UNIT 4 LOVE. MARRIAGE. FAMILY IN BRITAIN

4.1 Read and translate the text using a dictionary if necessary.

THE FAMILY

There are many different views on family life. Some people could not do without the support and love of their families. Others say it is the source of most of our problems and anxieties. Whatever the truth is, the family is definitely a powerful symbol. Turn on the television or open a magazine and you will see advertisements featuring happy, balanced families. Politicians often try to win votes by standing for “family values”: respect for parental authority, stability in marriage, chastity and care for the elderly.

Sociologists divide families into two general types: the nuclear family and the extended family, which may include three or more generations living together. In industrialized countries, and increasingly in the large cities of developing countries, the nuclear family is regarded as normal. Most people think of it as consisting of two parents and two children. In fact, the number of households containing a nuclear family is shrinking year by year.

There are people who say that the family unit in Britain is in crisis and that traditional family life is a thing of the past. This is of great concern to those who think a healthy society is dependent upon a stable family life. They see many indications that the family is in decline, in such things as the acceptance of sex before marriage, the increased number of one-parent families, the current high divorce rate and what they see as a lack of discipline within the family. Some politicians blame social problems, such as drug taking and juvenile crime, on a disintegrating family life. Concern that the family is in a state of crisis is not new in Britain. In the nineteenth century, many legislators and reformers were saying the same. It was also a concern between the two World Wars, and in the 1980s it became a continuous political issue.

There is no definition of a “normal” family. Broadly speaking, the family is a group of people related by blood or law, living together or associating with one another fop a common purpose. That purpose is usually to provide shelter arid food, and to bring up children. The nature of the family keeps changing: there are a number of types of family that exist in a society at any one time.

4.2 Match the following word combinations according to their meaning:

A B

4.3 Translate the following word combinations and sentences into Russian:

a) a man of good family, a man of no family, a family man, nuclear family, cat family, family of language, in a family way, a family tree.

b) 1 A much more common name is Jack.

2 The plot behind the house was common property.

3 Her brother is a common Worker.

4 In such matters you must use common sense

5 It's a mistake common to all students.

6 It's common knowledge that his work of art is very valuable.

7 There was hardly any hope of finding common ground with the opposition.

8 They have plenty in common.

4.4 Which is the odd word out?

a) live, dwell, lodge, stay, stop, put up;

b) begin, commence, start, finish, end, cease, go on, go out, continue;

c) expect, wait, hope, believe, think, suppose.

4.5 Answer the following questions:

1 What are some of the views on family life?

2 What are the predictions of the end of the family system based upon in Great Britain and Russia?

3 What relations are customary between Russian young men and girls?

4 What are the basic characteristics of a family?

5 What are the definitions of a family?

6 What is your idea of an “ideal” family?

4.6 Make up sentences of your own with these words:

a) assumev 1. take over: assume responsibilities, power 2. suppose: We must assume him to be innocent. 3. pretend: assume ignorance, indifference, an air of concern, etc. assumptionn supposition: on the assumption

b) care forn anxiety, concern: a mother’s care for her children; take care of oneself / smb / smth = make sure that one / smb / smth is safe and well: My sister is taking care of the children while we are away. carev feel special interest in smb / smth: He cares much for her. not to care = be indifferent: don’t care. carefuladj cautious (ant careless, carefree)

4.7 Read the text Those lazy husbands and do the exercises after.

Date: 2015-12-24; view: 1969