Comprehension Check

Part A

READING AND SPEAKING

Think ahead

We grow as we go through different stages of human development.

The number of these stages may be different as sociologists, psychologists, or poets view them. For example, William Shakespeare in his play As You Like It critically and humorously examines the human lifespan as seven stages of emotional and physical development, and thus the man plays seven parts in his life: an infant, a school-boy, a lover, a soldier, a person delivering justice, and there are also two stages of old age, the last one being “the second childishness and mere oblivion; Sans (without) teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything". (Act 2, Scene 7 of As You Like It which begins with famous words: “All the world’s a stage / And all the men and women merely players”)

Before you read the text answer the following questions:

1) What do you know about different stages of human development?

2) Which stage seems to be the most difficult for you? Why?

3) What stage of human development are you in now? Are you comfortable enough being there? Is there anything you would like to change being as old as you are? Why?

Reading

Read the text and say if the statements that follow it are true or false. Be also ready to answer the questions on the text and to speak on the stages of human development:

Youth as a Stage of Human Development

We all distinguish such stages of human development as childhood, youth, and adulthood, and no other stage in the life cycle provokes as many questions and debates as youth – the period between childhood and adulthood,the age somewhere between 12 and 30 which may further be subdivided into adolescence(roughly the years between the ages of 13 and 18), and young adulthood (it begins with the age of 18 and goes on to somewhere around 30).

Adolescence

During the transitional period of adolescenceyoung people face with changes in their bodies, emotions, and personalities. They move beyond their rather limited world of childhood and begin experimenting with the behaviour, beliefs, and attitudes of adults. At this age they mix some qualities of childhood with some of adulthood, and the word "turbulent" is perhaps the best to describe the average experience of teenagers.

Very often teens run into many problems: bullying and drugs, running from home and dropping out from school, jails and prisons, sexual abuse, teen pregnancy – these are just a few problems to mention here.

Parents usually worry about their child more than their teenager about himself or herself, and to protect the child they often exercise their power and limit their child’s rights: they do not allow to go where he or she would love to go, they give orders and prohibitions,they may beagainst their child’s fashion, friends and a girl/boy friend, hobbies, music, lifestyle and other things their child appreciates so much. As the result the good relationship between them and their child is often broken at this age, and the tense parents-children relationship contributes to the most typical problem of teenagers which is usually called ‘the generation gap’.

But most teenagers overcome the challengesof adolescence and settle into being young adults.

Young adulthood

The age of young adulthood has always been regarded to be the nicest period of human lives.

At the age of young adulthood people become more socially responsibleand morepsychologically mature. They are entitledall adults’ rights: rights for voting in elections, for driving, marrying, working in some jobs, holding public office, and buying such restricted goods as alcohol. Itis also the period of life when young people do the most important decisions for their future family and career.

Young adults become less dependent or fully independent of their parents or other relatives for support. If they are students and fully supported by parents they may be free from daily winning oftheirbread. If not married they are free from the burdenof responsibilitywhich brings the parenthood.

With morefree time and fewer family responsibilities than adults they have a wealth ofleisure opportunities: going to health clubsand gyms, dining out, shopping, watching TV, reading, attending musical concerts, going to the cinema, theatre, spending time with friends -- these are only a few of the options open to them.

Young adults are generally in good healthand high spirits, physically fit and attractive. They strive for love, intimacy, and compassion, they seek to form intense, usually romantic relationships with other people. Emotional interactions may be very intense in a college environment – where everyone is roughly the same age and with the same aspirations.

The period of young adulthood lasts somewhere until the early 30ies when most of the young people enter the age of mature adulthood and usually settle down: they advancetheir careers, gain promotions and raises, get stability in their personal lives and start a family.

Comprehension Check

Are these statements true or false?

1. No other stage in the life cycle provokes as much questions and debate as youth.
2. The word ‘turbulent’ is perhaps the best to describe the average experience of teenagers.
3. There are practically no challenges of adolescence.
4. The university entry examinations are tough but very fair.
5. Parents usually do not care about their child’s fashion, friends and a girl/boy friend, hobbies, music, lifestyle and other things.
6. At the age of adolescence people are socially responsible and psychologically mature.
7. The period of adolescence lasts somewhere until the early 30ies.
8. At the age of young adulthood people are entitled all adults’ rights.
9. Young adults become fully dependent on their parents or other relatives for support.
10. Young adults are absolutely be free from daily winning of their bread.

What are the answers to the following questions according to the text:

1. What are the major stages of human development?
2. What is adolescence?
3. Why is adolescence the most turbulent period in a human life?
4. What are the problems that teenagers often run into?
5. Why does parents-children relationship at this age get sometimes tense?
6. What is young adulthood? How is it different from adolescence?
7. Why has the age of young adulthood always been regarded to be the nicest period of human lives?
8. What adults’ rights are the young people entitled?
9. How do they spend their leisure time?
10. When do the young adults usually settle down and become just adults?

Date: 2016-01-14; view: 1069