EX.3 READ AND TRANSLATE THE FOLLOWING TEXT 

to play truant – прогуливать(уроки)

to bunk off – разг.прогуливать

absenteeism – прогул

to get out of control – выйтииз-подконтроля

evidence – зд.факты

failure – зд.неуспеваемость

tocommitcrime – совершить преступление

toswipe – вставлять (карточку)

attendance – посещаемость

gap – перерыв

to resort to – прибегать (к)

toturnup – являться, приходить

jail – тюрьма

tobefoundguilty – быть признанным виновным

to bring to senses – привестивчувство

tobebullied – подвергаться травле

toputpressure – оказывать давление, быть слишком строгим

WHY AREN’T YOU AT SCHOOL, SONNY?

This is a question that many schoolchildren may hear at some point in their school careers, when they are “playing truant”, “bunking off” or absent without permission. The government thinks that absenteeism is getting out of control , but what can they do to make sure children go to school? Here are some of the reasons they are worried.

One million children a year bunk off school (go absent without reason). In primary schools (5-11) the average time missed per absent pupil is over five days in the year. For secondary schools (11-16) it is 10 days.

Why is it such a problem? The evidence shows that truancy is linked to crime and failure at school. When children are out of school they might be committing crime and they certainly aren’t learning.

What is the answer then? Some people think it is electronic registration: this is a chip in a card that the children have to swipe at the beginning of the school day. When the children put the card in a machine the headmaster can see immediately who is in the school and who is absent.

The best way of improving attendance is to make school, and the gaps between the lessons more interesting. Some schools which have had attendance problems in the past have started lunchtime radio stations, sport, music and a breakfast club with morning TV and aerobics.

Other schools have resorted to more extreme methods when pupils don’t turn up. In 2003 about 9,000 children were expelled from schools in England, a big rise in figures. Many children were excluded for violence and criminal behaviour. Of course, throwing children out of school solves one problem but immediately creates many more. Some teachers want corporal punishment (beating children with sticks) brought back into classrooms, but the government didn’t agree.

One parent knows very well the cost of truancy, not only to her children’s education, but to her own freedom too. A mother of five, Patricia Amos, was the first person in Britain to be sent to jail for failing to send her children to school. She was sent to prison for 60 days after being found guilty in Oxford. She served 28 days in a very dangerous and violent women’s prison in London. Mrs. Amos said, “The whole horrible thing worked. It has brought me to my senses”.

BUNKING OFF

Here’s what British kids think about bunking off.

Most people bunk off because they face problems at school – either they are not doing well, they are being bullied or their parents are putting too much pressure on them. (Pip, Birmingham).

I used to bunk school last year when I was being bullied because of my colour. It’s now OK but I think people who bunk off need help like I did, not punishment. (Emily, Cambridge).

NOTE

Bullying is a serious problem in many countries. In the UK 8 out of every 10 children are bullied at some time. About ten young people commit suicide every year because they are victims of bullying. Bullying can take many forms – from physical violence to name calling, spreading nasty rumours and making insulting remarks.

The golden rule if you are being bullied is: TELL, TELL, TELL!Talk to someone you can trust, a teacher, parent, older friend or relative. Keeping things secret is the bullies’ biggest weapon against you.

EX. 4. READ THE TEXT AND EXPRESS YOUR PERSONAL OPINION ON THE SUBJECT. SHARE YOUR IMPRESSIONS WITH YOUR GROUP – MATES MAKING UP DIALOUES. 

TALKING ABOUT YOUNG BRITISH…

There are some 8 million young people in Great Britain nowadays. These young people will represent Russia in the 21^st century that’s why almost every aspect of Government domestic policy, including education, housing, health, social security, law and order, environmental planning and national heritage, affects the well-being of young people.

Home and play

Home is the central focus of most young people’s lives, particularly those who are still attending school. In the younger age group from 10 to 16 children are strongly influenced by their friends, reasonably influenced by parents, partially influenced by teachers and altogether – by youth culture outside the home.

In the 10 to 15 year-old age group, young people rely on the home environment as a place of safety and security and upon their parents as the main providers of money, food and all the necessary amenities of life. In the 16 to 19 year-old bracket, the family home also remains a strong base, even though at this age they spend increasing time staying away at their friends’ homes or going on holidays with friends rather than with family. Only a small percentage of young people in this age group live away from home. They are usually “boarders” in the independent schools (who are away from home during school terms).

When they are not at school, some of them tend to spend their time organising or participating in leisure pursuit, including horse-riding, rock-climbing, cycling, canoeing, sailing or skiing.

Parents do not always give their children a set amount of pocket money each week. Parents may provide their children with a weekly total to cover their travel by bus or train to school, to pay for their school dinner, adding money on top for this for weekend and leisure expenses.

In order to earn their own supplementary money, young people wash cars or windows, do “paper rounds” (delivering the early morning newspapers before school) or mow lawns. For those aged 14 years and above, baby-sitting in the neighbourhood is the most popular means of earning money. At 15 years old and above, young people often find themselves “Saturday jobs” working as assistants in shops.

EX. 5. DO TEENAGERS HAVE PROBLEMS? YOU MIGHT AS WELL ASK “DOHENS LAYEGGS?” TEENAGERS ARE HUMAN,SO OF COURSE THEY HAVE PROBLEMS. AND THEY ARE NOT VERY DIFFERENT FROM ANYONE ELSE’S. READ THE TEXTAND DISCUSS WITH YOUR GROUP -MATES. SAY WICH FACTS GIVEN IN THE TEXT WERE NEW TO YOU. DOWE FACE THE SAME PROBLEMSIN RUSSIA?

TO BE OR NOT TO BE

Young people in Britain face more problems than ever before. In the past young people married and started families earlier. Only a minority studied at University or college while the rest were able to find a job without difficulty – even without any higher education. There were many industries and many young men followed their fathers into the coalmines or the shipyards where they were certain of a job for life. Nowadays, especially in Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the north of England, unemployment is high. Technological progress and economic changes mean that there are far fewer “unskilled” jobs and for people with only a basic education, it is hard to find a stable job.

There is also an unemployment problem amongst people who have graduated from university. Around one third of young people in England and Wales, and almost half in Scotland go on to study at University after school. Since so many people complete higher education, there is fierce competition for jobs. Moreover, changes in the higher education system mean that most graduates owe many thousands of pounds to student loans companies and this is one of the reasons why young people stay at home with their parents for longer than ever before.

The situation in the job market affects young people who are still at school. Parents know the difficulties of finding a job and the problems their children will face. They often emphasize the importance of succeeding at school and at university and, consequently, many youngsters feel tremendous pressure to achieve good marks.

Changes in family life also affect young people. Children of the previous generation almost always lived in a “traditional” family with both parents and their brothers and sisters. Nowadays, divorce and remarriage are very common and many young people have to cope with the separation of their parents and readjusting to a new family. Some of the changes to the family in Britain, however, are positive. Young people are no longer forced into marriage prematurely and girls have equal opportunities for education and for pursuing a career.

Young people also face the problem of other young people – their peer group – encouraging them to experiment with cigarettes, alcohol, drugs and sex. In the UK today there are many more teenage pregnancies than in other parts of Europe. Young mothers often find themselves alone with a child and unable to further their education or to find a job because of the demands of looking after their child. Drugs are also a big problem among young people in Britain today. The use of soft drugs, such as cannabis, has been rising steadily in recent years. Some youngsters find themselves in trouble with the police or in debt. Moreover, young people who indulge in soft drugs are more likely to be exposed to – and encouraged to experiment with hard drugs such as heroin. These hard drugs are seriously addictive and people quickly become dependent on them. This often leads addicts to crime and is a problem for society in general.

“Peer pressure” also leads many young people to start smoking. The number of young people who smoke in Britain today is high despite government campaigns to discourage it. For young people in Britain and all over the world, peer pressure is often difficult to resist as young people want to be accepted, liked and thought of as “cool”.

There are many problems to be faced by youngsters in the UK. However, young people benefit from some of the changes that have taken place in society. There are more opportunities for young people to travel work or study abroad and many young people spend a year in another country after school or university. Parents often encourage their children to travel in order to learn about different cultures. There are also many more opportunities for young people to receive a higher education, regardless of their background.

(By Sarah Docherty, The British Council)

toowe – задолжать

studentloanscompany – компания, предоставляющая ссуды студентам

prematurely– преждевременно, поспешно

topursueacareer – добиваться карьеры

peerpressure – влияние ровесников

fiercecompetition – жестокая конкуренция

peer group – группасверстников

to encourage someone to do smth. – уговорить

softdrugs – наркотики, не вызывающие привыкания

harddrugs – сильнодействующие наркотики.

EX. 6. LOOKTHROUGHTHE TEXTAND ANSWERTHE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS:

1. Was it possible to find a job without any higher education in the past?

2. Why is it a problem now?

3. In what way did technological progress and economic changes influence the job market in Britain?

4. Why do parents emphasize the importance of succeeding at school or university to their children?

5. Are divorce and remarriage common in the modern British society?

6. Why do youngsters suffer in new families?

7. Why did it become possible for girls to get education and pursue a career?

8. Is teenage pregnancy a problem only in the UK or in other European countries?

What about Russia?

9. Why is it dangerous to experiment with trying drugs?

10. Are there any positive changes in the modern British society? What are they?