking at 10 in the morning and would carry a hip flask on photo shoots. "I kind of lost the plot really there a little bit,'' she said. "I don't want to go back to how I was.'' Moss said she had not walked down a catwalk sober in 10 years in a world where some top models regularly started their days with champagne. "That's what you do. You just kind of have champagne. You always have champagne before shows. Always. Even at 10 in the morning. It got to the point one time when we said 'We're not going out without any champagne.' Terrible.'' Millionaire Moss, who now attends meetings of Alcoholics Anonymous, said she started drinking and smoking marijuana at the age of 12 in the homes of friends on her way to school in south London. After booking herself into a London clinic in November, she says she has now thrown out her hip flask and has never been happier. "I'm sober. I'm single. I have great friends. I like my job. I'm not stupid,'' she said. Copyright 1999 Reuters Limited.

D: Language

• Kate Moss used to smoke marijuana when she was a school girl.
• She used to have a "hedonistic jet-set life of champagne..." but now she is much happier.

What does "used to" mean?

Write sentences using 'used to' about Moss's former life.

1)

2)

3)

Possible answer Kate Moss used to carry a hip flask on photo shoots. She used to start drinking at 10 in the morning. She always used to be drunk when she walked down the catwalk. She used to drink champagne before fashion shows.