Hemza ZEGHAR
#OCE
Lesson #3 (Society)
People in Society.
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Andrew Carnegie is the typical self-made man: he was born into a poor family but
became one of America's richest men.
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A lot of people find his books boring and pretentious, but he's really popular among
the chattering classes.
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Pensioners often feel they are treated as second-class citizens by younger people.
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Football managers often go to smaller clubs to recruit new players from the grass
roots.
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I don't think their new policy represents the views of the silent majority.
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The men in grey suits have a lot to do if they are to win back public confidence in
our banking system.
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Smoking has become public enemy number one since the introduction of the
smoking ban.
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I've only been working here for a few weeks, so 1 really feel like the new kid on
the block.
1- self-made man: = person who 's rich and successful because they have worked hard,
not because they were born into a rich family
2- the chattering classes = educated people who enjoy discussing social, political and
cultural issues
3- second-class citizen = someone treated as if they are less important than others in
society
4- the grass roots. = ordinary people in a political or sporting organisation, not the
leaders
5- the silent majority = large number of people who do not express their opinions
publicly
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6- The men in grey suits = people in business or politics with a lot of influence or
power, although they are not well known to the public
7- public enemy = something or someone that a lot of people dislike or disapprove of
8- the new kid on the block = someone who is new in a place or organisation and has
many things to learn about it (informal)
Exercise :
Complete each sentence with an idiom.
1 Politicians often lose touch with the ………. ……………..…… and become isolated
from the public.
2 It's time the………………………………… was heard, instead of the more vocal and
aggressive minority.
3 My father was a………………………………………. He came from a poor background
and worked his way up until he became quite rich.
4 I'm sick of listening to the opinions of the ………………………… . What about the
opinions of ordinary people?
5 If you are poor, you may sometimes think you are a ……………………….. in terms of
access to university.
Exercise 2 :
Answer these questions.
1 How do you feel if you are the new kid on the block?
2 What, or who, in your opinion, is public enemy number one?
3 What kind of people are in the public eye?
4 What kind of people make up the grey vote?
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