Q2e Listening & Speaking 4: Audio Script Unit 3

Unit 3: Developmental Psychology NOTE-TAKING SKILL

Activity A., Page 53
The Q Classroom
M: In some cultures, many around the world
Activity B., Page 50
actually, the question about when a child
Teacher: The Unit 3 question is: “When does a
becomes an adult is easily answered because
child become an adult?” What do you think,
there is a special ceremony to celebrate it. It’s
Felix? How would you answer this question?
very interesting, really. For example, in Japan
Felix: I don’t think we become adults at an
there is a special national holiday every second
exact age, but I think you start becoming an
Monday in January called Seijin no Hi. In English,
adult when you have to take care of yourself—
this translates into the Coming of Age Day. On
pay your own rent, make your own meals, take
this day, many young men and women who
yourself to the doctor when you’re sick. Those
turned twenty years old that year dress in
are the things that make you grow up.
traditional clothes, participate in a ceremony at
Teacher: It sounds like you associate adulthood
a government office, and then attend parties
with economic independence.
with their friends. Unfortunately, fewer and
Felix: Yeah, I guess I do.
fewer young people are participating in this
Teacher: What about you, Sophy? When do you
holiday these days. One tradition that is still
think a child becomes an adult?
popular, however, is the Quinceañera. In
Sophy: I agree with Felix about it not being a
Mexico, girls have a Quinceañera to celebrate
specific age, but I think a lot of people don’t
their fifteenth birthday. They wear long, formal
really feel like adults until they get married and
dresses, attend church, and then celebrate with
have children of their own. That’s when you
a party where they dance with their fathers. So,
start to understand what life was like for your
as you can see, different cultures mark growing
parents, and the kinds of responsibilities they
up in very different ways.
had. That’s when you’re really an adult.
Teacher: What do you think, Yuna? Do you
LISTENING 1: Making the Right Decision
agree with Felix or Sophy?
Activity A., C., Page 54, 55
Yuna: No, not really. I think of myself as an
Grandmother: Hello?
adult even though my parents help me
Neils: Hi! Grandma?
financially and I’m not married. I manage my
Grandmother: Neils! How nice to hear from
own life. I make decisions.
you! It’s been so long since we’ve talked!
Teacher: Well, we have three completely
Neils: I know. I’m sorry I haven’t called lately.
different definitions! Where do you stand on
I’ve just been so busy.
this, Marcus? When does a child become an
Grandmother: Oh, well, I assumed you’d
adult?
forgotten your dear grandmother. So anyway,
Marcus: I think I’m with Yuna. When you’re in
what’s new? How’s school?
your early twenties, you’re an adult, even if you
Neils: Oh, where to start? Let’s see…well, you
still feel like a kid inside sometimes. Your body
know this is my last year of high school…and I
is done growing, your mind is developed, and
have some big exams coming up.
your life is your responsibility, whether you’re
Grandmother: Yes, it’s that time of year, isn’t
supporting a family or whether your family is
it? These exams are really important for your
supporting you.

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Q2e Listening & Speaking 4: Audio Script
future, aren’t they? You must be feeling a lot of
stress.
Neils: Yeah. Well, you know I’ve never been a
very good student.
Grandmother: Well, I know you’ve had a hard
time in some of your classes.
Neils: That’s an understatement! Anyway, you
also know that for the past year and a half, I
was spending a lot of time managing the
football team at my school.
Grandmother: Yes, of course! I know how much
you enjoy helping the coach and running the
team. Your father told me that the other
players on the team really respect you, and that
you helped them transition into one of the
most successful teams in the district.
Neils: Yeah, I really loved working with the
younger boys and helping them develop their
skills. I loved the fun initiation at the start of
the year, when we pushed the new members of
the team to run as far and fast as they could.
Even though we wanted to win our games, I
also really loved the carefree feeling of the
team. We all liked football and just wanted to
play.
Grandmother: Yes, I can see that you had a lot
of fun, but it took up a lot of your time, too.
Neils: You got it! It took my attention away
from my studies. In fact, I realized that being
the leader of the football team really
contributed to my poor grades in school.
Grandmother: Yes, I worried about that. How
did you figure that out?
Neils: Hmm. It’s hard to pinpoint the exact
moment. I guess it was probably a few weeks
ago. I came home from practice and it was
already late. I had a lot of studying to do for a
test the next day. I tried to focus, but I was too
tired and I kept falling asleep at my desk.
The next morning, I took the test and I knew I
hadn’t done very well. I was really disappointed
in myself because it was an important test, one
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Unit 3
that was like a marker of our place compared
with the other students in the school.
Grandmother: So, what did you do?
Neils: It made me really sad, but I decided I had
to quit the team. I just figured it wouldn’t be
morally right for me to lead the other players as
an example, but fail my exams and destroy my
future.
Grandmother: That was a very mature decision,
Neils. I’m so proud of you! That you came to
this understanding on your own, without your
parents pushing you, is a milestone in your
development! It shows just how grown-up
you’ve become.
Neils: It just seems that being an adult is a real
contradiction. I’ve started to see that you have
all this freedom to make your own decisions
when you are grown, but your freedom is
limited by having to be responsible and do the
right thing.
Grandmother: Yes. It’s not always easy, but you
did the right thing! So, now, how’s your
studying going now that you have more time to
spend on it?
Neils: Well…
LISTENING SKILL: Making predictions
Activity B. Page 59
1. Lecturer: Today’s topic is “Proper Behavior in
the Workplace.”
We’ll be discussing several issues, including how
to deal with a workplace disagreement, why it’s
important to be punctual, and how to dress
appropriately in any work environment.
2. Rudolph: Adam, I can’t keep up with the
homework. I am just too tired after a long day
at work.
Adam: I know what you mean. I took an online
business class last semester. It was tough
getting all the work done at night. I had to come
up with a plan.
Rudolph: How did you do it?
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Q2e Listening & Speaking 4: Audio Script
3. Yukio: I’m excited about going to study in
London for a year, but I’m going to miss you a
lot, Tara.
Tara: I know. I’ll miss you, too. But…
4. Maria: Oh, thanks for stopping by. I’m trying
to get all the employees together for a meeting.
It’s been very slow lately and morale is pretty
low, but I want to share some important news
with them. I just heard that our company won
the Williams contract! That means we have a lot
more business coming to us.
LISTENING 2: Growing Up Quickly
Activity A., C., Page 61, 62
Lecturer: Good morning. Today we’re going to
talk about the issues faced by children who
have to take on adult responsibilities before
they are 18.
First, let me tell you a story of a kid in this
situation. Let’s call him Bill. Bill’s father died
before he was born, and for a few years his
mother was a single parent. Then his mom
remarried and had another child.
Bill worked hard in school, but he struggled to
help his mother take care of his younger
brother. This is a common situation for children
like Bill. They are forced to act like adults for a
wide variety of reasons. In Bill’s case, a young
sibling gave him adult responsibilities. In other
situations, a parent is sick, so the child has to
take care of the sick parent. Sometimes, when
parents divorce or one dies, a child takes on
responsibilities such as cooking and cleaning.
Or, in some immigrant families, a child may be
the only family member who speaks the new
language, so he or she has to translate for the
parents at school or at the doctor’s office.
Although kids often want to help their families,
too much responsibility can be a burden for
them. They may feel they are giving up their
childhoods. An important term regarding these
children is parentification. When we talk about
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Unit 3
parentification, we’re saying that the child is
taking on some of the duties and
responsibilities of a parent. A ten-year-old
who’s making dinner every night, a 12-year-old
who’s in charge of getting her siblings ready for
school every morning, a 16-year-old who picks
the younger kids up from school, or who goes
to the parent-teacher meetings for a sibling, all
of these kids are parentified in a way.
However, some kids don’t just act as parents to
their younger brothers or sisters. Some take
care of their mothers or fathers. They reverse
roles with their own parents. When you have
this role reversal, the parents are so sick that
they can no longer act in their parental role.
The children cook for them, shop for groceries,
even dress their parents, bathe them, and put
them to bed. The children make the important
decisions. The needs of the parents become
more important than the needs of the child.
In less extreme cases, kids have to take care of
their parents or another family member, but
the parents are still in charge. So, for example,
if a mother has a major illness and is too weak
to get out of bed, the child may cook dinner or
go to the grocery store, but the mother is still
the parent in the relationship. She is the one
who makes decisions as a parent does.
Okay, so kids are forced to grow up quickly for a
variety of reasons. Is this a good thing or a bad
thing? Well, it depends on the situation and on
the child. As you might guess, the ones who
suffer the most are the kids who reverse roles
with a parent. Because role reversal happens in
cases where the parents have the most
problems and are the least capable, their
children often feel more isolation. They may be
embarrassed by the situation at home. They
may feel confusion about how regular kids or
teens are supposed to act. But many kids with
adult responsibilities, not just those where the
roles are reversed, resent their responsibilities,
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Q2e Listening & Speaking 4: Audio Script
and see their duties at home as barriers to a
happy social life. They can’t go out and have
fun. They feel a lot of frustration, and they have
a lot of stress.
So which kids do the best? Probably the young
care givers who take on responsibilities only for
a short period of time and at an older age.
Also, kids who feel supported by their families
or who get support from school or other adults
usually do much better. And there can be
positive effects for children with some adult
responsibilities. These kids often care more
about others. They get satisfaction from
helping people. Many of these kids grow up to
become teachers, counselors, and health
professionals. In fact, remember that kid Bill I
told you about earlier? That was Bill Clinton,
who later became president of the United
States.
GRAMMAR: Phrasal Verbs
Activity A., Page 68
1. I can always count on my brother to help me
with the chores.
2. I try to show up on time for school every day.
3. Once I tried to run away from home when I
was a child.
4. Fortunately, I talked my son into cleaning the
garage this weekend.
5. I didn’t know what that word meant, so I had
to look it up.
6. I decided to drop in on my father to see how
he was doing.
PRONUNCIATION: Sentence Stress
Example, Page 69
I became an adult when I got married and
started a family.
Activity A., Page 69
1. When you become employed, you can call
yourself an adult.
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Unit 3
2. I think it’s how much you can provide for
yourself.
3. I think it’s when you get married.
4. I think you become an adult at 16.
5. The day that I’m an adult is the day that I can
do whatever I want to do.
6. The age at which you become an adult varies.
SPEAKING SKILL: Giving a Presentation
Activity A. Page 71
Speaker: Uh, hi. Um, today my presentation is
about an important turning point in my life. Um,
OK. So, a few years ago, I got my first job. I was
really, really excited because I was making my
own money. I felt completely grown up.
Uh, on the way home from work, I used to stop
at stores and buy things I liked just because I
could. Uh, I bought clothes and a new watch
and books. I really felt like an adult when I paid
with my own money.
But this bad habit caught up to me. One day, in
the middle of the month, I realized that I had
spent all my money already and I, uh, wouldn’t
get paid again for another two weeks. I didn’t
even have enough money to buy myself lunch.
Uh, where was I? Oh yeah, uh, so I didn’t have
enough money. I had to ask my parents to give
me some. They were happy to help, of course,
but, umm, I sure didn’t feel very grown-up
having to ask them. Since then, I have learned
to budget my money better so my paycheck
lasts all month. Umm, that’s it.
UNIT ASSIGNMENT: Consider the Ideas
Activity A. Page 97
Speaker: Hello. I’m Tony, and today I’d like to
tell you about an important turning point in my
life. When I was 18 years old, I went to Europe
for a long vacation. I had a lot of interesting
adventures, and I grew up a lot on that trip.
However, one event sticks out in my mind as a
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Q2e Listening & Speaking 4: Audio Script Unit 3

moment in my life when I really left childhood

and entered adulthood. I was traveling in Russia
at the time. My father’s voice sounded so far
away on the phone when he called. I couldn’t
believe his news: my mother had a problem
with her brain, and the doctors didn’t know if
she was going to live.
I got on a plane the next day and hurried across
the planet hoping that my mom would still be
alive when I got back home. When I walked into
her hospital room, she recognized me, but
couldn’t talk. She got better, bit by bit, and, one
day, I was allowed to take her outside in the
hospital garden. As I pushed her wheelchair, I
realized that my mom would need me for a
while. I understood that even though traveling
was my dream, it was more important to stay
home and take care of my mom. I guess that I
learned that being an adult means putting other
people’s needs first. I think I grew up a little
more as my mom and I enjoyed the walks in the
hospital garden.

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