2 My dreams and expectations Unit 1
Name _______________________________________________ No. _______ Class _________ Date _________________
1. In your opinion, what is teenagers’ attitude concerning major adolescence problems, like drugs, pregnancy, smoking or drinking? 2. Read the article.
British Teens Today
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Teenagers: they don’t drink, they don’t smoke. What do they do? If recent research is to be believed, Britain’s teenagers are now more sensible – or boring – than any previous generation. Can this be true? “Drugs?” Amelia wrinkles her nose. “Of course not. I don’t want to end up like Amy Winehouse. Or that singer my mum likes – what’s her name?” “Whitney Houston”, answers Sara, her friend and classmate at a south London comprehensive school. They shake their heads censoriously. Alcohol? “I play a lot of sport, so I don’t really like to lose control”, says John, a floppyhaired public schoolboy from the West Country. Smoking? “Like, it kills you, you know!” cries his friend Edward. Sex? A lot of giggling. “Well, it happens”, says Sara. “But, you know, with condoms. If you get pregnant that’s the end of your life.” All these teenagers are 16 and 17, in their first year of the Sixth Form and a more sensible bunch it is hard to imagine. I’m meeting them in a café, armed with statistics revealing that pregnancies, drugs, drinking and smoking – the four demons that terrorise parents of teenagers – are, contrary to popular belief, all far less common in this generation than they were in the generations of a decade or two ago. Can this really be true? Surely teenagers are a feckless bunch. At worst, they’re hoodiewearing, gang members – smashing up shop fronts, not out of political motivation, but for free trainers. At best, they’re monosyllabic airheads obsessed with Facebook. They’re especially loathed in this country. A recent study by the Institute for Public Policy Research revealed that Britons are less likely than any other European race to berate badlybehaved teenagers – for fear of violent consequences. Teenagers always complain of being misunderstood, yet this time they have evidence on their side. Despite the images of bingedrinkers passed out in gutters, teenage boozing is at an historic low. Julia Llwellyn Smith, in The Telegraph, 28/02/2012 (Abridged and adapted)
Editable and photocopiable ©Texto Editores
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3. Identify the general topic of the text. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ .
4. What do these words refer to? a. her (l. 9) _________________________________________
d. I (l. 17) _____________________________________________
b. his (l. 14) ________________________________________
e. they (l. 19) _________________________________________
c. it (l. 14) __________________________________________
f. this (l. 21) __________________________________________
5. Find a synonym for these words in the text. a. disapprovingly _________________________________________________ b. group __________________________________________________________ c. frighten ________________________________________________________ d. detested _______________________________________________________ e. condemn _______________________________________________________
6. Complete the sentences according to the text. According to John, drinking alcohol
a.
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Sara believes that having a child at her age isn’t
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Parents’ most serious concerns regarding their teenage kids are
c.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ d.
When compared with earlier generations, nowadays teens seem to be
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1. Pregnancies, drugs, drinking and smoking are referred to as being the “four demons that terrorise parents of teenagers”. Do you agree with this statement? Give reasons. 2. Does the text portray a realistic view of today’s teenagers? Justify your answer.
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Editable and photocopiable ©Texto Editores
