Reading

1 Read the text. Choose the correct answer, A, B, C or D.

1 According to the article, people are pleased when they
A see that their photos are online.
B are compared to Hollywood actors.
C see how they really looked when out.
D look at themselves in the mirror before they go out.
2 The writer says that
A most people look better before they go out.
B this problem only affects George Clooney.
C you should be careful who you go out with.
D we are always pleased when we see our reflections.
3 One way to look better in photographs is to
A show your friends how to take them.
B be careful about who takes your photo.
C make sure you look down on the photographer.
D be prepared for photos that friends take.
4 The difference between looking at yourself and other people in photos is
that they
A are more attractive than you.
B look the same as you remember them.
C never look as good as they should.
D are wearing more stylish clothes than you.
5 The aim of the article is to
A make people feel better about photos of themselves.
B help people look better when they go out.
C criticise the effect of social media.
D advise people on how to take attractive photos.

© Pearson  2020 PHOTOCOPIABLE Focus 3 SECOND EDITION (B1/B1+)

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SELF IMAGES
As you prepare to go out, you check yourself in the mirror. Everything
looks good. The hair style is right, your complexion is tanned and your
smile could make Liam Payne jealous. Later in the evening, when friends
take photos, you are happy to pose for the camera. The next day,
however, when the photos are uploaded to the Internet, you are shocked.
You don’t recognise that person. It can’t be you! The facial features are
all wrong, the skin too pale and the hair is horrific. So just why do we
look different in photos to how we imagine ourselves to be?
There isn’t just one reason. Firstly, people often look better early in the
evening than later on. You have probably just come out of the shower,
brushed your hair and put on your elegant clothes. If there was something
wrong, you would do something about it and then admire yourself again.
When the photos are taken, you may be tired or perhaps full after a good
meal. Your hair may not look quite so good as it did. Often, when people get
home and look in the mirror, they think: ‘I look terrible’. It’s just that,
being home and alone, it doesn’t matter.
Another reason is to do with angles. In the mirror, we see our nose, mouth
and chin from above. This is more flattering than looking up from below.
We also turn slightly and smile trying to get the best look possible.
Unfortunately, our friends probably aren’t as careful. Photos are taken when
we aren’t ready, often from the wrong position. You could watch carefully
to see when someone is going to take a photo and pose for it but,
although the photos might look better, your evening won’t be very relaxing.
Finally, there is the comparison with the people around you. Why do
they all look so good in photos compared to you? Even those who aren’t
as attractive or slim as you? The reason is that you know exactly how
they looked all evening because you could see them. There are no
surprises. However, you are comparing yourself not to how you really
looked but to an image of yourself that was in your head. An image in
which your complexion is clearer, your eyes bigger and even your

© Pearson  2020 PHOTOCOPIABLE Focus 3 SECOND EDITION (B1/B1+)

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clothes are more stylish.

So what can we do about it? On the one hand, for all the reasons
above, photos of ourselves will rarely please us. There’s a reason why
many celebrities do everything they can to not be photographed in
public. On the other hand, you should remember that your friends feel
exactly the same. So, when they look at photos of you, they will be as
jealous of you as you are of them. Take comfort from that but maybe
avoid looking at photos taken of you which appear on other people’s
social networking pages.
/5
2. Complete the sentences 1–5 with one or two words from the text.
1 The article says that people ________________ _______________ when
they realise what they looked like the night before.
2 When we are home alone, it ________________ _______________ if we
look good or bad.
3 Our facial features look more flattering when we look at them
_____________________________.
4 The way you look in photos is different to the way you look in
__________________________.
5 According to the article we should ___________
_____________________ at photos of us which are uploaded online.
/5
3 Read the text and complete gaps 1–5 with missing sentences A–G.
There are two extra sentences.
A SUMMER AWAY FROM HOME
Many companies organise summer programmes abroad for young
people aged fifteen to twenty. 1_____ Travelling without your parents is a
great way to become more independent, make new friends, and see a
different country. But what is it really like to go on one of these rips? We
spoke to three young travellers about their experiences.

© Pearson  2020 PHOTOCOPIABLE Focus 3 SECOND EDITION (B1/B1+)

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Josh Tanner went to Lagos, Nigeria

I’m really good at football, so when I heard about a football volunteer
programme in Africa, I was really excited. 2_____ But after I had showed
them some information on the internet, they decided that it was safe for me
to go. I was feeling tired when I arrived in Lagos, and I couldn’t believe how
hot it was. 3_____ I stayed with the Ngembo family in an apartment in the
centre of Lagos. It was very small, and I had to share a room with three boys.
But everyone was really nice to me, so I soon got used to having no privacy.
I worked really hard, but I enjoyed my job, too. For most of the time, I was
helping a Nigerian sports coach to teach football to ten-year-old boys and
girls. I had a great time there, and I really got used to living in a big, noisy
African city. By the time I left, I had really started to fit in!
Rebecca Jones went to Arles, France
Last year, I spent two weeks at a summer art school for young people in
Arles. Arles is a beautiful little town in Provence, in the south of France. We
were staying in a campsite and sharing tents, and most of the other students
were French. I was nervous at first about speaking French to them. But
everyone was nice to me, and they didn’t criticise my mistakes. I really
gained a lot of confidence after I’d been there for a week. The course was
good too. We had drawing and painting lessons every morning. Then, every
afternoon, the teachers took us out into the countryside to practise our skills.
The famous painter Vincent Van Gogh used to live in Arles. 4_____ It’s a
really beautiful place. I think I painted some good pictures while I was
staying there. When Van Gogh was painting in Arles, people didn’t used to
like his work. Now his paintings sell for millions of pounds. Who knows?
Maybe the same thing will happen to my pictures one day.
Matt Hazelwood went to Bryce Canyon, USA
Last summer, I got a job at Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah, USA. It’s a
beautiful place, but it was very difficult to get there! After I’d flown ten

© Pearson  2020 PHOTOCOPIABLE Focus 3 SECOND EDITION (B1/B1+)

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hours from London to Las Vegas, I had to get a bus to Cedar Springs, Utah.
And after someone had met us there, it was another three-hour drive to the
park. 5_____ Lots of young people like me were working in the park last
summer. We were helping people from the US National Park Service to
repair and build things like picnic tables and information signs. We also
helped to repair the walking paths and make them safe. That’s important
because a lot of middle-aged and elderly people visit the US national parks. I
had to work really hard all summer, and get up very early in the morning.
But I soon got used to that, and it was great to work outside in such a
beautiful place. Bryce Canyon is famous for its red rocks and cliffs − and
when the sun comes up in the early morning, they look amazing!
A When I’d finally arrived, I went to bed and slept for twelve hours!
B But it only took me a few days to get used to the weather.
C Many other artists used to visit the area too, and I can see why.
D There aren’t any big animals in these national parks, but you can see lots
of birds.
E From working with children in Africa to protecting an ancient Inca road in
Peru, there are lots of different trips to choose from.
F I phoned my parents every few days, so they weren’t concerned about me.
G My parents weren’t so enthusiastic at first.
/5
4 Read the text. Answer the questions in
your own words.
1 At what time of year do you think Cornwall is busiest?
2 Why was Sam not able to get a job?
3 What qualifi cations do you need to apply for this project?
4 Why did Jamie Oliver set up ‘Fifteen Cornwall’?

© Pearson  2020 PHOTOCOPIABLE Focus 3 SECOND EDITION (B1/B1+)

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5 How have Sam and Charlotte’s lives changed because of ‘Fifteen

Cornwall’?

HOPE FOR THE FUTURE

Sam Lounds didn’t use to know what to do with his life. He’s from
Cornwall, an area in the south west of England that o ers few prospects for
teenagers and young people. Apart from working in the summer tourist trade
– Cornwall is a popular holiday destination – there isn’t much to do there. ‘I
just used to hang out with my friends and in the end I got into trouble with
the police.’ Sam struggled to fi nd a job after he was released from prison at
the age of 22. ‘After I got out, I couldn’t get a job because of my
background.’
Charlotte Hadaway is also from Cornwall. She had a job with a holiday
company, but that didn’t work out and after that she was unemployed. Then
she had a big fi ght with her family and for some time she was homeless. She
felt that her life was going nowhere and in fact, she had given up making any
plans for the future.
But Charlotte and Sam, as well as many other young people, have been given
a chance to rebuild their lives. ‘Fifteen Cornwall’ is a restaurant set up by
Jamie Oliver, the famous chef, and he is responsible for changing the lives of
many teenagers and young adults in Cornwall. To be given the opportunity
to work at the restaurant, candidates must live in Cornwall and be between
the ages of 16 and 24. They must not have a job or be in education.
The people who were interviewing the young candidates were surprised –
they usually try to find the best person for a job, but Jamie was asking them
to find the worst! Many of the applicants had dropped out of school or run
away from home. Jamie has a vision – he wants to give hope to young people
who feel that they have no future. Both Sam and Charlotte say that ‘Fifteen
Cornwall’ has saved their lives. They have become chefs and have excellent
futures ahead of them. They used to think they had nothing, but now they
have everything.
/5

© Pearson  2020 PHOTOCOPIABLE Focus 3 SECOND EDITION (B1/B1+)

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© Pearson  2020 PHOTOCOPIABLE Focus 3 SECOND EDITION (B1/B1+)