Эксперт по сдаче вступительных испытаний в ВУЗах
Вопросы для самоподготовки
Составьте эссе, ответив на следующие вопросы и используя рекомендации по написанию эссе:
How many people are there in your family? Are you an only child in your family? What are relations between you and your parents like? Do you have any conflicts with your relatives from time to time? Are your parents excessively permissive with you? Do you know any families where parents are despotic rulers and kids are obliged to obey and are punished even for minor wrong doings? Is it wrong? Are your parents your true friends, supporters and advisers?
P.S. Примерное эссе слишком большое. Используйте его как пример и для знакомства с новой лексикой.
Write 150-200 words.
Example:
If you’ve ever wondered what a family is and looked the word up in a dictionary then you know that it is a close-knit union of people related by blood or marriage. Psychologists usually refer to a family consisting of mother, father and their children as a nuclear family. On the other hand an extended family expands beyond the immediate one and consists of a number of generations, including aunts and uncles, nephews and nieces, cousins, grandparents, in-laws and distant relatives. In addition to it there are single-parent families usually headed by a woman, which get more attention and support from the government as it’s a tough job to bring a child up on your own. Unfortunately, large unions with more than 3 kids are rarely found nowadays, especially in our country, as the hectic lifestyle led by most grown-ups is not appropriate for taking care of many children. Besides you have to be well-off to provide your minors with all they need. However, there are people who wholeheartedly devote themselves even to non-biological children. They either adopt or foster an orphan and treat him or her just like their own flesh and blood. At the same time the number of blended or stepfamilies has increased drastically over the past century along with the number of divorces. In practice a great deal of effort has to be put into relationship between members of such families to make everything work out. And finally, there are childless couples.
Anyway, a family, no matter of which type, is something more than just a basic unit of society. There is no denying that it’s a fabulous phenomenon, cemented by blood which is thicker than water. Most people value their families and assess them as the most important thing in their life. Man is a social creature and he needs a company of his fellow beings. A family gives you a sense of belonging, tradition and stability, a feeling of reliability and understanding, love and comfort. Interests, acquaintances, entertainments come and go, but family always stays by you. Close friends play a big role in our life, but it takes a lifetime to find them, while family is nearby since day one. When you are disillusioned by unsympathetic society, your family is always there to fall back on. It always accepts you just the way you are with all your mistakes and weaknesses and still adores you even if the whole world turns their back on you. We always seek a helping hand from our family and they come to our rescue not asking for anything in return. Thus any achievement or failure we have in life we desire to share with our nearest and dearest. They say a trouble shared is a trouble halved, therefore the support you get from your relatives will sooth your pain. Mutual affection developed among family continues throughout life.
All the good in us is due to our family, our virtues are not innate. We learn to be patient, to tolerate each others’ faults and flaws, to consider someone’s opinion. Such values as good manners, respect for the elder, responsibility and flexible thinking are among paramount qualities and are carefully cultivated by parents. Family becomes the first learning place because it’s a small model of society and adults are role models, whose demeanor is emulated.
As a consequence grown-ups ought to be very diligent as far as parenting is concerned, still they are only humans and likely to make mistakes.
Some parents strongly believe that every possible thing has to be done for the sake of their little dears. Being excessively permissive with one’s kids certainly does more harm than good. The authors of some modern child-rearing manuals have succeeded in undermining parents’ confidence in their authority. As a result parents’ lives are regulated according to the needs of their offspring, which leaves adults bewildered and full of guilt. Adolescents in their turn get the impression that they are the hub of the universe and develop into spoilt brats and shallow show-offs. Eventually neither parents nor children benefit from such relationship.
In addition to it some parents feel the need to become friends with their teenage children and are eager to build close relationship with them. But treating their underage kids as equals and giving them too much freedom has the opposite effect. Undoubtedly, certain limits, rules and orders have to be imposed, otherwise youngsters will abuse their parents’ trust.
The other side of the coin is the autocratic model, in which parents are despotic rulers and kids are obliged to obey and are punished even for minor wrong doings. A fair amount of criticism is also present in this Victorian-like model of upbringing. In the long run critical comments encourage nothing but despair, hostility and alienation. A child starts to think of himself as of the black sheep of the family. A good tip for such parents is to remember that it’s easy to be destructive while attempting to be constructive.
It seems to me that the most effective is the teacher-guide style of parenting. Children have to be directed in life but also given freedom to make their own decisions. They should be motivated to develop physically and intellectually, but rebuked for misbehavior as well. You see that being an ideal parent is a very delicate task demanding tact, patience.
