Gok, Speak Up in Class

Gok

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Source:: Speak Up
Language Level: Pre-intermediate
Standard: British accent

Based on the article http://englishtips-self-taught.blogspot.com/2011/03/gok.html

GOK – Speak Up – Issue 280

GETTING STARTED.

TASK 1. Speaking. With your partner(s) discuss these questions.

a) Do you like fashion? Why (not)?

b) Who is your favourite designer? Why?

c) Do you like shopping? Why? (not)?

d) Do you think top models are a good example for young women? Why (not)?

e) Why are top models very thin, in your opinion?

TASK 2. Vocabulary. Check the vocabulary in the Glossary. Choose 5 or 6 expressions and test your partner(s).

LISTENING

TASK 3. Prediction. Before you listen, discuss these questions with your partner(s). What are the correct answers? If you don’t know, guess.

1. Gok is

a. a designer

b.a model

c. a fashion guru

2. Gok tells women to

a. go on a diet

b. accept their bodies

c. have plastic surgery

3. Gok has

a. presented TV shows

b. written books

c. presented TV shows and written books

TASK 4. Listening for Specific Information. Listen (without reading) to all of the recording and answer the questions from TASK 3:

Check your answers before completing the reading TASKS.

READING

TASK 5. Prediction #2. Before you read all of the article, discuss the possible answers to these questions with your partner(s). Make some notes.

a)    What type of women does Gok photograph?

b)    What kind of clothes do his “models” wear??

c)    What is the secret of Gok’s success?

d)    Where did Gok study his profession ?

e)    What is Gok’s promise to women?

f)    How is this possible?

TASK 6: Reading for Specific and Detailed Information: Read all of the text and answer the questions to TASK 5.

K.E.T. EXAM PRACTICE

(Paper 1: Reading and Writing Paper, PART 7)

TASK 7.

Complete this short letter..

Write ONE word for each space (41 to 50)

Dear Paula

I hope you are well.

I am reading an article about British fashion guru Gok. Do you know  (41) _______?  He (42) ________ born (43) ______ Leicester (44) ______1974.

He is very famous and has a programme (45) _____  TV. Have you see (46) _____? When he (47) ______ young he spent a lot (48) ______ time watching television and reading magazines about fashion.

His family had a restaurant and while he was at university he sometimes worked

(49)   _____ .

Now he only goes (50) _____  very expensive restaurants to eat!

Take care and see you soon

Mary

 

SPEAKING

TASK 8. What do you think? Discuss these questions with your partner(s).

1. Have you watched Gok’s programme? Why (not)?
2. Would you like to watch his programme? Why (not)?
3. Do you think he can really make all women beautiful? Why (not)?
4. Do you think he is an interesting person? Why (not)?
5. Do you think people spend too much money on clothes and cosmetics?
6. Do you think people pay too much attention to models and fashion?
7. What’s your opinion on the fashion industry in general?

Gok

Source:: Speak Up
Language Level: Pre-intermediate
Standard: British accent

A group of women are standing on a platform in a department store window in London’s Oxford Street. Crowds of people are watching. The women aren’t glamorous models; they are all different shapes and sizes. A photographer is preparing to take their photograph. Suddenly, they drop their robes, and stand there completely naked. The photographer’s camera flashes. The women laugh, and turn to a thin, elegant young man. Each woman kisses and hugs him. He tells them, “You’re all gorgeous! Thank you all!” This is Gok, or Gok Wan: he is Britain’s favourite fashion guru.

THE SECRET OF MY SUCCESS

Women love Gok. Hundreds of women take their clothes off for him. He even has an army. “Gok’s Naked Army.” He presents some of British television’s most successful shows: How To Look Good Naked, Gok’s Fashion Fix and Miss Naked Beauty.  What is his secret? Fashion gurus normally humiliate women. They tell them to diet, throw always their old clothes, and even suggest surgery. Gok is different. He helps women accept their bodies. They are beautiful as they are. He encourages them to try new, colourful fashions.

And he explains which clothes are good for their body shape. Most important, women trust him. And they know he is gay, of course.

MEDIA STAR

How did Gok become a fashion guru? He taught himself hairdressing and the art of make-up. He soon had celebrity clients like Brian Ferry, and wrote articles for fashion magazines like The Tattler, Glamour and Marie Claire. Then British television’s Channel 4 asked him to present a reality fashion show. He agreed on one condition: he would not humiliate anyone. His first show How To Look good Naked was an instant success. Gok promises to make any woman look beautiful. Can he really do it? He says, “Yes, I can.  There’s no trick. It’s a question of changing a woman’s attitude. It’s an emotional experience. We use a lot of Kleenex!

AUTHOR

Gok, or Gok Wan, is a successful writer. Look for his bestsellers How To Look Good Naked and Work Your Wardrobe. He has also designed a range of women’s lingerie with Simply Yours. He says, “It supports you. It holds you. And you’ll look beautiful.”