On Screen p 42. Reading

Vocabulary

ethical (adj): relating to beliefs about what is morally correct or not

e.g. It isn't ethical to try to cheat in an exam; it's morally wrong.



masterpiece (n): sb's best piece of work

e.g. ‘Hamlet’ is widely regarded as one of Shakespeare's greatest masterpieces.



virtue (n): moral goodness

e.g. A simple act of virtue, such as collecting donations for charity, can make a huge difference to someone's life.



vice (n): an immoral personal quality

e.g. Being selfish is a vice that Julie needs to grow out of; there's no need to be so self-centred.



egoism (n): the fact of believing you are better than anyone else

e.g. Sally's egoism is a big problem; she's so vain and arrogant!



self-actualised (adj): able to fulfil your highest potential

e.g. Self-actualised people maximise their potential by doing their best in all aspects of their lives.



genuine (adj): real, sincere

e.g. Terri and Anne share a genuine friendship; they would do anything for each other.



utility (n): usefulness

e.g. Ted and Paul had a friendship of utility; they only met when they needed something from each other.



materialist (n): sb who is preoccupied with worldly possessions

e.g. Laura is such a materialist; she is constantly preoccupied with purchasing new clothes.



sincerity (n): honesty

e.g. Although both men pretended to be happy to see each other, their greeting lacked sincerity and was clearly not genuine.



fleeting (adj): lasting for a brief time only

e.g. Enjoying a sweet dessert is a fleeting pleasure that never lasts long.



short-lived (adj): lasting for a short period of time only

e.g. Unfortunately, Tina and Erica's short-lived friendship only lasted during their holiday, as they never saw each other again.



genesis (n): the origin of sth

e.g. The festival finds its genesis in ancient Maori culture.



stable (adj): steady

e.g. They enjoyed a trusting and stable working relationship, which lasted for more than two years.



rarity (n): scarcity

e.g. Mark laments the rarity of strong friendships, and wonders why they are so uncommon nowadays!



virtuous (adj): honest and moral

e.g. William is a virtuous man; he would never accept a bribe or steal.



empathy (n): the understanding of another person's feelings

e.g. Roberta has a lot of empathy and is able to understand her friends' feelings.



grasp (v): to fully understand sth

e.g. Mary failed to grasp the task and didn't understand what she was supposed to do.



formidable (adj): awesome, very impressive

e.g. Having satisfying relationships at work offers formidable benefits to employees.



resilience (n): the ability to withstand or recover from difficult situations

e.g. Jackie and Sandra are amazed at the resilience of their friendship; they've known each other for fifty years!



hyper-connectivity (n): the use of various means of communication to get in contact with sb, such as email, social networking sites, etc

e.g. Hyper-connectivity, nowadays, allows global communication online in an instant.

On Screen p 42. Family. Monologue Practice

 

 

1. How has the idea of family changed since the past century?

2. The trouble with most children nowadays is that their parents are too easy with them. Do you agree? What's the best way to raise your children? 

Sample answer

The topic I would like to discuss with you today is the one of family and relationships. More (1)____________ (SPECIFIC), I would like to focus on an area that I consider (2)_____________ (PARTICULAR) interesting. It is how the concepts of family and relationships in general have changed in our lifetime.

To start with, I would like to reflect on how families have evolved since the times of our grandparents. As strange as it might seem today, our grandparents' generation believed that having children meant an increase in their workforce and therefore they embraced the idea of having many of them. So, the more children they had, the more work could be carried out in the fields. As a matter of fact, my grandparents were farmers and all family members were supposed to lend a (3)___________ (HELP) hand and shoulder the burden of the (4)_____________ (DAY) farm chores.

Nowadays, however, we tend to have (5)___________ (FEW) children. (6)___________ (EVIDENT), we no longer see them as workforce. Quite the (7)_____________ (OPPOSE), we have become aware that they need our constant attention and a lot of TLC (tender, loving care).  (8)_____________ (ADD),  we also enjoy an (9)___________(EXTENSION) life (10)___________ (EXPECT). People live (11)___________ (DEFINITE) (12)______________ (LONG) and this has of course influenced family structures. We even have coined a new term, the (13)_________ (CALL)  "Beanpole family", which describes a multi-generational family that is (14)__________ (THIN) (15)____________ (STRETCH) over several generations, with fewer family members in each generation and with (16)_____________ (GROW) numbers of (17)_______________ (SINGLE) families.

In (18)____________ (ADD) to family size, a (19)____________ (FAR) point to discuss is family types. At the time of our grandparents you would just find the most traditional families. Our generation, on the other hand, has witnessed the (20)______________ (EMERGE) of a much (21)___________ (WIDE) range of family structures. A case in point is the single-parent families, which have become  more common in recent years. Another family type to consider is the rainbow families, which include same-sex families and gender-diverse families. Apart from these, there is also the blended family, a family consisting of a couple, the children they have had together, and their children from previous relationships. Finally, another family type that has gained (22)____________ (PROMINENT) recently is the foster family, which takes a child into their home for a while and takes care of him or her. In any case, what we should bear in mind is that there is no such thing as 'normal' or '(23)_____________ (NORMAL)' family structures – we are all equal and love is what really makes a family.

 

Another area to consider, is our children's (24)______________ (BRING). There are (25)__________ (MAIN) two types of parenting, helicopter parenting and free-range parenting. In the former parents pay (26)______________ (EXTREME) close attention to their children's experiences and problems. And the latter advocates (27)___________ (ENCOURAGE) (28)_______________ (DEPEND) in children. These parents believe that (29)_______________ (PROTECT) is a danger in itself. (30)___________ (DEED), a child who thinks he cannot do anything on his own (31)__________ (EVENT) can't. As the popular (32)___________ (SAY) goes "either if you say you can or you can't you are always right.

(33)_______________ (OBVIOUS), these two types of parenting lead us to a dilemma. Are we living in a risk-averse culture where we stifle our children's (34)____________ (ABLE) to deal with danger by never allowing them to take (35)_____________ (REASON) risks? Does our society (36)__________ (MOLLY) its children? Or do free-range parents expose their children to real and (37)__________ (NECESSITY) danger? What do you think?

In conclusion, our generation has witnessed a major shift in not only the area of family size and structure but also in the emergence of (38)_____________ (CONVENTION) family types.(39)_____________ (WISE), today's parents are in a quandary over whether in our modern times  they should rear their children in a (40)____________ (PROTECT) or (41)_____________ (PERMIT) way. In any case, at this moment in time, we have all become (42)_____________ (PERFECT) aware that we are propelling our children to an (43)___________ (PREDICT) future.  So, as long as they have the skills to fend for themselves, we as a society should feel proud and (44)_____________ (CONTENT).

 KEY

 

1. specifically 

 

 

 

2. particularly 

 

 

 

3. helping 

 

 

 

4. daily/ day-to-day

day-to-day: involving the usual events or tasks of each day. Happening every day as a regular part of your job or life.
E.g. 

She has been looking after the day-to-day running of the school.

day-to-day problems/responsibilities

I am a vegetarian and use a lot of lentils in my day-to-day cooking.

 

 

 

 

5. fewer 

 

 

 

6. Evidently 

 

 

 

7. opposite 

 

 

 

8. Additionally 

 

 

 

9.extended

 

 

 

10. expectancy 

 

 

 

11. definitely 

 

 

 

12. longer 

 

 

 

13. so-called 

 

 

 

14. thinly 

 

 

 

15. stretched 

 

 

 

16. growing 

 

 

 

17. single-parent 

 

 

 

18. addition 

 

 

 

19. further 

 

 

 

20. emergence 

 

 

 

21. wider 

 

 

22. prominence 

 

 

 

23. abnormal 

 

 

 

24. upbringing 

 

 

 

25. mainly 

 

 

 

26. extremely 

 

 

 

27. encouraging 

 

 

 

28. independence 

 

 

 

29. overprotectiveness / overprotection

 

 

 

30. Indeed 

 

 

 

31. eventually 

 

 

 

32. saying 

 

 

 

33. Obviously 

 

 

 

34. ability 

 

 

 

35. reasonable 

 

 

36. mollycoddle

mollycoddle somebody 

 to protect somebody too much and make their life too comfortable and safe.

E.g.
She was mollycoddled as a child.

 

 

 

37. unnecessary

 

 

 

38. unconventional 

 

 

 

39. Likewise 

 

 

 

40. protective 

 

 

 

41. permissive 

 

 

 

42. perfectly 

 

 

 

43. unpredictable 

 

 

 

44. contented