News English Lessons
FREE Handout, Listening & Quizzes - Lipstick
(11 Pages of Materials & 8 Online Activities)

Lipsticks Found To Contain Lead (15th February, 2012)

America’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has found lead in 400 different types of lipstick on sale in the USA. All of the lipsticks tested were within safe limits but the levels of lead were higher than expected. The FDA tested top brands including L’Oreal and Proctor and Gamble. L’Oreal’s Sensational Pink Petal lipstick was top of the list of those containing lead. It had 7.19 parts of lead per million. L’Oreal produced five of the 10 lipsticks with the highest lead levels.

Too much lead in the body can lead to health problems. These include kidney damage, lower IQ, and behavioural and attention problems. Pregnant women and young children are most at risk. A L’Oreal spokeswoman said people do not need to worry about the safety of the company’s products. “L’Oreal maintains the highest standards for safety and consumers can use all of our products with complete confidence,” she said. All L’Oreal products follow FDA and European safety guidelines.

PHRASE MATCH

Match the following phrases from the article.
Paragraph 1

Paragraph 2

LISTENING GAP FILL

America’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ______________ 400 different types of lipstick on sale in the USA.  All of the lipsticks tested were ______________ but the levels of lead were higher than expected. The FDA tested ______________ including L’Oreal and Proctor and Gamble. L’Oreal’s Sensational Pink Petal lipstick was ______________ of those ______________. It had 7.19 parts of lead per million. L’Oreal produced five of the 10 lipsticks with the ___________________.
Too ______________ the body can lead to health problems. These include kidney damage, ______________, and behavioural and attention problems. Pregnant women and young children are ______________. A L’Oreal spokeswoman said people do not ______________ about the safety of the company’s products. “L’Oreal maintains the ___________________ for safety and consumers can use all of our products with complete confidence,” she said. All L’Oreal _______________ FDA and European safety guidelines.

MULTIPLE CHOICE

America’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) (1) ____ found lead in 400 different types of lipstick on sale in the USA.  (2) ____ of the lipsticks tested were within (3) ____ limits but the levels of lead were higher than expected. The FDA tested top brands (4) ____ L’Oreal and Proctor and Gamble. L’Oreal’s Sensational Pink Petal lipstick was top of the list of (5) ____ containing lead. It had 7.19 parts of lead per million. L’Oreal produced five of the 10 lipsticks with the (6) ____ lead levels.
Too (7) ____ lead in the body can lead to health problems. These include kidney damage, lower (8) ____, and behavioural and attention problems. Pregnant women and young children are most (9) ____ risk. A L’Oreal spokeswoman said people do not need (10) ____ worry about the safety of the company’s products. “L’Oreal maintains the highest standards for safety and consumers can use all of our products with (11) ____ confidence,” she said. All L’Oreal products (12) ____ FDA and European safety guidelines.
Put the correct words from this table into the article.

SPELLING

Spell the jumbled words (from the text) correctly.

PUT THE TEXT BACK TOGETHER

Number these lines in the correct order.

THE READING / TAPESCRIPT

With a partner, put the words back into the correct order.

DISCUSSION (Write your own questions)

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WRITING

Write about lipstick for 10 minutes. Show your partner your paper. Correct each other’s work.
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HOMEWORK

1. VOCABULARY EXTENSION: Choose several of the words from the text. Use a dictionary or Google’s search field (or another search engine) to build up more associations / collocations of each word.
2. LIPSTICK: Search the Internet and find more information about lipstick. Talk about what you discover with your partner(s) in the next lesson.
3. MAGAZINE ARTICLE: Write a magazine article about lipstick. Include an imaginary interview with a lipstick maker. Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Give each other feedback on your articles.
4. WHAT HAPPENED NEXT? Write a newspaper article about the next stage in this news story. Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Give each other feedback on your articles.
5. LETTER: Write a letter to a lipstick expert. Ask him/her three questions about lipstick. Give him/her three of your opinions on it. Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Your partner will answer the questions you asked.