UNIT 4 Teenagers should be allowed to choose their own clothes.
Should I be allowed to make my own decisions?
Section 1 Before You Read
GROUPWORK
1a In your group,discuss the following questions
1.How old is a teenager?
2.What are some of the rules that a teenager should obey?
1b Look at the title of the reading.
Answer YES or NO.
Find our how many in your group agree with you.
Section 2 While You Read
Learning strategy:
ACTIVATING YOUR LANGUAGE LEARNING
To really learn any new language,
you need to "use"it actively.
For example,after reading,do an "active" task
by using the new language in sentences of your own.
Should I be allowed to make my own decisions?
Many teenagers have hobbies.
But sometimes these hobbies can get in the way of schoolwork,
and parents might worry about their child's
success at school.
Teenagers often think they should be allowed to
practice their hobbies as much as they want.
Do you agree?
Liu Yu,a fifteen-year-old boy from Shandong,
is a running star.
He is on his school running team and has always
wanted to be a professional athlete.
However,his parents won't allow him to train
as much as he would like to.
"Of course we want to see Liu Yu achieve his dreams,says Mr Liu,"
and we know how much he loves running.
That's great,and my wife and I have watched him
in every one of his races.
We have nothing against running!
But we do think that our son needs to be realistic.
Now that he is getting older,he needs to think
about what will happen if he doesn't become a
professional runner in the end."
Liu Yu doesn't really agree.
"Well,I think I should be allowed to make
decisions for myself,"he says."
My parents have always taught me the importance
of working hard and not just to do what I enjoy.
I understand this.
But I'm serious about running.
Being a professional runner is the only thing
I have ever wanted to do."
Mr and Mrs Liu believe that Liu Yu should study
hard in the evenings,
and so they don't allow him to practice running
on school nights.
"I know this might seem strict,"says Mrs Liu,
"but we think we're doing the right thing.
He has to understand that very few people can
become professional athletes.
It's a very difficult dream to achieve.
We don't allow him to practice every day because
we think he needs to spend time on his homework"
But Liu Yu still doesn't agree.
"I know my parents care about me,"he says.
"But they are always talking about what will
happen if I don't succeed.
But I will succeed!I think I should be allowed
to make this decision for myself.
Only then will I have a chance of achieving my dream."
Section 3 After You Read
3a Put these phrases from the reading into
sentences of your own.
3b Scan the reading and find more examples to
place under each heading.
3c Do you think Liu Yu should be allowed to practice running?
Discuss this with a partner.Use the information
in the reading to support your opinion.
Section 4 Go For It!
With a partner,discuss the time you spend on
schoolwork and on hobbies.
Imagine that you want to show your parents that
you can make responsible decisions.
Plan a schedule to balance the time needed for
your schoolwork and your hobbies.
If you have time!
Do a project on a famous person.
Write about their childhood and how they became successful.
Display your project on the classroom wall.