UNIT 1
Exercise 1.
a) Read and translate the words without a dictionary:
Generation, a boyfriend, a girlfriend, prestigious, a profession, international, cooperation, problem, trouble, type
b)Read and memorize the words to the text:
| on the contrary | наоборот |
| misunderstanding | непонимание |
| peers, n pl | сверстники |
| the main character | главный герой |
| poorly-paid position | плохо оплачиваемая |
| to beg | клянчить, выпрашивать |
| to distract from | отвлекать |
| bearable, adj | сносный |
| to argue, v | спорить |
| tough, adj | грубый |
| self-assured, adj | самоуверенный |
| insensible, adj | безразличный |
| to become, v | зд.: подходить, годиться |
| tolerance, n | терпимость |
| dull, adj | глупый, скучный |
| to stand, v | зд.: подвергаться |
| to face, v | сталкиваться |
| to fall into a trap | попасть в ловушку |
| to concern, v | заниматься, интересоваться чем-л. (in, with) |
Exercise 2.
a) Read and translate the text about problems of the modern youth and fill in the table:
YOUTH PROBLEMS
There are many problems that young people have to face when they stop being children. There are two types of problems- personal problems and the problems the whole generation has to face.
Personal problems can look silly and unimportant to the eyes of grown-ups, who have already passed this period of learning. For the young it is different. The first and terrible thing is misunderstanding from the dearest people - from the parents. They do not understand why I need to buy certain things, listen to certain music or spend most of my spare time with peers. Father says I am lazybones, mother cries sometimes. I don’t want to hurt their feelings but they should try to understand me. They don’t, they still think I’m a baby. But I’m 17 years old; I can make my decisions and understand everything concerning my life. That is the problem of generation gap. That’s why I spend most of the time with my friends - they understand that I’m grown-up already.
The same misunderstanding we face sometimes from the side of the teachers. They think that youth is given for studying. But a person who only studies is dull. Some teachers do not understand that youth is the time for us to learn about people and about ourselves, to play and try things. They try to keep us away from all “dangers” which make up life. Some grown-ups think that to have a boyfriend or a girlfriend at school is a deadly sin. I don’t think so. There are many films and books about love, and the main characters are usually young. I think, school is the right time to find a boyfriend or a girlfriend, because studying is difficult and they can support each other. It is important to have a person who really understands you. There can also be a problem, if your peers (classmates, for example) do not understand you.
Nowadays the problem of education is also very serious. The choice of educational institutions is wide today but the quality of training is different. Some of them are state, others are private. Some are very difficult to enter, others are easy to enter. The quality of knowledge the regional schools give is not enough for easy entrance and free studying at in Moscow or Saint-Petersburg universities so you have to pay for your education. Some educational institutions train really high-qualified specialists who can easily find a prestigious and well-paid jobs, others offer their graduates only poorly-paid positions. So the choice of the educational university depends on the school you study at, on your parents’ income, on the financial conditions of your family, on your likes and dislikes. But it is really important to find a suitable university and a profession to your taste because all your life depends on your choice.
The problem of money is rather painful as well. I think, young people need to have pocket money. When you are 17 years old you can be satisfied only with the things your parents buy for you (food, clothes). You have your hobbies and interests so you need money for buying books, CDs, going to the cinema and having a cup of coffee in a cafe with your girlfriend. But I don’t think it is a good idea to beg parents to give you some money. They would give much more if they earned enough. So the only way out is to find a part-time job, for example to work as a postman. Delivering advertisement newspapers is not so hard, it won’t distract you from studies as it will take you only 8 hours a week and give about 4000 roubles a month. It is not much but it is bearable and gives you some financial independence. Don’t get used to getting a free ride. To earn money by yourself means to be a grown-up.
Young people stand many health problems. Many of us want to look older and more independent. Everybody wants to go out of line so they do silly things. The girls make up as Red Indians on the war-path. They wear articles of clothes that do not become. They try to be fashionable-looking and lose their style and charm. The boys try to be tough, they are self-assured and insensible. Both boys and girls begin to smoke and drink beer and even stronger alcoholic drinks. Sometimes they begin to take drugs and become drug addicts. This is the point of no return as drugs ruin all their life and life of their parents. Very few of them give up taking drugs and start a new life. The main disadvantage of being young is the absence of life experience so it is easy to fall into a trap.
Still there are many advantages of being young. When you are young you are usually healthy, your brain works well, and you can study easily what you like. You are full of energy and can solve many problems the mankind has faced in the XXI century. These problems are environment, tolerance, and industrial development, maintenance of the world peace, international scientific cooperation and health.
c) Find in the text synonyms for the following words:
| 1. to debate | |
| 2. to come across | |
| 3. to ask for | |
| 4. self | |
| 5. to disturb | |
| 6. senseless | |
| 7. fellows |
d) Replace the words in the brackets with the corresponding English words:
1. The same (непонимание) we face sometimes from the side of the teachers.
2. Still there are many (преимущество) of being young.
3. There are many problems that young people have to (встречаться, сталкиваться) when they stop being children.
4. I don’t want (ранить, причинять боль) their feelings but they should try to understand me.
5. (зарабатывать) money by yourself means to be a grown-up.
6. The boys try to be tough, they are self-assured and (безразличный).
7. Drugs (разрушают) all their life and life of their parents.
e) Fill in the blanks with prepositions where necessary:
1. The chemical was poisonous so I was told to keep … … it.
2. It was rather difficult … me to find a book... my test.
3. She has never begged … money; she has always achieved everything by hard work and patience.
4. The choice of the educational institution depends … many factors such as your financial conditions and your likes and dislikes.
5. Nothing could distract her … reading, she could read for hours.
6. Young people stand many health problems … present.
f) Make the sentences of your own with the words in black.
a) Agree or disagree to the following statements. If you do not agree express your own opinion. If you agree prove the idea.
1. Young people stand many health problems.
2. When you are 17 years old you can be satisfied only with the things your parents buy for you.
3. Everybody wants to go out of line so young people often do silly things.
4. The choice of the educational university depends only on your likes and dislikes.
5. The only way out is to find a part-time job, for example to work as a postman or to deliver advertisement newspapers.
b) Find in the text the answers to the following questions:
1. What types of problems do young people have to face when they stop being children?
2. What is the first and really the most terrible thing for young people?
3. Is the problem of education very serious nowadays?
4. Do you think school is the right time to find a boyfriend or a girlfriend?
5. Have you ever earned money by yourself?
6. What are in your opinion the advantages of being young?
7. Do you consider taking drugs dangerous?
Exercise 4. Translate the sentences from Russian into English, use a dictionary when necessary:
1. Молодые люди часто уходят из дома из-за непонимания с родителями.
2. Многие мои сверстники все еще клянчат деньги у родителей, но я зарабатываю сама.
3. Правильный выбор будущей профессии определяет твое будущее и обеспечивает хорошо оплачиваемую работу.
4. Любящие родители, верные друзья, интересная работа - все это составляет счастливую жизнь.
5. Из-за непонимания в семье и в школе многие подростки начинают принимать наркотики и употреблять спиртные напитки, но это не решает их проблемы.
Exercise 5. Read the information about the survey and express your opinion on the importance of the problems.
The respondents were asked to name the most important problems of contemporary young people, which "cramp their lives". 83% agreed to answer this question. The following answers were given (data in % of those surveyed):
| unemployment ("it is difficult to get a job for graduates"; "nobody wants hard work, but to get a good job is difficult"; "there is employment discrimination against young people, because they lack experience") | |
| difficulties with getting an education ("high cost of education"; "there is an intention to study, but no money for it") | |
| financial problems ("lack of money"; "poverty") | |
| housing problems | |
| no organized leisure ("leisure is poorly organized, lack of clubs"; "there is no place to relax") | |
| society and state pay little attention to young people ("our state abandoned them"; "there are no organizations like the Komsomol for young people") | |
| instability, poor safety, uncertainty in tomorrow ("cobweb future"; "uncertainty in life"; "no prospects") | |
| conflict between generations ("understanding of parents"; "conflict between fathers and sons") |
(9/11)
Young people's problems are a matter of serious concern, aren't they? What is the most important problem for you?
Youth is a period of life which is of utmost importance in the life of man. First, man's entire life is rooted in his early years. The morals and beliefs, range of interests, education, health and habits are all laid in childhood and youth, the personality is shaped. Second, youth is a time when a person is trying to find his place in the world. This period is usually associated with problems: young people 'struggle' to fit themselves into society. Difficult decisions and adjustments face young people in today's society. There are several problems the young generation face. They are the eternal problems of choosing a career and getting education, the problem of independence and money, the problem of unemployment of young people, the generation gap. Young people have many problems of emotional and personal character which may look silly and unimportant in the eyes of grown-ups but appear to be extremely important to the young. They are the problems of friendship and loneliness, as well as the problem of the first love.
Probably the most vital problem is choosing a career, which is really difficult. One thing that makes it so difficult is the responsibility you have to take on — it is widely known that your future life depends on the choice made early in life when your personal experience is not so great. Sometimes you may even be not quite certain about the field of knowledge you are interested in. The second reason is that to make this choice you have to get some idea of the labour market and job opportunities. Third, there are parents who usually have their own idea of your future career and, in many cases, try to make their child choose the career path they prefer.
Perhaps one of the most fundamental problems faced by young people today is unemployment. Young people today have certain needs and aspirations. Because of the universal downturn in the economy combined with technology when particular jobs and skills are made obsolete, many youths today are experiencing problems in obtaining jobs. Unemployment means financial worries, frustration and discouragement. To solve the problem of unemployment, young people should strive for higher education. Then they would be qualified for skilled labour required by industrialized society.
Another problem facing young people today is the tension which exists between parents and children, or the 'generation gap'. In their eagerness to achieve adult status and live their own life, young people may resent any restrictions. They believe that their parents are overanxious and overprotective, which usually creates tension. The 'generation gap' problem is really inevitable. Firstly, every generation is unique in its experience, and young people have always rejected or at least questioned the values of their parents. They have always wanted to learn from their own experience, not from their parents' standards. Secondly, every younger generation tends to be more educated and better-informed than the previous one; they grow more quickly and enjoy freedom more. Thirdly, parents tend to aggravate the situation: they try to impose their ideas upon their children. It results in young people's revolt against adult authority. Parents should exercise control over young people, and try to overcome the differences but with sympathy and understanding.
An area which poses a problem for young people and their parents is love and dating. Some parents today are prepared to give their children some freedom, others are overprotective, restricting their children from going out with the opposite sex. Thus, many young people today can't get the valuable experience of adjusting to other people.
Many youths may not be mature enough to cope with such problems, that is why they go in the direction of crime, drugs, vandalism, drinking etc. Often young people are forced either consciously or unconsciously to become involved in those antisocial activities by people of their own age group. Moreover, they compensate for their feelings by revolting against society and adult authority.
The second one is the problem of friendship. Youth is the time when a person is vulnerable to opinions of different people, especially to the opinions of his peer group. Another problem is problem of love and dating. Some parents are democratic in this respect, and allow their children considerable freedom in their relations with the opposite sex. Others are overprotective and forbid their teenage children to go out with people they like, which, in my opinion, can result in many psychological problems as they prevent their children from getting an experience of communicating with representatives of the opposite sex, and this can lead to serious family problems later.
Grown-ups should work together with young people to help them solve these problems. We must remember that the young people are the leaders of tomorrow.
(9+)
For me, the most important and difficult problem is that of friendship. Firstly, in spite of the fact I have some conflicts with my parents, I have always known they love me, and I love them, too, and will always do my best to help them and make them happy. Friends are people whose trust and affection you have to win; friendship is art for me. Secondly, my friends normally are my peers, we have common interests, likes and dislikes, so having friends is of utter importance to me. As to dating and love, I don't think much about it yet. I think I have to solve the problems which seem most important to me at the moment, that is choosing the career and entering the university I have chosen.
Translate the following sentences into English.
1. Юность имеет первостепенное значение в жизни человека, поскольку вся его последующая жизнь основывается на раннем периоде; мораль и убеждения, круг интересов, образование, здоровье, привычки закладываются в детстве и юности.
2. Молодое поколение сталкивается со многими проблемами, такими, как вечные проблемы выбора карьеры и получения образования, проблемой независимости и денег, безработицы, проблемой отцов и детей, дружбы и одиночества, первой любви и многими другими.
3. Наиболее важной проблемой является выбор карьеры, которая очень трудна, так как человеку приходится брать на себя ответственность, для которой у него недостаточно личного опыта, знания рынка труда и возможности найти работу.
4. Безработица — одна из наиболее фундаментальных проблем, с которыми сталкиваются молодые люди из-за общего кризиса в экономике и развития техники.
5. Безработица означает финансовые проблемы, фрустрацию и разочарование; чтобы ее избежать, молодые люди должны стремиться получить высшее образование и подготовку, необходимую для квалифицированного труда.
6. В своем желании достичь статуса взрослых молодые люди могут отрицать любые ограничения и восставать против авторитета взрослых, отвергая или ставя под сомнение их ценности.
7. Многие родители чересчур опекают своих детей и запрещают им встречаться с представителями противоположного пола.
8. Многие молодые люди не настолько зрелы, чтобы справиться с этими проблемами; они идут на совершение антиобщественных действий, таких, как нарушение закона, употребление наркотиков, вандализм, злоупотребление алкоголем.
9. Самая сложная проблема для меня — это проблема дружбы, поскольку мне приходится завоевывать доверие и любовь друзей. Это очень важно, так как нас объединяют общие интересы и вкусы.
1. Youth is of utmost importance in man's life as his entire life is rooted in his early years; the morals and beliefs, range of interests, education, health and habits are laid in childhood and youth.
2. The young generation face a lot of problems, such as the eternal problems of choosing a career and getting education, the problem of independence and money, unemployment, generation gap, friendship and loneliness, the first love and many others.
3. The most vital problem is choosing a career, which is very difficult as you have to take on the responsibility for which you don't have enough personal experience and knowledge of the labour market and job opportunities.
4. Unemployment is one of the most fundamental problems faced by young people due to the universal downturn in the economy and technology.
5. Unemployment means financial worries, frustration and discouragement; to avoid it young people should strive for higher education and be qualified for skilled labour.
6. In their eagerness to achieve adult status, young people may resent any restrictions and revolt against adult authority, rejecting or questioning their values.
7. Many parents are overprotective and restrict their children from going out with the opposite sex.
8. Many youths are not mature enough to cope with these problems and go in the direction of antisocial activities, such as crime, drugs, vandalism, drinking.
9. For me, the most difficult problem is that of friendship, as I have to win my friends' trust and affection. It's very important as we have common interests, likes and dislikes.
outh movement in Great Britain and USA
Youth and youth movement over decades have become important factors in the life of both countries. Numerous youth organization have been formed since the second world war, uniting young people from all classes and sections of the population. Youth movement is not free of some problems, which result from a number of factors, depending on the grounds, on which the organization was formed. In the USA exists a Young Republican Federation, Young Christian Association, some religious organizations for Jewish youth.
There also exist some political organizations like Students' Coordinative Committee of Non-Violent Action and Students For Democratic Society. Youth organization Greenpeace deals with most urgent ecological problems of today's world. It protests against nuclear weapon tests, sea and soil pollution, etc. Some young people work in their church organizations: help elderly people or work in hospitals. There are even some groups, where young people help released prisoners to start their life a-new. Sport clubs are characteristic youth organizations in the US and UK. They unite people, who are interested in baseball, football, basketball, golf, etc. There are also exist interest clubs. You can attend any club: from theatre clubs to bird-watching
When you leave school you understand that the time of your independence life and the beginning of a far more serious examination of your abilities and character has come. You also understand that from now you’ll have to do everything yourself, and to “fight” with everybody around you for better life. The first problem that young people meet is to choose their future profession, it means that they have to choose the future of their life. It’s not an easy task to make the right choice of a job. You know children have a lot of dreams about their future: to become a superman or a policeman or a doctor …
It’s very easy they think, but when they become older and see real world they understand that in all professions need to know perfectly about what you do, you must be well-educated and well-informed. That’s why I think it’s very important to have a good education at school. And if you work hard everything will be OK. Another problem of young people is drugs. This is a relatively new problem but it is becoming more and more dangerous. Million young people today are using drugs, and most of them will die. Usually they want just to try it, then again and again … and after year may be two years they will die. It is true. Because there are no medicine to help you. That’s why never do it, if you do - it goes bad, very bad. I think that police must work hard to protect young people from drugs. Because drugs will kill our young generation and our future will be very bad. People of almost every age are susceptible to this pernitious disease but it hits the youth the hardest. It's name is unemployment.
The persent-age of unemployed youth in the total number of the jobless is high. In many developing countries the situation is more serious. Many young people to commit suside. Unless the economic situation in the world changes, youth unemployment will mount. This prodictions refer to all catigories of workers-with high and low skills in town and country. For all there possible distinctious,these young people over outside the production structure of society. The are deprived the possebility of creting there are "surplus" from time to time some may get a hit of luck, but the lot of the majority is to feel their unlessles to lose their ideals and become disillusioned. Unemployment greatly intemcilicselle tendency among the youth towards, drug education, frastretion and crime. This is a time bomb and is a heavy acusation of any social economic system. There are many young people in our country. Each of them has one's own view point on their life and their future. There are many problems which are common for all young people.For Example: how to spend their free time, what to do after school, choosing a profession, 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 fathers and sons.
All young people want to be independent, they want their parents to listen to their opinion, not to interfere in their private life. Some parents neglect their children, because they cant find a common language with each other. Many problems were hushed up, but now we can speak openly about them. I think that the most difficult and sirious problem of modern teen-ages is drug-habit. Some young man use drugs, because they think that 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 they commit different serious, because they need some money to buy drugs. There are also many other problems: alchoholism, smokin and so on. There are many youth organisations in our country, wich unite young men on different principles. Members of every organisation has ons own world out looks. Each of them has their own morral qualities. There are some informal organisations, for example: skinheads, hippies, panks and so on. Now there exists the problem of missundrstanding beetwen different youth groups. We also face the problem how to spend our free time. We can do it in different ways.
Some of teen-ages spend their free time in different night clubs. Other young people spend their free time in the strets. As for me, i spend my free time at home or in the night clubs. I also have some problems with my parents. But every time then i have them i try to slove them without quorrel. Now we are young people and we are the future of our country. Teen-aegs play an important role in the modern society. Grown up's must remember that we are the future of our country and in present moment our character is formed and that's why our parents must not assert pressure on us.