9. Find the character-describing adjectives
Bitter
Brusque
Brutal
Cruel
Envious
Greedy
Hateful
Haughty
Hostile
Insulting
Intolerant
Jealous
Malicious
Proud
Resentful
Revengeful
Rough
Rude
Ruthless
Savage
Selfish
Snobbish
Spiteful
Unkind
Vain
Vindictive
7. Teenagers and their parents
1. Proverbs.
1. Spare the rod and spoil the child.
2. Parents can provide everything except good luck.
3. Good parents, happy marriages; good children, good funerals.
4. There is no such thing as a bad mother.
5. Like mother, like daughter.
6. Father and mother are the most precious jewels on earth.
7. What parents are so will the children be.
8. Every family has its black sheep.
2. Study the vocabulary map.
3. Study the vocabulary map.
4. Read the article and answer the questions
PARENTS!
SOME TEENAGERS DO HAVE THEM!
One minute they're being all friendly, the next minute they're shouting and screaming loudly enough for the whole street to hear. So what is it that turns a normal happy parent into a raging beast? You, probably!
If I have to tell you to pick those up one more time...
Is your room untidy? Do you leave things on the floor? You may find it hard enough to keep one room tidy, so imagine what it's like for your mum and dad trying to keep a whole house in order. As they're the ones who do the housework, they're entitled to moan if the other members of the family aren't doing their bit.
Get into the habit of hanging your clothes up when you take them off, putting dirty washing in the laundry basket, taking glasses and plates down to the kitchen. It doesn't take that much effort, and before too long you'll be doing it without thinking.
No way can you have another pair of jeans. Do you think I am made of money?
Even though you may not realize it, your parents are probably quite sympathetic to the fact that you haven't had any new clothes for ages, while it seems that your friends are splashing out right, left and centre. But they're not buying themselves new things every week, are they? The simple truth is that there are more important things to spend money on, like the electricity bill and food.
No, you can't go to Sharon's party on Saturday night, we've got A untie Pat and Uncle John coming round...
Although you may hate missing the party of the century to listen to some boring old relatives go on and on about what a sweet baby you were and how you've grown, you have no choice. Even if you moan, groan and sulk your parents won't change their minds. Making the right impression is usually very important to parents who like to show off their family. In spite of your disappointment, the best thing you can do is to smile and help entertain your relatives. They'll be so pleased with you afterwards that they'll probably let you go to the next two parties.
What do you mean you're not hungry? It's taken me two hours to cook it, so you can sit there till you've eaten it.
Despite the fact that food is the furthest thing from your mind, think of it from the cook's point of view. If you cook two meals a day, it means 730 meals a year. Can you imagine how boring this can get? Although the cook may be fed up with it, she/he makes an effort. Imagine how the cook feels when you pull a face and say you don't fancy it, or you're not really hungry. Not only that, your parents are probably anxious to see that you have a properly balanced diet. Then, of course, there's the sheer waste of money aspect. See why they get mad!
Eat fewer snacks and leave room for your meals. Finally, offer to do the cooking every now and then. Your offer may not be accepted, but the cook will be delighted to receive a bit of appreciation.
1 The writer describes four situations that make many parents angry. What are these situations?
2 For each situation, summarize in your own words:
a the nature of the problem
b why such behaviour makes them angry
c the advice the writer gives in each case.
3 Make a list of 3 things that you do which make the adults in your house really angry.
5. Read the letter from Jane and answer the questions
How to cope with adults
Dear Advice Special,
The problems with my parents started when I was sixteen. I wanted to get a Saturday job but my parents ordered me to stay at home and study for my exams. Whenever I pointed out that all my friends had Saturday jobs, they always replied, «We don't care what they do, it's you we're worried about», and yet, whenever my school marks were bad, I was always compared to everyone else. Their double standards infuriated me so much that I did whatever I could to provoke them. I purposely dyed my hair white blonde and plastered my face in make-up before I went to school. However, all I managed to achieve was mass arguments before I went anywhere.
It was a rule in the house that I was only allowed out once during the week and on Saturday till 10 p.m. Every time I attempted to go out in the evening, my parents asked me who I was going out with and where we were going. They even insisted on my giving them my friend's telephone number in case they needed to contact me. I always argued about the last bit; I felt that if I gave them the number they'd use it to check up on me. It never for one moment cross my mind that they were just worried about me.
Once I asked if I could go to a party on Saturday night. The party finished at 11.30 p.m. They agreed, but on the condition that my Dad came to pick me up at 10 p.m. I argued and argued about it but in the end I had to agree. I knew I was going to be really embarrassed when my father came to pick me up, so I spent the whole party worrying. I didn't speak to my parents for three days after that. My mother tried to explain how they both felt, but I didn't want to listen. It was then that I decided to break all the rules they had set down. So instead of coming home at 10 p.m., I would arrive back at 11.30 p.m. and then refuse to tell them where I had been. I somehow felt that if I broke there rules, they would realize I was old enough to look after myself, and leave me alone. However, the arguments got worse and worse, and the more they tried to keep me in the house, the more I sneaked out. Finally, one Saturday night I didn't come home till 2 a.m. My father wanted to know why I was so late. I refused to tell him. We had a huge argument which ended with me getting a taxi to my sister's house. What went wrong? Jane
Jane went about trying to solve her situation in the wrong way. Instead of trying to show her parents that she was more adult by reasoning with them, she chose to ignore all their rules and regulations. This made her parents even stricter. Part of the problem with Jane and her parents was that neither of them was willing to see the other side's point of view. Therefore, before they knew it, things had got out of control.
If you are having problems with your parents, try talking things over with them. Tell them what you think but be prepared to listen to them as well! Remember that your parents love you and, in the end, no matter what, they only want what's best for you. Discussing your problems calmly will help you and your parents to understand each other better, and the more mature you are with them, the more likely they are to treat you as an adult.
Jane
1. How did Jane’s problems start?
2. How did Jane try to break her parents’ rules?
3. What does Advice Special suggest is the best way of dealing with this situation?
4. What are 2 sentences which show Jane knew that she tried to solve her situation in the wrong way?
Find 9-10 rules in the last two passages of the story how to solve problems. What can you suggest?
6. Complete the sentences with an appropriate form of the verb in the list
- splash out - moan and groan
- pull a face - go on and on
- not fancy - be fed up
1. He … and didn’t stop talking for hours.
2. I didn’t eat anything because I … fish.
3. He was very rude. He just … and stuck his tongue out at me.
4. I … with watching TV. Let’s go to the cinema.
5. She … on an expensive new car.
6. The old man … about how poor he was.
7. Translate intoEnglish.
Как родители наказывают тебя, когда ты не слушаешься их?
Твои родители расстраиваются, если ты разочаровываешь их своими плохими оценками?
Он терпеть не мог, когда родители и учителя сравнивали его с кем-то еще.
Ее старшая сестра очень нервничала, если старшие критиковали ее поведение и манеры.
Многие не умеют ставить цели и сосредотачиваться на их достижении.
8. Discuss the following problems. Make up dialogues.
You want permission to go camping for 2 weeks. Your mother is worried about this.
Your parents caught you smoking. What would you say and do?
Your elder sister found and read your diary. You really feel embarassed.
If someone asks you to do some favour, it’s hard for you to refuse and say “no”.
You hate being critisized. You may even get aggressive.
You and your friends broke your father’s radio though he told you not to use it.