Question

Read the article and circle the right answers. The family has always been very important in all times and societies. However, contemporary families differ a lot from large traditional families. A traditional, or extended, family had a similar structure in different countries. It consisted of several generations and was headed by the eldest man in the family. For example, an ideal traditional Chinese family consisted of the head of the family and his wife, their three or for sons and their wives (the daughters didn’t live in the family as they moved to their husbands’ families after the wedding) and a dozen grandchildren. People lived shorter then, and that’s why usually there were no more than three generations in a family. Children were absolutely dependent on their parents and grandparents, and the status, role and behavior of each member of the family were strictly regulated. Nobody could break the rules. The interests of the family were above the interests of an individual member. If anyone ignored or betrayed the family interests, they were punished very severely. Most traditional families in Russia, Ukraine, and Poland looked the same. Nowadays families are much smaller. They often consist of two generations only: parents and their dependent children. The family of this kind is called a nuclear family. There are no male or female responsibilities within the family. This means most women go to work and earn some money, and men often help with cooking, washing and some other work round the house. Children behave differently too. They are allowed to express their point of view and take part in decision-making on different family’s issues. Sometimes they can even ignore the senior generation’s recommendations or advice, which was absolutely impossible in traditional families. Children are more independent nowadays, and when they grow up, they often prefer to live apart from their parents. Having separate homes, however, doesn’t matter much as long as adult children care for their parents and remember to help them. Answer the questions: 1. What is a traditional family? 2. Translate into Russian the underlined sentences. The test 1. The author thinks that nowadays the family is much more important than it is used to be in old times. a) True b) False 2 The author says that a traditional Chinese family consisted of five generations living together. a) True b) False 3 According to the article, parents in traditional families didn’t allow children to express their disagreement or argue in any way. a) True b) False 4 The article says that nowadays children can ignore the senior generation’s advice. a) True b) False 5 The author thinks that it’s very bad when generations don’t live in one place. a) True b) False

Answer 1

1) traditional family consist of

Answer 2

Traditional Family Structure

In the past, traditional or extended families had a similar structure in different countries. They consisted of several generations and were headed by the eldest man in the family. For example, an ideal traditional Chinese family consisted of the head of the family and his wife, their three or four sons and their wives, and a dozen grandchildren. The daughters didn't live in the family as they moved to their husbands' families after the wedding. Typically, there were no more than three generations in a family due to shorter lifespans. Children were completely dependent on their parents and grandparents, and the status, role, and behavior of each family member were strictly regulated. The interests of the family were prioritized over the interests of individual members. Violating or betraying the family's interests would result in severe punishment .

Contemporary Families

Nowadays, families are much smaller and often consist of two generations only: parents and their dependent children. This type of family is called a nuclear family. Within the nuclear family, there are no specific male or female responsibilities. Women often go to work and earn money, while men frequently help with household chores such as cooking and cleaning. Children also have more freedom to express their opinions and participate in decision-making within the family. They can even ignore the recommendations or advice of the older generation, which was not possible in traditional families. Children are more independent nowadays and, as they grow up, they often prefer to live separately from their parents. However, as long as adult children care for their parents and provide assistance when needed, having separate homes is not considered a significant issue .

Answering the Questions

1. A traditional family refers to an extended family structure consisting of several generations and headed by the eldest man in the family. It typically includes the head of the family, his wife, their sons and their wives, and grandchildren. The daughters usually move to their husbands' families after marriage . 2. The underlined sentences translated into Russian are: - "Children were absolutely dependent on their parents and grandparents, and the status, role, and behavior of each member of the family were strictly regulated." - "Дети полностью зависели от своих родителей и бабушек с дедушками, и статус, роль и поведение каждого члена семьи строго регулировались." - "Children are allowed to express their point of view and take part in decision-making on different family's issues." - "Детям разрешается выражать свою точку зрения и принимать участие в принятии решений по различным вопросам семьи." - "Sometimes they can even ignore the senior generation's recommendations or advice, which was absolutely impossible in traditional families." - "Иногда они даже могут игнорировать рекомендации или советы старшего поколения, что было абсолютно невозможно в традиционных семьях."

Quiz Answers

1. The author thinks that nowadays the family is much more important than it used to be in old times. False . 2. The author says that a traditional Chinese family consisted of five generations living together. False . 3. According to the article, parents in traditional families didn't allow children to express their disagreement or argue in any way. True . 4. The article says that nowadays children can ignore the senior generation's advice. True . 5. The author thinks that it's very bad when generations don't live in one place. False .