16. Work in groups. What are the advantages and disadvantages of living in a large family?

Example:

advantages	disadvantages
never boring	expensive

17. Read the text and make more notes about the advantages and disadvantages of living in a large family.

Janet puts the reason for her large family down to the fact that she was an only child: 'Life was so lonely and dull for me I knew I wanted lots of children.'

But there are difficulties. If they go anywhere as a family they need two cars. And big families have big appetites. The Astons consume ten pints of milk and two loaves of bread a day. They also produce a lot of washing - four loads a day.

Richard is an accountant and budgets carefully for everything. The phone is his main worry — the children spend too long on it. Nor can they afford to go abroad on holiday. The eldest children work and Janet works part-time in a doctor's surgery.

Another problem is that you get no privacy or space. Janet and Richard share their room with the two youngest Astons, and Emily and Elizabeth sleep in the same bed so that Christopher and Sarah can have rooms of their own. 'That doesn't mean that you get left alone though,' complained Sarah. 'My room is on the ground floor, and if I bring a friend home, I get five faces at the window.'

Although Richard and Janet are great believers in fairness, it often doesn't work out in practice. Christopher claims that his parents were stricter with the older children, and that Victoria never does any work. Although the children may complain about each other and say that they won't have large families themselves, there is a general stories about us,' said Sarah. 'Most people have such boring lives compared to ours.'

18. Write the questions and answer them.

1. What / the life/ be/ of Janet/ in childhood?

2. How many loads / the Astons/ produce a day?

3. What / be/ Richard?

4. Where / Janet/ work?

5. Who / live/ on the ground floor?

19. Write down four advantages and four disadvantages of being an only child.

Example:

One advantage of being an only child is that you get lots of presents.

One disadvantage of being an only child is that you can be lonely.

20. Read Debra's statements below. Do you think she is from a large or small family?

• I was bored.

• I used to have a lot of imaginary brothers and sisters.

• I didn't have to share a bedroom.

• 1 got lots of presents.

• I was very spoilt.

• Lots of fuss was made over me.

• Now my parents are older, the responsibility will be all mine.

• My parents talked to me a lot.

21. Write down 10 statements about your family and read them to your group mates. They should guess if you are from a large or small family, if you have brothers and sisters or you are the only child.

22. Look at these family rules for children. Tick (V) the ones you agree with and cross (X) the ones you disagree with. Did you have any of these rules in your family?

• No smoking.

• No eating snacks or sweets between meals.

• No playing with children in the street.

• No swearing.

• Always having to ask for permission to go out.

• Having to do your homework every evening.

• Having to eat all your dinner.

• Always coming home on time.

• Having to make your bed every day.

23. Now look at some possible punishments for breaking the rules. Tick the ones you agree with and cross the ones you disagree with. Did any of these things happen to you?

• You have to go to bed.

• You have to stay in your room.

• You are not allowed to have any sweets.

• Your parents hit you.

• Your parents shout at you.

• You can't have any dinner.

• You can't watch TV.

• You have to clean the house.

• You have to eat cold/old food.

• You are not allowed to go out.

2 4. Talk with your partner about the house rules in your family. Do you think that having strict parents is a good thing? Use the expressions below.

SURPRISE	POLITE INTEREST	REGRET
I'm surprised Oh, really! I can't believe it! Really?	How interesting indeed! Oh, really! I see. How nice!	Oh, I am (so) sorry! Well, it's a pity indeed.

25. Learn the words and phrases

Assistance — помощь Descendant – потомок Diary - дневник Divorce — развод Divorcee — разведенный Existence – существование Experience — жизненный опыт Health-building home — дом отдыха Honour — честь Housing shortage — недостаток (нехватка) жилья Human — человеческий Marriage – брак, замужество Pride — гордость Reason — причина Restoration — возрождение, восстановление Revival — возрождение Sense — чувство To bring up children — воспитывать детей

To start — начинать To be like – быть похожим To be lost – (по)теряться To break up — разбивать(ся), распадаться To end — заканчивать(ся) To manage the family budget — вести семейный бюджет To marry — жениться, выходить замуж To preserve - сохранять To rely on — полагаться, рассчитывать на To remarry — еще раз жениться, (выйти) замуж To reveal – раскрывать To run a household — вести хозяйство Various — различный Within a period (of) — в течение какого-то периода времени

REMEMBER!(см. приложение № 4)

К наиболее употребительным суффиксам, с помощью которых образуются существительные, относятся следующие: -er/-or (worker, doctor), -ist (journalist), -ship(friendship), -tion (relaxation), -ance/-ence (independence, importance), -ee (employee) Префикс re- обозначает повторяющееся действие: write (писать) - rewrite (переписать)