Children’s chores

In average European and American families children are expected to help about the house. There're assigned "chores" which might include, for instance, vacuuming the rugs, washing and polishing floors, mowing the lawn, cleaning windows, shoveling snow, keeping the car(s) clean, looking after pets and so on. Some parents give a small amount of money, an allowance, in exchange for these and similar chores. In other families they simply expect such work to be shared.

At the same time many middle-class families expect their children to find part-time jobs, especially, when they enter their teens. This might be: working at the local supermarket or service station, mowing lawns, delivering newspapers, or babysitting. Many high school seniors volunteer to work in hospitals. They are not ashamed of doing menial work.

The idea seems to be that the work experience is (as parents are so fond of telling their children) "good for you", it's often a way of gaining status. Parents feel that young people should appreciate the value of work and learn how to stand on their own two feet.

1. Say whether the statements are TRUE or FALSE and correct them:

• The most common chores are: ironing, cooking food and shopping.

• Children get an allowance in exchange for their good behaviour and excellent school records.

• Many parents approve of part-time jobs.

• Menial work isn’t popular among teenagers.

• Parents are fond of telling that work experience is necessary for gaining status. Children can learn how to stand on their own two feet only when they're not afraid of work.

Task 3.

Read the text and make up short dialogues about your daily programme, using active vocabulary.

At roughly 7.30 a.m. my radio alarm buzzes. It blasts me into loudness of the morning. I lie for a while deciding whether to pretend to be fatally ill. This trick usually doesn't work, but I try anyway. My mother never believes me and I finally crawl out of bed. By this time it is 8 a.m. - the time I used to leave the house for school.

As I work in a shop which sells jeans on Saturday, I only have a lie-in on Sundays. I have my Sunday breakfast at about 3 p.m., followed by lunch at 5.30 p.m. My mother doesn't approve, and my father thinks it is a big joke. I think it is neither disastrous nor funny- it's crucial. I usually enjoy school if I'm up-to-date with my schoolwork. I hate the feeling of being left behind with anything. I enjoy school mainly because of the number of friends I have there, I also hate being alone. Another good reason for coming to school is to see my boy-friend, Craig, who I meet every lunchtime. However, I don't let this interfere with my schoolwork. After school I either have basketball practice for the school team, or I go home to get myself ready to go out with Craig, I see Craig almost every evening. He says he doesn't mind what I look like but I like to feel as though I've made an effort. I either do my homework before I see him, during the time I see him, or when he leaves for the bus at 11 p.m.- which would explain why I get up so late. Either way my homework gets done.

When I go to bed I often think about possible careers and dream of becoming rich and famous due to an outstanding talent that no one has discovered yet. Then I allow myself to worry about anything and everything, to worry about school, money, my future, the next day, what I look like, what people think about me and what I could do to change the way people think about me. I usually fall asleep at about 1 a.m. when I've worried myself silly.

1 really enjoy looking after young children. They are so interesting. It was my ambition to be a nanny or nursery nurse, but efforts to make me change my mind eventually succeeded. “You're too bright.” “There's no money in it.” “You'd get bored.” “You’d be able to get a far better job.” I suppose I could baby sit until I have children of my own. I’m looking forward very much to having children, but I'm not keen on the idea of being a stereotypical mother/housewife. I also want a career and a good one, but doing what? I wish I knew! My father continuously asks whether I've made up my mind yet. Now I'm concentrating on getting good exam results so that I’ll have a solid base to move in any direction - preferably upwards.

Task 4.

Read the text “The Use of Leisure” and answer the questions after it.