Reading

1. You are going to read the text about the youth and the problems awaiting them.

Youth Takes More Risks!

It is said that the most beautiful period in our life is when we are teenagers.

It seems that teenagers have no problems, as they do not have to work, take care of their families or have any responsibilities. But this is not true, they have many problems in fact. You can see now that our young are more similar to people abroad in many aspects of life.

A turning point is an event which changes your life and attitude. There are several such turning points in the life of an average person that are worthy of mention.

Smoking is one of the most common addictions that for years has been socially acceptable. There are passive and active smokers. People who don't smoke but are forced, to be in the company of smokers are passive smokers and are even in a worse situation. The smoke from other people's cigarettes influences their health more negatively than that of active smokers. But some young people think they look more mature when holding a cigarette.

Drug addiction is another problem of the twentieth century. Young people are particularly exposed to this threat. They try once or twice a cigarette with a narcotic inside, then they change to injections, and day by day they become totally dependent on this deadly habit. The young look for some supernatural experiences; they hope to find a sense of life, and pleasure and happiness in taking drugs, and they don't even notice how quickly they become addicted to it.

But youth embodies the future of society and our generation tries its best to improve life on the planet.

We haven't yet realized that it is important to have our own opinion in such situations.

Vocabulary:

to take care of – заботиться, ухаживать

responsibilities – ответственность

addictions – пристрастия

to force – заставлять, принуждать

mature – зрелый, готовый

threat – угроза

to embody – воплощать, олицетворять, содержать

1. Answer the following questions:

• What was the most beautiful period in you life?

• Do you think that teenagers have no problems?

• What is a “turning point”?

• Did you have to manage with the listed above problems?

• It is possible to solve your problems by yourself?

2. Complete these sentences with the words in italics from the text.

1. Young people have as many … as the grown-ups.

2. I have a pen-friend … . He is 16 and lives in Italy.

3. I gave up … a few years ago and feel myself much better.

4. I take full … for my actions.

5. He is … to reading.

3. Find different forms of the verbs to be, to have in the text and explain the function of it.

4. Complete the sentences with to be, to have, to work, to use, to seem, to see, to hope, to

live, to take, to take care of, to influence.

1. “What colour … your car? ” “It … red.”

2. Tim usually … hard.

3. Brian … near us but we … him very often.

4. I … to find a new job soon.

5. Margaret … to know him very well.

6. We have got a car, but we don’t … it very often.

7. John … a shower every day.

8. Books, music, mass media … our lives greatly.

9. Kate … a taxi every morning.

10. We must … our planet and keep it clean.

5. Give a short summary of the text in English.