TOPIC 1 – GROWING UP

I. Relationships
v What do you usually do when you’re with friends?
Speaker A: On Monday at school, a group of us always talked about whatever movies we saw at
the weekend. On Saturday, I often get together with my classmates, we see all the latest
releases together. I can’t remember the last time I saw a film with my parents. We just don’t
have much in common anymore.
• Get together
• Too see the latest releases
• To have much in common

v Do you get along well with your parents?

Speaker B: my parents are both teachers, so you’d imagine I have no trouble at all academically.
When I was little, it was really great because we had a really great relationship. But
nowadays, all we seem to do is argue and that causes a lot of conflict between us. So, I don’t
really feel I could go to them for help. My friends aren’t much help either as they all have got
the same problem.

• When I was little

• To have a great relationship
• To cause (a lot of) conflict
• My friends aren’t much help

v How about your teachers?

Thanks goodness I’ve got on really good on really well with my tutors at university. She’s
very approachable and, if I’m struggling with an assignment, I find her advice really helps me.

• To get on well/ to be on good terms with

• To be approachable
v Tell me about your relationship with your (grand)parents? How is it with your
brother/sister?
My (grand)parents are quite old, so I feel as though they’re out of touch with the modern
world. They don’t seem to have any idea of what things cost. I’m hoping to get a car in the
next few months, but I’ll be taking my older brother along to help. We used to fight a lot when
we were growing up but there’s a really close bond between us now. He’s already got a few cars,
so I’m pretty sure he’ll be a great help
• To be out of touch with the modern world
• To take someone along; to tag along
• Close bond between (Bond: verb & noun)

II. Family and early learning

v Q: What do you think is the main factor that leads to a good relationship between/among
siblings? (***)
Children who experience a rewarding friendship before the birth of a sibling are likely to have
better relationship with that brother or sister that endures throughout their childhood. When
early friendships are successful, young children get the chance to master sophisticated social
and emotional skills, even more than they do with parents. When parents relate to a child, they
do a lot of the work, figuring out what the child needs and accommodating those needs.
However, this is not usually the case when two children are interacting
• To experience a rewarding friendship;
• To endure throughout their childhood;
• To master sophisticated social and emotional skills
• To accommodate the needs
• Children are interacting

v Q: Is there any connection/relation between how children manage their relationship and
how they turn out to be?(***)

Children who had a positive relationship with a best friend before the birth of a sibling
ultimately had a good relationship with the sibling that lasted throughout adolescence. And
children who as preschoolers were able to coordinate play with a friend, manage conflicts,
and keep an interaction positive in tone were most likely as teenagers to avoid the negative
sibling that can sometimes launch children on a path of anti-social behavior
• Ultimately
• Last throughout adolescence
• Preschoolers
• Coordinate play with a friend
• Manage conflicts
• Launch children on a path of anti-social behavior

v 2.2 & 2.4& 3.1 (***)

2.1.
• bradating: to easily agree to a demand
• Sibling
• When parents relate to a child: to respond to
• Adolescence: the state between childhood and adult
• Rewarding (friendship): giving a lot of pleasure
• Interaction between children
• To last through adolescence
• To manage and resolve conflicts
2.2.
• Wolf – a member of the dog family
• To adopt a child/ to a adopt a new approach
• Relation between lack of friends & sibling rivalry
• Price relative to the amount of earning
• Stress in adulthood can be related to an unhappy childhood
• To identify talents and nurture them
• The evidence seems to conflict with the findings
• To write in relation to the job advertisement
 3.1.
• Active role
• Immediate family; Extended family
• Family gatherings
• Maternal instinct
• Physical/striking resemblance
• Stable upbringing

v Tell me about your family?

Well, my immediate family is pretty small, just my parents, my two brothers and me. But both
of my parents come from very large families, so my extended family is very large. I have 25
cousins. Our family gathering is pretty chaotic but fun. We are a very close-knit family: even
though we don’t live together anymore, the family ties are still very strong. When we were little,
there wasn’t very much sibling rivalry between us, I think it’s because we have a very stable
upbringing. Both of my parents play a very active role in our school life and in our home life.
And they taught us to resolve our conflicts in a very fair way. I consider myself very lucky
• Immediate family
• come from very large families
• extended family
• family gathering
• Chaotic but fun
• close-knit family
• family ties
• stable upbringing
• resolve our conflicts

v Who are you most similar to in your family?

Well, you can see a very clear resemblance between my brother and me. But everyone tells me
that the physical resemblance between me and my maternal grandmother is very striking.
Sadly, I’ve never got to meet her because she’d died before I was born, but I’ve seen
photographs of her at my age and we’re quite alike. Other than that, I think I have my father’s
temperament – We’re both very stubborn but thankfully, I also inherited his mathematical
brain.
• very clear resemblance between
• maternal/paternal grandmother
• quite alike
• temperament
• stubborn
• inherited + (his mathematical brain).

v And what do you think it takes to be a good parent??

Well, I don’t think just anyone can be a good parent. Not everyone has the right instinct. I think
I have a very strong maternal instinct because I love taking care of small children, so I hope to
become a mother one day. I think it takes a great deal of patience and love

• Have the right instinct

• strong maternal instinct
• it takes a great deal of patience and love
Vocabulary check 1– Provide the English structures for the following

1. Tụ tập (với bạn bè) get together

2. Trải nghiệm một tình bạn quý báu experience a rewarding friendship
3. Anh chị em (gọi chung)
siblings
4. Có nhiều điểm chung
have much in common
5. Mới nhất (bộ phim mới nhất, công nghệ mới nhất) the lastest (film/ technology)
6. Đưa ai đi cùng & đi cùng/bám càng ai take someone along/ to tag along
7. Có quan hệ tốt với ai (*2) have a really great relationship / get on well with
8. Hỗn loạn nhưng rất vui chaotic but fun
9. Khi tôi còn bé when I was little
10. Lạc hậu/không theo kịp thời đại (out…) out of touch with the modern world
11. Kéo dài xuyên suốt endure throughout
12. Buổi tụ họp gia đình family gathering
13. Gia đình trực tiếp & đại gia đình immediate family and extended family
14. Bản năng làm mẹ strong maternal instinct
15. Giống đến kinh ngạc (bear a ….to ) bear a striking resemblance
16. Thân thiết (gia đình, mối quan hệ…) close-knit family
17. Mối quan hệ trong gia đình close bond between
18. GIải quyết mâu thuẫn manage and resolve conflicts
19. Thừa kế cái gì inherited
20. Cần cái gì để làm gì (it….. ) it takes someone/something to do something
21. Nhận nuôi con & áp dụng một phương pháp mới adopt a child / adopt a new
approach

TASK 1
1. What do you usually do when you’re with friends? We go to the cafe or the karaoke
2. Do you get along well with your parents? Yes, I do. My parents love and take care of me.
I always respect to them.
3. How about your teachers? I always get along well with them. They are enthusiastic
4. Tell me about your and friendly.
relationship
When I was 5with your
years (grand)parents?
old, How ispassed
my grandparents it with away.
your I
brother/sister? couldn't remember clearly how the relationship among us had
been. However, I was told that my grandparents loved me so
much. I was born in an immediate family with 12 siblings. We had
a really good relationship when we were little. But after my
brothers got married, all we seem to do argue and that have
caused a lot of conflict between us.
 5. Q: What do you think is the main factor that leads to a good relationship between/among
siblings? (***)
6. Q: Is there any connection/relation between how children manage their relationship and
how they turn out to be?(***)
7. Tell me about your family?
8. Who are you most similar to in your family?
9. And what do you think it takes to be a good parent??

TASK 2
Describe a family member whom you’re closest to
You should say
- Who she/he is
- How often you see this person
- If you ever fight/quarrel with this person
- What makes you close to him/her
You will have to talk about the topic for 1 -2 minutes. You should have one minute to think
about what you’re going to say. You can make notes if you wish