66 Unit 6

A The adjectives below are used to describe people. Mark the ones you know. Look up the ones you don’t know in your dictionary. Then circle the ones that describe you.

adventurous fashion-conscious self-confident

daring outgoing serious

dependable practical sophisticated

B Read the title and the first paragraph of the article on the next page. Then look at the photos and ask a partner: Who might wear each pair of shoes? What can you tell about each person by looking at only his or her shoes?

C What does each type of shoe tell us about a person? Read the article and then complete the chart with information from the reading.

high-heeled shoes or boots for women low-heeled or flat shoes for women

heavy boots for men designer shoes for men

bright, multi-colored shoes neutral or darker colored shoes

worn sneakers designer sneakers

D How much can you tell about your partner by looking at his or her shoes? Describe him or her using the information in Exercise C to help you. Then share your description with your partner. Was it correct?

Reading

Humans have been wearing shoes for thousands of years. They protect our feet from the heat and cold; they allow us to walk comfortably or to run faster. Our shoes do more than this, though. They can also tell others a lot about us. If your shoes could talk, what would they say about you?

Boy or girl?

One of the first things your shoes tell others about you is your gender. A high-heeled shoe, for example, probably belongs to a woman. This kind of shoe wasn’t always associated with1 women, though. For hundreds of years, wealthy men and women in Europe and Asia wore high-heeled sandals or boots to protect their feet and clothes from mud and water on the ground.

Though today’s streets are cleaner, 4- to 5-inch stilettos are still very popular among women. Beautiful? Perhaps. Practical? Not really. So why do so many women continue to wear them? Natacha Marro, who has designed shoes for pop stars like Christina Aguilera, explains. “You put on heels, and suddenly you are 6 inches [15 centimeters] higher. It’s a power thing.” Wearing stilettos (or any high-heeled shoe or boot) tells others that you’re daring and self-confident. Some people find that very attractive. Low-heeled or flat shoes, on the other hand, project a more serious image. They tell others that you’re practical and dependable.

What do you do?

For hundreds of years, shoes also told others about a person’s occupation or social position. In early Japan, for example, merchants, actors, and soldiers wore shoes specific to their line of work. Although we usually can’t

1

10

20

30

tell what a person does by looking at his or her shoes anymore, we can still make some guesses. A man who wears heavy boots on the job, for example, may work outside; perhaps he’s a construction worker or firefighter. A man with a closet full of designer shoes, however, may need to dress more formally at work. Perhaps he’s an attorney or business executive. Or maybe he just has the money to af ford a lot of expensive shoes.

What are you like?

In ancient Rome, the wealthy could be identified by the red or orange shoes they wore. Though shoe color no longer indicates2 one’s social status, it does still tell us something about the shoe owner’s personality. Bright, multi-colored shoes or those with lots of details suggest an outgoing, adventurous character. Neutral or darker colors, on the other hand, signal sophistication and self-control. Even the sneakers we wear can tell others a lot about us. A worn3 pair, for example, suggests that you’re a bit of a rebel—a person who doesn’t care what others think. A pair of $400 designer sneakers, however, tells others you’re a fashion-conscious person who is interested in the latest trends, whatever the cost.

Our shoes say a lot about us, even when we aren’t wearing them. Look at the shoes you’ve got on right now. What do they tell others about you?

40

50

Every ShoeTells a Story

67

A Christian Louboutin stiletto

1 associated with to be connected or related to another thing2 indicate show3 worn old, damaged, used a lot

WC_L1_U6_p60-71.indd 66-67 3/16/12 4:57 PM