III. Reading. Changing face of dating
BILLBOARD DATING
changing face of dating
Single and looking for love? How about advertising yourself to millions of possible partners? For about £100 a week, you can have a 12-metre high photograph of your face in the centre of your city. It's called 'billboard dating' and it's the latest way to find your perfect partner.
Billboard dating started in 2003 in the north of England. Now billboard photos are appearing all over the UK. The idea came from John Craig, the manager of an online dating agency called findyourpartner.com. John believes that people respond more to billboard pictures than online ads. Secretary Sally Noland, 24, advertised her face on the back of a bus. 'I never used a dating agency before,' she says. 'But after I split up with my boyfriend I wanted him to see my face every day!' Businessman James Ryman, 42, paid findyourpartner.com to put his face in a busy London train station. 'People can see you before they meet you, and that makes everything much easier!' he says.
Billboard dating is a big success for findyourpartner.com. The website address appears on all the billboards. Anybody who wants to contact the people in the photos goes to the website to find more information. John Craig has also introduced the service in Spain, the USA and Australia.
Read the article again and choose the best answer to the questions.
1. How can people contact someone they see on a billboard?
a) They phone a telephone number next to the face on the billboard
b) They go to www.findyourpartner.com and find the email address of the person they like
с) They send a message to the email address on the billboard
2. Why does John Craig think billboard dating is more successful than online dating?
a) Because people in billboard advertisements get more messages
b) Because people who answer billboard advertisements are more fun
с) Because newspapers are interested in billboard dating
3. Why did Sally choose to use billboard dating?
a) Because she tried online dating and it didn't work
b) Because she thinks online dating is embarrassing
с) Because she was angry with her ex-boyfriend
4. Why does James think billboard dating is better than online dating?
a) Because he thinks online dating is embarrassing,
b) Because people see how you look before they go on a date with you.
с) Because train stations are good places to meet ' people.
IV. Writing
Write an essay on the given theme. Try to answer the following questions.