2. Unit 2
Growing Pains

3. Free Talk
Do you love your parents? Do you think you show respect to your parents?
Do you sometimes quarrel with your parents? Why do arguments usually happen?
Try to tell us your unpleasant experience at home.

4. They never gave me a chance to defend myself. I hate them.
Anyhow, they didn’t trust me. They don’t deserve an explanation.
Why didn’t they
ask me what
happened instead
of shouting at me?

5. What kind of behaviors of yours will make your parents feel unhappy?
*not doing homework
*not getting up on time
*spending too much time or money on …
*bad school behaviours
*not helpful with housework
*making friends with persons that parents don’t like *…

6. Give examples of kinds of problems you sometimes have with your parents.
interfere in your life
try to influence your decisions
want to make decisions for you
force you into doing things you
don’t want to
sometimes don’t trust you

7. Parents often try to influence their decisions about their study plans.
Parents forbid you to spend too much time playing computer games.

8. What would you do if your behavior upsets your parents?
Do you always explain yourself to your parents and resolve problems peacefully?
Do you think there is a generation gap between you and your parents? How do you overcome the gap?

9. Parents are worried that their children may fall in puppy love.
Parents can’t understand that you are the fan of the famous stars.

10. Picture talking
There are four pictures here. First of all, I’d like you to imagine the situation and try to describe it with your own words.

12. One day, my best friend, Xiao Ming, introduced a piece of rock music to me. We both liked it very much. So when I got home, I was too impatient to wait to listen to it. I lost myself so deep in the music that I didn’t pay attention to the volume. Just then my mother shouted at me, “Do you have to turn up your music so loud?” I was surprised and had to come back to the fact. I found my father looking at me angrily, who was working at the desk. My young sister covered her ears with hands. I disturbed them. So I had to turn off the radio. I knew I made a mistake, but I wish they could know how I love this piece of music.

14. One evening, on my way home I met a little girl who was crying by the road because of not finding her mother. So I took her to the police station. With the help of the police and me, the girl got home safely. However, when I got home, my father said angrily, “I told you to be home by 6 o’clock.” Mom also shouted, “Where did you go?” I felt so sorry that I couldn’t help crying. They didn’t give me a chance to explain. I hate the way they treat me.

16. One day, I heard the famous superstars ‘S. H
One day, I heard the famous superstars ‘S.H.E’ had come to our city to give performances. I am the fan of them. I was eager to get their signatures. I was about to go to the concert when my mother shouted, “Don’t you think this is a waste of time? Come back. You are not a child. You should spend more time on your studies.” Even though I wanted to attend the concert very much, I had to stay at home. Today I still regretted about it.

18. I have a close friend named Wang Dong, who studies in another school
I have a close friend named Wang Dong, who studies in another school. We keep in touch with each other by writing letters. This week I failed in the Maths exam. I was sad. In order to comfort me, Wang Dong fixed time to have a good talk with me on the Internet. Unfortunately, when I just sat before the computer, my mother came with my Maths paper in her hand. She shouted at me, “There will be no more computer games for you!”

19. Discussion
1. Do you think that your parents try to force you to spend your spare time doing things you don’t like?
. When you have a problem and want to talk to someone, who do you choose to talk to?
3. Describe an unpleasant experience with your parents.

20. Have you ever been left alone or with a pet. Describe that experience
Have you ever been left alone or with a pet? Describe that experience. If not, can you imagine what might happen if you were left alone? Can you look after your home and keep everything clean and safe?

21. Have you ever seen the film called Home Alone?
Home Alone is a 1990 American family comedy film written and produced by John Hughes and directed by Chris Columbus.

23. Please go through the Reading strategy and tell me how to read a play.

24. Reading strategy 1. Are the words or speech in a play very formal?
No, the words or speech in a play are very informal.
2. Are there any instructions or tips included in a play?
Yes, there are.
3. Do you think you have to read a play silently or read out loud?
Read the play out loud.

25. Read the play quickly and answer the following questions.
1. Who are the main characters in the play?
Eric, Daniel, Mom and Dad.

26. 2. Why do the parents get angry?
3. What really happened to their dog, Spot?
Because there is garbage all over the place.
Spot was ill.

27. True or False T
The boys do not expect their parents to come back so early.
Spot, the dog, looks full of life.
Daniel’s parents still think of him as an adult. F F

28. F
4. Eric does not want to explain to their parents.
5. The boys did not clean the house because they went to the clinic.
6. The mother thinks the father should be stricter with Daniel. T F

29. Read the play again carefully and answer the following questions.
1. What are the boys doing when their parents come home?
They are playing with a soccer ball.

30. 2. How does the room look when the parents arrive home?
3. Why are the parents angrier with Daniel than with Eric?
The room is in a mess.
Because they left Daniel in charge.

31. 4. What is the emergency that Eric wants to tell his parents about?
5. What does the father want to do with Daniel?
Spot was sick and they had to take him to the clinic.
He wants to punish Daniel.

32. Choose the best answers according to the play.
1. This passage is a ______.
A. newspaper B. notice
C. play D. diary C

33. 2. The passage is mainly about _____.
A. how the family manage to be on good terms
B. why the room is in a mess
C. why there is a misunderstanding between the parents and sons
D. what happens to Daniel and Eric after their parents get home D

34. 3. Which of the following is the cause of the quarrel?
A. Spot was seriously ill.
B. The couple return earlier than expected.
C. The boys play football all day long.
D. The brothers’ laziness. A

35. 4. Eric says hello to his parents in a frightened voice because _____.
A. Dad often punishes him
B. he is afraid that Dad will see the messy room and punish him
C. Dad will beat him and his brother
D. he is always timid B

36. 5. From the passage, we can infer that ____.
A. children often hate their parents
B. parents often hate their parents
C. children and parents often hate each other
D. parents and children should explain to each other when some misunderstanding happen D

37. Fill in the blanks according to the play.
Title: Home Alone
Act One
vacation
☆The parents return home from _________ a day earlier and they want to give the children a _______.
surprise
☆The room is in a ____ and the dog looks tired and hungry, so the parents are angry with Daniel and ______ at him.
mess
shout
☆Daniel doesn’t think it’s his ______ and runs into his bedroom and slams the door.
fault

38. ______ Two Act Scene One Scene Two
☆Eric thinks it’s better to _____ to their parents what has happened.
☆The mother thinks they are being too hard on Daniel and _______ asking him what has happened.
explain
suggests
☆The _____ is that they used the money to take the dog to the clinic so they had no time to clean the house.
truth
☆The father wants to punish Daniel because of his _______.
rudeness

39. Thinking and Talking
Suppose you were one of the children, what would you do? Would you stay silent or would you offer an explanation to your parents? Which is a better solution in your opinion?

40. How do your parents usually deal with your wrong-doings
How do your parents usually deal with your wrong-doings? Are they too harsh?
What kind of parent-and-child relationship do you prefer?

41. humorous
understanding
patient
good parents
in our eyes
kind
loving
helpful
learned

42. Role-play the dialogue in groups of five.
Write a thanks letter to your parents.

43. Thinking and Writing
Use your imagination and think of an end to the play.
Do you think Eric and Daniel will explain to their parents what has happened? Or will the parents go and ask the boys what has happened?

44. Enjoy a song, The Best Day.
This song is a love letter to Taylor Swift's mother, Andrea Swift, who usually accompanies her daughter while she's on tour.