Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Unit 1
Unit 1
A. PRONUNCIATION
1 Circle the word which has the stress pattern provided.
1. Oo family housework individual
2. Ooo breadwinner picture women
3. oO contribute benefit divide
4. Ooo laundry homemaker parent
5. ooOo recreation washing finance
6. Oo groceries rubbish childminder
7. oOo responsible important sociable
8. OO critical parenting alike
9. Oo manage require prepare
10. oO routine children exam
2 Circle the two words in each line that have the same underlined sound.
1. breakfast trash create bring
2. cry tree crack breadwinn
er
3. train trousers break crack
4. trip brown travel crop
5. brush treasure training crane
6. crash trim breath critical
7. brother brain trunk crispy
8. crab brew crocodile traffic
9. crazy trait bridge crowded
10. cream broom track break
3 Practice saying the following sentences with a partner.
1. There was a plane crash, and unfortunately none of the crew members survived.
2. My brother usually has bread and milk for breakfast.
3. Can I pick your brain? This is critical, so I need your help.
4. The train was late, so I took the tram.
5. These tall and shady trees provided a good shelter from the sun during the camping trip.
6. My mother often uses brown sugar for cooking, and for making these crispy crackers.
7. Look at those crocodiles. They need better treatment and care.
8. It was really hectic at the end of the year, crowds of people on trains and buses going out shopping.
9. Ecotourism helps create jobs for local people and this helps boost the country's economy.
10. We'd better treasure these moments since we might not ever have them again.
In addition to his role as dad, which involves school lunches, homework, all pick-ups and drop-offs
and after-school activities, stay-at-home dad Ron (8) on the majority of household
responsibilities as well. “Jon has no problem doing house work," Jen says. “He admits he (9)
doing it!"
“He cooks, cleans, (10) grocery shopping, (11) yard work, (12) things,
maintains the cars and just about everything," says Laura of her man.
(Text adapted fromhttps://www.babble.com/relationships/stay-at-home-dads-speak-8-
things-they-want-you-to-know/)
C READING
1 Read the text and choose the person (A, B, or C) who mentions the following.
1. We should encourage everyone to follow and express their own truth.
2. Relationship norms are based on our personal values and personality.
3. Women still play the traditional roles of the caring provider and nurturer.
4. Our upbringing influences how gender is a factor in our home lives.
5. The attitudes of the two partners are very important to whom should be the breadwinner.
6. There is no need for traditional gender roles because men and women can do many of the same tasks.
7. Men are still the head of the household, though undertaking more household chores.
8. The roles of women have not changed much in today's society.
9. Our circle of friends largely affect how we are viewed in our professional lives.
10. Many people struggle to reach their full potential because of gender stereotypes.
A Shannon Fisher
It doesn't matter whether the man or the woman is the breadwinner or homemaker; everything is on a
sliding scale based on the attitudes of the two partners. We develop our relationship expectations based on
personal values, earning potential, personality, and logistics. Our upbringing, location, social circle, and
religion all play a part in defining how gender will factor into our home lives. They also play a large role
in how we view and are viewed in our professional lives.
(Text retrieved from https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/how-do-traditional- gender-roles-affect-
womens-careers_us_5a0baff4e4b06d8966cf33a2)
B Joy Nash
In many of the modern societies today, there is no need for traditional gender roles, because both men
and women are able to do many of the same necessary tasks, thereby making gender-specific behaviors
irrelevant. These stereotypes can be harmful because they motivate people to condemn and oppress those
who do not fit the traditional gender roles. As a result of this oppression, many people struggle to reach
their full potential. Therefore, it is critical that we encourage everyone to follow and express their own
truth, regardless of gender norms, so that everyone is able contribute fully to our society.
(Text retrieved from http://www.oneworldeducation.org/gender-
roles-modern-society)
C Sophie Crabbe
Strange as it may seem, the family roles have not changed much in today's society. While girls and
women (not only Polish) have more opportunities in home based employment, the traditional roles of
women are still quite evident. They are still the caring provider and nurturer of young infants and
children, the comforter for the crying child and the feminine presence of the household. While the
husband's role has diversified into more household chores and the cooking and cleaning up
responsibilities, they are still considered the head of the household.
(Text adapted from https://polishmarriage.org/stories/women-society.html)
2 Read the text and decide whether each statement below is true (T) or false (F). Write T or F in
the blank.
Despite women's advancements, substantial inequalities remain. Although an increasing number of
women are either the sole breadwinner for their family or share the role with their partners, women in the
United States are paid only 77 cents for every dollar a man makes. The pay gap is even larger for women
of color. On average, African American women make 64 cents for every dollar that white men make.
While 2012 was a watershed year for women in terms of getting elected to public office, women still
comprise only 18.1 percent of Congress, despite making up more than half of the U.S. population. They
also face challenges on health issues, as 2012 saw continued conservative efforts to erode women's ability
to make their own decisions about their health and well-being.
A deeper examination shows that disparities for women also exist among states. Women in Vermont,
for example, make on average close to 85 cents for every dollar a man makes, while women in Wyoming
make only 64 cents - more than 25 percent less than women in Vermont. On leadership, 15 states have no
female elected leaders in the House of Representatives or the Senate. Lastly, while less than 10 percent of
women in Vermont, Wisconsin, Hawaii, and Massachusetts are uninsured, nearly 25 percent of women in
Texas do not have health insurance.
(Text adapted from https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/women/reports
/2013/09/25/74836/the-state-of-women-in-america/)
1. More and more women have become the sole breadwinner of the family.
2. In the US women are paid more than men.
3. Women of color are paid 64 % of white women's salary.
4. Women represent under one-fifth of the Congress in the US.
5. Women are paid at similar rates across states in the US.
6. The percentage of women without health insurance in Texas is higher than that in Hawaii.
7. Fifteen per cent of the US states don't have female elected leaders.
8. Women in Vermont earn more than women in Wyoming.
3 Read the passage and choose the best answer (A, B, C, or D).
For working parents in the U.S., the challenge of juggling careers and family life continues to be a
front-burner issue - one that is being recognized by a growing number of employers who have adopted
family-friendly policies such as paid leave. But while few Americans want to see a return to traditional
roles of women at home and men in the workplace, one reality persists: Women most often are the ones
who adjust their schedules and make compromises when the needs of children and other family members
collide with work, Pew Research Center data show.
In a 2013 survey, we found that mothers were much more likely than fathers to report experiencing
significant career interruptions in order to attend to their families' needs. Part of this is due to the fact that
gender roles are lagging behind labor force trends. While women represent nearly half of the U.S.
workforce, they still devote more time than menon average to housework and child care and fewer hours
of paid work, although the gap has narrowed significantly over time. Among working parents of children
younger than 18, mothers in 2013 spent an average of 14.2 hours per week on housework, compared with
fathers' 8.6 hours. And mothers spent 10.7 hours per week actively engaged in child care, compared with
fathers' 7.2 hours.
Another factor is the way that society views the bond between mothers and their children. In a 2012
Pew Research survey, the vast majority of Americans (79%) rejected the notion that women should
return to their traditional role in society. Yet when they were asked what is best for young children, very
few adults (16%) said that having a mother who works full time is the “ideal situation.'' Some 42% said
that having a mother who works part time is ideal and 33% said what's best for young children is to have
a mother who doesn't work at all. Even among full-time working moms, only about one-in-five (22%)
said that having a full-time working mother is ideal for young children.
(Text adapted from http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/10/01/women-
more-than-men-adjust-their-careers-for-family-life/)
1. According to paragraph 1, paid leave .
A. is a burning issue associated with the tension between career development and family life.
B. an effective solution to the tension between career development and family life.
C. is a family-friendly policy in response to the juggle between career development and family life.
D. is an issue that needs the attention of working mothers
2. Which of the following is true?
A. Men often need to adjust their career needs to take care of the family.
B. Men choose to be stay at home dads to take care of the family.
C. Most often it's women who adjust their careers for family life.
D. Traditional roles of men and women have changed, so women have focused on their careers without
any compromises.
3. The word 'their' in paragraph 2 refers to .
A. fathers B. mothers C. interruptions D. Needs
4. The word 'narrowed' closely means .
A. become bigger B. become more important
C. become smaller D. become observable
5. In paragraph 3, how many per cent of adults agreed that it's ideal to have a mother who works part-
time?
A. 22% B. 16% C. 33% D. 42%
6. How many hours did women spend on doing housework per week according to a survey in 2013?
A. 7.2 hours B. 10.7 hours C. 8.6 hours D. 14.2 hours
7. Which of the following is NOT true?
A. Women make up 50% of the US workforce.
B. Women have more hours of paid work than men.
C. Women spend more hours on housework than men.
D. Women spend more hours on child care than men.
8. According to the passage, which of the following is a finding of the survey?
A. A majority agreed that women should stay at home and take care of the family.
B. Two third said that men should take care of the family for women to work full time.
C. A majority disagreed that women should return to their traditional role in society.
D. All mothers working full-time said it's not good for moms to work full time.
9. The word 'rejected' most closely means .
A. supported B. mentioned C. refused D. Shared
10. The survey in paragraph 3 addresses which of the following?
A. bond between mothers and their young children
B. bond between mothers and fathers
C. bond between mothers and work-related issues
D. bond between mothers and social roles
4 Read the text and fill in each gap with one suitable word from the box.
B: My mother/do.
B: You're right.
8. A: Jane usually/read/books for one hour/every day.
B: My mother/find/it/hard/do so/too.