TEENAGERS

PART I : Text Commentary

STUDENT A

Read the following text. During your text ommentary! whi h i" ex#e ted to $e a$out % minute" long! you "hould: a. Retell the main #oint" of the text in your own idea". $. Relate an ex#erien e you or "ome$ody you &now may ha'e had! or an e'ent you &now a$out related to the to#i .

Portrait of a generation how sweet is 16 ?

At lea"t one long(term #re)udi e "ur'i'e" a definiti'e re#ort on young #eo#le in *ritain #u$li"hed today $y the National Children+" *ureau: the traditional in"i"ten e of teenager" that they are mi"under"tood. ,*ritain+" Sixteen(-ear(.ld"+ ! a detailed "tudy of more than /0!111 $oy" and girl" of that age in England! S otland and 2ale"! #ro'ide" a 3uite unex#e ted #rofile of the generation on whi h *ritain+" future re"t". The ar hety#al "ixteen(year(old here i" a long way from the idle and anar hi teenager of legend. The mo"t alarming "tati"ti " relate to "mo&ing and drin&ing among "ixteen(year(old". A third of tho"e inter'iewed admitted to "mo&ing in "ome degree and a" many a" 4 #er ent "aid that they "mo&ed u# to ten igarette" a day. Almo"t half had had an al oholi drin& in the wee& $efore they were inter'iewed and drin&ing in #u$li hou"e"! although illegal at that age! wa" not un ommon. Some 51 #er ent laimed to ha'e had a drin& in a #u$li hou"e in the "ame #eriod. There i" al"o "ome indi ation that fear" o'er wide"#read truan y from " hool are not altogether mi"#la ed. In re#ly to the 3ue"tion ,6a'e you "tayed away from " hool at all thi" year when you "hould ha'e $een there7+ 85 #er ent re#lied ,-e"+. The re#ort #oint" out! howe'er! that thi" high le'el of a$"enteei"m refer" to o a"ional rather than #er"i"tent truan y. Another #o""i$le fa tor i" that thi" grou# were among the fir"t to remain at " hool om#ul"orily for an extra year 9 an un#o#ular mo'e among many of the"e teenager". 6ard ore truant"! the re#ort on lude"! #ro$a$ly amount to a$out : #er ent. The notion of teenager" #ermanently "lum#ed in front of the tele'i"ion in their lei"ure hour" gain" "ome "u##ort from the figure of 48 #er ent who gi'e T;(wat hing a" one of their main "#are(time a ti'itie". *ut dan ing! #arty(going! "#ort" and game" al"o laim high #er entage". <any thou"and" "aid that they would wel ome more o##ortunity of doing 'oluntary wor& for other" out of " hool hour".

PART II: =rou# di" u""ion

After ha'ing heard 'ariou" a"#e t" of the to#i in #art I! you "hould now di" u"" it with your fellow examinee" for a##roximately /8 minute". -ou "hould om#are o#inion" and gi'e good rea"on" for them! or "tate fa t" "o a" to find #o""i$le "olution" to the #ro$lem"

#o"ed in the text" or tho"e that ome u# during the di" u""ion. To do thi" ta"&! you may ta&e into on"ideration the following guideline". -ou may u"e them all or )u"t tho"e ne e""ary.

1. Do you consider teenagers to be adults or are they still children? 2. Why is it so difficult for parents and teenagers to understand each other if human nature remains the same from generation to generation. 3. Did you experience the so-called generation gap hen you ere a teenager? !. Why is it that friends become more important than parents teenager? ". Why is adolescence such a tough period in ones life? #. Why do you thin$ that many gro n-ups loo$ bac$ on their adolescence and long for it? hen you are a

TEENAGERS
PART I : Text Commentary

STUDENT *

Read the following text. During your text ommentary! whi h i" ex#e ted to $e a$out % minute" long! you "hould: a. Retell the main #oint" of the text in your own idea". $. Relate an ex#erien e you or "ome$ody you &now may ha'e had! or an e'ent you &now a$out related to the to#i .

Portrait of a generation how sweet is 16 ?

The main $one of ontention $etween "ixteen(year(old" and their #arent"! the re#ort di" o'er"! i" di"agreement o'er the young #eo#le+" a##earan e. Among a range of 3ue"tion" on familiar area" of family u#"et 9 hoi e of friend"! attention to homewor&! home oming time" at night 9 ,dre"" or hair"tyle+ emerged a" a lear winner in the re"ultant league ta$le of dome"ti di" ord. // #er ent of the /0!111 teenager" di"agreed often with their #arent" o'er thi" #oint and %8 #er ent had o a"ional row". The time of oming in at night or going to $ed wa" the "e ond mo"t #er ent falling out often with their #arent". Doing 9 or failing to do 3ue"tion to #arent" a$out the fre3uen y with whi h their hildren e"ta$li"hed that the ma)ority 9 0/ #er ent ( went out only on e or twi ommon au"e of fri tion! : 9 homewor& ame next. A went out in the e'ening" e a wee&.

.n the 3ue"tion of inter(family relation"hi#" "lightly more teenager" "aid they got on $etter with their mother" than their father"! $ut two(third" of tho"e with a $rother or "i"ter admitted to 3uarrelling fre3uently among one another. ,6owe'er! in relation to thi" and mo"t of the"e 3ue"tion"!+ "ay" the re#ort! ,many wrote in a 3ualifying note to the effe t that though they might 3uarrel often with a $rother or "i"ter! or di"agree with their #arent"! thi" did not mean that there wa" anything wrong with the underlying relation"hi#. In 'iew of thi" it i" #ro$a$ly unreali"ti to read any "e'ere #ro$lem" into the"e figure".+ That "ixteen i" in "ome way" "till a ,diffi ult+ age! e'en for the modern teenager! i" $orne out $y #arent"+ o$"er'ation of the young"ter"+ $eha'iour in the home. Parent" were #re"ented with a li"t of hara teri"ti " 9 re"tle""ne""! fidgeting! fighting with other young"ter"! $ullying! and di"o$edien e and "o on and were a"&ed to "ay to what extent the"e ty#e" of $eha'iour were 'i"i$le in their hildren. <o"t fre3uently noted wa" a tenden y to $e "olitary. Next ame irrita$ility 9 $eing ,3ui & to fly off the handle+ 9 and then $eing ,fu""y or o'er(#arti ular+. .n the other hand 'ery few found their young"ter" de"tru ti'e! aggre""i'e to other" or fre3uently di"o$edient. A" many a" /5 #er ent were thought to $e untruthful on "ome o a"ion" and a "ur#ri"ing 5 #er ent of "ixteen(year(old" "till "u &ed their thum$".

PART II: =rou# di" u""ion

After ha'ing heard 'ariou" a"#e t" of the to#i in #art I! you "hould now di" u"" it with your fellow examinee" for a##roximately /8 minute". -ou "hould om#are o#inion" and gi'e good rea"on" for them! or "tate fa t" "o a" to find #o""i$le "olution" to the #ro$lem" #o"ed in the text" or tho"e that ome u# during the di" u""ion. To do thi" ta"&! you may ta&e into on"ideration the following guideline". -ou may u"e them all or )u"t tho"e ne e""ary.

1. Do you consider teenagers to be adults or are they still children? 2. Why is it so difficult for parents and teenagers to understand each other if human nature remains the same from generation to generation. 3. Did you experience the so-called generation gap hen you ere a teenager? !. Why is it that friends become more important than parents teenager? ". Why is adolescence such a tough period in ones life? #. Why do you thin$ that many gro n-ups loo$ bac$ on their adolescence and long for it? hen you are a

TEENAGERS

STUDENT C

PART I : Text Commentary

Read the following text. During your text ommentary! whi h i" ex#e ted to $e a$out % minute" long! you "hould: a. Retell the main #oint" of the text in your own idea". $. Relate an ex#erien e you or "ome$ody you &now may ha'e had! or an e'ent you &now a$out related to the to#i .

Portrait of a generation how sweet is 16 ?

There are unex#e ted attitude"! too! toward" )o$ a"#iration" 9 more than half ga'e high #riority to )o$" whi h were of hel# to other". S#are(time wor& i" fre3uently underta&en and! in the home! the wide"#read $elief that there ha" $een a "eriou" $rea&down in family life doe" not "tand u# to lo"er examination. ,The on e#t of the >generation ga#? !+ "ay" the re#ort ,i" #art of #o#ular mythology. 6owe'er there i" little e'iden e in our finding" for it" wide"#read exi"ten e. The great ma)ority of $oth #arent" and hildren re#orted harmoniou" family relation"hi#".+ In "u##ort of thi" on lu"ion the attitude of "ixteen(year(old" to marriage and family "eem" highly "ignifi ant. .nly % #er ent were o##o"ed to marriage altogether. .f the re"t mo"t thought that the $e"t age to marry wa" $etween twenty and twenty(fi'e! with two hildren a" the ideal family. *ritain+" future! in fa t! a##ear" to $e in the hand" of a remar&a$ly on'entional generation of young men and women not mar&edly different from the #arent" who worry a$out them. ,it i" &nown!+ "ay" the re#ort! ,that familie" where the hildren are nearing adulthood are at one of the more affluent "tage" in their life( y le! $ut the li'ing "tandard" re'ealed $y a "tudy of the home ondition" of the"e teenager" "ugge"t a general im#ro'ement in affluen e in *ritain. @1 #er ent of the "ixteen(year(old" li'ed in a hou"e or $ungalow! 81 #er ent of the"e dwelling" $eing owner(o u#ied. Two(third" of the hou"ehold" in'ol'ed had a ar! )u"t o'er half had a tele#hone! a little under 0/ #er ent had olour T;. ,*y "tar& ontra"t!+ the re#ort ontinue"! ,5 #er ent were li'ing in home" whi h had no $athroom! % #er ent had no indoor la'atory and 5 #er ent had no hot water "u##ly. The"e #ro#ortion" may a##ear "mall $ut in term" of the a$"olute num$er whi h they re#re"ent in the #o#ulation a" a whole they are di"3uietingly large.+ The re#ort al"o #oint" out that although adole" en e an $e a time when #ri'a y i" #arti ularly high 'alued! "ome %@ #er ent of teenager" did not ha'e their own $edroom and a" many a" : #er ent had to "hare $ed.

PART II: =rou# di" u""ion

After ha'ing heard 'ariou" a"#e t" of the to#i in #art I! you "hould now di" u"" it with your fellow examinee" for a##roximately /8 minute". -ou "hould om#are o#inion" and gi'e good rea"on" for them! or "tate fa t" "o a" to find #o""i$le "olution" to the #ro$lem"

#o"ed in the text" or tho"e that ome u# during the di" u""ion. To do thi" ta"&! you may ta&e into on"ideration the following guideline". -ou may u"e them all or )u"t tho"e ne e""ary.

1. Do you consider teenagers to be adults or are they still children? 2. Why is it so difficult for parents and teenagers to understand each other if human nature remains the same from generation to generation. 3. Did you experience the so-called generation gap hen you ere a teenager? !. Why is it that friends become more important than parents teenager? ". Why is adolescence such a tough period in ones life? #. Why do you thin$ that many gro n-ups loo$ bac$ on their adolescence and long for it? hen you are a