33. Answer the questions below.

1. Which of the famous people were mentioned as prodigies?

2. What were their achievements at an early age?

3. What do all the prodigies have in common?

4. What common characteristics were identified in course of the survey?

5. What is the school life of a prodigy child like?

6. Why is it hard for prodigies to socialize with their peers?

7. What are the positive and negative sides of being a prodigy?

34. Find in the text words and expressions that mean the following.

1. a child who is unusually skillful at doing something such as playing a musical instrument;

2. the state of being very interested in something, so that you want to look at it, learn about it etc, [Syn.: obsession];

3. the time, usually between the ages of 12 and 18, when a young person is developing into an adult;

4. something successful or impressive that is achieved after a lot of effort and hard work [Syn.:  achievement];

5. a strong feeling of wanting something or someone;

6. words of admiration and approval of someone or something, especially publicly [≠ criticism;]

7. a feeling that you are happy and comfortable somewhere;

8. not very good, second-rate, so-so;

9. publicly praised by a lot of people;

10. to have or express doubts about whether something is true, good, necessary etc;

11. feeling annoyed, upset, and impatient, because you cannot control or change a situation, or achieve something;

12. to officially and publicly thank someone for something they have done, by giving them a special honour.

35. Match the words in the left column with the words in the right one to make the collocations and recall the context in which they have been used.

work to have something a sense extraordinary a longing child bearing to turn to suffer public to realize to enter

to be mediocre of belonging age a mental crisis achievement praise adolescence the ambitions in common off learning one’s way through

36. Choose the right word to fill each gap (a, b, c or d).

Valuable lessons

When adults praise a child 0)__for__ trying, despite unacceptable work, they teach that 1)______ is more important than results. I once took 2)_____ a class in the middle of a term from a teacher who was a 3)______ marker. After I had returned a batch of marked papers, one boy complained 4)______ receiving a ‘C’. “I’m 5)______ to getting ‘As’” he said. When I explained that this essay was badly 6) ______, he asked: “What about the pictures? Our teacher gave extra 7) ______ for effort.”

Real life seldom 8) ______ those who try but don’t get results. And it’s a rare boss who tolerates an employee who insists that he 9) ______ his best. Unmerited praise may keep children from 10) ______ their own true capabilities.

Years ago, my best friend was a naturally 11) ______ musician. Her family saw every effort as ‘brilliant’ but she hated practicing and often did badly at recitals. After one particularly embarrassing performance, her mother said, “You were wonderful, but that piano needs tuning and the audience was so noisy, it’s no 12) ______ you forgot the second movement”. Had this girl 13) ______ criticism, she might have realized her dreams of a concert career. As it was, her playing got gradually worse, she lost 14)______ and eventually 15) ______ out of music school.

0 A for 1 A try 2 A up 3 A light 4 A about 5 A familiar 6 A expressed 7 A marks 8 A awards 9 A made 10 A realising 11 A worthy 12 A doubt 13 A explained 14 A interest 15 A fell

B on B attempt B over B giving B for B used B fixed B grades B merits B did B succeeding B deserved B shame B offered B energy B went

C by C trial C out C generous C with C adapted C made C notes C rewards C put C gaining C capable C wonder C given C motive C passed

D through D effort D down D tender D by D keen D organised D scores D grants D went D meeting D gifted D joke D received D attention D dropped