 Would you consider donating your organs after your death?

 What is the health service like in your country?

 What do you think of the health service in this country?
 How can the health service be improved?
 Have you been to hospital since you arrived here?
 What do you know about the SARS virus?
 What do you know about AIDS?
 What do you know about the common cold?
 What is alternative medicine?
 Have you ever practiced alternative medicine?

Speakout Advanced p 85. Health. Extra Speaking

A Have a conversation as natural as possible with a partner about the topic. Use
the pictures above and the questions below to help you.

1. Do you suffer from any allergies?

2. Have you ever been operated on? How long did it take you to recover
from your operation?
3. When was the last time you felt poorly? What were your symptoms? What did
the doctor prescribe? Have you ever suffered from the side-effects of any medicine?
4. When was the last time you went down with flu? How long did it take you
to get over it?
5. When was the last time you were feverish? What was the matter?
6. Have you ever had a blood test? What for?
7. Have you ever been X-rayed?
8. Do you know anybody who has high or low blood pressure? What do you have
to do if you have low blood pressure?
9. Would you ever consider taking part in medical trials? Why?
10. What are the positive effects of modern-day living? In what ways are we
happier than previous generations?
11. What impact is the widespread binge drinking culture having on the health of
young people? Can you think of other major consequences of binge drinking? What
about binge eating?

B MONOLOGUE

Student A

1. Being healthy means different things to different people. What do you mean by

healthy?
2. What medical problems have you and yours had and what do you think caused
them?
3. What do you think of the Spanish National Health Service (NHS)? And of
the privatisation of some public hospitals?

Student B

1. Do you think alternative therapies provide a useful and effective alternative

to mainstream medicine? Why?
2. What do you think are the potential dangers of online medical advice? Would
you consult a medical service on the Internet?
3. Are we too obsessed with healthy eating and physical fitness nowadays?

Useful language

11. binge /bɪndʒ/ a short period of time when somebody does too much of a particular activity,
especially eating or drinking alcohol. E.g. to go on a binge. One of the symptoms is binge
eating. I had a shopping binge with my credit card. The survey results confirmed suspicions of a
serious and widespread binge drinking culture within the University.
B MONOLOGUE
Student A
1. For me being healthy is: e.g. living to be very old. Being able to run for a bus
without getting out of breath. Hardly ever needing to take any pills or
medicines. Being the ideal weight for my height. Taking part in lots of games or
sports. Never suffering from anything more than a mild cold or stomach
upset. Feeling glad to be alive when I wake up in the morning. Being able to touch my
toes or run a mile in 10 minutes (a kilometre in about 6 minutes). Having all the bits of
my body in perfect working condition. Eating the right foods. Enjoying some form of
relaxation or recreation. Never smoking. Hardly ever going to the doctor. Having a clear
skin, bright eyes and shiny hair.
2. E.g. My son wore shoes that rubbed and he got blisters. My daughter ate too fast
yesterday and had an upset stomach. My wife stayed out in the sun too long and as a
consequence suffered from sunburn. The sun brought her out in (= caused) an itchy
rash/ The heat brought her out in a rash. My nephew ate food he was allergic
to and woke up covered in a rash/ He came out in a rash. If I eat chocolate, a rash
appears on my skin. My granddad ran too fast for a bus and sprained his ankle.
Fortunately, it is definitely on the mend now. Twist: to injure part of your body,
especially your ankle, wrist or knee, bending it in an awkward way: e.g. She fell
and twisted her ankle. My neighbours eat a lot of fast food. Therefore they are
all obese…even their dog is obese! And since obesity can increase the risk of heart
disease, their grandmother has had to be admitted to hospital with chest pains several
times. (Opp: discharge: Patients were being discharged from the hospital too early.)
A mosquito bit my youngest child last summer and he had a swollen eye for a whole
week. My cousin got wet on a cold day and he went down with pneumonia. He was
over the worst after a couple of weeks. I've been fighting off a cold all week. I seem to
be getting over it now though. My sister thinks she is ill all the time. She is such
a hypochondriac! —there’s nothing wrong with her. My little brother got lost in the
snow for too long. When we found him he was shivering with cold. He felt a bit under
the weather for a while. However, he was back on his feet again when the spring
arrived.

MORE USEFUL LANGUAGE:

- Tickle: a slightly uncomfortable feeling in a part of your body: e.g. to have a tickle in

your throat (= that makes you want to cough).

- Caesarean: [sɪˈzeəriən] an emergency Caesarean.  The baby was born by

Caesarean section.  She had to have a Caesarean.

- medical profile: Sp. cuadro clínico

- I have a sore throat

- Runny: (of your nose or eyes) producing a lot of liquid, for example when you have a
cold. E.g. I think I'm getting a cold—I've got a sore throat and a runny nose.
- Blocked: e.g. More than five million Britons visited their GP last year complaining of
a blocked nose.

- Hay fever: allergic to pollen

- allergic (to sth) having an allergy to sth: e.g. I like cats but unfortunately I’m allergic
to them. A mild allergic reaction.

- Antihistamine [ˌæntiˈhɪstəmiːn] a drug used to treat allergies, especially hay fever

- Chickenpox: Sp. varicela

- diagnose sb (as / with) (sth) | diagnose sth (as sth) /ˈdaɪəɡnəʊz/ to say exactly what
an illness or the cause of a problem is: e.g. The test is used to diagnose a variety of
diseases.  The illness was diagnosed as cancer.  He has recently been diagnosed with
angina [ænˈdʒaɪnə] angina pectoris [ˈpektərɪs].  He was diagnosed (as) a
diabetic when he was 64.

- Itch: to have an uncomfortable feeling on your skin that makes you want to scratch; to
make your skin feel like this. E.g. I itch all over. Does the rash itch? This sweater
really itches.
Itchy: (adjective) having or producing an itch on the skin: e.g. an itchy
nose / rash. I feel itchy all over. (Get / have) itchy feet (informal) to want to travel or
move to a different place; to want to do sth different.

- Wrist: muñeca

- homeopathy [ˌhəʊmiˈɒpəθi] (BrE also homoeo-) noun[U] a system of treating

diseases or conditions using very small amounts of the substance that causes the disease
or condition. E.g. He practises a multi-therapy system using acupuncture [ˈækju
ˌpʌŋktʃə] with homoeopathy and nutritional therapy to treat chronic diseases

- homeopathic (BrE also homoeo-)  adjective: e.g. homeopathic medicines 

/ remedies  / treatments

- to lose the habit; to get out of the habit: Sp. desacostumbrar:

- WHO: World Health Organization

- well-being: (noun) general health and happiness: e.g. emotional  / physical 

/ psychological  well-being. To have a sense of well-being. State of well-being.
- GP: (BrE) a Family doctor. a doctor who is trained in general medicine and who
works in the local community, not in a hospital. (abbreviation for ‘general
practitioner’): e.g. Go and see your GP as soon as possible.  There are four GPs in our
local practice. 
- Myopia: [maɪ ˈəʊp iə]the inability to see things clearly when they are far
away SYN  near-sightedness (US), short-sightedness (UK),
Myopic: a myopic child / eye

- life expectancy (also expectation of life) noun[U, C] the number of years that a

person is likely to live; the length of time that sth is likely to exist or continue for. E.g.
Life expectancy for both men and women has improved greatly in the past 20
years. Women have a longer life expectancy than men.

- swell swelled swollen: a swollen hand. Swollen glands/ lips/ feet.

- food poisoning: an illness of the stomach caused by eating food that contains harmful
bacteria.

- gastro-enteritis [ˌɡæstrəʊˌentəˈraɪtɪs]noun[U] (medical) an illness of the stomach and

other food passages that causes diarrhoea [ˌdaɪəˈrɪə] and vomiting.

- amoxicillin [əˌmɒksɪˈsɪlɪn]
- roster  (noun) /ˈrɒstə(r)/ 1. a list of people’s names and the jobs that they have to do at
a particular time SYN  rota: e.g. a duty roster. 2 a list of the names of people who are
available to do a job, play in a team, etc.
 roster (verb) (BrE) to put sb’s name on a roster: e.g. The driver was rostered for
Sunday.

- stretcher (noun) a long piece of strong cloth with a pole on each side, used for
carrying sb who is sick or injured and who cannot walk: e.g. He was carried off on a
stretcher.
- crutch: /krʌtʃ/ one of two long sticks that you put under your arms to help you walk
after you have injured your leg or foot. E.g. After the accident I spent six months on
crutches. He needs crutches to walk. He uses crutches. She can only walk with crutches.
- Plaster:  a white powder that is mixed with water and becomes very hard when it
dries, used especially for making copies of statues or holding broken bones in
place. e.g. he broke her leg a month ago and it's still in plaster.
- Cast (also plaster cast) e.g. Her leg's in a cast. 
- Headache: a blinding headache. I have a splitting headache (= a very bad one).
- infection: an illness that is caused by bacteria or a virus and that affects one part of the
body. E.g. an ear/ throat, etc. infection.
- infirm: /ɪnˈfɜːm/ ill/ sick and weak, especially over a long period or as a result of being old.
E.g. to grow old and infirm.
Other words to express that you are
ill: ailing, indisposed, peaky, poorly, sickly, unwell.

Examples: "my poor ailing grandmother"; "feeling a bit indisposed today"; "you look a
little peaky"; "feeling poorly"; "a sickly child"; "is unwell and can't come to work".

- Condition: an illness or a medical problem that you have for a long time because it is
not possible to cure it. E.g. a medical condition. He suffers from a serious heart
condition. An acute condition is one where symptoms appear suddenly and worsen
rapidly, while a chronic condition is one that develops gradually and worsens over an
extended period of time.

Usage Note: Illness, disorder, infection, condition, ailment, bug: These are all words

for a medical problem. 

 Disease: a medical problem affecting humans, animals or plants, often caused by

infection. E.g.  He suffers from a rare blood disease. 
 Illness:  a medical problem, or a period of suffering from one. E.g. She died
after a long illness. 
 Disease or illness? Disease is used to talk about more severe physical medical
problems, especially those that affect the organs. Illness is used to talk about both more
severe and more minor medical problems, and those that affect mental health: E.g.
heart/kidney/liver disease ◇ mental illness. Disease is not used about a period of
illness: she died after a long illness. 
 Disorder (rather formal) an illness that causes a part of the body to stop
functioning correctly. Sp. Afección, problema. E.g. a rare disorder of the
liver. A disorder is generally not infectious. Disorder is used most frequently with
words relating to mental problems, for
example psychiatric, personality, mental and eating. Sp. Trastorno.  When it is used to
talk about physical problems, it is most often used with blood, bowel and kidney, and
these are commonly serious, severe or rare.
 Infection an illness that is caused by bacteria or a virus and that affects one part
of the body: a throat infection.
 Condition a medical problem that you have for a long time because it is not
possible to cure it. Sp. Afección, enfermedad. E.g.  a heart condition.
 Ailment (rather formal) an illness that is not very serious. Sp. Enfermedad,
dolencia, achaque. E.g.  childhood ailments.
 Bug (informal) an infectious illness that is usually fairly mild. Sp. Microbio,
virus. E.g.  a nasty flu bug.  
 To have/suffer from a(n)
disease/illness/disorder/infection/condition/ailment/bug
 To catch/contract/get/pick up a(n) disease/illness/infection/bug
Recovery: /rɪˈkʌvəri/ the process of becoming well again after an illness or injury. E.g. My
father has made a full recovery from the operation. To make a remarkable/ quick/ speedy/
slow recovery. She is on the road to (= making progress towards) recovery.

To get over something: To become better after being ill, recover from being sick.
E.g. When he gets over the flu, he'll go back to work. 

To patch someone up: To give basic medical care to someone that helps them
temporarily. E.g. When he cut himself on the broken glass, I patched him up before we
took him to the hospital. 

To come round: To become conscious again after fainting or being unconscious.  E.g.
He fainted but came round again after we opened a window and got some fresh air into the
room.

run in the family: to be a common feature in a particular family. E.g. Heart disease runs in the
family. 
 
at death’s door: (often humorous) so ill/sick that you may die. E.g. I suppose you won’t be
coming to the party if you’re at death’s door!

To say you are ill 

I'm ill.
I feel really rough.
I'm shattered (meaning tired out or exhausted)
I'm on my last legs (to be very tired, especially after a lot of physical activity or work.
It also means to be going to die soon - 'the old man is on his last leg').
I feel / look poorly / peaky / rough / bloody awful.
I feel / look like death warmed up (very ill or appearing very sickly - Poor thing! She
looks like death warmed up)

Common problems
I have a headache/ toothache/ backache/ stomachache / earache...
I have a pain in my back / tooth / head...
I have a broken / sprained/twisted an ankle / wrist.
She's broken her arm. She'll be in plaster for weeks.
Her broken limb is in a hard plaster cast.
I feel sick. - I'm feeling nauseous.
I think I've got food poisoning.
I've eaten something bad and I feel unwell.
I have a flu / cold / runny nose / fever / high temperature /sore throat.
I feel sick
I'm feeling nauseous
I have a bruise / cut / graze / wound.

dizzy: feeling as if everything is spinning around you and that you are not able to
balance. E.g. Climbing so high made me feel dizzy. I suffer from dizzy spells (= short periods
when I am dizzy).

dizziness: the feeling that everything is spinning around you and that you are not able to
balance. E.g. He complained of headaches and dizziness.

pass out: to become unconscious when not enough blood is going to your brain, usually
because of the heat, a shock, etc. Faint. Lose consciousness E.g. Suddenly the woman in
front of me fainted/passed out. I can't remember any more—I must have lost consciousness.

come round/ come to: to become conscious again. E.g. Your mother hasn't yet come round/to
from the anaesthetic /ˌænəsˈθetɪk/.

She did not regain consciousness and died the next day.

Getting treatment
 

Make an appointment at the doctor's / the GP. - Go and see the general practitioner.

I've been referred to a consultant at the hospital. - My doctor has arranged for me to see
an expert at a hospital to help me recover. 
I need a check-up at the hospital. / I need an X-Ray/ an examination / a scan
- These are treatments you might need at a hospital. I need to see the specialist -
someone who knows about one health issue in particular. 

On the medicine bottle

Consult your doctor if symptoms persist
- If you still feel ill after taking the medicine, see your doctor.  
Do not take more than the stated dose. - Don't take more [pills or medicine] than you're
told to. 
Always read the label
Make sure you take the advice given on the medicine container. 
Keep out of the reach of children- Do not let children play with the medicine or its
container. 

Advice
Exercise regularly.
Eat healthy food.
Brush your teeth regularly.
Go to bed early (= don't stay up late!)
Have regular medical check-ups.
Relax.
Go on a diet. 

Feeling great
I feel great! / I'm on top of the world/ I feel like a million dollars! - I couldn't feel any
better!
He's glowing with health. - He looks very well.
I'm a picture of health. - There's nothing at all wrong with me.

Outcomes Advanced p 93. Health and Diet. Speaking

1. Conversation: Talk about the following questions with your partner for about 5
minutes. The pictures are there to help you.

1.    Health care: is it a right or a privilege? Is healthcare a business? Does your country have a
National Health Service or do you need to pay for all treatments? Which system do you think is
better? Is there much difference between the quality of service in private and public hospitals?

2.    What are the health risks associated with your lifestyle and environment? Do

people make logical and sound decisions about health? Do you consider yourself
a hypochondriac?

3.    What do you think of homeopathic or holistic medicine? Have you (or any of your

friends and family) ever tried acupuncture or acupressure? Do you prefer traditional
medicine or alternative medicine? Why?/ Why not?

4.    Do you believe that "we are what we eat?" How would the world be different if
everybody was vegetarian? Or a vegan?

5.    What do you think of the idea of having plastic surgery to improve your looks?
Would you ever get a nose or a boob job, a nip and tuck or a facelift? Are
such procedures dangerous? Would you go under the knife just to get rid of
your wrinkles or rolls? Is our society too obsessed with the way we look?

6.    What do you know about mental health? What springs to mind when you hear

the term 'mental health'? Are people with mental disorders stigmatised? Are anxiety,
depression, OCD or any other mental disorder more common now than 50 years ago?
2. Partner A/B:Below there are some issues related to the topic. You must talk
about at least two of them for 3 minutes. You may be asked further questions
about the topic when you have finished.

•          Have you ever felt an excruciating pain? Have you ever damaged a knee or an
arm quite badly? What kind of medical treatment did you receive? How often do you
have a health check?

•          Have you ever gone on a diet to improve your health or lose weight? How well did
it work? What food did you have to cut out? Do you think dieting can be dangerous? Is
there a miracle diet? Do you know anyone who struggles with an eating disorder?

•          Have you ever snapped after being under too much stress? How do you de-
stress when you feel overwhelmed?

•          What do you think about canned, frozen and processed food? What do you think

of genetically-modified (GM) food?

•          Can you give some examples of how mind and body are connected, from your own
experience? Do you have a kind of red warning flag that indicates too much stress?
Do you feel snowed under?

•          When was the last time you had to rush to hospital?

Vocabulary

privilege:/ˈprɪvəlɪdʒ/a special right or advantage that a particular person or group of

people has
lifestyle: the way in which a person or a group of people lives and works
hypochondriac:/ˌhaɪpəˈkɒndriæk/ worried all the time about your health and believing
that you are ill/sick when there is nothing wrong with you; suffering from hypochondria
homeopathic:/ˌhəʊmiəˈpæθɪk/ using homeopathy (= a system of treating diseases or
conditions using very small amounts of the substance that causes the disease or
condition)
holistic:(medical) treating the whole person rather than just the symptoms (= effects)
of a disease
acupuncture:/ˈækjupʌŋktʃə(r)/ a Chinese method of treating pain and illness using
special thin needles which are pushed into the skin in particular parts of the body
acupressure: a form of medical treatment, originally from East Asia, in which pressure
is applied to particular parts of the body using the fingers
vegetarian: eating no meat or fish
vegan:/ˈviːɡən/ a person who does not eat any animal products such as meat, milk or
eggs. Some vegans do not use animal products such as silk or leather.
nose job: (informal) an operation involving rhinoplasty or cosmetic surgery on a
person's nose.
boob job: to have an operation to change the shape of the breasts, usually to make
them larger
nip and tuck:(informal) a medical operation in which skin is removed or made tighter
to make somebody look younger or more attractive, especially a facelift
facelift: medical operation in which the skin on a person’s face is made tighter to make
them look younger
procedure: [countable] (medical) a medical operation. To perform a routine surgical
procedure.
wrinkle:/ˈrɪŋkl/ a line or small fold in your skin, especially on your face, that forms as
you get older
roll:[countable] an area of too much fat on your body, especially around your waist.
mental health: a person’s condition with regard to their psychological and emotional
well-being.
spring to mind: to come quickly into your mind
disorder: an illness of the mind or body
stigmatise:/ˈstɪɡ.mə.taɪz/ to treat someone or something unfairly by disapproving of
him, her, or it
anxiety: a medical condition in which you always feel frightened and worried
depression: a mental illness in which a person is very unhappy and anxious (= worried
and nervous) for long periods and cannot have a normal life during these periods
OCD:  or obsessive compulsive disorder. A mental illness that causes a person to
do something repeatedly for no reason.
excruciating:/ɪkˈskruː.ʃi.eɪ.tɪŋ/ extremely painful
health check: an occasion when a doctor or nurse examines someone's body, takes
blood tests, etc. in order to make sure the person has no health problems
to be on a diet: trying to lose weight by eating less food or specific foods.
cut out: to make something shorter, lower, smaller, etc
struggle: to experience difficulty and make a very great effort in order to do something
eating disorder: a mental illness in which people eat far too little or far too much food
and are unhappy with their bodies.
Binge Eating Disorder: a serious eating disorder in which you frequently consume
unusually large amounts of food and feel unable to stop eating
Anorexia: a serious mental illness in which a person does not eat, or eats too little,
often resulting in dangerous weight loss
Bulimia: a mental illness in which someone eats in an uncontrolled way and in large
amounts, then vomits intentionally.
snap: [intransitive] to suddenly be unable to control your feelings any longer because
the situation has become too difficult.
overwhelm: to cause someone to feel a sudden strong emotion
de-stress: to get rid of feelings of stress (= worry caused by difficult situations in your
life or job)
canned: preserved and sold in a metal container
processed: processed food has had some sort of chemical or industrial treatment in
order to cook it, preserve it, or improve its taste or appearance
(a) cast iron stomach: if you can eat all sorts of food and drink what you like, without
any indigestion, discomfort or bad effects, it is said that you have a cast-iron stomach.
(as) fit as a fiddle: a person who is as fit as a fiddle is in an excellent state of health or
physical condition.
hale and hearty: someone, especially an old person, who is hale and hearty is in
excellent health.
genetically modified food: are foods produced from organisms that have had
changes introduced into their DNA using the methods of genetic engineering.
preservative: preventing food or wood from decaying
shelf life: the length of time that food, etc. can be kept before it is too old to be sold
dexa scan:dual energy X-ray absorptiometry. Also: bone densitometry, bone density
test/ scan.
scan, sonogram, ultrasound (scan): Sp. ecografía. E.g. The ultrasound showed...
PET scan: /pet/ position emission tomography.(A process that produces an image of
your brain or of another part inside your body).E.g.  a PET scan.
CAT scan: /ˈkæt skæn/ (also CT scan  /siːˈtiː skæn/ ) (computerized axial tomography) a
medical examination that uses a computer to produce an image of the inside of somebody’s
body from X-ray or ultrasound pictures. E.g. The doctor arranged for me to have a CAT scan.
Run a CAT scan.
 MRI scan: /ˌem ɑːr ˈaɪ/ magnetic resonance imaging (a method of using a
strong magnetic field to produce an image of the inside of a person’s body) E.g. an MRI
scan

 What would the ideal holiday destination for you be like?

Sample answer

To start with, the ideal holiday destination for me would be

somewhere hot and sunny near the sea. Although I like the snow, I
cannot ski, so going somewhere cold would not be much fun.

Ideally, I would like to visit a tropical island in the South Pacific such

as Fiji or Vanuatu. This is because I have seen pictures of these
places and their cultures look very interesting. As a matter of fact, in 
Vanuatu they have an unusual bungee jumping ceremony that I
would like to witness. Furthermore, I also enjoy swimming in the
ocean, surfing and scuba diving.

For all these reasons a tropical island with crystal clear sea and

sizeable waves would be perfect for me. I can't imagine a better
place to go on holiday.

sizeable /ˈsaɪzəbəl/ adjective    fairly large . E.g. sizeable

amount/number  a sizeable amount of money. sizeable
proportion/portion/minority (of something)  Part-time students make up
a sizeable proportion of the college population.

2. Do you think it is important to take action to protect the oceans?

Sample answer:

First and foremost, we should all save our seas. Personally, I

believe that it is essential that we do everything we can to protect
our oceans and all the creatures in them for many reasons.

To begin with, we need the oceans to survive. Not only do our

oceans produce more than half of the oxygen in the
atmosphere, which is something that we cannot live without, but  the
air we breathe, the water we drink and a lot of food that we
eat also come from the them.

Secondly, the oceans are the lifeblood of our planet. Indeed, on

Earth, all life is interdependent, which means that the
more biologically diverse Earth is, the better the chance all species
will have for survival. Therefore, losing species that live in our
oceans would be disastrous.
To conclude, we must protect our oceans. If we don't start making
positive changes now, we may soon lose our invaluable marine
ecosystem forever! 

lifeblood /ˈlaɪfblʌd/ noun [uncountable]    1 the most important thing

needed by an organization, relationship etc to continue to exist or
develop successfully. E.g. lifeblood of  Communication is the lifeblood
of a good marriage 

3 What advice might you give to friends suffering from loneliness?

Sample answer:

In the first place, I would suggest that they join a club in their local
community doing an activity they enjoy. As a matter of fact, meeting
with people who share interests is a good way to make friends.

Second of all, I would also recommend that they take up a team

sport or a hobby that involves other people since this is a good way
to socialise with others. Not only would they get some exercise, they
could also learn about team spirit and cooperation. Actually, these
are forms of support that make everyone feel better.
Last but not least, I would also advise them to get a dog as pets
are great company. In actual fact some pets, like dogs, need to be
walked. This means that there is an opportunity to meet people this
way.

4. How important is it for students to gain some work experience?

Sample answer

To begin with, I would like to mention that it has been said that all
experience is valuable. In my opinion, work experience
is extremely valuable to students for a number of reasons.

Firstly, you can put it on a CV and use it to help you get job

interviews. Undeniably,  A graduate who has some work experience
is far more likely to get a job after university than
someone who has none. 

Secondly, working while at university allows you to explore career

options. For instance, you can find out whether or not a particular
line of work suits you. 

Finally, working while studying has financial benefits. Not only will

you be able to have some pocket money, but you will
also avoid being burdened with so many debts when you leave
university.
However, there is one disadvantage. It must be taken into account
that working while studying reduces the time you have for your
university work. Therefore, you need to have good time
management skills.

In conclusion, I feel very strongly that work experience is vital

to students. After all, it can only help them in life. 

5. How has the idea of family changed since the past century?

6. The trouble with most children nowadays is that their parents

are too easy with them. Do you agree? What's the best way to
raise your children? 

 
 
Sample answer

The topic I would like to discuss with you today is the one of family
and relationships. More specifically, I would like to focus on an area
that I consider particularly interesting. It is how the concepts of
family and relationships in general have changed in our lifetime.

To start with, I would like to reflect on how families have evolved

since the times of our grandparents. As strange as it might seem
today, our grandparents' generation believed that having children
meant an increase in their workforce and therefore they embraced
the idea of having many of them. So, the more children they had, the
more work could be carried out in the fields. As a matter of fact, my
grandparents were farmers and all family members were supposed to
lend a helping hand and shoulder the burden of the daily farm
chores.

Nowadays, however, we tend to have fewer children. Evidently, we

no longer see them as workforce. Quite the opposite, we have
become aware that they need our constant attention and a lot
of TLC (tender, loving care).  Additionally,  we also enjoy
an extended life expectancy. People live definitely longer and this
has of course influenced family structures. We even have coined a
new term, the so-called  "Beanpole family", which describes a
multi-generational family that is thinly stretched over several
generations, with fewer family members in each generation and
with growing numbers of single-parent families.
In addition to family size, a further point to discuss is family types.
At the time of our grandparents you would just find the most traditional
families. Our generation, on the other hand, has witnessed the
emergence of a much wider range of family structures. A case in
point is the single-parent families, which have become  more
common in recent years. Another family type to consider
is the rainbow families, which include same-sex
families and gender-diverse families. Apart from these, there is also
the blended family, a family consisting of a couple, the children they
have had together, and their children from previous
relationships. Finally, another family type that has gained
prominence recently is the foster family, which takes a child into
their home for a while and takes care of him or her. In any case, what
we should bear in mind is that there is no such thing as 'normal' or
'abnormal' family structures – we are all equal and love is what really
makes a family.

Another area to consider, is our children's upbringing. There are

mainly two types of parenting, helicopter parenting and free-range
parenting. In The former parents pay extremely close attention to
their children's experiences and problems. And the latter advocates
encouraging independence in children. These parents believe
that over-protectiveness is a danger in itself. Indeed, a child who
thinks he cannot do anything on his own eventually can't. As the
popular saying goes "either if you say you can or you can't you are
always right.

Obviously, these two types of parenting lead us to a dilemma. Are we

living in a risk-averse culture where we stifle our children's ability to
deal with danger by never allowing them to take reasonable risks?
Does our society mollycoddle its children? Or do free-range
parents expose their children to real and unnecessary danger? What
do you think?

In conclusion, our generation has witnessed a major shift in not

only the area of family size and structure but also in the emergence
of unconventional family types. Likewise, today's parents are in
a quandary over whether in our modern times  they should rear their
children in a protective or permissive way. In any case, at this
moment in time, we have all become perfectly aware that we are
propelling our children to an unpredictable future.  So, as long
as they have the skills to fend for themselves, we as a society should
feel proud and contented.