A problem of leisure time

Murmansk is a modern city with a lot of opportunities for young people what to do, where to study, how to spend their leisure time. Undoubtedly, young people can avoid many problems if they are able to realize themselves in this or that sphere of activities. The government and city administration should pay more attention to arranging free time of the youth. More music and art schools, sport clubs, dance clubs and educational centres should be built.

Today in our city there is a wide choice of activities for people with different preferences. If you are interested in art and music you can visit museums and exhibitions, take part in the work of the youth theatre studios. A lot of popular musical groups visit our city so you can enjoy going to a concert of your favourite singer. If you are fond of active rest you can become a participant of a Paintball club, or go to the swimming pool, bowling, or join any sport club. If you are a stylish active person and you like to dance, Murmansk dance clubs and discos are open for you. Also there are some model agencies, for example “Elegia”, a club of bard songs, military and tourist clubs, some research societies, etc.

b) Fill in the blanks with prepositions where necessary:

1. You can join … any club in our city.

2. We paid great attention … this problem.

3. He took an active part … the work of the conference.

4. My sister was fond … English painting.

5. They are greatly interested … classical music.

6. He realized himself … scientific research.

c) Make the sentences of your own with the words in black.

d) Write five questions to your friend asking him|her about his|her leisure time and preferences.

e) Discuss in groups the ways of spending free time in our city.

Exercise 2.

a) Read the information about modern youth organizations working in Murmansk. Choose one of them you consider to be the most interesting or useful, explain why. Use such words and word combinations as I consider, I suppose, I am sure, To start with, In my opinion, As for me, I believe, I hope, No doubt that, The fact is that, The point is that, etc:

Youth Organizations.

1. The Murmansk Region Charity Fund of Helping Children "A Beam of Hope".

The members of this society help children who find oneself at difficult situation. They fills up children's needs with love and attention, also they give them psychological and social help. The members of this fund do it to solve two problems. The first is to protect children from influence of street and the second problem is to render a charity help to families which really need it

2. "The Club of Young Seamen"

The members of this club are learning a history of the fleet, a flag semaphore and drill preparations.. Most of them are preparing themselves for getting such professions like a mechanic, a captain, a radio operator and an engineer.

3. "Wind in the Mane".

It is a club where young people work with horses. This organization was founded in April, 1998. Firstly it was a small group of teenagers who was united by love to horses, but gradually club became bigger and bigger. Now the lessons on theory of riding are held there.

4. “Red Cross".

In November, 1994 the first youth department of Red Cross in our country was founded in Murmansk. The main aim of this organization is holding preventive measures for AIDS. Organization is aspiring to attract young people's attention to this problem. Now Youth Red Cross has about 150 volunteers

5. “The Murmansk Organization of Young Leaders".

This project has already existed for 14 years, it is an international project, so it's members go to different meetings and conferences not only in our region but abroad.

6. ''The Union of Murmansk Young People".

This organization was founded on the 29th of September in 1998. The total amount of members is 11,543. The main aim of this organization is to create conditions for development of a patriotic person. The members of this union communicate with people from different cities and take part in different festivals.

7. "A Bear".

A students’ detachment is situated on the basis of a branch office of the Moscow Institute of Economy. The main aim of this detachment is to provide order during students' actions. The detachment "A Bear" has already existed for three years.

8. A newspaper "Up Stream".

This newspaper was founded in 2002. The first edition was published in December 2002. The main editor is Andrey Tretilow. The aim of this newspaper is to be outstanding that is to be unlike many other editions for young people. The individuality of this newspaper is that it is a Christian edition. Editors believe that faith can set free a soul and mind.

9. "Active Youth".

A sport organization "Active Youth" was founded in 1976. This club counts 3000 young people today. The members of this society are united by their love to sport dances. On the whole it is break and street dance.

10. "Nature and Youth".

This organization was founded in May, 1999. The main aim of this organization is to face people with the main ecological problems. The "clean week" is held every year. During this week, the members of organization clean up places which are full of wastes, for example, shores of lakes.

Exercise 3.

a) Look at the title of an article from the American newspaper and guess what it reads about.

b) Read the text with the help of a dictionary.

SOCIAL PROBLEMS OF THE AMERICAN COLLEGE STUDENT:

A PROFESSOR’S VIEWPOINT

Eric Nielsen

Professor of Dance, Valdosta State University, USA

After teaching college students for over twenty-five years I am constantly amazed by the new challenges that both faculty and students are confronted with in this age of high technology. Students definitely have many more problems to deal with in higher education let alone living in this complex world.

Problems and discoveries

The college student's lifestyle is much more stressful for the following reasons:

• Many of today's colleges have quotas and higher standards of admission in accepting new students, thus making entering a college or university more competitive.

• Once students are in college, they find themselves in an academic setting where they are not only acquiring new friendships but also dealing with the fact that their peers are also their competitors. In the arts, this is even more evident.

• Financing a four for five year program for students today is much more complicated. Scholarships, loans, family financing and part time work are all topics that have to be dealt with by the college student. Many times it becomes the biggest frustration for students to deal with during their college years.

• In many instances students are confronted with the problem of additional graduate work or advanced training due to a competitive job market. Admittance into graduate programs or acquiring apprenticeship programs is often difficult and adds to the financial stress already established during those undergraduate years.

• Students who attend a college or university are usually experiencing their first major separation from parents. They find that college is a time for experimentation beyond the academic setting. Sexual identity, drugs and alcohol are all-important topics that students are confronted with on the college level. Although college sororities and fraternities are often important social outlets for many college students, these organizations also provide an environment for the topics just mentioned.

• One of the biggest problems for a college student’s adjustment to college life is his lack of family support, guidance and values. Social and time management skills are often lacking. This generation of college students that we are now dealing with, which we still often call the latch key generation, come from parents who are often both working. In some instances students come from a single-family situation due to divorce or birth out of wedlock. On a more serious side some students are victims of abusive families.

Each year in my larger lecture classes, I take a poll on how many students eat dinner with their family on a regular basis. In the past five years it always turns out that 90% of them do not. I was very fortunate in having parents who made dinner a very important time to be together to discuss and solve problems that occurred during the day. My father came from a strong Danish family background, which I have had the opportunity to understand and experience on frequent visits to Denmark.

In my observations in other cultures, I find a stronger family values which are more prevalent in Europe, Russia and Asia as a result of years of family traditions.

Resolution

In analyzing these problems of the youth of today, my strongest recommendation is to promote programs that help families provide stronger moral codes and values. A loving and supporting family is the foundation of success but often parents need some guidance as well. Having the parents take more of an active roll in their child's life during the college years is just as important as those informative years. One of the biggest fears parents face today in the United States is the senseless killing in the schools by children with guns. It has happened in Colorado at the high school level and more recently on the elementary school level as well.

The US Constitution provides many rights and freedoms to us. Unfortunately many Americans have misused these rights. There never seems to be a time where we aren't hearing American cries on the rights of speech or the rights to bear arms. We as Americans often fail to acknowledge the other unwritten "R" which is responsibility for our actions.

As an active member of the Episcopalian Church in Valdosta, I have noticed how important the church has become in reuniting the family and establishing morals through religious doctrine. Organized religion has also shown me what a tremendous help it can be for those in need.

Churches in my community provide help and heavily support programs such as those for abused woman, meals for shut-ins (elderly and the handicapped), soup kitchens for the homeless, summer programs for children, church groups for college students, programs for alcoholics (AA) and one of the most amazing programs to date entitled Habitat for Humanity. This program was developed by our former president, Jimmy Carter, and provides housing for families in need. It is a nation wide program. In this particular program, the efforts of community, local sponsors and church groups come together to build homes together with donated materials and professional services from local companies. Usually one or two homes are usually built in a very short amount of time, often during a weekend, with volunteers working around the clock. For many involved, it is a sense of community on a secular level, for others, it's doing God's work for those in need. The most recent building of homes was completed by a group of college students who decided that they were going to participate in this program during their Spring break from college.

Only through such programs as those just mentioned and the reformation of positive family values, can we better serve the youth of today. I pray that some of my observations in this paper will help establish a more positive exchange of ideas on social problems affecting the youth of today.

c) Give the English equivalents to the Russian words and word combinations:

стрессовый, ценности, наблюдения, вовлекать, обеспечивать, права на свободу речи и ношение оружия, дареные материалы, нуждаться в руководстве, развивать, служить, устанавливать, неправильно использовать, летние программы, сталкиваться лицом к лицу, человек, отрезанный от мира, решать, быть удачливым, поддерживать, происходить, крайне важные проблемы, иметь дело с, противостоять, конкурентный, проводить опрос, преобладающий, наибольшее разочарование, влиять, ровесник

d) Give the Russian equivalents to the English words and word combinations:

challenge, the most amazing programs, positive family values, age of high technology, let alone, on a regular basis, to promote programs, positive exchange of ideas, standards of admission, rights and freedoms, social problems affecting the youth, the foundation of success, provides housing for families in need, social and time management skills, a nation wide program, moral codes and values, the senseless killing, student's lifestyle, elderly and the handicapped, new friendships, religious doctrine, to fail to acknowledge, volunteers, victims of abusive families, professional services, working around the clock, a tremendous help, responsibility for our actions, those in need, a competitive job market, adjustment to college life

e) Complete the sentences from the text:

1. Students who attend a college or university …

2. A loving and supporting family …

3. Many of today's colleges have …

4. Churches in my community provide …

5. On a more serious side some students are …

6. I was very fortunate in …

7. Sexual identity, drugs and alcohol are all-important topics …

8. Usually one or two homes are usually built …

9. I find a stronger family values …

10. Once students are in college, they find themselves …

f) Find necessary information in the article and fill in the table:

Social problem	Provided help	Organization

Make the similar table for our country.

g) Answer the questions to the text:

1. Are there many or few problems in student’s life?

2. What new feeling appears in a life of a young man acquiring new friendships?

3. What can become the biggest frustration for students to deal with during their college years?

4. What problem are the students usually confronted with?

5. What social organizations can often provide help for the students?

6. What is one of the biggest problems for a college student’s adjustment to college life?

7. What is author’s recommendation for solving problems of the youth of today?

8. What does the author speaks about rights and freedoms written in the Constitution?

9. What in author’s opinion is the role of Church in solving problems of the youth?

10. What nation wide program is mentioned in the article?

Exercise 4. Write an essay on one of the following problems:

1. Situation of job starters on the labour market.

2. A problem of a generation gap.

3. Violence among the youth.

4. Problem of education.

5. Influence of TV on young people.

6. The problem of the first love.

7. The problem of professional adaptation of the youth.

8. Addiction to the role games and the Internet.