UNIT 1: FAMILY ISSUES

READING

Read the article below and answer the questions.

As a psychologist, my view on teenagers` bedrooms is quite straightforward. Personal space

is very important in adolescence and privacy should be respected. If a teenager has his or her
own room, then this space is for that teenager to arrange as he or she wishes. On no account
should parents be tempted to tidy a teenager`s room. If arguments arise, patience and
understanding are required on both sides.

Unfortunately, this doesn`t always happen. Let`s take the example of a typical English
teenager called Tim. He and his Mum fell out about the untidy state of his room because they
were looking at the problem from two completely different points of view. This is what Tim
had to say:

`Bedrooms are incredibly important when you`re a teenager. Everyone needs space, but at that
time you need it most of all. I don`t mind Mum coming into my room as long as she knocks.
The problem is that she goes round looking for things to put away and saying things like
`Tidy room, tidy mind`. I tell her I don`t want a tidy mind. She thinks it`s strange that
although I`m hoping to study Interior Design at college, I don`t seem to bother about my own
home at home. But what she fails to understand is that I like the mess. It`s interesting
watching it grow, because it`s full of shapes and patterns. I like my Mum, but when she goes
on at me about tidying my room, I just get more determined not to do anything about it. My
advice to parents would be to leave their teenagers` rooms till they are so bad that it`s
impossible to walk in. Then the kids will have to tidy up.

And of course, Tim is right. In my experience, teenagers left to live in their own mess will
eventually reach the stage where they clean it up. We have to remember that this is an
important period of experimentation for them and they need to make their own decisions
about things. Parents` anxiety never solves anything during this period and it can actually
have the effect of making things worse. This is what Tim`s Mum had to say:

1
`I encouraged Tim to clean up after himself when he was young and he was happy to do it
then. But when he got older, he simply started to refuse. His room became a complete tip. He
had lots of expensive designer clothes all thrown on the floor, along with waste paper, empty
cans and leftovers of food he`d taken up there secretly. When I started being more insistent, I
was very shocked by Tim`s response. He isn`t normally very rebellious but he just exploded,
saying it was none of my business what he did in his room. When I tried to tidy up myself, he
just hit the roof, insisting that he wanted it like it was. After this, my husband, who is also
horribly untidy, had a man-to-man chat with Tim about it. He didn`t get very far but he got a
better reaction than me, which was irritating.

Things are better now for Tim and his Mum, although this is still not a subject which they can
laugh about. Tim is just as messy, and still doesn`t want his Mum cleaning his room. She,
however, came to realize that it was better not to interfere and so she has ignored the problem
for the last six months. Tim, meanwhile, has taken to cleaning his own room once a week. His
Mum daren`t ask him why or say how pleased she is in case he stops. Although it seemed like
a big problem at the time, it looks like Tim and his Mum have found a solution.

Comprehension Check

1. What point does the psychologist make about teenagers in the first paragraph?

(A) They are often unreasonable.

(B) They need their own private space.

(C) They should keep their room tidy.

 2. Why does Tim get annoyed when his mother comes into the room?

(A) She doesn`t knock before entering.

(B) She makes comments about the state of the room.

(C) She expects him to know where things are.

2
3. How does Tom feel about his bedroom?

(A) He`s too lazy to tidy it up.

(B) He`s pleased with how it looks.

(C) He doesn`t see it as his responsibility.

4. What aspect of Tim`s behaviour surprised his mother most?

(A) The way he treated his clothes.

(B) The way he reacted to her.

(C) The fact that he used to be tidy.

5. Why is Tim`s bedroom tidier now?

(A) He has developed a new routine.

(B) His mother has changed her attitude.

(C) He has reached an agreement with his parents.

6) Give the meaning of the words in bold.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………

3
 LISTENING

Video 1: Rescuing Masai Girls from Early Marriage

Video 2: Teen pregnancy in Mexico

DISCUSSION ISSUES

Who are the persons to be blamed in teen pregnancy?

- Reasons
- Drawbacks
- solutions

4
 VOCABULARY

COLLOCATION WITH MAKE AND DO

The verbs Make and Do can be confusing; in this course we shall see the difference between
both of them.

I-Basic Difference between Do and Make

We use Do for actions, obligations, and repetitive tasks. Do refers to the action itself.

We use Make for creating or producing something, and for action you choose to do. Note that
make usually refers to the results.

Example: if you “make a suggestion” you have created a recommendation.

II-Common English Collocations with Do

II-1- Housework

 Do the housework
After I got home from the office, I was too tired to do the housework.
 Do the laundry
I really need to do the laundry – I don’t have any clean clothes left!
 Do the dishes
I’ll make dinner if you do the dishes afterwards.
(you can also say “wash the dishes”)
 Do the shopping
I went to the bank, did some shopping, and mailed a package at the post office.

Exception: Make the bed = Putting blankets, sheets, and pillows in the correct place so that
the bed looks nice and not messy.

II-2- Work / Study

 Do work
I can’t go out this weekend – I have to do some work on an extra project.
 Do homework
You can’t watch any TV until you’ve done your homework.

5
  Do business
We do business with clients in fifteen countries.
 Do a good/great/terrible job
She did a good job organizing the party.
(In this expression, “job” doesn’t necessarily refer to work. It simply means the
person did something well)
 Do a report
I’m doing a report on the history of American foreign policy.
(you can also say “writing a report”)
 Do a course
We’re doing a course at the local university.
(you can also say “taking a course”)

II-3- Taking care of your body

 Do exercise
I do at least half an hour of exercise every day.
 Do your hair (= style your hair)
I’ll be ready to go in 15 minutes – I just need to do my hair.
 Do your nails (= paint your nails)
Can you open this envelope for me? I just did my nails and they’re still wet.

II-4- General good or bad actions

 Do anything / something / everything / nothing

Are you doing anything special for your birthday? You can’t do everything by
yourself – let me help you.
 Do well
I think I did pretty well in the interview.
 Do badly
everyone did badly on the test – the highest grade was 68.
 Do good
The non-profit organization has done a lot of good in the community.

6
  Do the right thing
When I found someone’s wallet on the sidewalk, I turned it in to the police because I
wanted to do the right thing.
 Do your best
Don’t worry about getting everything perfect – just do your best.

III- Common English Collocations with Make

III-1- Food

 Make breakfast/lunch/dinner
I’m making dinner – it’ll be ready in about ten minutes.
 Make a sandwich
Could you make me a turkey sandwich?
 Make a salad
I made a salad for the family picnic.
 Make a cup of tea
Would you like me to make you a cup of tea?
 Make a reservation
I’ve made a reservation for 7:30 at our favorite restaurant.

III-2- Money

 Make money
I enjoy my job, but I don’t make very much money.
 Make a profit
The new company made a profit within its first year.
 Make a fortune
He made a fortune after his book hit #1 on the bestseller list.
 Make $_______
I made $250 selling my old CDs on the internet.

III-3- Communication

 Make a phone call

Please excuse me – I need to make a phone call.

7
  Make a joke
He made a joke, but it wasn’t very funny and no one laughed.
 Make a point
Dana made some good points during the meeting; I think we should consider her
ideas.
 Make a bet
I made a bet with Peter to see who could do more push-ups.
 Make a complaint
We made a complaint with our internet provider about their terrible service, but we
still haven’t heard back from them.
 Make a confession
I need to make a confession: I was the one who ate the last piece of cake.
 Make a speech
The company president made a speech about ethics in the workplace.
 Make a suggestion
Can I make a suggestion? I think you should cut your hair shorter – it’d look great on
you!
 Make a prediction
It’s difficult to make any predictions about the future of the economy.
 Make an excuse
When I asked him if he’d finished the work, he started making excuses about how he
was too busy.
 Make a promise
I made a promise to help her whenever she needs it.
(you can also say, “I promised to help her whenever she needs it.”)
 Make an observation
I’d like to make an observation about our business plan – it’s not set in stone, so we
can be flexible.
 Make a comment
The teacher made a few critical comments on my essay.

Exception: Don’t say “make a question.” The correct phrase is “ask a question.”

8
IV- Plans & Progress

 Make plans
We’re making plans to travel to Australia next year.
 Make a decision/choice
I’ve made my decision – I’m going to go to New York University, not Boston
University.
 Make a mistake
You made a few mistakes in your calculations – the correct total is $5430, not $4530.
 Make progress
My students are making good progress. Their spoken English is improving a lot.
 Make an attempt / effort (= try)
I’m making an effort to stop smoking this year.
 make up your mind (= decide)
Should I buy a desktop or a laptop computer? I can’t make up my mind.
 make a discovery
Scientists have made an important discovery in the area of genetics.
 make a list
I’m making a list of everything we need for the wedding: invitations, decorations, a
cake, a band, the dress…
 make sure (= confirm)
Can you make sure we have enough copies of the report for everybody at the meeting?
 make a difference
Getting eight hours of sleep makes a big difference in my day. I have more energy!
 make an exception
Normally the teacher doesn’t accept late homework, but she made an exception for me
because my backpack was stolen with my homework inside it.

9
 EXERCISES

Exercise 1

Fill in the gaps with Do or Make:

1. Will you………………. me a favour?

2.    It’s your turn to………………the dishes today.
3.    I will……………. a list of the things we need.
4.    Ok, I will……………..an exception for you.
5.    Please, don’t………………………..mistakes.
6.    I need to go out now, it’s urgent. I have to……………..a phone call.
7.    The good students always………………………..their homework.
8.    My father won’t………………………………..the cleaning.
9.    My husband never helps me………………………dinner.
10.    The workers I hire always………………….. a good job.
11.    I always…………………………the washing up myself.
12.    The students don’t like to……………quizzes.
13.    The menu was so good that it was difficult for us to…………a choice.
14.    The soldiers are obliged to………….their beds every morning.
15.  …… an effort to finish before lunch.
16.    The doctor asked me to……………. exercise.
17.    I don’t know how people……………money without hard work.
18.    We have to………………a decision quickly.
19.    They wanted to………… an offer to build the bridge.
20.    Can anybody…………….a suggestion? I am completely in the dark.

10
 Exercise 2

A. Which verb completes the phrase? Fill in the table below by ticking the correct column.
You can use the dictionary to help you but, before you start, think which word in the phrase is
the best one to look up.
do Make Take
a lot of noise
your homework
always _________ excuses
breakfast
lots of family photos
friends easily
nothing all the time
sugar in your coffee
supper
the bed
the cooking
the dishes
the ironing
the laundry
a lot of mistakes
the housework

B. Complete the following sentences with one of the phrases in the table. You won’t need
to use all the phrases in exercise A.

a) After my brother lost his job he just sat around……………………………………

b) Even though I speak English quite well, I still……………….., and that irritates me.
c) He never………………………. His room always looks a mess.
d) I don’t mind…………………..if there’s something good on the radio. Even if there
are lots of shirts I just get on with it while I’m listening.
e) I used to……………………….., but now I don’t because it’s not very good for you
well, it makes you fat.
f) My dad used to get up first every morning,…………………….for everybody, have
his own, and then go to work just as we were all getting up.
g) Our neighbours……………. They have three young children, they all play musical
instruments, and the walls are rather thin.

11
h) Some people seem to have millions of friends without even trying, but I’ve never been able
to………………………………………..

12