VOCABULARY ACTIVITIES

1. Match the words in the left column with their definitions in the right one.

 

	A	B
A	Nuclear family	1. a family consisting of one parent and the children;
B	Extended family	2. one's relatives by marriage, esp. the father and mother of one’s husband
		or wife;
C	Blended family	3. when members of a couple can't find jobs in the same geographical
		location, and so one will move and commute back to the family on week-ends;
D	In-laws	4. when both the husband and the wife work full-time in high-level professional jobs;
E	Single-parent family	5. includes not only the nuclear family but grand-parents, aunts, uncles etc.;
F	A sibling (also sib family)	6. a brother or sister related through one parent only;
G	A half-brother / sister	7. a brother or sister;
H	Dual career couple	8. a family in which both parents were divorced, each with their own kids;
I	Commuter marriages	9. the family consisting of the parents and the children;

2. Cross-cultural focus. Which of the given above notions are typical for Russia? Which are not? Prove your point of view.

 

3. Fill in the gaps with the words given in the brackets below.

1) It is really difficult to define what tips the balance and turns simple attraction into the ... of marriage.

2) The traditional roles of the man as the ... and the woman as the housewife have changed dramatically.

3) For many women, their work represents the need to con­tribute to the family ... and not a means of attaining personal fulfillment.

4) Statistics show that 50 % of all marriages end in di­vorce. These trends have resulted in a high number of ... fami­lies headed mostly by women. Many of these women do not re­ceive ... or ... ... payments, and are most likely to be poor than married women.

5) The ... of the family is responsible for such alarming sta­tistics as the rise in domestic violence, crime and drug addic­tion.

6) Women want to be more than mothers and ... they want to make a difference in the world outside the home.

7) A ... for couples with children is finding day care and ob­taining flexible work schedules so that they can coordinate their time between work and home. For most couples, changing work patterns involves ... home and family tasks.

(alimony, breakdown, income, homemakers, child support, commitment, challenge, breadwinner, single-parent, negotiat­ing)

4. Getting married is no casual matter. If one gets married he/she takes on the responsibility for another's person's happi­ness and well-being for the rest of their lives – and probably for future children too. So why do so many people take on that tremendous burden? What do you think are the main rea­sons people decide to get married these days? Below are some of them. Continue the list and rank them in the de­creasing order:

to have children; love; tradition (It's normal); companionship; commitment to partner.

 

5. Work in twos. Read the following family activities and duties. Say who in your opinion should be responsible for each of them – the wife or the husband. Explain your point of view:

Be the main breadwinner Wash the dishes Do decorating and minor repairs Do cooking

Go shopping for food Clean the house Disciplining the children Pay household bills

Help the children with their homework Do gardening Decide when and where to go on holidays

Select a spouse for the child

 

6. There are a lot of stereotypes people live with. Do "ideal" husbands or wives exist in reality? There are a lot of people who will give a positive answer to this question. Formulate your concept of:

a) an ideal husband; b) an ideal wife; c) an ideal mother-in-law; d) an ideal marriage.

 

7. Read the following text and answer the questions af­ter it.

Jack and Susan have been married for 6 years and have a 4-year-old child. They had an intense courtship and married af­ter having known each other for a few months. In the first year of their marriage, problems emerged. For example, Susan dis­liked the extent to which Jack was away from home. Although the birth of their child helped to bring them closer together, they continued to have difficulties. Then a crisis developed. Jack was offered a big promotion in the home office of his company, which he wanted to accept, but Susan did not want to move for various reasons, including the fact that she had a highly reward­ing teaching position.

(From the Handbook of Marital Interventions)

 

1) Do you think Jack and Susan had a good basis for get­ting married? Why or why not? Why do people get married anyway?

2) Do you think Susan began to resent Jack's time away from the family? Is trust important in order to remain together?

3) Should Susan go along with Jack's desire to move? Why or why not? If she does, will he owe her something?

4) What does "give-and-take" mean in marriage?

5) Do you think Jack and Susan have a close marriage? Why or why not? What makes a close marriage?

6) Why do you suppose Jack and Susan had so many con­flicts?

 

8. Read the following micro excerpt from the book "The Psychology of Love" by R. Sternberg and M. Barnes. Ex­plain in English the meaning of the italicized words.

 

Tim and Diana met on a cruise to the Bahamas. Both were on the rebound. Tim's fiancée had abruptly broken off their engagement and eloped with Tim's best friend. Moreover, Tim had just lost his job again. Diana was recently divorced, the victim of "the other woman". Each felt desperate for love, and when they met each other, they immediately saw them­selves as a match made in a heaven. Indeed, it was as though someone had watched over them, seen their plight, and brought them together in their time of need. The company sponsoring the cruise was always looking for shipboard romances, which were good publicity for the cruise line. The company offered to marry them on board and to throw a lavish reception at no charge at all, asking only their cooperation in promotional mate­rials. After thinking it over, Tim and Diana agreed. They knew they were right for each other, and because neither was particularly well off at the moment, the possibility of a free wedding appealed to both of them. Regrettably, the marriage proved to be a disaster once Tim and Diana got off the ship. Although he was great fun to be with, Tim was never one for taking employ­ment seriously, whereas Diana expected Tim to get a job and support her. Tim, in turn, was shocked to learn that Diana did not expect to work, as his aspiration to be a poet could never be fulfilled unless he received at least some financial support from her.

9. What do you think of the situation described in the text?