Relationships
1.1 Look at the following topics and decide whether you would discuss them with
A your family B your friends C a teacher
1 a study problem 2 your favourite music
3 buying something expensive 4 the Last film you saw
1.2 Listen to four people talking about the topics above. Write the number of the topic (1-4) from the list above and the person/people the speakers say they would talk to about this. Write the words that helped you decide.
1.3 Listen again and decide which of the speakers (A-D) the sentences apply to.
1 The relationship between my brother and me is very close. C
2 I have a lot more in common with my friends than with my family. …….
3 I have established a close connection with an older member of my family.
4 The relationship between my parents and me has broken down……..
1.4 COLLOCATION Use words and phrases from the recording and the statements in 1.3 to complete the sentences.
1 My sister and I have totally different tastes. In fact we don’t have much _______ at all.
2 There is a very close _______between a mother and a newborn baby.
3 It is important to _______ a good working relationship your work colleagues.
4 A relationship can easily _______ if you don’t work at it.
5 I really admire the relationship _______ my mother and my grandmother.
6 There can be a lot of _______ between teenagers and their parents.
2.1 Scan the text below and underline these words:
Study links early friendships with high-quality sibling relationships
Children who experience a rewarding friendship before the birth of a sibling are likely to have a beccer relationship with that brother or sister that endures throughout their childhood, said Laurie Kramer in a University of Illinois study published in December’s Journal of Family Psychology. ‘When early friendships are successful, young children get the chance to mascer sophisticated social and emotional skills, even more than they do with a parent. When parents relate to a child, they do a lot of the work, figuring out what the child needs and then accommodating those needs,’ says Kramer. However, this is not usually the case when two children are interacting. The research showed that the benefits of early friends are long-lasting. Children who had a positive relationship with a best friend before the birth of a sibling ultimately had a good relationship with their sibling that lasted throughout adolescence, Kramer said. And children who as preschoolers were able to coordinate play with a friend, manage conflicts, and keep an interaction positive in tone were most likely as teenagers to avoid the negative sibling interaction that can sometimes launch children on a path of anti-social behavior, she added. ‘From birth, parents can nurture and help develop these social competencies (or skills) by making eye contact with their babies, offering toys and playing with them,’ she said.
2.2 Read the text and match the words you have underlined to the following definitions.
1 help someone/something develop and grow _______
2 agreeing to a demand _______
3 brother or sister _______
4 respond to somebody _______
5 the stage between childhood and adulthood _______
6 giving a lot of pleasure _______
7 communication _______
2.3 Read the text again and say whether these sentences are true (T) or false (F). Underline the part of the text that gave you your answer.
1 If young children have good friends then they will have a good relationship with their brother or sister _______
2 Parents help their children develop more social and emotional skills than friends _______
3 Friends will give you what you want more often than your parents do _______
4 Teenagers who fight with their brothers or sisters may behave in a way that is socially _______
5 If parents play with their children more then they will learn how to be more sociable _______
2.4 A lot of words connected with families and relationships can also be used in a different context. Complete the sentences with a word from the box.
1 The wolf is a member of the dog _______
2 The company decided to a new approach to _______ staff recruitment.
3 The study found a strong _______ between a lack of friends and sibling rivalry.
4 Whether you think the price of goods is high is _______ to the amount of money you earn.
5 Studies have shown that stress in adulthood can be _______ to an unhappy childhood.
6 Good teachers identify the talents of their students and _______ them.
7 This evidence seems to _______ with the findings from previous studies.
8 I am writing in _______ to the job advertisement in yesterday’s paper.
3.1 COMPOUND NOUNS Match the words in box A with the words in box B to make 10 compound nouns. You will need to use some words more than once.
3.2 Think about your answers to these questions. Then listen to a student’s answers and tick the phrases you hear in 3.1.
1 Tell me about your family.
2 Who are you most similar to in your family?
3 What do you think it takes to be a good parent?
3.3 Listen again and find the words that match these definitions.
1 caring and supportive _______
2 the emotional connection between people or places _______
3 similar _______
4 your nature or character _______
5 determined to an unreasonable degree _______
6 handed down through a family _______
3.4 Now practise answering the questions fully. Record your answers, if possible.
Answer
1.2
1.3
2 A 3 D 4 B
1.4
1 in common
2 bond / connection (bond is usually used to describe a very close relationship between people)
3 establish / develop … with
4 break down
5 between
6 conflict
2.2
1 nurture
2 accommodating
3 sibling
4 relate
5 adolescence
6 rewarding
7 interaction
2.3
1 True (Children who experience a rewarding friendship before the birth of a sibling are likely to have a better relationship with that brother or sister that endures throughout their childhood)
2 False (When early friendships are successful, young children get the chonce to master sophisticated social and
emotionol skills, even more than they do with a parent.)
3 False (When parents relate to o child, they do o lot of the work, figuring out what the child needs and then
accommodating those needs… However, this is not usually the case when two children are interacting.)
4 True (children who as preschoolers were able to coordinate play with a friend, monage conflicts, and keep an interaction positive in tone were most likely as teenagers to ovoid the negative sibling interaction that can sometimes lounch children on a path of anti-social behavior)
5 True (From birth, parents can nurture and help develop these sociol competencies (or skills) by making eye contact with their babies, offering toys and playing with them
2.4
1 family
2 adopt
3 relationship (correlation is also possible, but not relation)
4 relative
5 related
6 nurture
7 conflict
8 relation
3.1 and 3.2
immediate family, extended family, family gatherings, sibling rivalry, stable upbringing, active role, family resemblance, physical resemblance, striking resemblance*, maternal instinct
* does not appear in the recording
3.3
1 close-knit
2 ties
3 alike
4 temperament
5 stubborn
6 inherited
