4.Match the verbs with the nouns or noun combinations

to pursue	a career
to share	the deterioration of the American family
to move out of or	the workforce
to establish	college
to force	financial problems
to be forced out into	career or educational goals
to indicate	resources
to cause	commitments to one another over a period of time
to attend	companionship, love
to start	their parent’s home
to have	a change in the traditional perception of the nuclear family
	responsibility for decisions, values and goals
	their own households

5.Fill in the gaps.

a. union	d. caring	g. assigned	j. with
b. consulting	e. purpose	h. separate	k. birth
c. sacred bond	f. technique	i. part	l. to support

1. In the old days the responsibilities ___1___ to the man and woman were quite ___2___. The man’s place was outside the home, earning a living ___3___the physical needs of his family. The woman’s place was at home, giving ___4___ to and raising children, ___5___for and feeding the family, nursing the sick and the aged.

2. In the days of our grandparents, the word “marriage” meant only one thing: the ___6___ of one man to one woman, for good or for bad, until “death do they ___7___ ”. Marriage was traditionally looked upon as something permanent, a ___8___ between man and woman for the ___9___ of raising a family. In comparison, marriage today can mean different things to different people. And to some people it doesn’t mean much at all.

3. In the USA many families can receive help ___10___ some of their problems by ___11___ a trained family counselor, a member of the clergy, a social worker or a psychologist. Many such specialists use a ___12___ called family therapy.

Grammar Exercises

1.Comment on the italicised grammatical structures.

1. More and more adults are remaining single, living together without getting married or waiting longer to get married.

2. They are delaying having children, or not having children at all.

3. This attidude toward marriage and the fact that more women are seeking further education and career opportunities has resulted in more couples than ever before deciding not to have children at all.

4. If the parents are more content with their lives, the family environment will be more peaceful.

5. However, it does seem that Americans are moving away from emphasizing one specific type of family and have begun to accept many different types.

6. It is predicted that most of the children born during the 1990s can expect their parents to divorce or separate at some point.