Part 1
Anna: I’m looking for a new look. What sort of style do you think would suit me?
Stylist: Hmm. Do you usually wear your hair up or down?
Anna: I sometimes wear it up for work – a bun, or pony-tail – but usually down.
Stylist: That’s good: I think you have very nice hair – very luxurious – so you should show it off. I wouldn’t cut it too short either. Maybe we can give you a few curls, or make it a bit wavy, and add some volume so it isn’t too flat.
Anna: Ok, I’m tired of straight hair. But I don’t want anything that goes frizzy in the rain!
Stylist: Don’t worry. How about the colour?
Anna: Highlights, maybe, but don’t dye it: I don’t like it when my roots show.
Stylist: Ok, I think I know what you want.
I’ve been wearing the same glasses, and the same style of clothes, for the last ten years. I think it’s time for a new look.
I like your new look. Very sexy.
2. suit me/suits me = look good on me; goes well with your look
I don’t think this hat suits me.
I like your new haircut. It suits you.
3. wear hair up = tie long hair up so it doesn’t get in the way
4. wear hair down = let long hair hang
5. luxurious = very high quality; far better than normal people have
I like this house. It’s very luxurious. Is that a swimming pool?!
6. volume (for hair) = bigger, more energy in your hair
7. tired of…= bored of
I’m tired of this job. I think I’d like to go travelling for a while.
I’m tired of listening to you. I’m going to the bar.
8 roots = the hair closest to the head, where it grows. When your ‘roots show’, it means dyed hair has grown, leaving the original colour close to the head
Part 2
Barber: Good afternoon, sir. What can I do for you?
Philip: Nothing too fancy: just a short-back-and-sides please.
Barber: Sure. How short do you want it?
Philip: Not too short; just make it so I don’t look too messy – I have a date tonight. Take a little off the fringe, and can you use clippers on the back?
Barber: No problem. Do you normally have a parting? Maybe a side-parting? And what would you like me to do with your sideburns?
Philip: No parting, and keep the sideburns. Maybe use the serrated scissors on the top.
Barber: You know your hair is thinning a little on top. You’ve got a bit of a bald spot.
Philip: Just cut my hair!
(later)
Barber: Is this OK?
Philip: Can I see the back please? (looking at back) Yep, that’s fine.
Barber: Do you want any product? Gel? Mousse?
Philip: No thanks. I’m a simple man with simple tastes.
Barber: I wouldn’t tell your date that…
What sort of computer are you looking for?
Nothing too fancy. I just need it for work.
2. short-back-and-sides: a common simple men’s haircut
3. fringe: the hair at the front that hangs down towards the eyes (called ‘bangs’ in US English)
4. parting: a line on the head at which hair on one side goes one way, and hair on the other goes the other. Usually a side-parting or a centre-parting
5. sideburns: hair growing down next to the ears
6. thinning hair: losing hair; going a little bald
7. bald spot: an area on the head where hair has fallen out (usually at the top)
8. Just… = stop talking and do your job; stop wasting time and get on with it
“I used to work for a company that did this, and we used to do that, and this, and blah blah…”
“Bob, please just get on with your work.”
9. simple man = a man who isn’t interested in being too cool, or too clever, or too rich
10. simple tastes = likes the simpler things, not the expensive or fancy things
Part 3
I’m not a fan of going to the hairdressers. I always feel like a bit of a fool sitting in the chair having someone trying to make me look good, and on top of this they always ask me questions about myself such as whether I am going on holiday this summer, or what I do for work. The worst part, however, is having to look at myself in the mirror. Things were a lot easier when I was young and my mum used to cut my hair for me.
NotesI’m a big fan of B-movies. The stupider and less believable, the better.
Thanks for the cookies, although I’m not really a fan of chocolate chips.
2. a bit of a fool = a person who is a bit stupid
Hmm, don’t you think her new boyfriend is, well, a bit of a fool?
You looked a bit of a fool in your dad’s clothes.
3. on top of this = as well as this; also
The soldiers had to face enemy fire every day, and disease was everywhere. On top of this, the weather was getting colder…
He’s a bad dancer, a bad kisser, and a bad listener. On top of this, he’s ugly.
4. such as: used to give examples
“He likes many things.”
“Such as?”
“Well, he is a big sports fan.”
Part 4
Some facts about the hair on the human head:
• Children are born with all their hair follicles (we don’t grow more as we get older). A lot of these follicles are already ‘programmed’ to grow to as long as 3-feet.
• However, as people get older hair falls out quicker (for example, after 3 years rather than 7 years) meaning older people naturally have shorter hair. People also lose hair follicles as they get older, meaning there is less hair on the head.
• Every day the young human scalp makes about 35 metres of hair.
• Hair is actually ‘dead’ material, which is why it doesn’t hurt when it is cut.
• In the human body, only bone marrow grows faster than hair.
• Hair is mostly made of keratin, which is also present in fingernails and toenails.
• Hair is as strong as iron. Breaking a piece of hair needs about 60kg of force.
• The average head has 100 000 strands of hair, although people with blonde hair have more strands than people with dark or red hair.
• Caucasian people have the most variations in hair colours and styles.
• Male hair grows quicker than female hair.
• People usually lose 40 to 100 strands of hair each day.
• Hair loss is hereditary (as is the condition alopecia, in which the body attacks hair follicles, resulting in hair falling out or no hair growing).
• A person needs to lose about half of his/her hair before other people can notice.
• Dandruff is caused by dead skin cells. Skin cells die on every person’s head, but usually are brushed or washed away without anyone noticing. However, sometimes the body makes more yeast (which kills the skin cells), making more dead cells, which leads to dandruff.