Text 3. Changes in Family Life
Task 8. Read and translate the text
The English are a nation of stay-at-home. “There is no place like home,” they say. And when the man is not working he is at home in the company of his wife and children and busies himself with the affairs of the home. “The Englishman’s home is his castle,” is a saying known all over the world. And it is true.
A “typical” British family used to consist of mother, father and two children, but in recent years there have been many changes in family life. Some of these have been caused by new laws and others are the result of changes in society. For example, since the law made it easier to get a divorce1, the number of divorces has increased. In fact one marriage in every three now ends in divorce. This means that there are a lot of one-parent families. Society is now more tolerant than it used to be of unmarried people, unmarried couples and single parents.
Another change has been caused by the fact that people are living longer nowadays, and many old people live alone following the death of their partners. As a result of these changes in the pattern of people’s lives, there are many households2 which consist of only one person or one person and children.
You might think that marriage and the family are not as popular as they once were. However, the majority of divorced people marry again, and they sometimes take responsibility for a second family.
Members of a family – grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins – keep in touch, but they see less of each other than they used to. This is because people often move away from their home town to work, and so the family becomes scattered. Christmas is the traditional season for reunions. Although the family group is smaller nowadays than it used to be, relatives often travel many miles in order to spend the holiday together.
In general, each generation is keen to become independent of parents in establishing its own family unit, and this fact can lead to social as well as geographical differences within the larger family group.
Relationships within the family are different now. Parents treat their children more as equals than they used to, and children have more freedom to make their own decisions. The father is more involved3 with bringing up4 children, often because the mother goes out to work. Increased leisure facilities5 and more money mean that there are greater opportunities outside the home. Although the family holiday is still an important part of family life (usually taken in August, and often abroad) many children have holidays away from their parents, often with a school party or other organized group.
Who looks after the older generation? There are about 10 million old-age pensioners in Britain, of whom about 750,000 cannot live entirely independently. The government gives financial help in the form of a pension but in the future it will be more and more difficult for the nation economy to support the increasing number of elderly. At the present time, more than half of all old people are looked after at home. Many others live in Old Peoples’ Homes, which may be private or state owned.
1 divorce - развод, расторжение брака
2 household - семья
3 involve - впутывать, вовлекать
4 bring up - вскармливать, воспитывать
5 leisure facilities - возможности (льготы, условия) для отдыха
Task 9. Answer the questions
1. How do you understand the saying “The English’s home is his castle”?
2. What is a “typical” British family? How many persons does it usually contain? Do all of them live together?
3. Who usually takes care about old-age pensioners in Britain? And in your country?
4. What do you think about British homes? Why do some people give names to their suburban houses? Is it so useful and necessary?
Talking Points
Task 10. Speak on the problems
1. “The Englishman’s home is his castle,”is a saying known all over the world. Is it true?
2. Divorce. Is it actual nowadays? What can be done to escape divorce?
3. It is a good tradition for a British family to get together on Christmas and other occasions. Do you always like to be with your parents and other relatives?
Follow-up activities
Task 11. Pair work: Speak about your families, traditions, socializations.
Finish the conversation
Well, it was nice talking with you. We’ll have to meet you again. Why don’t you give me a call the next time you are in town? I’m very sorry but I have to leave for the airport. We should get together again sometime. Sure, that would be great. Naturally, I’ll do that, thanks. Will you get back here as soon as you can? Sure you won’t have some coffee or something before you go. No, thanks. I haven’t really have time. Sorry. OK, well, see you again soon, I hope! Yes, I’m glad we were able to meet. Have you a good time. See you again soon, I hope! Goodbye and thanks for everything! Give my regards to…. Have a pleasant evening!
Writing
Task 12. Write the family essay. The following topics will help you:
1). My family and Myself; 2) The Family Size Essay; 3) The Role of the Family; 4). Family Essay: Societal Issues; 5). My Idea of the Ideal Family; 6) Socialization and the Family; 7). My Family and my Family Traditions; 8). My Family is the most Important Part of the World; 9). Career and Family; 10). The Meaning of the Family in the 21st century.
Presented by English Language Associate Professor
Olga A. Vitokhina
Belgorod University of Cooperation, Economics and Law
7th of September, 2014