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Unit 3 : Gifts of Youth Reading Comprehension

Youth is considered as the nicest time of one's life. By nature, as a young person, you are fit, strong, sociable, enthusiastic, creative, ambitious and perseverant. Moreover, you have enough energy to face problems and you look forward to every day on which you may try something new and challenging. You are endowed with many more gifts that can make you so special and important as well, but you should just discover your strong points and use them the right and best way possible. Some people around you just blame you and describe you as naughty, immature, careless and irresponsible whereas others tend to tolerate your faults because of your lack of experience.

But no one can deny that the young are the lifeblood of any society. In fact, they’re a great treasure to be invested. If they are involved in serving their country, if they are motivated by all means possible to use the power of their mind and body positively, if they are properly valued and well-estimated as active citizens who can voice their opinions freely and show their talents, our country will surely prosper and become much better than it is now.

When speaking about young people we should be aware of the fact that there are two different groups of young people: teenagers (between 13 to 19 years old) and those between twenty and thirty. Both groups have something in common, but there are also differences between them.

Teenagers are a special group. They are not children anymore, but they are not yet adults. They are strongly influenced by their friends as well as mass media. But they are still influenced by their parents and partly by their teachers …

As teenagers grow up, they interact with people outside their homes, each becoming an individual person with his/her own ideas and unique personality. Teenagers oppose the older generation and want to live independently; so they often have conflicts with their parents and teachers. Most of them attend secondary schools and prepare themselves for their future profession. They spend most of their time at school or studying for the following school day. In their leisure time they like getting together with friends, listening to music, playing computer games and going to parties. Most of them live with their parents, have to help around the house and are given some pocket money to spend on study, hobbies, and small luxuries. Those teenagers who want their own money try to find a part-time job, especially during school holidays. Working in the afternoons or at weekends could be very useful since it may help them to prepare for their future (adulthood) and get much more life experience and wisdom.

Some teenagers, especially in the USA, but also in other European countries, leave their family at the age of eighteen and live with their friends in rented flats. Their parents do not usually object because they see that living on one's own can help young people become responsible and mature, and enable them to develop their personality. Some people say this is better than any parental advice.

COMPRHENSION QUESTIONS:

A. Are these statements True or False? Justify your answer: 1. The two groups of young people have similarities and differences. 2. Only American teenagers leave their family once they are 18. 3. Young people are a pillar of their society.B. Answer the following questions about the text: 1. What are some assets and qualities of young people? 2. What should it be done for young people so that they can contribute to the development of their country? 3. Do parents in the USA approve of their young children's living on their own? JustifyC. Complete the following sentences from the text: 1. Adults are tolerant towards teenagers because ……………………………………………………………… 2. Teenagers are affected more by ………………………………………… than by their parents or teachers.D. What do these words refer to in the text: (1 pt) 1. Others: ………… ● 2. Those (paragraph 2): ………… ● 3. It (paragraph 4): ………….. E. Find in the text word or expressions that mean the same as:

1. In paragraph 1 a) Mistakes: ______________ b) to encounter: ________ 2. In paragraph 2 a) a pillar: ________________ b) skills: ________3. In paragraph 5 a) freely: _________________ b) oppose: ______________ 4. In paragraph 6 a) allow: _________________ b) strengthen: ___________

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Open discussion:

1- Some adults and parents blame today’s generation (=the youth of today), saying that they want to get everything quickly and easily (without any effort), and that they are reluctant, rebels, disrespectful, disobedient, and good for nothing (passive)…The question is: How would you react to this claim? Is it really true? 2- Do you feel there is some kind of generation gap between you (as teenagers) and your parents? If yes, can you give any examples for that? … How can both parents and their children – who are no longer kids – bridge that gap?3- Don’t you think that your parents as well as people who are older than you are wiser and much more aware of life secrets, traps and fruits thanks to the so many experiences in life that they went through with time and social relationships? If you think so, to what extent? 4- Are your parents strict or permissive (= that is to say: Do they control you seriously because they feel responsible for your behaviour or do they let you do whatever you like, allowing you much freedom because they )5- To what extent should you, as teenagers, be open to, interact with and get influenced by the different world cultures – which you get exposed to mainly through mass media? ….