Reading & Speaking
1 What do you think a 'kidult' is?
2 Befare you read the article, say whether you think
these sentences are true (T) or false (F).
1 British kids get the most pocket money in Europe.
2 Most children in the UK aged between eleven
and fourteen have mobile phones.
3 Toe bedroom is the most important room in the
house for Italian kids.
4 Children in the UK spend on average seven
hours a day watching TV.
5 Technology is improving young people's
reading habits.
Read and check your answers.
J< JDUL -rS
technology consuming our kíds
They are brother and sister. He buys computer
magazines and knows more about _ealmtops than
his father. She can download music from the
Internet onto her mobile and bum her own CDs.
~ -- --
He's eight She's s1x. Welcome to the world of
kidults, where young children behave as if they
were in their twenties.
2 British kids are the most spoilt in Europe.They get
on average {_ 13 a week pocket money, twice the
rate in ltaly. UK parents spend less time with their
kids but they s~much more money on them.
3 According to research done by Value Engineers,
70 per cent otyoung teens in the UK have a
mobile phone and 15 per cent have their own
computer. And ~ their parents, ~ are
-
not afraid to exp'eriment with technology.
3 Match paragraphs (1-5) and headings (a-e~.
a) Money in their pockets 2-
b) Kids are young adults
e) Hooked to the screen
d) Bedroom culture
e) Crazy about technology
4 Discuss these questions.
1 Did you have your own room when you
were a child? What about a TV?
2 Whaf are the advantages and / or
disadvantages of kids ...
a) having a TV in their bedroom?
b) knowing so much about technology?
V
.......:==::.:-
4 Experts say that one reason for this is the many
hours that British kids spend in their rooms. lf
you ask ten year olds in ltaly which is the most
impÓrtant room in the house, they'II say the
kitchen. The British equivalent will always say
his or her own bedroom. The majority of UK
teenagers have their own bedroom complete
with CD player, while 25 per cent even have their
own TV / video and electronic games.
5 On average, UK kids spend an incredible seven
hours a day' watching the screen - playing games,
chatting online or killing time watching TV. As a
result, have adolescents forgotten how to read?
Tfieanswer seems to be yes. Reading requires
concentration and t echnology has killed this.
27
 1

~ cit:g e focus
::irst conclitional
Complete the sentences with the correct form of the verb in brackets. Use the Present Simple or wi/1 + infinitive.
1 lf you eat (eat) cheese late at night, you'll have bad dreams.
2 You'Jl get a cold if you _ _ _ _ _ (go) outside with wet hair in winter.
3 If you _ _ _ _ _ (change) the colour of your hair too often, it'll fall out.
4 You (have) bad skin if you _ _ _ _ _ (eat) too much chocolate.
5 If you _ _ _ _ _ (smoke) when you're young, it _ _ _ _ _ (stop) you growing. ·
6 You (become) anti-social if you (spend) tob much time in front of a computer.

?econd conditional ·-=.:.:__ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

Complete the sentences to make them true for you. Use the Past Simple or wou/d(n't) + infinitive.

1 ,..,. ._
4

))L
. • , "l.

lf 1 were on a crowded bus, I 'd 9ive, / wouldn't

.i,:~ .. .c~~t~ =~'--'
~ if ~~ (', ,.;,._,... i,_;..

If I siví"hvo children fighting in the stre;t, I

' ";J • ~

- ~ (give) my seat to an old person. _ _ _ _ _ _ (try) to stop them.

2 5

Jf I found a purse or wallet in .the street, JfI hada party and myneighbours complained about
r ______ (keep) the money in it. the noise, I _ _ _ _ (tum) the music down.

3 6

lf 1 was in a street and I couldn't find a bin, I _ _

I _ _ _ _ _ _ (tell) the police if I thought that
(throw) my rubbish on the ground.
----- my neighbour sold drugs.

'-13