Task 3. Interview with Carlos: Growing up in a single-parent family

A. You are going to listen to Carlos talking about his family background. Here are some words and phrases from the interview with Carlos printed in bold and given in the context in which you will hear them. They are followed by definitions. Study them carefully.

That industry is seasonal: the amount of work varies from one season to the next

There was a good stretch when I was in junior high school: a long period of time

We'd just play stickball, and marbles, and yo-yos: children's games

I remember being taught to pick up after myself: clean up, put things away

I remember running errands: being sent out to buy something

It's important that you get moral instruction: teaching about what is right and wrong

an anchor in your life: someone or something that keeps you focused on your goals

School was very influential in my life: had an important effect

B. Read the following paraphrase before you listen to the interview with Carlos. Think about what kind of information might belong in the blanks.

Carlos grew up in a ___________________ household. His parents moved from Puerto Rico to the United States when he was __________, but his mother left his father shortly afterwards. His mother was a garment worker, and garment work is ______________. Sometimes she needed to work a lot and left the children alone. When Carlos was older, he used to _____________ with _____________ after school until his mother got home from work.

Carlos' mother taught him two important lessons about life: to take _______________ and to get an education. As a child, he learned to _____________, _____________, ____________, and run errands. He also studied ______________ at home with his mother.

Carlos thinks that it is important for children to have someone in the family who is a kind of ______________ in their lives. He thinks children are also influenced by people outside the family. For example, he met a lot of good ____________ when he was growing up who taught him many positive lessons.

C. Now listen to the interview with Carlos. Try to listen for the information that you need to complete the paraphrase in B and write it in the blanks. You may use more than one word in some blanks.

 

Task 4. Are the ways in which Robert and Carlos were raised similar to the ways you were raised, or are they different? Check the appropriate column. Then compare your answers with a partner.

Robert's and Carlos's Experiences

Your Experience

  Similar Different Robert     Grew up surrounded by his relatives Lived close to his grandparents and other relatives Was carefully protected by his parents Spent a lot of time with his cousins __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ Carlos     Spent a lot of time unsupervised Was given a lot of independence Was given chores to do and errands to run Had a person who was astrong anchor in his life __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __

 

Task 5. Read the list in the left column. It shows changes that have taken place in the American family during the past century.

Work with a partner. Fill in the chart with as many positive and negative consequences of the changes in the family as you can think of. In your opinion, are these changes in the family harmful to society, or not?

Changes in the American family	Positive consequences	Negative consequences
Divorce rates in the United States are higher than ever before.	Many people are able to escape from very unhappy relationships.
People are spending much more time at work and less time at home.		Parents spend less time with their children.
Compared to a few decades ago, there are many more families where both parents work.	Men and women both have the opportunity to have a career and also have children.

 

 

& — READING&SPEAKING

ALTERNATIVE LIFESTYLES

Task 1. In this section, you are going to examine many different ways of life that can be found in the United States. Discuss the following questions with your groupmates:

1) How acceptable are these ways of life in your country?

· a man and a woman living together without getting married

· a man or a woman living alone and never getting married

· a group of people living together who are not related, but who share interests and beliefs

· people marrying two or three times during their lifetime

2) How common do you think these living arrangements are in the United States?

 

Task 2. Give yourself one minute to skim the text "Alternative Lifestyles." Without looking back, write down the headings you saw and some key words you remember. What do they tell you about alternative lifestyles in the USA? Discuss your predictions with the group.

 

Task 3. Read the text "Alternative Lifestyles" and translate it in the written form.

ALTERNATIVE LIFESTYLES

Joe and Anna are both in their mid-twenties. They met and fell in love two years ago and soon after decided to live together. They have thought about getting married but have no plans to do this just yet. They think they would like to have children one day, but want to be sure they get along well as a couplebefore taking this big step.

Living together

Many couples in the United States today, like Joe and Anna, choose to live together without marrying. In the past, very few couples lived together without a formal wedding ceremony or marriage license. Today, cohabitation [3] occurs in all sectors of U.S. society - college students, young working adults, middle-aged couples, and even people in their six­ties and seventies. In 1970, the number of unmarried couples living together was only slightly over half a million. By 1998, it had soared to over 4 million. A similar trend has occurred in many countries.

These days there is very little social disapproval of living together, and courts increasingly protect couples' rights as if they were legally married. Nev­ertheless, it is still quite rare for couples to live together permanently without marrying. For most couples, living together is a temporary arrangement that leads to marriage after two or three years.

Living together is just one example of the many alternative lifestyles found in the United States and other parts of the world today. Others include staying single, and living with a large group of other adults and their families.

Staying single

Over the last twenty years, there has been a huge increase in the number of people who remain single. In 1998, about 25 percent of all U.S. households were single-person households. In other countries, similar statistics can be seen. In Australia, for example, approximately one in twelve people lives alone, and this number is expected to double over the next twenty years. Most people who live alone are young adults who postpone marriage into their late twenties, but some are in their thirties and forties. One reason they often give for staying single is that they have not met the right person. Others say that marriage involves much commitment and responsibility, or that they prefer the single lifestyle.

There are two important sociological reasons for the increase in singlehood. First, the social pressure to get married has declined. Second, the opportunity for singles to have a good life has expanded. This is especially true for women. As educational and employment opportunities for women increase, marriage is no longer the only path to economic security, emotional support, social respectability, and meaningful work.

Communal living

Sometimes a group of people who are not related, but who share sim­ilar ideals and interests, decide to live together as one unit or commu­nity. In these types of communities, sometimes called communes [4], the members share their possessions and their skills in order to be inde­pendent of mainstream society. Many, for example, grow all their own food and educate their children in their own small schools. It is diffi­cult to estimate how many communes exist in the United States or other countries around the world, but the Fellowship for Intentional Communities estimates there are thousands. More than 600 of these are registered members of their organization. While these vary in type and size, all are based on a principle of cooperation among members.

The concept of communal living is now being applied to some city housing projects. In cohousing [5], buildings are designed so that resi­dents can really live as part of a community while keeping their own personal space. In one project in Sacramento, California, residents have their own private areas but share a garden, a dining room, a children's playroom, a laundry, and lounge. They take turns cooking three com­mon meals a week, and in many ways behave like one big family - sharing their possessions and helping each other out when needed.