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ENGLISH FOR TEENAGERS · GENERAL ISSUES · INTERMEDIATE (B1-B2)

ARE
TEENAGERS
REALLY LAZY?
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1 Warm up

Look at these pictures and describe what you see.

Picture 1 Picture 2

Picture 3 Picture 4

1. What adjectives would you use to describe these teenagers?

2. Do you ever do these things? Do you ever feel like these teenagers?
3. Why do adults think teenagers are lazy? Is this fair?

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2 Focus on Vocabulary

Part A: Match each word or phrase to its correct definition.

1. harmful (adj.) a. a sport where you move in a small, narrow boat for
one person
2. basically (adv.) b. causing damage to someone or something

3. rush off (phrasal verb) c. go somewhere quickly and suddenly

4. canoeing (n) d. used to emphasise the most important thing

5. mountain biking (n) e. a sport where you cycle on rough ground, for
example through forests

II

1. excuse (n) a. a reason for doing something that can be true or

invented
2. concerned (adj.) b. feeling worried about something or someone else

3. apparently (adv.) c. spend extra time doing something because you

didn’t do it earlier
4. recharge your batteries (phrase) d. used to show that you have heard or read some
information but are not sure it’s true
5. catch up on (phrasal verb) e. rest for a short time and get back your strength

Language Tip

Adverbs like apparently and basically can be used to change the meaning of a sentence. Look
at these examples:
• She had apparently gone to the sports centre before going home.
• She had definitely gone to the sports centre before going home.
• What I’m basically saying is that we don’t think about other people enough – only
ourselves.
• What I’m sadly saying is that we don’t think about other people enough – only ourselves.

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Think of two sentences about yourself and sports. Use these adverbs in them to see how the meaning
changes.

Part B: Write the correct word or phrase from Part A in each sentence.

1. I’m a bit that Viktor isn’t doing enough exercise. I think he should join a gym.

2. I think a weekend away to after all those exams is just what we need.

3. I just heard the coach talking and, , the whole team were told to do extra training
after that terrible performance at the weekend.

4. I could give you lots of examples, but what we need are more sports centres near
to where we live.

5. I’m never going to go again! I fell into the river three times and the boat filled up
with water.

6. No, I don’t think having too much homework is a good for not doing any exercise.

7. No, I don’t think doing too much exercise can be although doing too little definitely
can be.

8. Going is so much more fun than staying on the road.

9. Please don’t when you hear the school bell as I’d like to speak to you about
tomorrow’s school trip.

10. I can’t go out tonight because I have so much schoolwork that I need to .

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Part C: Discuss these questions about sports with a classmate and use the word in bold in your
answers.

1. What’s the worst excuse you’ve ever heard for not doing your homework?
2. What are some of the best ways to recharge your batteries after a busy time at school?
3. Are you ever concerned that some of the things people do or eat are harmful?

3 Reading

Look at the images. What do you think is the relationship between the man and the boy? What could
they be speaking about? Who do you think the woman is? What do you think her job is?

Picture 1 Picture 2

You are going to read a letter from a worried parent. Read the letter quickly and then answer these
questions with a classmate.

1. Where might you see a letter like this?

2. Who is Claude?

3. Who is Jackson?

4. What is Claire’s job?

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Dear Claire,

I am writing to you because I am really worried about my son, Jackson. He is 15 years old
and seems to have a lifestyle pattern that could be harmful for his adult life. I was hoping
you could give me some advice about how to get him to be a bit more active, do more
exercise and basically, stop being so lazy. It can be difficult to convince him that getting
out of bed before twelve at the weekend is a good thing to do!

Let me give you an example or two. He gets up at 7am during the week so he can catch
the bus to school. He arrives at the breakfast table and doesn’t speak to anyone. His
younger brothers try to chat with him, but he hardly looks at any of us. Then, when he
gets home about four, he rushes off to his room to do his homework.

At the weekends, we are lucky to see him in the morning at all! He misses out on hikes in
the mountains and all kinds of sports we do. He used to love doing water sports such as
canoeing and things like mountain biking, but he’s just lost all interest. He makes excuses
about doing any sport with us, but the moment a friend calls, he is off that sofa and
running out the door! He also stays up until midnight watching series. It can’t be healthy.

He used to be such a lovely little boy; he always did as he was told and loved spending
time with us. Now I’m concerned that his school results might suffer. He has always got
amazing results in the past.

Apparently, all of this is quite normal, but I was wondering if you could give me a few tips
to get my son to do a bit more.

Yours sincerely,

Claude

Glossary:
Yours sincerely (n) - a polite way to finish a letter when you use a person’s name at the beginning

Claude wrote to a magazine for some advice about his son, Jackson. Claire works for the magazine
and wrote a reply that was published next to Claude’s letter. What advice do you think Claire might
give to Claude?

1. Ask him to join you for some early morning exercise.

2. Say congratulations when he does things well.

3. Talk to him more about his schoolwork.

4. Ask him to do some exercise with you at a different time.

5. Don’t worry about the time he goes to bed.

Read Claire’s reply and check your predictions.

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Dear Claude,

Thanks for your letter. It’s clear that you care for your son and want the best for him.
How about telling him that as a starting point?

He actually seems to be quite responsible. He gets up at 7am every weekday and comes
home and immediately gets on with his homework. Then I read that he gets fantastic
results. Why don’t you celebrate this?

As you mentioned in your letter, all of this is quite normal, and I don’t think there is much
that you need to be concerned about. Your son isn’t being lazy, he is making choices. He
has a busy life and needs downtime to recharge his batteries. Unfortunately, this may
mean that he has less time for family life at the moment. Perhaps you could try talking to
him about it.

Your son probably needs to catch up on his sleep at the weekend because he has had to
get up at 7am from Monday to Friday. However, in addition to this, there is actually a
medical reason for your son wanting to stay in bed in the morning and stay up late at
night. Research has found that the chemical which encourages us to sleep is produced at
a different time in teenagers’ brains to that of adults. This chemical, called melatonin, is
produced later at night and into the morning in teenagers, which means they will not be
sleepy until late and will be sleepier than adults in the morning. I recommend not asking
him any difficult questions first thing in the morning!

So, Claude, if I were you, I really wouldn’t worry. Maybe it would be a nice idea to ask
your son to go for a hike in the afternoon instead of early in the morning.

Yours sincerely,

Claire

Glossary:
Downtime (n) - time to relax and not work

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4 Language: Giving Advice

Part 1: Claire gave Claude some advice in her letter. Look at the advice below and complete the
sentences with words that were used in Claire’s letter.

1. If I you, I’d try to get more sleep.

2. Perhaps you have a go at a different sport.

3. Maybe it be a good idea to do things together in the evening.

4. Why you ask her how she feels?

5. I playing lots of sports before deciding what is best.

6. How trying to run a bit quicker next time?

Part 2: Read some of the problems below and ask your classmate for some advice. Draw a happy face
every time your classmate uses one of the phrases from Part 1.

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5 Listening

Part 1: You are going to listen to the audio file or watch a video about teenagers and sport. Think
about where you live. Which sentences are true?
Audio

1. Sports centres are too expensive.

2. Sports centres are too far away from where I live.

3. There should be more sports centres.

4. The sports centres near me aren’t very good.

Video

Watch the video. Which topics are mentioned?

Glossary:
disposable income - money that people have available to spend on what they want
cater for - to provide the things that a specific person or situation requires

Part 2: Watch the video again. Are the statements true (T) or false (F)?

1. Nobody has asked teenagers what they need to stay fit and healthy.

2. Teenagers are unhappy with the things they have to do sport in their area.

3. Teenagers feel comfortable going to gyms.

4. Teenagers can easily walk to places.

5. Teenagers would like to try a variety of things.

6. Teenagers like sports with lots of rules.

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Part 3: Look at these sentences from the video. What does the word in bold mean?

1. So, teenagers have a bad reputation for not being active enough.

a. Reputation is what people think about someone.

b. Reputation is when people get angry at others.

2. Instead of panicking about it and calling it a crisis has anyone thought to ask teenagers just what
they actually want?
a. Panicking is what people do when they want to change something.

b. Panicking is what people do when they are frightened about something.

3. They are not happy at all with the current standard of facilities around them.

a. Facilities are the public transport links in a city or town.

b. Facilities are the buildings and equipment for a specific thing.

4. They’re fed up of being told what they can’t do, and they want to be told what they can do.

a. When someone is fed up with something, they are unhappy with a situation that has gone on
too long.
b. When someone is fed up with something, they are hopeful that something will change in the
future.

5. They stress that this choice isn’t just about structured sport, and this leads us on to their final
suggestion.
a. If something is structured it has rules and systems in place.

b. If something is structured it has few rules and systems in place.

6. For teenagers, activity isn’t about being assessed or being competitive. It’s about having
unstructured fun opportunities.
a. If something is being assessed, it is being chosen in a competition against others.

b. If something is being assessed, it is being tested or an exam is taking place.

Discuss these questions with a classmate and use the words in bold in your answers.

1. Are sports facilities well-maintained in your area or do you have to travel elsewhere to find them?
2. What kind of things do you want to be addressed where you live?

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6 Speaking: Class Survey

Part 1: Look at the following questions and quickly answer them with a classmate.

Part 2: In groups, choose or write one question about sports in your local area to ask the rest of the
class. Make sure your question has three options. For example:

Are there enough public sports centres in your area?

Answers Details

There are too many already. ✦✦

No, there aren’t enough. ✦✦✦✦✦ No basketball courts. No ice

rink.

I think we have the right ✦✦✦ I use our sports centre a lot.
amount.

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Part 3: Ask your question to the rest of your class and make a note of the results below.

Class Survey: Sports facilities in

Question:

Options Answers (✦) Details

Part 4: Listen to all the questions and answers from other groups, and take notes. You will use this
information to write a report.

7 Writing: Report (survey results)

Your local council has $1M to spend on sports facilities in your community. Suggestions so far include
a golf course and a yoga studio.

Write 2-3 paragraphs (120 words) describing the sports facilities where you live and what teenagers
in your area would like. Use the information you have from the class survey in your report. Include:

1. the sports facilities that are in your area

2. what is good about sports facilities in your area
3. what could be better about sports facilities in your area
4. what changes teenagers would like to see

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