10. The paragraphs c – h of the text below are presented in a jumbled list. Decide where each paragraph fits. Look out for cultural-historical references and discourse markers.

GENERATION GAP

A) A generation gap is a lack of understanding between older and younger people that results from their different opinions, behaviour and experiences of life. It has been part of the social order for many years. Authors from past times have often mentioned that the younger generation is failing to live up to the expectations of the older generation.

B) Now, instead of there being two generations that “feud”, there are at least three generations: the younger, the middle, and the older generations. There’s more controversy since there’re three possible conflicts. Although this may seem new, it is probably just a natural cycle of change in the social order, and to go further, we can divide these generations according to the dates of their birth. Taking it into consideration will help us to understand the main distinctions and contradictions between us.

C) Members of the Silent Generation are considered cautious, unadventurous, unimaginative, withdrawn, and silent. The Silents felt they were a generation without a cause. Remembering World War II from their childhood, many Silents were looking for a cause. Russian Silents, born mostly during “the red terror” and terrible Stalin repressions, knew how to struggle through tough times. As for America, the Silent generation was the earliest marrying group in the whole American history. Men married at an average age of 23 and women at 20. Ninety four percent of women became mothers and stayed at home raising an average of 3.3 children.

D) Born Revolutionaries. Members of this generation are high achievers, fearless but not reckless, patriotic, idealistic, and morally conscientious. Many have been labeled heroes for their outstanding accomplishments. This generation learned early on in life how to be a good team player putting their trust in government, authority and community. A generation of “doers” and “believers”, many achieved a higher standard of living and education than their parents. In the US they are survivors of the great depression – easily made happy with a good job, mild future, and a little house for family, and this generation produced America’s first astronauts, Nobel laureates, legendary movie stars, and political leaders.

E) As there were not so many men during and after the second world war, and women were keen on having a baby “for further life”, the Flowers’ or Boomer Generation developed mostly under mothers’ care dedicated to nurturing their children to success. Flowers seemed to develop personalities that mixed high self-esteem and self-indulgence. Since Flowers thought their parents’ world was in need of a major overhaul and because they were taught to think critically by questioning everything, they saw their role in society as not to obey its rules but rather to purify it, and force change wherever they believed it was necessary. They would make themselves heard by lighting social and political fuses that caused dramatic changes or rather “booms heard worldwide.”

F) Fantastic opportunities are sure to be part of the Futuristic Generation’s future but deciding which one to pursue and which one to bypass will be a difficult choice. But only God knows what new challenges and opportunities the Futuristic Generation will encounter.

G) Millennial Generation. This is the generation where the “Class of 2000” is born. This new generation is being treated as precious. Politicians and parents are taking an interest in improving conditions today, which allows this generation to grow up in a nurturing environment. Parents are making a concerted effort to tell children to stay away from drugs, alcohol, profanity, improper TV, unchaperoned gatherings, aggressive behaviour, beware of AIDS, and avoid teen pregnancy. Politicians are taking an interest in the quality education, media effects on children, and the war on drugs, so this generation is not a “lost” generation. Sex education calls for abstinence rather than a neutral approach. This is the generation of hope, hope to correct the errors of their parents.

H) Generation “X” or the “Friday the Thirteenth” appears shocking to others on the outside and unknown on the inside. Older generations classify this generation as irresponsible, reckless, uneducated, and violent – the generation concerned only about ‘me’. This generation observed parents and other adults not in control of their own lives or their country. “Friday the Thirteenth” are survivors of what the adult world has left behind. This is a generation of children without a childhood. Forced to grow up fast and overloaded with information, this generation finds it hard to understand what is right and wrong. “Friday the Thirteenth” are confronted with drug addiction, AIDS, sexual freedom, uncontrollable violence, educational experiments, and environmental and world problems created by past generations. This is the generation “cross-out” with a capital “X”. As for America, during this period the country was totally out of control, with actions and impacts ranging from the Vietnam War to nuclear power accidents; while on the home front, families broke apart by skyrocketing divorces creating an unprecedented number of single parent households. The surge of mothers into the workplace created “latchkey” kids left alone to fend for themselves.

Now match the generation names with the dates of their birth in the table below. Discuss the peculiarities of the generations described in the text.

GENERATION	DATES OF BIRTH
Silent Generation	1925 – 1942
Born Revolutionaries	1961 – 1981
Friday the Thirteenth Generation	1901 – 1924
Flowers or Boomer Generation	born after 2003
Millennial Generation	1943 – 1960
Futuristic Generation	1982 – 2003

11. Read the article WHAT’S IN A NAME? (Reader) and discuss the following.

1) What problem is the article concerned with? Do you think it exists only in the English-speaking culture? Is the problem alien to Russian people?

2) Interpret the opening sentence of the article. What implicit idea does the idiom Tom, Dick and Harry convey in the sentence? Does it correlate with the message of the article?

3) How does the author describe the implications of having a name that doesn’t “match one’s gender or character”? Account for his use of such words as a series of indignities, shrink, abuse, plight etc.

4) Why do you think parents give their children ambiguous or extraordinary names?

5) Should it be morally acceptable for a child to change his given name if he dislikes it for some reason? Do you think it was justified in the case of Junior and Grace (The Old Folks’ Christmas)?