Life of the Ukrainian Youth

Young people in Ukraine have their hobbies and problems. There are many different circles for schoolchildren such as school literature societies, sport societies and others. Many young people are fond of sports. They attend school sport clubs. There are many sport teams at schools and different competitions are often organized.

There are many school parties. Parents help to organize them.

Children show their talents at drama or singing, or dancing. Most music societies have bands or orchestras which perform on different occasions.

Many children and teenagers have hobbies. They join different clubs that are organized for young people who have the same interests and hobbies. During their holidays young people like to travel. They go to different cities or countries and visit many interesting places.

There are some political organizations and organizations which are connected with national interests (“Plast” “Obnova”) and ecology (“Greenpeace”),

Young people like to communicate with each other and spend a lot of time together. They often go for a walk, they go to the concerts, to the cinema or to the disco, they speak about their lessons and music, discuss different problems.

Vocabulary:

circle – гурток

society – товариство, об’єднання

to be fond of – подобатись, захоплюватися

attend – відвідувати

competition – змагання

to organize – організовувати

to be connected with – бути пов’язаним з

band – група

to perform – виступати

I. Complete the sentences:

1. Young people in Ukraine have …

2. Children show their talents at …

3. Most music societies have …

4. The young people join …

5. During their holidays young people …

6. Young people like to …

II. Discussion:

1. Do you have any hobby?

2. What circles are there at schools?

3. Where can schoolchildren show their talents?

4. What youth organizations are there in your city?

5. Do you belong to any organization?

6. What sports do you go in for?

7. Do young people like to travel?

8. Have you ever been abroad? What countries did you visit?

9. Do you have many friends?

10. What do you like to do with your friends?

Topic 56. Life of the American Youth

Life of Youth in the usa

What is it like to be a young person in the United States?

The typical American child spends six hours a day, five days a week, 180 days a year in school. Children in the US start preschool at age four or under, kindergarten at five years of age. Schools provide American children with much more than academic education. More than 80 percent of all students participate in extracurricular activities, such as sports, student newspapers, drama clubs, debate teams, choral groups and bands.

During their leisure time, American kids spend much time watching television, listening to music or playing computer games, but many also have after school jobs. Many youths work part-time on weekends or after school at fast-food restaurants, baby-sit for neighbours, have delivery jobs or work in the shops.

Many youths are also involved in different organizations or are active in church and religious-group activities. Other belong to youth groups such as Girl Scouts or Boy Scouts, were they learn about citizenship, crafts, arts, camping and other outdoor activities.

Thousands of young Americans take care of the elderly, the handicapped and hospital patients, or help clean up the environment. While for most American children and teenagers life today is nearly free of serious conflict, young people are still under many types of stress. Peer pressure, changing family conditions, mobility of families, unemployment and problems at school may lead to use of alcohol or drugs, the refusal to attend school, running away from home, teenage pregnancies or juvenile delinquency.