2.3. Revision

Task 1. Work with your partner and answer the following questions without looking back at the material of the unit.

• What are the characteristics of a well-socialized person?

• What is socialization?

• What are socializing agents? Name as many socializing agents as you can.

• How does the process of socialization depend on the family environment?

• What are the two ways of socialization? Elaborate.

• Why are people of different cultures socialized differently? Provide examples.

 SPEAKING

Task 2. Talk-show. The problems of parent-child interaction.

Step 1. Choose a talk show host. The rest, join into small groups representing families (for instance, a parent and a child, two parents and a child, a grandmother and a grandchild, etc.) and distribute roles inside your group. Think of a problem of parent-child interaction that your “family” faces and work out the point of view of each of the members of the family on the problem.

Step 2. The talk show host interviews each of the families about the problems they have chosen and thinks about the order in which the “families” will appear in the show, questions that might be asked during the talk show, etc.

Step 3. Present your talk show.

Unit 3. The INFLUENCE OF PEERS

  READING&SPEAKING

3.1. Peer group pressure

Task 1. Look at the photographs in the text "Peer Group Pressure" and read the captions. Write a sentence to describe what you think the text will be about.

Compare your sentence with others in the class. Return to your sentence after you have read the text to see whose sentence was the most accurate.

Task 2. Read the text and translate it in the written form.

Peer group pressure

Members of a peer group have similar interests

As children grow older, they become increasingly involved with their peer group, a group whose members are about the same age and have similar interests. The peer group - along with the family and the school - is one of the three main socializing agents. However, the peer group is very different from the family and the school. Whereas par­ents and teachers have more power than children and students, the peer group is made up of equals.

The adolescent peer group teaches its members several important things. First, it teaches them to be independent from adult authorities. Sometimes this can mean that a peer group can teach its members to go against authorities and adults - to ignore home and school rules and even to break the law. Most teenagers, though, rebel only by mak­ing fun of older people in a harmless way. Second, it teaches social skills - how to get along with other people. Third, the peer group teaches its members the val­ues of friendship among equals.

Some peer groups

develop distinctive subcultures.

Peer groups often develop distinctive subcultures with their own values, language, music, dress, and heroes. Adolescents, in particular, tend to believe in the same things as their friends, talk the same way, dress the same way, listen to the same music, and like and dislike the same TV stars and other celebrities. There may be a considerable dif­ference between these interests, behaviors, and values and those of their parents and teachers.

Adolescent peer groups frequently differ from parents and teach­ers in what they value. Whereas parents and teachers tend to place great importance on school achievement, peer groups are likely to think that popularity, social leadership, and athletic achievement are more important. These differences do not necessarily mean that parents and teenagers will fight and argue. In fact, most youngsters are friendly with their mothers and fathers. They simply engage in different types of activities - work and task activi­ties with parents but play and recreation with peers. They are inclined to seek advice from parents on financial, educational, career, and other serious matters. With their peers they are more likely to discuss social activities such as which boy or girl to date and what clubs to join.

Peer group members look to each other for approval instead of rely­ing on their own personal beliefs. Doing what everyone else is doing is more important than being independent and individual. Early adoles­cents are most willing to accept this conformity and so they are most deeply involved with peer groups. As young people grow into middle and late adolescence, their involvement with peers gradually declines because of their growing independence. When they reach the final year of high school, they tend more to adopt adult values, such as wanting to get good grades and good jobs.

Task 3. Work with a partner. Without looking back at the text, discuss the answers to the following questions. Use what you remember from the text and your own experiences.

1. What is a peer group?

2. In which way is a peer group different from other socializing agents?

3. Name one important thing the adolescent peer group teaches young people.

4. Does a peer group mostly teach bad or good things, in your opinion?

5. Name three ways in which adolescents show membership of their peer group.

6. Name two topics that adolescents are likely to discuss with their parents.

7. Name two things that they are likely to discuss with their peers.

8. Adolescents like to behave in the same way as their peers. Do you think this becomes more or less important in the late teen years? Why?

9. What modern teenage subcultures can you think of? What do they teach their members?

Now look back at the text and check your answers.

Task 4. Textbook writers often have to refer many times to one thing (for example, an idea, an event, a group of people) in the same chapter or reading. To avoid repeating the same words over and over, they often choose different words to express the same idea. When you write, you, too, should try to vary the way you express your ideas.

1. Find and list all the words and phrases in the text with a similar meaning to:

   • young people

   • adults

   • be likely to

2. Imagine you are writing an essay about the following social groups:

   • people who are over 65

   • children under 5

   • babies

   • people in paid employment (people who work)

Make a list of the different words or expressions you could use to refer to each of these groups.

Task 5. Writing about differences.

1. Study the four different sentence structures that the writer of this text used to write about the differences between the peer group and other socializing agents:

   1. X is different from Y (in _____)

However, the peer group is very different from the family and the school. (par. 1)

2. Whereas X does ______________, Y does ______________

Whereas parents and teachers have more power than children and students, the peer group is made up of equals. (par. 1)

3. There is a difference between X and Y

There may be a considerable difference between these interests, behaviors, and values and those of their parents and teachers. (par. 3)

4. X differ(s) from Y (in ____)

Adolescent peer groups frequently differ from parents and teachers in what they value. (par. 4)

2. Read the paragraph below that describes one difference between adolescents and adults. Find examples of the four sentence structures in the paragraph and circle them.

Adolescents and adults are different in many ways. Teenagers differ from adults, for example, in the way they handle finances. Teenagers are likely to spend all their money as soon as they receive it, whereas most adults try to save some of their money for future expenses. There is also a difference in what adults and adolescents spend their money on. Young people tend to spend their money on the things they want - music, movies, going out - whereas older people are more likely to spend it on the things they need - clothes, food, housing.

2. Write a paragraph describing another area of difference between adolescents and adults (for example, clothes, friendships, interests). Use the sentence patterns above and vary the way you refer to the two groups.

Task 6. Complete the dialogue between two parents using the vocabulary from the text. More than one answer can be correct.

• Good morning, Mrs. Williams. How are you doing?

• Morning, Mrs. James. Fine, thanks. Can I ask you a question?

• Sure, go ahead.

• You know, my son Derek, who’s a close friend of your son Dave, has become deeply (1)______________ his peer group. And he tends to (2)______________ their values, like ignoring (3)______________, (4)______________ authorities and adults and making fun of (5) ______________. I’m afraid one day I’ll know that he’s broken (6) ______________.

• Yes, it’s true that (7)______________ frequently differ from parents in what they value. But we must remember that a peer group teaches not only negative but also (8)______________, such as (9)______________ skills (how to get along with other people), the values of (10)______________ among equals and being independent from (11)______________. We must be aware of the fact that there may be a considerable difference between (12)______________ of a peer group and those of their parents and teachers. However, this period ends when they grow into (13)______________. It’s then when their involvement with peers (14)______________. So, no worries. Sooner or later, Derek will begin to adopt (15)______________. Meanwhile, be patient and ever ready to give advice on (16)______________ he might seek from you.

• Oh, thank you so much, Mrs. James. I’m much relieved to hear it.

Task 7. Paraphrase the underlined vocabulary units in the text in the written form. Make up 5 fresh-context sentences with the word combinations you like most.

Task 8. Write a summary of the text “Peer Group Pressure”.

 LISTENING