Nga tried hard to persuade her parents to allow her to join the trip but she failed.

Nga’s attempt……………………………………………………………………………………………

Read the article and answer the questions that follow.

Is There Really a Generation Gap?

According to the results of a survey in USA WEEKEND Magazine, there isn’t really a generation gap. The

magazine’s “Teens & Parents” survey shows that today’s generation of young people generally get along well with their parents and appreciate the way they’re being raised. Most feel that their parents understand them, and they believe their parents consider family as the No. 1 priority in their lives. Although more than a third of teens have something in their rooms they would like to keep secret from their parents, it is usually nothing more harmful than a diary or a CD.

Such results may seem surprising in the context of the violent events that people hear about in the media. Maybe because of the things they hear, parents worry that their own kids might get out of control once they reach the teenage years. However, the facts in the survey should make us feel better. The survey shows us that today’s teens are loving and sensible. They are certainly happier than the angry people in the teenage stereotypes we all know about. True, some teenagers are very angry, and we need to recognize their needs, but the great majority of teens are not like that at all.

In contrast to some stereotypes, most teens believe they must be understanding about differences among individuals. Many of them volunteer for community service with disadvantaged people. When they talk about themselves, their friends and their families, they sound positive and proud. Generally, these are very nice kids.

Is this spirit of harmony a change from the past? Only a generation ago, parent-child relations were described as the “generation gap”. Yet even then, things were not so bad. Most kids in the 1960s and 1970s shared their parents’ basic values.

Perhaps, however, it is true that American families are growing closer at the beginning of this new millennium. Perhaps there is less to fight about, and the dangers of drug abuse and other unacceptable behavior are now well known. Perhaps, compared to the impersonal world outside the home, a young person’s family is like a friendly shelter, not a prison. And perhaps parents are acting more like parents than they did 20 or 30 years ago.

1. According the first paragraph, what did the survey find out about teenagers?

This is the first time I’ve been to a Western city.

=> I have……………………………………………………………………………………………………

You should take initiative and engage your classmates in friendly conversation. The underlined word has the OPPOSITE meaning to____________.

3. What is the stereotype referred to in paragraph 2?

Listen a small talk about volunteerism and fill in each blank with ONE word.

Being a (41) ________ is one of the best things you can do with your life. It’s a (42) ________ way to help other people. It’s also very (43) ________ to know that you are not wasting your time and are helping people who need help. Many of us could and should be out there doing voluntary (44) ________ of some kind. So many volunteer (45) ________ need extra hands. It really is easy. Just pick up the phone and offer your (46) ________. I think too many of us settle into a lazy (47) ________. We just want to come home and watch TV. Life is much more (48) ________ when you’re a volunteer. I’ve found it really (49) ________  your eyes to how some people live. It’s sometimes sad to see how the (50) ________ lets people down, but at least I’m doing my bit.

When you are______, look for something to do. It’ll help you _____your trouble.

Each (A) nation has (B) many people who (C) voluntary (D) take care of others.

It wasn’t Tom in the mall yesterday because he was in the hospital. I’m sure. (can)