Role-play

Situation: The article given below appeared on the Internet. You read it with interest and suggested discussing it at a meeting of Russian and foreign students studying at your university. Enact the discussion.

Youth is the Prime Time of Life

Youth is the happiest time of our life. Nowadays young people grow quickly, become more mature and independent. These days teenagers have more money thus they enjoy more freedom. They are free to choose what films to see, what friends to have, what clothes to wear.

They are less dependent on their parents, think more for them­selves, do not blindly accept the ideals of their elders. More than that, they want to enjoy their leisure.

Some young people may disagree with the above. For some teenag­ers adolescence is certainly not the happiest time. They often find them­selves in a position (in college, university, on their first job) where they can compare themselves with each other in terms of academic ability.

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Unit 1

II. Reading Newspapers and Specialist Literature

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athletic achievements and many other activities which are part of their life. The awkward stage of adolescence brings into sharp focus some of the physical and emotional problems involved in growing up. Some rebel violently against parental or official authority, others lack self-confidence, feel shy, awkward and clumsy.

But definitely, none will deny that the human brain is at ils finest at twenties, that it is the most formative and challenging period of life. It is the time of first accomplishments. Young people make first mosl im­portant decisions about education they would prefer to get, about skills they would need (like computer literacy and knowledge of foreign lan­guages), about careers they would want to make. They are getting pre­pared to enter society as adults, to cope with many of the problems that face men and women. Let us hope they will grow up to be mature and responsible adults.

Words you may need

mature adj— прелый

blindly urfi'—cneno

adolescence | .zcds'lrans] н — юность

rebel [ir'bel| v- восставать

clumsy adj- неуклюжий, неловкий deny v - отрицать

adult /; - взрослый, совершеннолет­ний человек

II.

Reading Newspapers and Specialist Literature

• a) Read (he text, b) Answer the comprehension questions to the text.

Text A What Do Newspapers Write about?

Despite competition from other media, circulation figures for newspapers go up. People read newspapers because they provide a vast amount of information, far more than can be reproduced in a news broadcast on radio or TV.

There are various newspapers: national, regional, local. Some newspapers come out daily, others are put out several times a week. There are monthly and bimonthly publications. Newspapers differ in style, language, readership, and issues they cover.

National papers carry articles about national, foreign and polit­ical issues. Their leading (editorial) articles deal with major events in the country and abroad. Regional and local papers serve the in­terests of the community. They provide information about local af­fairs and assess the current situation. They draw the attention of their readers to the local problems. Newspapers also contain such items as spoil, theatre and book reviews, crosswords and cartoons. Readers are also able to express their own views through the read­ers' letters page.

Readers appreciate it when the newspaper carries objective and undistorted information and gives a wide coverage of home and for­eign news.

Many people subscribe to their favourite newspapers and read them regularly.

Some newspapers (magazines) are addressed to specialists, A lot of space in such publications is devoted to specialist subjects such as business, financial markets, banking and insurance.

The press influences the thoughts and outlook of ordinary peo­ple.