You are going to read and listen to a Beatles’ song called

She’s Leaving Home. It is about the eternal problem of Fathers and sons.

1 Read the words of the first verse and choose the best word in the brackets to fill in each gap. Check the meaning of new words in your dictionary.

2 Listen to the first verse and the chorus and check your answers. Then do the same with the order verses.

She’s leaving home

Wednesday morning at five o’clock as the day _________ (begins/starts),

Silently closing the bedroom ________ (door/window)

Leaving the ________ (letter/note) that she hoped would say more

She goes downstairs to the ___________ (dining room/kitchen)

________ (Clutching/Holding) her handkerchief

Quietly turning the backdoor key

Stepping outside she is _____(free/independent).

She

We gave her most of our lives.

Is leaving

Sacrificed most of our lives.

home.

We gave her everything money could buy.

She is leaving home after living alone for so many years.

Father _______ (sleeps/snores/ as his wife gets into her dressing gown,

Picks up the _____ (cat/letter) that’s lying there

Standing alone at the top of the stairs

She breaks down and ______ (cries/shouts) to her husband,

‘Daddy, our baby’s ______ (gone/left).

Why would she treat us so thoughtlessly?

How could she do this to _______ (me/us)?’

She

We never thought of ourselves.

Is leaving

Never a thought of ourselves.

home.

We struggled hard all our lives to get by

She’s leaving home after living alone for so many years.

Friday morning at nine o’clock she is far away

Waiting to keep the appointment she _____ (had/made)

Meeting a man from the _____ (car/motor/ trade/.

She

What did we do that was wrong?

Is having

We didn’t know it was wrong.

Fun.

Fun is the one thing that money can’t buy.

Something inside that was always denied for so many years.

She’s leaving home. Bye–bye.

2. Is it easy to be young?

We are going to have The Brainstorming. I will write our problem “Fathers and Sons” on the blackboard and give you 2–or 3 minutes to find out what aspects of life this problem is concerned with. You’ll have to note down ideas in your groups and then collect your ideas on the board.

smoking

watching TV too much
staying late at night
choosing friends
drinking alcohol
going disco
Fathers & Sons
dressing
spending pocket money
dating
studying
helping to do the housework
schooling
That I’ll do.

• Thank you very much.

You see, there are so many problems facing young people nowadays.

3. 85 процентов латвийских семей живут в бедности. Около 12 тысяч детей не посещают школу. Семеро из десяти страдают тем или иным заболеванием. Недавно в Латвии был создан Центр, отвечающий за реализацию Конвенции по защите прав ребёнка.

What rules does your family have?

my parents

allow me to…
let me…
make me…
forbid me to….
smoke
stay late at night
cook dinner for myself
eat what I want
watch anything I want on TV
go to discos
wear jeans to school
be home by… o’clock
dress the way I want
help with my housework
get a part–time job
drink alcohol
decide what to do after finishing school
choose my own friends
organize parties at home
observe a curfew
drive a car
show my school diary
spend my pocket money

Do your classmates have the same family rules? Ask your classmates questions. Complete the chart with information you have got.

Write a survey using the information you have got about your classmates.

Parents allow _________________________ of us to _________________________________________

They also let __________________________ of us ___________________________________________

But parents forbid _____________________ of us to _________________________________________

They also make _______________________ of us ___________________________________________

4. Are You of Age?

The British Government joined the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1991 and worked out some documents with age limits for some activities for British children/

Look through the leaflet and find at what age young people in Britain can

––– drive a car?

––– leave school?

––– join the army?

––– buy alcohol?

––– get married?

At twelve

You can get a pet without your parents’ consent (permission).

At thirteen

You can get a job. But the law allows you to work only two hours a day on school days.

At fourteen

You can enter a bar, but you can only buy soft drinks (non – alcohol). The law forbids you to buy or drink alcohol.

The law makes you fully responsible for your criminal actions.

Boys (not girls) can be sent to a special prison for young people.

Boys and girls can get their ears pierced without their parents’ consent.

At fifteen

You can see a category–15 film at the cinema.

You can buy a category–15 video.

At sixteen

You can leave school. But you are entitled to receive full–time education you are 19.

The law permits you to work full–time, if you have left school.

You can leave home without your parents’ consent.

You can apply for your own passport.

Boys can join the army.

You can buy cigarettes. The law allows a young person to smoke at any age. But if you are under 16 and caught by the police, they can seize your cigarettes.

You can buy beer or wine. But you are allowed to drink it only in the restaurant or pub.

You can buy liqueur chocolate.

You can buy fireworks.

You can sell scrap metal.

You have to pay full ticket on trains and on buses and the tube in London.

You can marry if your parents permit you to do it.

At seventeen

You can get a license to drive a car and ride a motorbike.

Girls can join the army.

You can buy any firearm or ammunition

At eighteen

You are an adult. You do not need your parents’ permission for anything. You can get married, vote, borrow money from a bank and drink alcohol.

5. Children are now more independent, more confident in solving problems on their own. They become alienated from the family – a teenager who has spoilt his relations with parents is usual, even typical, nowadays. Read these letters, find out the problem and give some advice, how to overcome the difficulties described in the following situations.

Not fair

I get 1.50 dollars pocket money, but most of my friends get much more. When I ask Mum and Dad for more, they say I can have more, if I help in house, but I don’t see, why I should. Mum’s at home all day, and it’s her job to look after the house, not mine. What do you think?

Sharon, 14

Weighty problem

Girls don’t find me attractive and I think the reason is, that I am fat. Ever since, I was about seven, I’ve been on the chubby side. But it didn’t worry me, until now. I’m quite intelligent and have lots of friends, but not the type, I’d like. What should I do?

Peter, 14

Bullies at school

Please. Help me, because I’m in terrible trouble. There are bullies at my school who hit me and kick me. And they say, I have to give them money or they’ll really hurt me. I’m frightened of them. I haven’t got any money to give them. Please, tell me what to do.

Jeremy, 14

Roses and red…

I am in love with a girl who is very attractive. A friend introduced us. She doesn’t know how I fell. I have her address and telephone number, but I don’t know what to do. Should I call her? I could send her some roses or chocolates, but I can’t decide which is better. If I send something, what should I write on the card?

Andrew, 15

Problems with lessons

I’m very worried because the lessons at school are too difficult for me. I don’t understand them, but others in the class know what the teachers are talking about. Who should I talk to? We have exams soon. And I know, I am going to fail them. My parents will be furious, because they think, I’m going OK. Please, help.

Suzie, 17

My friends steal

Some of my friends steal things from shop after school. Usually it’s sweets, but some of them steal bigger things too, and sell them or just give them away. They keep telling me to go with them, but I don’t want to. They say I’m a coward. I don’t want to steal, but I don’t want to look stupid, either. What should I do?

6. Persuation.

Cut the list in this way and give your students only the first part of it – the situation. They read it and work in pairs trying to decide how they would persuade the mother to let her daughter go to the party. Write some necessary expressions on the board, for example:

• Please, mum, all my friends are going.
• That may be true.
• Oh, come on, Mum.
• Why can’t I go?
• I know, Mum, but…
• I am afraid not, etc.

After making up the dialogues, give your students the second part of the card and compare their versions with the version on the list.

Persuation

The situation

You have been invited to a really good party but your uncle is coming to visit you. You know, that your mother will want you to stay in. Work in pairs and decide how you would persuade her to let you go. Write down some of the expressions you might use. Example: Please! All my friends are going. Compare your version with the one on the tape. The dialogue.

A: Mum, can I go to a party on Saturday?

B: This Saturday?

A: Yes!

B: I’m afraid, not. Auntie Pat John is coming round.

A: I know, mum, but it’s going to be a great party – everyone’s going.

B: That may be true, but you know that Auntie Pat likes seeing you, and you weren’t here last time.

A: But I’ll be here, when she arrives and I promise I’ll sit down and talk to her then.

B: You’re known about Auntie Pat’s visit for months…

A: I know. But I really want to go. It’s going to be the party of the year. Look, I’ll even help you to cook, if you let me go.

B: I am sorry. You’ll have to give it a miss.

A: Oh, come on, Mum. Why can’t I go?

B: Because. You’ve got responsibilities here and that’s all there is to it.

A: Mum.

7 Read the text and translate it.

Eternal Problem of “Fathers and Sons”

When studying in school I was surprised to hear such words from my best friend: “I never say anything about my private life to my parents; they have no interest in me. They never notice if I’m happy or crying; they don’t think whether I need a piece of advice, or need to share my joys and sorrows. When I tried to discuss my problems, they were always too busy to listen to “rubbish” which isn’t worth paying attention to. My friend was really depressed about her relations with her relatives and I had no words to help her. It was a kind of shock to me: how can these people be so indifferent to their child? How can their dearest child be left to the mercy of fate?!

Parents have always been the most loved and nearest people since birth. When a new person is born, it’s a great occasion for everybody in his family. And your first steps, first attempts to communicate, and first experience in spelling words – all the important moments of your life – happen only thanks to a mother who is always near you. Her heart fills with joy when she sees you making progress in studying and achieving good results in your life.

All this seems to be a wonderful tale. But what has changed during the last 10–20 years? Children now are more independent, more confident in solving problems on their own. We are slowly become alienated from you family – a teenager who has spoilt his relations with his parents is usual, even typical, nowadays. Think: who would you like to tell about your problems – your friends or your parents? Of course, a friend knows more about you than your relatives; he or she is closer to you. Is the eternal problem of “fathers and sons” a characteristic feature of Russian family relations?

In today difficult situation in Russia, everybody relies on himself and never waits for help. There is no other country in the world like Russia, where nobody can predict what will happen tomorrow, where the government lives one life, and citizens another. We can’t control our future – and try to adapt to the existing Russian system.

Comparing our family relations with those in the USA, we come to the conclusion: how the state power treats us is reflected in people’s attitudes to each other. Every father in America dreams about the splendid future of his son, his successful career as a sportsman, singer, diplomat, or even as president. How much time they devote to their children!

And we? – we send them to a grandmother, an aunt, or some other relative, who is eager to look after a kid. It’s clear: in the USA parents have fewer problems getting money, they live in better conditions, and their living standard is much higher than ours. What are our parents busy with? They earn money, supporting their family is the meaning of their lives. And if we look at remote regions (far from the capital), we’ll be shocked by the miserable wages. Teachers’ salaries and doctors fees (in Moscow it’s not much higher). People there are too worried about fighting for survival to spend time and communicate with their child. At best the mother or father exchanges a few words with him before going to bed, and it’s enough after a long working day.

Parents are always absent, and who will show the best way of, for example, entertainment. Nobody can guarantee that your little boy or girl won’t start smoking at an early age. On the most awful – taking drugs. It’s good when there are grandmothers and grandfathers to control a teenager; but what to do if there are none? The world seems so beautiful to us, Muscovites, who have access to higher education, places of interest, and every kind of entertainment. We don’t even have an idea of the dull, monotonous life in the suburbs and villages!

It’s a great question to think over. I don’t want to just say that the USA is better to live in; but I went to show that in such a situation in Russia, only we can change the relationship between children and their parents. We must try to be more patient attentive to the family, especially to little kids. Let’s dream about our children, and use all means to realize these dreams and to make them well–known stars in sport, TV, etc. Everything depends only on us!

9. Marriage

Do you know a lot of facts from your parents’ biography? What do you know about their marriage? When did they marry? Is the date of their marriage a small holiday in your family every year? What kind of marriage your parents have? You know, there are a love marriage, a mixed marriage and an arranged marriage. What do you know about them? Which of them do you like best?

In Britain most people date and marry:

• people they live near
• people they work with
• people they go to school and university with.

Most choose to marry people they find attractive and they usually choose people of the same nationality, race, religion and educational background. They also marry someone who is roughly the same age. Because Britain is a multiracial community mixed marriages are more common today but they are still the exception.

• Who do people marry in your country?
• Do you know anyone who married a person who is a lot older?
• Are they from a different nationality, race or religion?
• Did they come from a very different educational background?
• What happened? Are they happy?
• Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of marrying someone from a different background or culture.

In arranged marriages the parents choose the person who their son or daughter will marry. Arranged marriages are very common in India and Pakistan. In Britain, these is a large community which came from these countries and arranged marriages are still common.

• Is there a tradition of arranged marriages in your country?
• What do you think are the advantages and disadvantages?
• What are some of the problems of arranged marriages in a society like Britain?