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Институт Парламентаризма и Предпринимательства

Basic Course Reader

(Сборник текстов для базового курса по английскому языку)

МИНСК , 2005

UNIT I. FAMILY RELATIONS

UNIT II. EDUCATION

UNIT III. DAILY ROUTINE & LEISURE TIME

UNIT IV. HOLIDAYS & TRAVELLING

UNIT V. MEALS

Bringing Up Children

It is generally accepted that the experiences of the child in his first years largely determine his character and later personality. “Upbringing” is normally used to refer to the treatment and training of the child within the home. This is closely related to the treatment and training of the child in school, which is usually distinguished by the term “education”. In a society such as ours both parents and teachers are responsible for the opportunities provided for the development of the child so that upbringing and education are interdependent. The ideas and practices of child rearing vary from culture to culture.

All parents have to solve the problems of freedom and discipline. The younger the child, the more readily the mother gives in to his demand to avoid disappointing him. She knows that if his energies are not given an outlet, her child’s continuing development may be warped. An example of this is the young child’s need to play with mud and sand and water. A child must be allowed to enjoy all this “messy” but tactile stage of discovery before he is ready to go on to the less physical pleasures of toys and books. Similarly, throughout life, each stage depends on satisfactory completion of the one before. Where one stage of child development has been left out, or not sufficiently experienced, the child may have to go back and capture the experience of it.

The beginnings of discipline are in the nursery. Even the youngest baby is taught by gradual stages to wait for food, to sleep and wake at regular intervals and so on. If the child feels the world around him is a warm and friendly one, he slowly accepts its rhythm and accustoms himself to conforming to its demands.

Every parent watches eagerly the child’s acquisition of each new skill – the first spoken words, the first independent steps, or the beginning of reading and writing. It is often tempting to hurry the child beyond his natural learning rate, but this can set up dangerous feelings of failure. This might happen at any stage. A baby might be forced to use a toilet too early; a young child might be encouraged to learn to read before he knows the meaning of the words he reads. On the other hand, though, if a child is left alone too much, or without any learning opportunities, he loses his natural curiosity and his desire to find out new things.

Learning together is a fruitful source of relationship between children and parents. By playing together, parents learn more about their children and children learn more from their parents. Toys and games which both parents and children can share are an important means of achieving this co-operation.

Parents vary greatly in their degree of strictness or indulgence towards their children. Some may be especially strict in money matters; others are severe over times of coming home at night, punctuality for meals or personal cleanliness.

As regards the development of moral standards in the growing child, consistency is very important. To forbid a thing one day and excuse it the next is no foundation for morality. Also, parents should realize that “example is better than precept”. If they are hypocritical and do not practise what they preach, their children may grow confused and emotionally insecure when they grow old enough to think for themselves.

Changing Family in International Perspective

Far-reaching changes are occurring in family structures and household living arrangements in the developed countries. The pace and timing of change differ from country to country, but the general direction is the same practically everywhere. Families are becoming smaller, and household composition patterns over the past several decades have been away from the traditional nuclear family—husband, wife, and children living in one household– and toward more single-parent households, more persons living alone, and more couples living together out of wedlock. Indeed, the “consensual” union" has become a more visible and accepted family type in several countries. The one-person household has become the fastest growing household type.

In conjunction with the changes in living arrangements, family labour force patterns have also undergone profound changes. Most countries studied have experienced a rapid rise in participation rates of married women, particularly women who formerly would have stayed at home with their young children.

Scandinavian countries have been the pacesetters in the development of many of the nontraditional forms of family living, especially births outside of wedlock and cohabitation outside of legal marriage. Women in these societies also have the highest rates of labour force participation. However, in at least two aspects, the United States is setting the pace: Americans have, by far, the highest divorce rate of any industrial nation, as well as a higher incidence of single-parent households, one of the most economically vulnerable segments of the population. Japan is the most traditional society of those studied, with very low rates of divorce and births out of wedlock and the highest proportion of married-couple households. In fact, Japan is the only country studied in which the share of such households has increased since 1960. But even in Japan, family patterns are changing: sharp drops in fertility have led to much smaller families.

I/We Gather Together

By Thursday, feast day, family day, Thanksgiving Day, Americans who value individualism like no other people, will collect around a million tables all over the country. All these complex cells, these men and women, old and young, with different dreams and disappointments, will join again the group they are part of and apart from: their family.

Families and individuals. The we and the I. Americans always travel between these two ideas. They trip from the great American notion of individualism to the great American vision of family.

Well, there has always been some pavement between a person and a family. We are, after all, raised in families…to be individuals. This double message follows us through life. We are taught about the freedom of the I and the safety of the we, the loneliness of the I and the intrusiveness of the we, the selfishness of the I and the burdens of the we.

In fact, the world rewards the Individual. We think alone, inside our heads. We write music and literature with an enlarged sense of self. We are graded and paid, hired and fired on our own merit. Individualism is both exciting and cruel. Here is where the fittest survives.

The family, on the other hand, works very differently. We don’t have to achieve to be accepted by our families. We just have to be. Our membership is not based on credentials but on birth. A friend loves you for your intelligence, a girl for your charm, but your family’s love is unreasoning: you were born into it and of its flesh and blood.

The family is formed not for the survival of the fittest but for the weakest. It is not an economic unit but an emotional one. This is not the place where people ruthlessly compete with each other but where they work for each other.

There are fewer heroes, fewer stars in family life. While the world may glorify the self, the family asks us, at one time or another, to submerge it. While the world may abandon us, the family promises, at one time or another, to protect us.

So we travel daily, weekly, yearly between one world and another. Between life as a family member that can be nurturing or smothering. Between life as an individual that can free us or flatten us. And family can be a place where the I and the we interact.

I am an orphan

I am an orphan. My father was one of two brothers, sons of a small farmer in Devonshire. The farm was a poor one, and the elder brother, Andrew, emigrated to Australia, where he did very well indeed, and by means of successful speculation in land became a very rich man. The younger brother, Roger (my father), did not like the agricultural life. He managed to educate himself a little and obtained a post as a clerk with a small firm. My mother was the daughter of a poor artist. My father died when I was six years old. When I was fourteen, my mother followed him to the grave. My only living relation then was my Uncle Andrew, who had recently returned from Australia and bought a small place in his native country. He was very kind to his brother's orphan child, took me to live with him, and treated me in every way as though I was his own daughter.

Although kindness itself to me my uncle had certain peculiar and deeply-rooted ideas as to the upbringing of women. Himself a man of little or no education, he placed little value on what he called "Book knowledge".

He was especially opposed to the education of women. In his opinion, girls should learn practical housework, be useful about the home, and have as little to do with book learning as possible. I rebelled frankly. I knew I possessed a good brain, and had absolutely no talent for domestic duties. My uncle and I had many bitter arguments on the subject. I was lucky enough to win a scholarship. I had a little money of my own left to me by my mother, and I was quite determined to make use of the gifts God had given me. I had one long, final argument with my uncle. He put the fads plainly before me. He had no other relation. And he had intended me to be his sole heiress. If I persisted in these notions of mine, however, I need looking for nothing from him. I remained polite, but firm. I should always be deeply attached to him, I told him, but I must lead my own life. I've never regretted my decision.

Love at First Byte

It may not sound the most romantic of beginnings, but more and more couples are meeting and mating via the Net. And, though you can pretend to look like Hugh Grant or Britney Spears – even if nothing could be further from the truth – research proves that people far more honest on-line. One of the main reasons is visual anonymity. Give them a video link – so they can see the other person they are chatting to – and the honesty factor drops considerable. People give out four times as much information if they can’t see the person they are talking to. The main point is that we all live in a society where the first impressions are everything. If you don’t like what you see you won’t even try to get to know someone better. The great thing about meeting people on the Net is that there’s no such thing as “I-am-looking-awfully-today”. True, it may not be romantic, but how many people really meet on the Orient Express on the way to Venice like they do in the movies? It is usually in a noisy bar where he’s trying to hold his stomach in and she’s so nervous about the impression she’s making that the body language, rather than the conversation, becomes the important thing. The reason why chat sites are a good way of meeting people – and an increasingly popular one – is that you have time to think about what you’re going to say. Who hasn’t been out on a first date and nervously blurted something out they’ve regretted? If you have to type it out, you give a more considered answer and therefore a more honest one, which is a better basis for starting a relationship. First you can click into a chat-room and flirt on-line with several others. Just like you might in a bar, yet you’re relaxed in your own home – and nobody can see that spot on your nose. Then you move on to talking to just one selected mate via e-mail. You have time to consider your reply so there’s less scope for misunderstanding. Then it’s talking by telephone and that first date, by which time you’ll know each other pretty well. People like each other more if they are not influenced by looks. It’s feelings that are important and the internet inflates them.

Parenting in Japan

Japan's approach to parenting is radically different from that of the United States. Most Americans value individualism, independence, and initiative and raise their children to be self-reliant. From the Japanese viewpoint, these kinds of attitudes and behaviors are too narrowly goal-oriented. The Japanese value loyalty and proper behavior over personal success. Respect for authority and obedience are taught early in the home, and they are reinforced in nursery school.

Japanese child rearing is based on a concept called amae, which is a sense of complete dependence based on the desire for love and caring. Amae is instilled in Japanese children by their mothers, who give them twenty-four-hour love. Many Japanese mothers typically spend every waking hour with their babies. They often take them into their beds at night, pick them up whenever they cry, and cater to their every whim. Most American parents think this kind of behavior will spoil a child and discourage independence and self-reliance. In contrast, the Japanese feel that keeping children happy will motivate them to be cooperative later in life. Amaе-based care and guidance is continued in the school system, where children are rewarded for cooperative behavior and teamwork. In the business world Japanese team spirit is the foundation of success, and the climb up the corporate ladder is based on how well employees have helped promote the good of the company overall rather than on how well they have performed individually.

Although gender roles are changing in Japan, many families still socialize their children into traditional gender roles. Japanese mothers frequently emphasize the importance of boys being "diligent" and "responsible" workers and girls being "happy homemakers". In addition, although Japanese fathers are often absent from home, the father's authority is frequently reinforced in daily mother-child interaction.

Since provider and father roles are synonymous, Japanese men who might choose to reduce work hours to be at home with their children may be criticized by coworkers or family members.

Some Americans feel that emulating Japanese parenting styles would create greater cooperation between children and less conflict between parents and adolescents. Others feel that loyalty to a company and unquestioned obedience stifle individual self-fulfillment and creativity.

Problems of the Youth

Youth is a very important period in the life of man. This is the time when a person discovers the world and tries to determine the place in the universe. Young people face lots of problems which are very important for them and do not differ much from those that once their parents had to deal with. At the same time every generation is unique. It differs from the one that preceded it in its experience, ideals and a system of values. The adults always say that the young are not what they were. These words are repeated from generation to generation. To some extent they are true, because every new generation grows up quicker, enjoys more freedom. It is better educated and benefits from the results of the technological progress of the time.

Young people of today do not directly accept the standards of their parents who believe that they are right because they are older. The adults don't want their values to be questioned. The young on the other hand can not accept the values of their "fathers". All these differences generate a generation gap when the young and adult do not understand one another. As a rule the adults, dissatisfied with their own lives, teach the young how to live. Unfortunately, the adults apply old standards to the new way of life. They can not leave behind their "good old days". This burden is very heavy. They think that the world is going down hill. They gloomily look ahead unable to understand the optimism of their children who want to pave their own way in life. The majority of young people do not want to live in the past. They have their own ideals. They want to make their own mistakes rather than to listen to the warnings of the adults and repeat the mistakes of the older generation. They want to overcome their own difficulties without looking back. However, the life of the young is frequently determined by the adults. And children, in their turn, shock their parents with their dress, language, behaviour. The existence of sub-culture which is specific for every generation is a form of protest of the young people against the values of the adults. Traditionally, young people were looking at their elders for guidance. Today the situation is different. Sometimes the young people share information and experience with their parents. Moreover, young people grow up so quickly that they almost do not have time to enjoy their childhood.

Another problem that young people face today concerns their relationship with their friends. Не/she can be on good terms with the classmates. But at the same time there can be only two or three real friends. It is wonderful if a school friend will remain your friend for the rest of your life. But in this case everything depends on the person.

The problem of love is very important for young people. Today they fall in love when they reach the age of Romeo and Juliet. Romanticism and idealism very often accompany the love of the young. They can love deeply and passionately, they believe that their love will last forever. Unfortunately, often their hearts are broken. Young people are not always ready to have stable relations. In many cases they are too young and inexperienced to begin a family life. They have to continue their education, while family obligations will force them to make money. At the same time without good education it is not easy to find a good job.

Communication has always been an important part of young people's lives. Today they can choose between traditional and new ways of communication. Traditionally the young meet with their friends, make parties, go to the movies or disco clubs to have fun, relax and acquire new friends. But if the young people do not like noisy clubs and other places of entertainment, they can find friends without leaving their homes – the Internet gives such an opportunity. Although this international Web Wide Web is intended for getting knowledge, only few users employ it in this way. Others use different computer programmes to chat with their friends from all over the globe. They can sit for twenty four hours staring at the monitors. Such young people do not eat, sleep, work or learn properly. And it is a great problem of the present and future.

Family Unit

Family is a unit of society. But what does family happiness depend on? To stand the most common parts of a family is not a problem: they are a husband, a wife and children. It’s much more difficult to explain their relationship, their interdependence and their getting over the everyday problems without (quite often) breaking up.

Why do people need a family? Do they get married for love and see marriage as a final realization of a romantic attraction? Or do they marry for convenience to promote a career or to please their families? Studies of marital failure or success show quite clearly that marriage based on romantic attraction doesn’t turn out as well as marriage based upon more comradely affection. To support that conclusion there are the other studies showing that the longer the period of acquaintance before marriage is the greater the chances of marital success you have. This point is quite disputable, but yet… Perhaps, the most essential for marital success is the similarity of social background because marriage involves living with a person, not merely loving him or her.

Matrimonial mates start to see each other in a different light after little time spent together. And on this stage of relationship the role of one’s motives for getting married gives turn to ability of each partner to understand and feel one another. Such prosaic thing as household chores shouldn’t be considered as unimportant in the family life. Women used to bear the burden of household duties and take such complete responsibility for managing the household that husbands simply turned over their paychecks to their wives as a matter of course and left the rest to them. But it seems perfectly reasonable to share the chores, especially taking into account the educational goals because children should be brought up in the atmosphere of shared responsibility of both parents.

However, it is difficult for the parents to keep the golden mean on the long way of upbringing. Childhood can certainly be very happy but its greatest moments can’t be compared with the sheer joy of being an adult. Who has ever asked a six-year-old child for an opinion? Adults often choose the clothes their children will wear, the books they will read and the friends they will play with. No matter how kind and loving adults may be children often suffer from terrible, illogical fears which are the results of ignorance and an inability to understand the world around them. Nothing can equal the fear a child may feel in the darkness, the absolute horror of childish nightmares. Adults can share their fears with other adults; children often face their fears along.

But the most difficult part of childhood for both parents and children is when the latter begin to emerge from their family. Teenagers may rebel violently against parental authority, but that causes them great unhappiness. There is a complete lack of self-confidence during this time. Teenagers are overconscious of their appearance and the impression they make on others. They feel shy, awkward and clumsy. Feelings are intense and hearts are easily broken. And adults are seen to be more hostile than ever. It is important for the parents to cope with it staying calm and without this “you-be-damned” attitude. It’s better to hint a teen on some means of self-fulfillment: music, books or whatever legal and wait for the time he or she appreciates your understanding. All troubles are nothing when you find yourself living with your loving ones.

What is a Normal Person?

This is a difficult question to answer because this word "normal" has several meanings and at least two distinct definitions. When we are dealing with population statistics, we assume that the normal is the average, or something close to it. From such figures, we can form a picture of a normal person who is likely to have a particular height, and we can say that the average person of that height has a certain normal weight. By averaging from the mental capabilities of people who are very clever or very slow at reasoning, we arrive at an average intelligence. By considering everyone's salary or wages, we can work out an average income. This "normal" person would, of course, not be very fit-he would have to suffer an average number of illnesses; nor could he be very contented, since he would have to suffer a number of misfortunes. If he were noticeably successful in life, or particularly handsome or charming, he would cease to be "normal". Even his opinions would have to be rather restrained, because we should work out the way he votes, the church he belongs to, his ideas of what is right and what is wrong, and his choice of clothes, furniture, entertainment and everything else by averaging out the views of the total population from one in each case.

On the other hand, the same word "normal" also suggests to us a particularly satisfactory state of affairs. When the doctor assures us we are in normal health, he means that our minds and bodies are free from illness and functioning well. If we were "abnormal", we should be worried. In this sense, we use the word normal to sum up a rather admirable set of conditions: it is "normal" to be above average in health, to have sound common sense and reliable opinions. We would expect the normal person to act with careful thought and consideration, and not to make silly mistakes. We are now generalizing from our own limited experience and ideas to form a picture of what is the right and proper behaviour in our particular part of the world.

Back to School: The First Day of Classes

Most college students tend to share similar feelings of anxiety mixed with hope towards their . Everyone... even the worst of students... tends to enter "" mode with a genuine sense of motivation. Many of us become ironically eager to purchase new textbooks, to see new teachers, and to adjust to a new schedule. We even convince ourselves that we are going to excel this semester... that we are going to live up to our "full potential" and score perfect marks even if we've never come close to doing so in the past! What could possibly go wrong?

What usually goes wrong is poor planning. Overly-creative, highly intelligent  students begin each semester with genuine hope and personal promise but typically end the semester with a sense of underachievement and dissolution that had begun to set in even before mid-terms. How can a student avoid this? Break each semester down into little, sub-goals first. You wouldn't leap up an entire flight of stairs...you'd walk them each one at a time. The same principle applies here: Don't even look at the first quiz or test yet... it's probably still a long way off in the grand scheme of the academic term. Look at the FIRST lesson to be taught. Worry about how to excel at THAT lesson and ONLY at that lesson. Don't think of the mid-term or any other assessment yet to come. Concentrate only on what is to be expected of you in the very next class and focus all of your time and energy on achieving a mastery over that one subtopic. Do this for each class and when it finally does become time for an examination– you'll hardly need to study... you'll only need to "review." The secret is truly in the psychology and it's far easier said than done... We challenge you to make it happen this year!!!

Education in Belarus

Scientific and intellectual potential is the main strategic resource of Belarus. In 1950s Belarus became the country of universal literacy. In 1989, according to the results of the census, 899 people per each thousand engaged in the national economy had higher and secondary education; 144 people among them were the graduates from the higher educational establishments. Thus, we can say that Belarus had a developed system of education. It embraced 11,000 educational establishments; 430,000 teachers worked there; 33 per cent of population attended different forms of classes.

Nowadays the number of students attending different educational establishments has not changed. The republic guarantees its citizens the right to universal secondary education and creates means for further professional education. It tries to preserve the democratic character of education, paying much attention to common human values, developing independent critical thinking instead of simple perception of information.

The republic is reforming its system of education today with the aim of creating an independent, qualitatively new national school, corresponding to international standards and ensuring each citizen the right to the high-quality education according to his abilities and inclinations.

The reform envisages a continuity of study at all stages, such as pre-school, secondary school, vocational training and specialized secondary school, and at the higher school level. It gives teachers and students freedom in the choice of educational forms and methods, while the results must correspond to the state educational standards.

The main principles of the educational system in Belarus are the priority of human values, national culture as the basis of education, humanism, sense of ecological purpose, scientific basis, democracy, and support of gifted children and so on.

In the period from 1996 till 2010 the reform envisages:

1. 12-year secondary school. Academic education in the 11—12^th forms according to the main trends of the higher education: humane, natural, aesthetic and technological.

2. Primary vocational training at vocational schools.

3. Secondary vocational training at secondary specialized schools and colleges.

4. Higher education at two levels: the first level for those seeking a bachelor's degree (4—5 years) and the second level to obtain a master's degree (5—6 years).

5. Possibility for masters to obtain doctoral degree.

There have been changes in the organization of education itself. New types of educational establishments have appeared: gymnasia, lyceum, experimental school, college. There appeared non-state-owned schools of various kinds, private kindergartens, schools at home, and commercial institutes. So, it stimulates effectiveness of education, creates non-idealistic attitude to society on students' part.

Education in Britain and America

British Schools

All British children must stay at school from the age of 5 until they are 16. Many of them stay longer and take final examinations when they are 17 or 18. Before 1965 all children of state schools had to go through special intelligence tests. There were different types of state secondary schools and at the age of 11 children went to different schools in accordance with the results of the tests.

State schools are divided into the following types:

Grammar schools. Children who go to grammar schools are usually those who show a preference for academic subjects, although many grammar schools now also have some technical courses.

Technical schools. Some children go to technical schools. Most courses there are either commercial or technical.

Modern Schools. Boys and girls who are interested in working with their hands and learning in a practical way can go to a technical school and learn some trade.

Comprehensive schools. These schools usually combine all types of secondary education. They have physics, chemistry, biology laboratories, machine workshops for metal and woodwork and also -geography, history and art departments, commercial and domestic courses.