1. Find English equivalents for the following words and expressions.

Заинтересоваться эксцентриками; прийти к заключению; душевная болезнь; дети, воспитанные в строгих семьях; быть плохим собеседником; быть изобретательным.

2. Give Russian equivalents for the following words and expressions.

To be full of projects to improve the world; according to popular belief; to be cheerful; to keep up with the Joneses; to be bathed in friendship, humour, love; to have a firm belief.

3. Rearrange the statements as they occur in the text. (Give numbers.)

1. Eccentrics are curious, creative and inventive.

2. Dr. Weeks says that eccentricity is not mental illness.

3. According to popular belief, eccentrics are wealthy people who can afford to be eccentrics.

4. Twelve years ago, an American psychologist Dr. David Weeks got interested in eccentrics.

5. But nowadays eccentrics are just as likely to work at ordinary jobs.

6. They often have strange eating and sleeping habits and are poor conversationalists.

Text 10 teenagers: what problems?

One question that always comes up is: “Are teenagers a problem in your country?”

Actually there are two questions. The second one is: “Do teenagers have problems in your country?” With both these questions we have the familiar linking of the words “teenagers” and “problems” and this set me thinking why the two words are so inextricably linked. Why should teenagers be more of a problem than, say, middle-aged people or babies? And why should they have the prerogative on having problems? Let’s see if we can come up with some answers and the best way to do that is to ask questions.

Officially, of course, a teenager is anyone aged from 13 to 19 inclusive but most people would probably think first of the younger age group and exclude 18 and 19-year-olds. After all, once you reach 18 you can vote, get married without your parents permission and join the army. On the other hand, children are growing up and developing more quickly and these days 11- and 12-year-olds would like to include

themselves in the “teenager” group. In actual fact they have their own group title now — “Pre-teens” or sometimes “Between-agers.”

Without getting hung on actual ages, what we really mean by “teenagers” are people who are in the stage of their life when they are developing from children into adults.

According to “the older generation” teenagers are lazy, they wear ridiculous clothes and are appallingly rude to their betters and elders; they find it impossible to be polite, helpful, constructive, caring or hardworking. What’s more, they spend all their time listening to awful music (“It isn’t music, it’s just a collection of terrible noises!”) and gawping at unsuitable films. And all they ever think about is parties, drugs and sex.

Actually, it seems to me to be quite the opposite of the truth. Teenagers spend a lot of time thinking about their work (studies), their families and friends and their hobbies. Sure, there are certain preoccupations such as clothes, money, how to behave in a certain situation, their bodies. Most young people take jobs while they are at school. They work at movie theatres, fast-food restaurants, gas stations, and stores to pay for their clothes and entertainment. Maybe this is what makes them so independent from their parents at such a young age.

But isn’t it the same for most people? So what about the myth that all teenagers are rude, selfish, lazy and greedy? As far as I’m concerned, it’s nonsense. The vast majority of young people I met are polite, friendly, open, interested and hard-working.

It’s true, of course, that sometimes teenagers have special problems. It is a difficult time because it is a period of transformation. It isn’t quite as bad as a chrysalis changing into a butterfly but it may seem like it — or even the other way round! It isn’t easy to grow up and the physical and emotional changes are often confusing and worrying. But it’s my impression that most young people cope rather well.