Activity 5-Reading Comprehension

ACTIVITY 5
READING COMPREHENSION
ANA SOFÍA HERNÁNDEZ RAMÍREZ
A. Find evidence for the following
1. The holidays are a tricky time for shopaholics since they are tempted by the low
prices.
During the holiday season, the purchase and consumption index increases
significantly both in shopping centers and in online purchases. The consumer society
of the 21st century assumes this type of excessive commercial behavior as something
normal, since most of them take it as a traditional practice that very few question or
stop to analyze, it is something unnecessary but nobody really cares.
2. Some experts think people shop to relieve their frustrations.
This statement is quite true, because normally this type of activity can be assumed as
a refuge or an escape for those people dissatisfied with their reality, who plan to fill
their emotional voids with material accumulation that is mostly really useless and
does not satisfy them, for Hence, this pattern of behavior occurs repeatedly.
3. Compulsive shopping becomes a disease when it gets out of control and starts to
ruin people’s life.
Oniomania or compulsive shopping is a psychological disorder whose symptom is an

unbridled desire to buy without a real need, common in people who suffer from
mood disorders. This psychopathology is usually associated with depressive disorders
and low self-esteem, although compulsive shopping can be present in other mental
illnesses such as bipolar disorder or borderline personality disorder.
4. It is just as difficult to control as other types of obsessive behavior.

Addiction to shopping is a real problem, just as complex as any other disorder that
can profoundly affect the entire environment and lifestyle of those who suffer from
it. This condition is very serious and whoever feels the need to get out of it should
seek support and follow the following recommendations:
 Plan your purchases

 Make a list of what you will buy
 Don´t buy when you´re sad
 Go out accompanied
 Allocate a specific budget
 Detect if you have accumulative behavior
 Seek help
5. Some people are totally reckless when it comes to buying the things they love.
This type of disorder is very versatile and people interpret it in different ways, not all
patients buy the same things in equal quantities, the symptoms are the same,
however the intensity of the case and the recovery process is very varied. The tastes
and affinities of the person can be known through the analysis of their purchases.
6. Shopping helps them to deal with their lack of confidence.
This condition is associated with anxiety, depression and lack of self-esteem, who is
trapped by their impulses see in shopping the way to hide their emotional deficiency
and they assume it as a solution that generates temporary satisfaction, since they are
never satisfied.
B. Answer the following questions in your own words as far as possible.
1. Is online shopping a safe alternative for compulsive buyers? Justify.
Personally I think not, because online purchases can be the same or even more risky
than direct purchases, since the consumer only needs a credit card and makes a
couple of clicks, it is extremely dangerous and can make the addiction exceed all the
limits.
2. In what way does obsessive shopping affect people’s lives?
This condition affects the entire work, social and family environment of the patient,
since he really ceases to have a life of his own and his only purpose is to buy to
satisfy himself momentarily, and when the money runs out they do whatever it takes
to get it for keep feeding your disorder, from lying, cheating, stealing or even
assaulting your close ones.
3. How do shopaholics try to cheat others about their spending?
Shopaholics develop a high capacity to lie, hide bills and even hide their large
number of purchases, they do not allow anyone to get involved and they never lose
sight of their credit cards or cash
4. Why do you think was it difficult for Arzu to control her spending habits?
For Arzu, getting to control was so complex because his state of boredom was solved
through shopping, and in a city like New York, commerce is highly tempting, prices
are favorable and there is something new to buy in every corner. In addition to this,
he had in his hands those credit cards capable of satisfying all his whims.
C. Explain the following in your own words.
1. ...” men outspent women” … (3rd ¶)
The compulsive shopper prototype has been renewed, as this is not just a woman´s
thing and the statistics make it very clear. Men spend twice as much money on
online purchases as women.
2. ...” the thrill fades fast and is often followed by remorse” … (6th ¶)
As I said before, the satisfaction generated by shopping for addicts is something

momentary, because they do not really buy for pleasure but for anxiety, when they
finish their disastrous day they arrive home and the panorama remains the same, no
matter how much they buy or how much. Expensive be all that does not serve to fill
their emotional voids
D. Match the words from the text with their meaning on the right.
ANSWERS:
1 d
2 f
3 h
4 b
5 c
6 g
7 a
8 e
E. What do the underlined words refer to in the text?
1. The holiday season

2. April Lane Benson
3. Men
4. 195 U.K teenagers
5. Purchasing
6. Some sufferers
7. Compulsive shoppers
8. Low self-esteem
F. Read this text on consumerism and complete it with the words below:
1. Purchase
2. Need
3. Ads
4. Buying
5. Bored
6. Shoppers
7. Unnecessary
8. Behavior
G. Rewrite each sentence using a RELATIVE PRONOUN – use commas where necessary.
SENTENCE CORRECION:
1. One of April Benson’s patients, who was compulsively shopping on the Internet
all day, got fired.
2. You’ve spent all the money I gave you, which is totally unacceptable.
3. We met a nice lady the other day whose son spends a lot of money on clothes.
4. Shopping centers where people love to shop now look like cathedrals.
5. Young people are constantly exposed to advertising messages which are
designed to make them believe they can’t live without a certain product.
6. A young man who I saw getting arrested yesterday was accused of shop-lifting.
H. Complete each sentence with a suitable verb tense.
1. I ... (buy) this new pair of trousers. Do you like them?

2. She lost her credit card, while she (shop).
3. She ... (already spend) a lot of money when her mother arrived at the store.
4. Thomas (go) shopping every Saturday morning. This is a little bit too much; don’t
you think?
5. They (arrive) from the shopping centre 5 minutes ago.
6. We’ll go shopping, when the rain (stop).
7. It’s time to go home now. You (shop) all afternoon.
8. He (try) to save some money for a new car at the moment.
SENTENCE
1. Have bought
2. Was shopping
3. Had already spent
4. Goes
5. Arrived
6. stops/has stopped
7. Have shopped/ have been shopping
8. Is trying
I. In no less than 200 words, do one of the following.
1. Bearing in mind the text and the role of advertising write an opinion essay
explaining why people are victims of consumerism and at what cost. What
about you? Are you a victim as well? Explain
21st century consumerism is more than a daily reality; it is something that is

implicit in our culture and the social development of humanity since the
beginning of the commercial era. Normally we are all aware of this, but there are
very few who pay attention to the subject and analyze the amount of risks that
mismanagement of consumption implies. Unfortunately, in school, they gave
more importance to mathematics, natural sciences, social sciences and English,
instead of promoting the development of emotional and financial intelligence. it
is important for the human being to have an organization and a healthy lifestyle,
and this logically includes the use of money and investing it in useful things that
we really need. currently there is a phenomenon that harms society, we speak
specifically about those commercial strategies that encourage the individual to
waste their money, this is harmful because we are not creating an intelligent and
thrifty society, but a society that revolves around who has more things and you
can brag about them, this situation is disastrous, but as it is typical of the human
being, we romanticize this type of behavior and normalize everything that hurts
us only to ignore the problems and live a bland and miserable life.
The price that we are paying thanks to this cultural and social distortion lies in
the loss of business reasoning and misbehavior. The consumer human being is
the one who enriches the mega companies that fill his head with ideas and
without having to speak with him directly they manage to go to their stores and
buy their products, these are nothing more than simple advertisements that sell
you happiness through of a product that in the end will not solve the problems in
your life. Shopaholics are the spitting image of what I am talking about, they are
people who do not really have their own criteria because they live through
useless things that generate momentary satisfaction, many do not take into
account the risk that this emotional disorder represents for those who suffer, this
disorder is undervalued, however it can ruin many lives if support is not sought in
time.
Personally, I do not consider myself a victim of consumerism, as I have inquired
about how to ideally handle the little money that I have had in my hands.
Normally I think that at some point I will need money for emergencies, therefore
I have very well developed my saving habits. I buy clothes or personal products
only when it is very necessary and I do not like to waste absolutely anything,
however I must admit that I also indulge in certain tastes on the few occasions
when the economic situation is favorable.
2. Use the ads below as examples and write about the techniques used by
advertisers to convince people to buy.
a) Language features adjectives, repetition, word puns,

hyperboles/exaggerations, neologism (new words), imperative, rhyme,
short simple sentences…
b) Humor
c) Appealing to basic needs
d) Exploiting people’s fears (making them self-conscious)
e) Slogan/jingle
f) Sexually charged images (visual effects)

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ACTIVITY 5

A. Find evidence for the following

2. Some experts think people shop to relieve their frustrations.

Oniomania or compulsive shopping is a psychological disorder whose symptom is an

4. It is just as difficult to control as other types of obsessive behavior.

 Plan your purchases

6. Shopping helps them to deal with their lack of confidence.

B. Answer the following questions in your own words as far as possible.

1. Is online shopping a safe alternative for compulsive buyers? Justify.

3. How do shopaholics try to cheat others about their spending?

C. Explain the following in your own words.

1. ...” men outspent women” … (3rd ¶)

As I said before, the satisfaction generated by shopping for addicts is something

E. What do the underlined words refer to in the text?

1. The holiday season

1. I ... (buy) this new pair of trousers. Do you like them?

I. In no less than 200 words, do one of the following.

21st century consumerism is more than a daily reality; it is something that is

a) Language features adjectives, repetition, word puns,

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