Shoe-fitting fluoroscope: A risky business

ESL Lessons: True Stories

A printable worksheet for story-based English conversation classes.

Difficulty: Intermediate B1

PDF: Shoe-fitting fluoroscope: A risky business

Warm-up

Have you ever had an X-ray?

Vocabulary Match

scientific •• right size
X-rays •• instrument
device •• radiation
radiation •• energy
fit •• advanced
realized •• understood

Vocabulary Answers

scientificadvanced
X-raysradiation
deviceinstrument
radiationenergy
fitright size
realizedunderstood

True Story

Listen and fill in the blanks with words from above.

In the early 1900s, shoe stores in North America and Europe used a machine called the shoe-fitting fluoroscope. This ________ used ________ to show the bones of a person's feet inside their shoes. The idea was to help customers find shoes that ________ better. However, it was more of a marketing tool than a real help for fitting shoes.

Using X-rays seemed ________, but it was dangerous. People did not know about the risks of ________ at the time. One expert said, "Don't talk to me about X-rays. I am afraid of them." Over time, people ________ the dangers, and by the 1950s, many places stopped using these machines. Today, they are mostly found in museums.

In the early 1900s, shoe stores in North America and Europe used a machine called the shoe-fitting fluoroscope. This device used X-rays to show the bones of a person's feet inside their shoes. The idea was to help customers find shoes that fit better. However, it was more of a marketing tool than a real help for fitting shoes.

Using X-rays seemed scientific, but it was dangerous. People did not know about the risks of radiation at the time. One expert said, "Don't talk to me about X-rays. I am afraid of them." Over time, people realized the dangers, and by the 1950s, many places stopped using these machines. Today, they are mostly found in museums.

Quiz

  1. What did the shoe-fitting fluoroscope use X-rays for?
  2. Why was the machine considered dangerous?
  3. When did people stop using these machines?
  4. Where can you find these machines today?

Quiz Answers (examples)

  1. It used X-rays to show the bones of a person's feet inside their shoes.
  2. Because people did not know about the risks of radiation at the time.
  3. By the 1950s.
  4. In museums.

True or False

  1. The shoe-fitting fluoroscope was a real help for fitting shoes. T F
  2. People knew about the dangers of X-rays in the early 1900s. T F
  3. An expert said that he was scared of X-rays. T F

True or False Answers

  1. False
  2. False
  3. True

Conversation

A:Have you seen this new machine for shoe fitting?
B:Yes, it looks like something from a science lab!
A:I heard it uses X-rays to check your feet.
B:That sounds a bit scary, doesn't it?
A:Yeah, I hope it's safe to use.
B:Me too! I don't want glowing feet!

Discussion

  1. Have you ever used an unusual machine in a store?
  2. Do you think technology makes shopping easier?
  3. What popular technology from the past is rarely used these days?

Further Reading

https://spectrum.ieee.org/when-xrays-were-all-the-rage-a-trip-to-the-shoe-store-was-dangerously-illuminating

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