Family Relations

Task 1. Fill in the table with the italicized words.

Father, cousin, brother-in-law, son, grandfather, step-daughter, mother-in-law, half-sister, grand­mother, wife, uncle, sister-in-law, brother, aunt, great grandmother, mother, sister, ex-husband, husband, daughter, father-in-law, grandson, nephew, granddaughter, niece, great grandfather, ex-wife, half-brother, step-father, step-son, step-mother.

MY RELATIVES	RELATIONSHIP TO ME
male	female
parent	relative of whom I am the child
sibling	we have the same father and mother
		sibling of my parent
grandparent	parent of my parent
		parent of my grandparent
	child of my uncle or aunt
spouse	relative to whom I am married
child	relative of whom I am the parent
		child of my sibling
grandchild	child of my child
in-laws	parent of my spouse
		sibling of my spouse; spouse of my sibling
after divorce	my previous spouse (we divorced)
		my sibling born to my father or mother but not both
step-parent	new spouse of one of my parents
step-child	child of my spouse but not of me

Task 2. Fill in the text with the terms from the table (task 1):

Your family tree

Your closest relatives are your parents: your (1) _______________ and (2) _______________; and your (3) _______________ (brothers or sisters). If your mother or father is not an only child, you also have a(n) (4) _______________ and/or a(n) (5) _______________. If your aunts or uncles have children, they are your (6) _______________.

When you marry, your husband’s (or wife’s) family become your (7) _______________. The mother of your spouse (husband or wife) is your (8) _______________ and his or her father becomes your (9) _______________. The term in-law is also used to describe your relationship with the spouses of your siblings. So the husband of your sister becomes your (10) _______________, while the sister of your husband becomes your (11) _______________. If you are a woman, you become the daughter-in-law of your husband’s parents, and if you are a man, you become the son-in-law of your wife’s parents. The same term in-law is used for all generations.

The parents of your parents are your (12) _______________ — grandmother and grandfather. If your grandparent has a sister or a brother, they are your great-aunt and great-uncle. (And you are either his or her great-niece or great-nephew.)

If your mother or father remarries, you can acquire a new family and set of relatives. For example, if your father marries a second wife, she becomes your (13) _______________. Any children she already has become your stepbrother or stepsister. If your mother or father remarries and has children, they become your (14) _______________ or (15) _______________.

You might also hear people talking about their biological brother / sister etc., to mean a brother who is related by blood, rather than by marriage.

The main family types are nuclear family (only mother, father and children), today nuclear families are often single-parent/one-parent families. The bigger unit is immediate family — your closest relatives — grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins. The entire family (all relatives you have) makes an extended family.

Families may be close-knit, where the members have close relationships with each other or dysfunctional (where the members have serious problems with each other).

When members of the family look similar, we speak of family resemblance, when there exists a characteristic that is common among family members, we say that it runs in the family. Also, characteristic for the family are family gatherings, family values and family-sized (big) packages of food.

Task 3. Write (Tell) about the advantages and disadvantages of growing in a large, extended family and in a small family using the table and the ‘Key Language’.

	Advantages	Disadvantages
Small Family	The attention of the parents is focused on the only child; the child can enjoy expensive after-school activities, travelling, etc.; they can have newest technologies and more money can be invested in education.	The only child often feels lonely, especially if parents spend a lot of time at work; there are no close relatives after parents pass away; the child can develop egoistical features of character.
Extended Family	When people grow together, they develop close ties to the end of their lives; there is always somebody to play with and talk to; people learn to help and cooperate.	There are fewer possibilities for expensive development; there is often sibling rivalry; less money is invested into education.

Key Language: Compare and Contrast

They both have…

Both of them are…

One of these … while the other…

On one hand (the extended family) is … but on the other hand…

On one hand…/ On the other hand…/ At the same time…

In comparison to the small family, the large one…

It’s quite difficult to compare them but…

However…/ Though…/ While…/ Whereas…

Task 4. Read the text. For questions (1–6) choose the correct answer (A, B, C or D).

Family problems

Every family has family problems. Whenever you have a group of people who spend hours with each other there are going to be problems. Personalities clash and power struggles happen as parents and children learn how to cope with each other.

A family can be compared to a tapestry made of people of different ages, different personalities, different likes and dislikes. This diversity produces major family problems.

The generation gap occurs when family members do not understand each other well because of the interests typical for different ages (e.g. favourite music styles, clothes, etc.). Generation gap is a cause of many quarrels, arguments and misunderstandings, very often family members are annoyed and ill-treated.

Verbal infections cause conversations to escalate into an argument. Arguments in their turn cause miscommunication and may be the root of the family problems.

Overprotection or overparenting is a typical feature of responsible parents. They pay extremely close attention to their child’s experiences and problems. This phenomenon is also known as ‘helicopter parents’, who are connected with their children with the ‘longest umbilical cord’ — the cell phone. Such parents interfere into their children’s problems and attempt to move out all the obstacles from the ways of their children. Very often, instead of establishing a close bond between parents and children, overparenting can break the relationship down because of growing mutual misunderstanding.

Dysfunctional families are the families where family members have serious problems with each other. Parents neglect their children, give no support and the children feel lonely at home. That may cause children’s loneliness and psychological problems.

In general, no family member is immune to family problems. If you want to have a happy family, it’s necessary to take a responsibility for your family rather than blaming others for it. As we all know, it takes at least two people to cause a problem and at least two to resolve the problem. It’s OK to feel angry in certain situations, but learn to vent your anger in a constructive way. No matter what the cause of the problem is or who is to blame, you need to learn to forgive and to move forward in your life.

1 The families have problems because________.

A it’s easy to understand each other

B there is no money for kid’s wishes

C parents do not listen to their children

D different people have problems with understanding each other

2 The generation gap is________.

A a new trademark

B misunderstanding between generations

C psychological problem

D loneliness in the family

3 ‘Helicopter parents’ are________.

A the parents, who love helicopters

B the parents, who love cell phones

C the parents, who protect their children too much

D the parents, who blame their children for family problems

4 In dysfunctional families________.

A the children are overprotected

B the children are neglected

C the parents interfere into their children’s problems

D the parents vent their anger in a constructive way

5 When people vent their anger in a constructive way they________.

A explain what the cause of the trouble is

B do not take responsibility for their actions

C struggle for power

D do not try to cope with each other

6 When people resolve the problems they________.

A become the vent for others

B escalate the argument

C learn the cause of the trouble

D compare the tapestries of their lives

Task 5. Your friend is going to the USA to stay for a year in a host family with 5 children. As she has no siblings, she is afraid of the problems that may arise. On a separate sheet of paper write a letter to her and soothe her by:

· telling about the pros of living in a big family and cons of living in a small family;

· informing about the problems that may happen in the big family;

· advising about the successful ways of overcoming these problems.

Дата добавления: 2014-11-29