Unit 4
Listen and Respond
Task One Focusing on the Main Ideas
Choose the best answer to complete each of the following sentences according to the information contained in the listening passage.
1) This talk is mainly about ________.
A) why teenagers refuse to listen to their parents
B) what the larger problems in the parent-teenager relationship are C) what needs to be done to improve the parent-teenager relationship
D) what causes the communication problem between teenagers and their parents 2) The speaker says that difficulty in communication between teenagers and their parents is mainly caused by ________. A) generation gap B) misunderstanding
C) lack of communication D) different styles of thinking
3) The “taking out the trash” incident is a good example to show that ________. A) teenagers should communicate more with their mothers
B) teenagers usually refuse to help their mothers with house chores
C) teenagers often miss the implied message in their mother’s instruction D) teenagers are usually unwilling to follow their mother’s instructions 4) The speaker believes that ________.
A) the “taking out the trash” incident is an exceptional case
B) unhappiness caused by small incidents at home can cause larger problems C) misunderstanding between parents and their children is easy to be solved
D) it can be a serious cause of concern if miscommunication occurs in bigger issues Task Two Zooming In on the Details
Listen to the recording again and fill in each of the blanks according to what you have heard.
Teenagers and their parents may often have difficulties communicating with each other. Teenagers often think adults don’t understand them (1). However, adults often think teenagers just don’t listen to anything (2) they say. Some people may feel that the conflict between parents and teenagers is caused by the generation gap (3). The speaker believes that it lies mostly in implied
statements that are not fully communicated (4) between a teenage child and a parent. In the “taking out the trash” example, the mother feels that the teenager
should know what she means (5), but the teenager just doesn’t. Conversations
like this take place around our home every day. They cause some unhappiness (6) but are totally normal, and can usually be solved quite soon. When this type of “lack of communication” gets involved with (7) the bigger issues of teenagers, larger problems can be caused. It is more difficult to solve these larger problems (8) and it takes the efforts from both parents and teenagers to overcome such problems (9).
Task One Discovering the Main Ideas
Answer the following questions with the information contained in Text A.
1) Describe Doctor Eppley in a few sentences.
Doctor Eppley was a soft-spoken gentleman, who practiced medicine quietly in Enosburg, a small town in Vermont. He won the respect of the people in the town soon after he moved there. 2) What did the people in the town of Enosburg think of Doctor Eppley?
They thought he was a good man, a smart, honourable and industrious man who lived an honest life. 3) Why did the writer go to a university far away from home?
Because he was tired of being regarded as “Doctor Eppley’s son” only. He wanted to be independent. 4) How did the writer like his university life?
He liked his university life as he became independent of his father. He was proud of himself because he made friends and was well liked by the others without the help of his father. 5) Compare the attitudes of the woman in the car accident before and after she learned that the writer was Doctor Eppley’s son. Why do you think she changed her attitude?
The woman was furious and quite rude towards Harold at first. She questioned whether he had insurance and put the blame for the car accident on Harold alone. As soon as she learned that Harold was Doctor Eppley’s son, she apologized that she had not recognized him at first. She then changed her attitude because she knew that Doctor Eppley was a respectable man and felt the son of such a good man as Doctor Eppley could easily be forgiven. 2 Fill in the table below with relevant information from the text about the writer’s attitude towards his father. Be sure to make use of the clues from the text.
Changes in the writer’s attitude towards his father When he was a child, the writer
respected his father very much and he was proud of having such a good father. Clues from the text that indicate the attitude He beamed when people compared him to his father. He was glad to be surrounded by his classmates because he was Doctor Eppley’s son. Changes in the writer’s attitude towards his father When he was a teenager, the writer
became defiant and rebellious and he wanted to be independent. Clues from the text that indicate the attitude
He was unhappy when people referred to him as Doctor Eppley’s son, and he told them that he was Harold and could manage well on his own. He went to a university far away from home to escape from his father’s good name. He started to call his father “Sam” and did not stop doing so even after he knew this bothered his father. He talked to his father in a very disrespectful or rude manner. Changes in the writer’s attitude towards his father After the car accident, the writer
was grateful to his father and he respected his father even more. Clues from the text that indicate the attitude
He hugged his father at the New Year’s Party and thanked him sincerely. He called his father “Dad” instead of “Sam.”
Task Two Reading Between the Lines
1 Read the following sentences carefully and try to figure out the
feelings or attitude of the speakers according to the context clues in Text A.
1) “If you are anything like your father, you’ll be a smart boy.” (Para. 2) The first-grade teacher’s tone is complimentary and encouraging. 2) “Why are you acting so stubborn lately?” (Para. 5)
The writer’s father was annoyed and felt hurt because his son had called him by his first name, Sam. 3) “Well, Sam,” I replied, “I suppose that bothers you.” (Para. 6)
This shows that the writer had become defiant and rebellious. He wanted to be independent. 4) I glared at him. “Sam, I’m sick of being treated like a child. I’m in college now. Don’t you think I know how to drive?” (Para. 17)
When his father told him to be careful when driving, he became annoyed and defiant. 5) “Why didn’t you look where you were going?” (Para. 21)
The woman became furious about the accident and her tone was one of accusation. 6) “Do you have insurance? Can you pay for this? Who are you?” (Para. 24)
The woman was very angry with the writer. She blamed him for having caused the accident. 7) “I didn’t realize who you were.” (Para. 26)
After learning that the boy was Doctor Eppley’s son, the woman became apologetic and felt rather regretful for what she had previously said. 8) “Are you hurt?” (Para. 28)
The writer’s father spoke in a very concerned tone. He was worried about the writer. 9) “Thank you, Dad. Happy New Year.” (Para. 31)
The writer was grateful to his father and he started to respect his father even more. Checking Your Vocabulary
Word Detective
Play detective and find the required word in Text B according to the clues given. Then, make at least two sentences with each of the words you have found. The number of the paragraph in which the target word appears is given in brackets.
1) A verb meaning “to fill with terror or fear”: (Para. 10) Write down the target word here: terrify a. Flying terrifies my mother-in-law. That’s why she has never visited me. b. The thought of dying of kidney cancer terrified him. 2) An adjective meaning “having a highly developed social organization or in a state of civilization”: (Para. 3) Write down the target word here: civilized a. Such brutal acts should not be allowed in civilized countries. b. We aim to create an orderly, civilized and harmonious society. 3) A noun meaning “a building that gives cover or protection from bad weather, danger or attack”: (Para. 4) Write down the target word here: shelter a. I am really grateful to you for providing me food and shelter. b. After the earthquake, millions fled the country to seek shelter elsewhere. 4) An adjective meaning “feeling annoyed, upset, and impatient because you cannot do what you want to do or achieve what you want”: (Para. 8) Write down the target word here: frustrated a. He felt very frustrated to learn that he failed in the final exam. b. Exhausted and frustrated, they decided to stop the search for the missing dog in the forest. 5) A verb meaning “to pull (sth. heavy) along with great effort”: (Para. 11) Write down the target word here: drag a. He got up and dragged his chair towards the table. b. Every time we went shopping together, Jane would drag her daughter along. 6) An adjective meaning “confident and free to do things without needing any help from other people”: (Para. 1)
Write down the target word here: independent a. Going away to college has made me much more independent. b. Students should learn to be independent of their teachers. 2 Match the word in Column A with its meaning in Column B. Put the