UNIT 8 Teenagers should be allowed to choose their own clothes.
SECTION A
1b Listen and circle "T" (for true) or "F" (for false).
2a Listen and check (P) what Kathy thinks. Circle "Agrees", "Disagrees", or "Doesn't know to show what Molly thinks.
2b Listen again. What are Kathy's and Molly's reasons? Number their reasons in the correct order.
3a Read the conversation. Then write Sun Fei's and Wu Yu's rules in the chart. Use "Don't" and "You can".
We have a lot of rules at my house.
so do we. For example, I have to stay at home on school nights.
I usually do, too. But sometimes I'm allowed to study at a friend's house. What about weekends?
Well, I'm allowed to go to the movies with friends on Friday nights.
Me, too, but I have to be home by 10:00pm.
And on Saturday afternoons, I'm allowed to go shopping with my friends.
That's nice.
And I'm allowed to choose my own clothes, but I'm not allowed to get my ears pierced yet.
SECTION B
2a Listen and circle the things in activity 1a that you hear.
2b Listen again. Match these sentence parts.
3a Read the article and then answer the questions.
The other day, my friends and I talked about the rules that we have in school.
At our school, we have to wear uniforms every day.
The problem is that all my classmates think the uniforms are ugly.
We think young people should look smart and so we would like to wear our own clothes.
Our teachers believe that if we did that, we would concentrate more on our clothes than our studies.
We disagree. We would feel more comfortable and that is good for studying.
If we can't do that, we should be allowed to design our own uniforms.
That would be a good way to keep both teachers and students happy.
It's also probably a good idea for parents to allow teenagers to study in groups during the evening.
I know we get noisy sometimes, but we learn a lot from each other.
We also think that vacations should be longer.
At present they're too short.
Longer vacations would give us time to do things like volunteering.
Last summer I had an opportunity to volunteer at the local hospital.
It couldn't because I had to go back to school.
It would be a good experience for me because I want to be a doctor when I 'm older.
2 Read this article. Write a letter to the editor agreeing or disagreeing. Explain your reasons.
Helping and learning
At our school, we sometimes have a special day to help others.
Last year we went to and old people's home and sang songs and performed a play for them.
The old people were very happy.
We should be allowed to take time to do things like that more often.
For example, we should visit primary schools and help teach young students.
I want to be a teacher when I'm older so it would be a great experience for me.
Other students would like to do other jobs.
For example, my friend Tina Ge wants to write for a newspaper.
She should be allowed to volunteer at the newspaper office once a week.
On Friday afternoons, many students are sleepy after a long week of classes.
Some students should be allowed to have Friday afternoons off to volunteer and help others.
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 migh 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 from Shandong, is a running star.
He is in 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 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 wil 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."