Hair Loss Problem | Randall's ESL Cyber Listening Lab

Level:	Topic:	Speakers:	Length:
difficult	hair loss treatment	man - woman	1:07

Pre-Listening Exercise

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?

Idioms

"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."

Listening Exercise

A. Listen to the recording and answer the questions.

The man is probably talking with his ______.

a family member

a close friend

a work colleague

Ron: Hey, I get enough of it from friends, and the people at work, and now from you!

The man is looking for medical information _____.

in a magazine

online

in the newspaper

Ron: Ah, nothing. I'm just looking up some information on the Internet.

He doesn't want to wear a hair piece (toupee) because _____.

it won't look natural

it makes his skin itch

it will fall off

Heather: Well, maybe you could wear a toupee? I think you'd look great. Ron: Oh no. And have it slip off my head on to my date's dinner plate as I lean over to kiss her? Uh-uh.

The man is worried about medical treatment because _____.

of the possible side effects

it is still unproven for his condition

it's somewhat expensive

Ron: Ah, I still don't give much credibility to medical treatment to prevent permanent hair loss.

Because of his hair loss, he feels that _____.

he won't be able to get a good job

women won't pay attention to him

he'll always get a sunburn

Ron: I just can't give up hope. I know appearances shouldn't matter, but I don't know. I just feel that women just avoid me.

Post-Listening Exercise

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?

Online Investigation

Use the Internet 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 are guarantees made on its effectiveness? How much does the product or service cost?

See Listening Script

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