Choose three words from Vocabulary and write definitions for them. Other students should guess the words.

e.g. «a naughty child» – a child who doesn’t follow his/her parents’ advice.

 

15. Tell us about these persons using the words from the table:

Mary	John	Mr. Smith
Russian schoolgirl music knit Green Street, 25 many friends to be fond of	English killer 2 children flowers Silver Street, 11 wife like	American manager reliable no family 5^th Avenue golf to be interested in

16. Translate the text from Russian into English:

Разрешите мне представиться. Моя фамилия Браун. Я приехал из Англии. По национальности я американец, но живу и работаю в Лондоне. Это красивый город. Я бизнесмен, специализируюсь в маркетинге.

Я женат. Наша семья небольшая. Она состоит из меня, моей жены и сына. По профессии моя жена учитель. Я думаю, она всегда творчески подходит к своему делу. Каждый день она имеет дело со многими людьми. Иногда это трудно, но ей нравится ее работа. Моя жена очаровательная женщина и интересный человек. Она увлекается театром и книгами. Она предпочитает современную литературу. У нас с ней много общего.

Моего сына зовут Ник. Ему 14 лет. Внешне он похож на своего дедушку, а по характеру больше на меня. Ник школьник. Он хороший ученик и учится с большим интересом. Кроме того, он принимает активное участие в общественной жизни школы. Ник занимается спортом и увлекается музыкой. Он предпочитает поп-музыку. Наш сын интересуется также компьютерами. Мы обожаем нашего сына. Мы хорошо ладим с сыном и любим проводить свободное время вместе.

 

17. Project Work:

 

a) Make a PowerPoint presentation about you and your family. Give as many details as possible.

b) Draw your family tree and tell about your relatives. Use photos to make your story more interesting.

c) Choose a famous person. Find information about him/her as a person and his/her family. Make a detailed presentation.

 

Part 3 «FAMILY LIFE»

 

1. Think about a role that the family plays in your life and complete the sentence:

 

A family is …

What family types can we meet in a modern society? Draw a diagram. What family type do you live in?

Read the text and compare how many family types are the same in your diagram and in the text.

 

PARENTS AND CHILDREN

What is a typical American family? The traditional includes mom, dad, and the kids, but there now are many other combinations of family households. Eight per cent are single-parent families, where one parent lives with the children, while other families may consist of children living with a parent or a stepparent.

In general, the average number of people living together under one roof has got smaller. In 1960, there were 3.3 people in a household; now there are only 2.7. The number of children in a family is also much smaller, and children are usually encouraged to be independent and leave home, when they finish school and start working.

Recently, more children are staying at home with their parents longer, because their salary is not high enough to cover the cost of living away from home. They also prefer the home comforts that their parents can offer.

 

VOCABULARY

a typical family (traditional)

to include

a single-parent family

stepparent (stepmother/stepfather)

to live under one roof

to be independent (from)

to depend on

to stay at home

salary

enough

to cover the cost of living

to offer comforts

to suggest doing smth.

quarrel

to quarrel

to leave home

mutual understanding

misunderstanding

lack of understanding

relationship

4. Discuss the following questions with a partner:

· Do you often spend time with your family? Why?

· What is the best thing about living at home?

· What don’t you like about living at home?

· What do you miss when you leave your home?

 

5. Think about relationships in your family. Do you like living under one roof with your parents or maybe you would prefer to live alone? Write a composition: «There is no place like home».

Do you face any problems living with the family? How do you solve them?

7. Read the text and point out the family problems described there:

 

LOVE, MARRIAGE AND DIVORCE

People usually get married in their twenties or thirties, although some couples decide to live together without getting married. Many men and women stay single, because it is difficult to find a compatible person to date or marry. Some single people look for partners through the personals, ads that appear in newspapers or magazines. More divorced people or single people who have never married choose to live alone.

One out of two American marriages ends in divorce. It is a painful process for all family members, and many couples seek marriage counseling to try to prevent a divorce. Children of divorced families often live with their mothers. When the parents have joint custody of the children, the children often divide their time between each parent.

VOCABULARY

to get married

to marry

a married couple

marriage

marriage of convenience

to stay single

date

to date

to look for a partner

to divorce

to end in divorce

divorced

a painful process

to prevent a divorce

marriage of convenience

to pay alimony

child support payments

life experience

to decide

suitable

 

8. a) Work in a group. Discuss typical problems that modern families have and complete the table.

family problem

cause

solution

b) Present the results of your group discussion. Give examples from your life.

Use the following phrases:

It leads to … We face this problem because (of) …. To solve this problem we should (could) ….

due to as a result

9. Complete the sentences:

1. People get married because …

2. A lot of marriages end in divorce as …

3. Divorce is a painful process because …

4. Some people don’t like to look for a partner through ads because …

5. A lot of young people don’t prefer to live under one roof with the parents as…

6. Some young people don’t want to live without parents because …

7. Many people don’t want to get married because …

8. Today young people prefer to get married only after they graduate from the University as …

9. Some teenagers start working because …

10. Answer the questions:

1. What are your ideas about marriage?

2. What is the right age to get married?

3. Is it a good idea to advertise for a partner?

4. If parents divorce, is it better for children:

a. to live only with their mother or their father?

b. to live part time with each parent? (explain your answer)

5. Why do many young people prefer to live together without getting married?

6. Is it possible to prevent a divorce?

7. What are your ideas about marriage of convenience?

11. Work in a pair to make a dialogue:

Your friend wants to find a partner. Think about possible ways to do it (at least 3). Discuss advantages and disadvantages of these ways. Choose the most suitable one for your friend.

Is it necessary to share responsibilities about the house? Do you share duties in your family?

13. Read and translate the text:

CARING AND SHARING

In many families both the mother and father work. Today women represent more than 50 per cent of the work force. The responsibilities of running a house and raising the children are now more equally shared between men and women than ever before. Fathers have become more involved in raising the children and taking care of their everyday needs, although mothers still spend more time caring for the children and doing the household chores.

When both parents work, they have to make child-care arrangements for their children. Some parents hire babysitters to stay at home with babies and younger children. Others take their children to a day-care centre. School-age children can go to an after-school programme when the regular school day is over. Organizing family life can involve writing schedules to make sure everything gets done.

 

VOCABULARY

responsibilities

duties

to be responsible for

to run a house

running a house

to raise children

raising children

to bring up children

to share the responsibilities about the house

(un)equal sharing of domestic responsibilities

to involve

to be (become) involved in smth.

to take care of smth.

everyday needs

to hire

babysitter

to take the children to

day-care centre (kindergarten)

to pick up the children from

an after-school programme

schedule

to support

to supply

to earn money

to do work about the house

I would do smth. rather than …

 

14. Translate the sentences from Russian into English:

1. В нашей семье все вовлечены в ведение хозяйства. Мы делим наши обязанности поровну. 2. Сейчас много семей, где оба родителя работают. Поэтому они вынуждены нанимать няню, чтобы она заботилась о детях. 3. Основная обязанность отца – заработать деньги для обеспечения семьи. 4. У мамы много обязанностей. Она занимается хозяйством, заботиться обо всех членах семьи. 5. Я считаю, что оба родителя должны принимать участие в воспитании детей. 6. После уроков многие школьники остаются в группе продленного дня. 7. Вечером он забирает брата из детского сада. Это его основная обязанность. 8. Воспитание детей и забота о них – трудная задача, поэтому во многих семьях родители составляют распорядок дня.