Tattooing and body piercing

It is illegal for anyone to tattoo or perform scarification, tongue splitting on anyone under the age of 18 years.

If you are under 16 years, it is now illegal for someone to give you a body piercing unless you have a letter of permission from your parent or guardian.

Vocabulary:

right – право

responsibility (duty) – обов’язок

to be safe and protected – бути в безпеці і бути захищеним

to be abused – бути ображеним кимось

to make a decision – приймати рішення

guilty – винний

crime – злочин

Young Offenders' Institution – виправна колонія

to leave home – покидати дім

to permit – дозволяти

permission – дозвіл

to deliver – доставляти

You are forbidden… – тобі заборонено…

You are allowed… – тобі дозволено…

to receive, possess or consume – одержувати, володіти та використовувати

driving license – водійські права

to vote – голосувати

to make a will – складати заповіт

I. Answer the Questions:

1. What are the rights of the young people?

2. What responsibilities do the young people have?

3. When can you be found guilty of a crime?

4. When can you be sent to a Young Offenders' Institution?

5. At what age can you leave home?

6. What kind of job can a child under 15 get?

7. When can you buy and use alcohol? What about smoking?

8. At what age can a young person get driving license?

9. Can the young people under 18 buy, carry or possess a gun?

10. In what cases are you allowed to buy, carry or possess a knife?

11. Will it be a lawful excuse to possess, carry or use a knife for self-defence?

12. Can a person under 18 vote or make a will? What can you say about tattooing?

II. Say whether the sentences are true or false:

1. Young People have the right to be safe and protected from harm.

2. Young People do not have the right to speak, be listened to and be believed.

3. You can leave home when you are 14.

4. Generally, a child under 15 years must have a permit to be employed.

5. There is no minimum age for the employment of a child in a family business or in entertainment.

6. It is allowed for a young person under 18 to buy, receive, possess or consume alcoholic drinks.

7. It is allowed to sell cigarettes to a person under 18.

8. It will not be a lawful excuse to possess, carry or use a knife for self-defence.

9. A young person can vote at the age of 16.

10. If you are under 16, it is now illegal for someone to give you a body piercing unless you have a letter of permission from your parent.

Topic 58. The problems of teenagers

The Problems of Teenagers

There are many young people in our country. Each of them has his own point of view on life and future.

Nowadays young people have many problems, for example, how to spend free time, what to do after school, choosing a profession, how to earn money, how to deal with girl- and boy-friends and so on.

The problem number one of most of the young people is “the problem of parents and children”. All young people want to be independent, they want their parents to listen to their opinion and not to interfere in their private life. Some parents neglect their children, because they can’t find a common language with each other.

Another problem of the youth is the problem of love. Young people fall in love when they reach the age of Romeo and Juliet. It is a pity, but teenagers are not always ready to have stable relations. For a happy family life two people must understand and respect each other.

One more problem is to get a good education. It is necessary to pay for a good education. But some parents do not have enough money to pay for the studies of their children.

There is also the problem of the youth unemployment. The young people are looking for a job not only for the sake of earning money, but because they want to be independent from their parents.

All teenagers want to have their own money to dress well, to go to the theatres, to visit foreign countries, to eat what they want, to buy books. Some teenagers wash cars, the others sell newspapers, some of them help old people.

Another problem is the problem of housing. Not many young people in our country have their own flats. Very often they share the flat with their parents even after getting married.

But the most difficult and serious problem of modern teenagers is taking drugs. Some young people use drugs, because they think that they will be cool guys. But they don't understand that it's wrong. Some of them can't stop that, and they become dependent on drugs. And very often they commit different crimes, because they need money to buy drugs.

There are also many other problems: alcoholism, smoking and so on.

The young people also face the problem how to spend their free time. They can do it in different ways. Many teenagers like to go for a walk with their friends, watch TV or play computer games. Some of teenagers spend their free time in different night clubs.

There are many youth organisations in our country, and many young people become their members. Members of every organisation have their own view on life. They have their own moral qualities. There are also some informal organisations, for example, skinheads, hippies, punks and so on. But very often the members of different youth groups misunderstand each other.

So you can see it’s very difficult to be young nowadays. But you can be young only once in your life and some wonderful things can happen to you only when you’re young. So it’s better to enjoy youth while it lasts.