Download Unit Ten Youth Aspirations

Unit Ten Youth Aspirations
Part I




aspiration: a strong desire for high
achievement
syndrome: a set of medical symptoms which
represent a physical or mental disorder
ballet: A classical dance form characterized by
grace and precision of movement and by
elaborate formal gestures, steps, and poses
gymnastics: a sport that involves exercises
intended to display strength and balance and
agility



prodigy: a child who shows a great ability
at a young age; eg. a child prodigy on
piano
well-round: (esp. of a person’s
experience)full of different types of activity;
complete and varied
well-grounded: fully instructed or trained
Pre-listening questions

When you are in your teens, how did you
spend your free time?

Here is a report on how American average
teenagers spend their free time
Key




dropping about 16%
extracurricular activities (ballet,
gymnastics, football)
casual
emphasis and stress
expert/prodigies
parents saying “enough is enough”/
cutting back/ pulling children out of all their
activities
B

Read the following difficult sentences and
listen
Part II British Youth





heyday: the time of greatest power, influence,
success, or popularity
advent: the arrival or coming of (an important
event, period, invention, etc.)
flower power: an counterculture of young people
in the US during the 1960s and 70s
teenyboppers: a young person between the
ages of about 9 and 14, esp. a girl, who is very
interested in popular music and the bands who
play it, the latest fashions, etc.
hooliganism: willful wanton and malicious
destruction of the property of others






portray: to describe according to one’s opinion
extraction: family origin in a stated place
option: one of a number of courses of action that
are possible and may be chosen
executive: a person or group having
administrative or managerial authority in an
organization
VAT(value-added tax): (in Britain and many
other European countries) a tax added to the
price of an article, and paid by the buyer to the
seller, who then pays it to the government
embark: to start

What are young people most worried
about? What do adult people think of the
young? What kind of young people will
succeed in the future? Think about these
questions before listening to the first part
of the passage about British youth. Find
the differences between your answer and
what you’ve heard
B

Now listen to the second part of the
passage. Finish the following diagram with
key words.
Key






birth
fashions, magazines, music and style
heyday
bands/the Rolling Stones, and the miniskirt
flower power, hippies
new romantics, dance music
C

Listen to the whole passage. Briefly
answer the following questions.
Key



Dancing, clubs, music, fashion and fun
Fights, troubles, hooliganism, drugs and
anarchy
Not accepted/gradually accept now/more
people coming/different culture
backgrounds





Help raise finance
Help raise finance
Set up their own businesses
Over 5,500
About 3,700
Part III Young people & citizen
service




pledge: (esp. in newspapers) to make a solemn
promise of
spark: a small bit of burning material thrown out
by a fire or by the striking together of two hard
objects; a vital, animating, or activating factor
address: to direct (a spoken or written message)
to the attention of
immunization: the fact or process of becoming
immune, as against a disease


scout: a member of an association for
training girls in character and self-help
transcript: a reproduction of a written
record (e.g. of a legal or school record)

You are going to hear a speech delivered
by the former American President Bill
Clinton on young people and citizen
service. While listening, take notes and
complete the following outline.
Key






I. What we must
every American’s life
II. National service
What its members do
Support
77
III. Commitments the national
government








A food recovery summit
New Mentoring Alliance
The Girl Scouts of America
IV. Commitment to community
A. Creative ways
curriculum
B. The National Service Scholars
Communities and private service
organizations
V. the spirit of the Service Summit
B

Now listen to the speech again and
answer the following questions. This time
pay more attention to the important
supporting details.
Key





1. Cleaning the environment
At-risk children
Keep streets safe
Child immunization
2. 50,000 new AmeriCorps scholarships
organizations
the chance to serve





Credit
Course work
Transcript
A condition of graduation
4. 1,600 high school students / up to
$1,000
Part IV Listen and Relax