The family is very important as a unit in our society. Nothing else but family can be an emotional center of people’s life, can be a transmitter of culture and raising children. Every mother feels great affection for her children and tries to bring them up in a proper way. Understanding between the members of the family and consideration for others are very important in family relationship. Tenderness, warm-heartedness and respect must always be present in the family to make it friendly. A lot of activities help members of the family to be on friendly terms: discussing all the family plans together, going on trips hikes together, visiting museums, theaters, exhibitions and exchanging opinions about them, sharing the same joys and sorrows. If you think of the others in the family you show your love and attention in everyday life, you can hurt them if you are selfish, not sincere and rude. It is very important to visit relatives on holidays, on birthdays, on anniversaries and develop close relationship. We feel more affection for our relatives when we are parted from them. The proverb says, » /Absence makes the heart grow fonder». When the family is friendly, everybody has the warmed feelings of returning home where dear relatives are waiting for them. There are different opinions on how children should be treated if they disobey their parents, break the rules, do forbidden things, don’t keep their words or promises. Some people think that parents should be patient, kind and understanding. The rules and children’s behaviors are discussed in such families. But others believe that children ought always to obey the parents and if they won’t they should be punished. From my point of view, such principles won’t do a lot of good. Fear and punishment will lead to selfishness, cruelty and lies. But «love and kindness will save the world». We are the family of two. I live with my mother. We don’t have such problems as misunderstanding between the members of the family. I think that it is due to the age of my parents and their character. My mother is 40 years old, she is layer. She is a kind, clever and responsible woman. My mother always ready to give me necessary information, moral support and a good advice. It is common knowledge that there is no place like a home. We are dedicated to our homes, we give them much love, care and enthusiasm. A man’s house is his castle. I like my home and I want to tell you more about it. I live in Kuprijanov st. in center of our city. We moved into this flat several years ago. Now it is a place where I feel it ease and enjoy every minute of my stay there. We have a washing-machine, a vacuum cleaner, a refrigerator, a freezer, hand-mixer, computer and other things which I consider to be quite necessary as they make our life easier and help to solve a lot of problems in the shortest possible time. We have 2 rooms, a kitchen and a bathroom. When you drop into our flat you come into a lobby, where you can take off your coat, shoes and hat. I’m very happy to have a room for myself, where I feel quite and comfortable. It is a place where I can relax, read a book and listen to music. There are yellow blinds and a writing table, a sofa, a bookcase where my favorite books are situated. There are a lot of things in my room which can tell about myself, about my friends and relatives. You can find frames with photos of my parents and best friends on the walls, little pictures. They remind me happy moments of my life and that is why are very dear for me. You may be surprised, but the most popular and favorite place with all of us is the kitchen. Every Sunday my mother makes a cake and we gather together, discuss our problems and make plans for the next week. Our kitchen isn’t large and looks the usual modern kitchen you can see in many other homes. I can tell a lot about my home, but to make a long story short I can say, that speaking about my home, I don’t mean a flat as it is , I mean people, who are dear to me, who love me and are always waiting for me. That is why, wherever I were I would always hurry home.

How could you describe the word "family"? First of all "family" means a close unit of parents and their children living together. But we shouldn"t forget that it is a most complex system of relationships. Family relationships are rarely as easy as we would like, and very often we have to work hard at keeping them peaceful.

When do people usually start a family? This question doesn"t have a definite answer. In the 18th, 19th and at the beginning of the 20th century people used to get married at the age of 18 or even 16. If a girl about 23 or more wasn"t married, she was said to be an old maid or a spinster. That might have turned out a real tragedy for her family which usually brought up more than three children, because in some cases a successful marriage was the only chance to provide a good life for the daughter and to help her family. Despite the fact that the girl was so young, she was already able to keep the house, take care of her husband and raise children. To feel the time, its culture and customs I advise you to read a wonderful novel or see a breathtaking film "Pride and Prejudice". Though the story takes place at the turn of the 19th century, it retains fascination for modern readers, revealing some problems which may be urgent in the 21st century.

But life"s changing as well as people"s style of life. Nowadays we have got much more freedom in questions concerning family. It is natural to get married at the age of 20 up to 30; however, some people prefer to make a career first and only after that start a family when they are already in their forties. Moreover, there are many cases when people prefer to live together without being married. There are some reasons for this phenomenon. Firstly, it is difficult to juggle a family life with studies at school or university. But without good education it is practically impossible to find a suitable well-paid steady job. It"s a must to get a higher education, but by this moment you are already 22—24 years old. After that you seek for a well-paid job to live independently, which takes about 3—5 years. Now you see why people in the 21st century do not hurry to get married.

There is also another difference between old and modern families. Nowadays it is very unusual to find three generations living under one roof as they used to do in the past. Relatives, as a rule, live separately and don"t often meet one another. This fact sharply hurts an older generation. Our parents and grandparents usually suffer from lack of attention and respect from their children and grandchildren, although they try not to show it. They really don"t need much, just a telephone call or a visit once a week will make them happy.

There are two basic types of families. A nuclear family — a typical family consisting of parents and children. A single-parent family consists of one parent and children. Nowadays there are very few people who have never divorced. Today the highest divorce rate in the world has the Maldive Republic. The United States of America take the third place. Russia is at the ninth place. What are the reasons of great numbers of divorce? Let us name some of the most common and serious ones.

. Occurrence of adultery once or throughout the marriage. The unfaithful attitude towards a spouse destroys the relationship and leads to a final separation.

. Communication breakdown. After some time of living under one roof spouses find out that they are absolutely incompatible. Constant clashes, brawls and squabbles cause serious problems. The differences grow as a snowball and can"t be already settled by kisses or hugs.

. Physical, psychological or emotional abuses. When a person taunts, humiliates, hits the children or his spouse, it can"t but end with a divorce.

. Financial problems. It sounds lamentably, but sometimes love alone can"t guarantee well-being, whereas money can solve many of your problems. So when a couple lacks it, their relations become more and more complicated, their priorities change and the relationships end.

. Boredom. A lot of couples get bored of each other after 7 or more years of marriage. Boredom may become the reason of constant quarrels and adultery which inevitably leads to a divorce.

However, it goes without saying, in most cases married couples succeed in solving all the problems and keep living in peace and happiness.

Перевод текста: Family Relationships - Семейные отношения

Как вы понимаете слово «семья»? Прежде всего, под семьёй подразумеваются родители и их дети, живущие вместе. Но также мы не должны забывать и о том, что это сложнейшая система отношений. Не всегда отношения в семье складываются таким образом, как нам бы этого хотелось, и очень часто нам необходимо проводить серьёзную работу, чтобы сохранять их мирными и доброжелательными.

В каком возрасте люди обычно заводят семью? Нельзя дать определённого ответа на этот вопрос. В XVIII, XIX и начале XX в. люди вступали в брак в возрасте 18 или даже 16 лет. Если же девушка в возрасте 23 лет и старше была незамужней, то она считалась старой девой. Это могло стать настоящей трагедией для семьи, в которой, как правило, росло больше трёх детей, потому что успешный брак для дочери мог не только обеспечить ей жизнь в достатке, но и помочь семье. Несмотря на то, что девушка выходила замуж в столь раннем возрасте, она уже была способна вести домашнее хозяйство, заботиться о муже и растить детей. Для того чтобы почувствовать культуру и традиции того времени, я бы посоветовала вам прочитать чудесный роман или посмотреть захватывающий фильм «Гордость и предубеждение». Хотя действие его разворачивается в XIX в., он интересен и современным читателям тем, что раскрывает проблемы, актуальные и по сей день.

Но время меняется, так же как и образ жизни людей. Сегодня мы пользуемся гораздо большей свободой в отношении вопросов семьи. Сейчас типичным стало вступать в брак в возрасте от 20 до 30 лет, но есть и такие люди, которые предпочитают сначала сделать карьеру и только потом женятся или выходят замуж тогда, когда им уже за 40. Есть и такие случаи, когда люди живут в гражданском браке. Для этого есть несколько причин. Во-первых, совмещать учёбу и семейную жизнь действительно тяжело. Но без хорошего образования довольно трудно найти хорошо оплачиваемую постоянную работу, которая бы вас устраивала. Поэтому вам необходимо получить высшее образование, но к тому моменту вам будет уже 22—24 года. Затем вы ищете высокооплачиваемую работу, это займёт у вас порядка 3—5 лет. Теперь вы понимаете, почему люди в XXI в. не торопятся обзаводиться семьёй.

Помимо этого, существует ещё одно различие между старинной и современной семьёй. В наше время очень сложно найти семью, где три поколения жили бы под одной крышей, хотя раньше люди жили именно так. Теперь, как правило, родственники живут раздельно и редко навещают друг друга. Это, конечно, не очень нравится людям старшего поколения. Наши родители, бабушки и дедушки обычно страдают от недостатка внимания и уважения со стороны своих детей и внуков, хотя стараются и не показывать этого. Им и не нужно многого — телефонный звонок хотя бы раз в неделю или визит близких родственников хотя бы раз в месяц уже сделает их счастливыми.

Существует два основных вида семьи: полная семья, состоящая из родителей и детей; семья матери или отца, которая состоит из одного родителя и детей. Сегодня очень мало людей, кто никогда не был разведён. Самый высокий уровень разводов в мире в Мальдивской Республике. США занимают 3-е место в мире по этому показателю, Россия — 9-е. Каковы же причины такого огромного количества разводов? Назовём самые серьёзные и часто встречающиеся из них:

. Измены. Они могут произойти всего лишь один раз или длиться на протяжении всей семейной жизни. Предательское отношение к супругу расшатывает брак и обычно приводит к разводу.

. Невозможность общения. Прожив какое-то время под одной крышей, супруги понимают, что они абсолютно не подходят друг другу. Постоянные конфликты, скандалы и споры могут повлечь за собой серьёзные проблемы. Разногласия растут как снежный ком и уже больше не могут быть улажены поцелуями или крепкими объятиями.

. Физические, психологические или эмоциональные оскорбления. Когда один супруг насмехается, унижает или бьёт детей или другого супруга, это не может привести ни к чему иному, кроме как к разводу.

. Финансовые затруднения. Это звучит очень печально, но одной любви порой бывает недостаточно, чтобы сохранить семью, т. к. именно деньги помогают решить многие важные проблемы. Поэтому, когда супруги начинают нуждаться в деньгах, их отношения становятся всё более сложными, приоритеты меняются и очень часто это заканчивается разводом.

How could you describe the word "family"? First of all "family" means a close unit of parents and their children living together. But we shouldn"t forget that it is a most complex system of relationships. Family relationships are rarely as easy as we would like, and very often we have to work hard at keeping them peaceful.

When do people usually start a family? This question doesn"t have a definite answer. In the 18th, 19th and at the beginning of the 20th century people used to get married at the age of 18 or even 16. If a girl about 23 or more wasn"t married, she was said to be an old maid or a spinster. That might have turned out a real tragedy for her family which usually brought up more than three children, because in some cases a successful marriage was the only chance to provide a good life for the daughter and to help her family. Despite the fact that the girl was so young, she was already able to keep the house, take care of her husband and raise children. To feel the time, its culture and customs I advise you to read a wonderful novel or see a breathtaking film "Pride and Prejudice". Though the story takes place at the turn of the 19th century, it retains fascination for modern readers, revealing some problems which may be urgent in the 21st century.

But life"s changing as well as people"s style of life. Nowadays we have got much more freedom in questions concerning family. It is natural to get married at the age of 20 up to 30; however, some people prefer to make a career first and only after that start a family when they are already in their forties. Moreover, there are many cases when people prefer to live together without being married. There are some reasons for this phenomenon. Firstly, it is difficult to juggle a family life with studies at school or university. But without good education it is practically impossible to find a suitable well-paid steady job. It"s a must to get a higher education, but by this moment you are already 22—24 years old. After that you seek for a well-paid job to live independently, which takes about 3—5 years. Now you see why people in the 21st century do not hurry to get married.

There is also another difference between old and modern families. Nowadays it is very unusual to find three generations living under one roof as they used to do in the past. Relatives, as a rule, live separately and don"t often meet one another. This fact sharply hurts an older generation. Our parents and grandparents usually suffer from lack of attention and respect from their children and grandchildren, although they try not to show it. They really don"t need much, just a telephone call or a visit once a week will make them happy.

There are two basic types of families. A nuclear family — a typical family consisting of parents and children. A single-parent family consists of one parent and children. Nowadays there are very few people who have never divorced. Today the highest divorce rate in the world has the Maldive Republic. The United States of America take the third place. Russia is at the ninth place.

What are the reasons of great numbers of divorce? Let us name some of the most common and serious ones.

• Occurrence of adultery once or throughout the marriage. The unfaithful attitude towards a spouse destroys the relationship and leads to a final separation.
• Communication breakdown. After some time of living under one roof spouses find out that they are absolutely incompatible. Constant clashes, brawls and squabbles cause serious problems. The differences grow as a snowball and can"t be already settled by kisses or hugs.
• Physical, psychological or emotional abuses. When a person taunts, humiliates, hits the children or his spouse, it can"t but end with a divorce.
• Financial problems. It sounds lamentably, but sometimes love alone can"t guarantee well-being, whereas money can solve many of your problems. So when a couple lacks it, their relations become more and more complicated, their priorities change and the relationships end.
• Boredom. A lot of couples get bored of each other after 7 or more years of marriage. Boredom may become the reason of constant quarrels and adultery which inevitably leads to a divorce.

However, it goes without saying, in most cases married couples succeed in solving all the problems and keep living in peace and happiness.

Перевод топика: Семейные отношения

Как вы понимаете слово «семья»? Прежде всего, под семьёй подразумеваются родители и их дети, живущие вместе. Но также мы не должны забывать и о том, что это сложнейшая система отношений. Не всегда отношения в семье складываются таким образом, как нам бы этого хотелось, и очень часто нам необходимо проводить серьёзную работу, чтобы сохранять их мирными и доброжелательными.

В каком возрасте люди обычно заводят семью? Нельзя дать определённого ответа на этот вопрос. В XVIII, XIX и начале XX в. люди вступали в брак в возрасте 18 или даже 16 лет. Если же девушка в возрасте 23 лет и старше была незамужней, то она считалась старой девой. Это могло стать настоящей трагедией для семьи, в которой, как правило, росло больше трёх детей, потому что успешный брак для дочери мог не только обеспечить ей жизнь в достатке, но и помочь семье.

Несмотря на то, что девушка выходила замуж в столь раннем возрасте, она уже была способна вести домашнее хозяйство, заботиться о муже и растить детей. Для того чтобы почувствовать культуру и традиции того времени, я бы посоветовала вам прочитать чудесный роман или посмотреть захватывающий фильм «Гордость и предубеждение». Хотя действие его разворачивается в XIX в., он интересен и современным читателям тем, что раскрывает проблемы, актуальные и по сей день.

Но время меняется, так же как и образ жизни людей. Сегодня мы пользуемся гораздо большей свободой в отношении вопросов семьи. Сейчас типичным стало вступать в брак в возрасте от 20 до 30 лет, но есть и такие люди, которые предпочитают сначала сделать карьеру и только потом женятся или выходят замуж тогда, когда им уже за 40. Есть и такие случаи, когда люди живут в гражданском браке. Для этого есть несколько причин. Во-первых, совмещать учёбу и семейную жизнь действительно тяжело. Но без хорошего образования довольно трудно найти хорошо оплачиваемую постоянную работу, которая бы вас устраивала. Поэтому вам необходимо получить высшее образование, но к тому моменту вам будет уже 22—24 года. Затем вы ищете высокооплачиваемую работу, это займёт у вас порядка 3—5 лет. Теперь вы понимаете, почему люди в XXI в. не торопятся обзаводиться семьёй.

Помимо этого, существует ещё одно различие между старинной и современной семьёй. В наше время очень сложно найти семью, где три поколения жили бы под одной крышей, хотя раньше люди жили именно так. Теперь, как правило, родственники живут раздельно и редко навещают друг друга. Это, конечно, не очень нравится людям старшего поколения. Наши родители, бабушки и дедушки обычно страдают от недостатка внимания и уважения со стороны своих детей и внуков, хотя стараются и не показывать этого. Им и не нужно многого — телефонный звонок хотя бы раз в неделю или визит близких родственников хотя бы раз в месяц уже сделает их счастливыми.

Существует два основных вида семьи: полная семья, состоящая из родителей и детей; семья матери или отца, которая состоит из одного родителя и детей. Сегодня очень мало людей, кто никогда не был разведён. Самый высокий уровень разводов в мире в Мальдивской Республике. США занимают 3-е место в мире по этому показателю, Россия — 9-е. Каковы же причины такого огромного количества разводов? Назовём самые серьёзные и часто встречающиеся из них:

• Измены. Они могут произойти всего лишь один раз или длиться на протяжении всей семейной жизни. Предательское отношение к супругу расшатывает брак и обычно приводит к разводу.
• Невозможность общения. Прожив какое-то время под одной крышей, супруги понимают, что они абсолютно не подходят друг другу. Постоянные конфликты, скандалы и споры могут повлечь за собой серьёзные проблемы. Разногласия растут как снежный ком и уже больше не могут быть улажены поцелуями или крепкими объятиями.
• Физические, психологические или эмоциональные оскорбления. Когда один супруг насмехается, унижает или бьёт детей или другого супруга, это не может привести ни к чему иному, кроме как к разводу.
• Финансовые затруднения. Это звучит очень печально, но одной любви порой бывает недостаточно, чтобы сохранить семью, т. к. именно деньги помогают решить многие важные проблемы. Поэтому, когда супруги начинают нуждаться в деньгах, их отношения становятся всё более сложными, приоритеты меняются и очень часто это заканчивается разводом.
• Скука. Многие семейные пары устают друг от друга, прожив вместе 7 и более лет. Скука может стать причиной постоянных ссор и измен, что неизбежно ведёт к разводу.

Безусловно, в большинстве случаев супружеские пары успешно справляются со всеми трудностями и живут в мире и согласии.

Vocabulary:

• relationship — родство, отношение
• unit — единство
• a most — очень, чрезвычайно
• complex — сложный
• rarely — редко
• peaceful — мирный
• definite — определённый, точный
• old maid — старая дева
• spinster — старая дева
• to turn out — оказываться
• to bring up — воспитывать, растить
• to provide — обеспечивать
• despite — несмотря на
• to keep the house — вести домашнее хозяйство
• to raise children — растить детей
• custom — обычай
• breathtaking — захватывающий
• "Pride and Prejudice" — «Гордость и предубеждение» (роман Джейн Остин)
• to take place — происходить
• at the turn of the 19th century — в конце XIX века
• to retain — сохранять, удерживать
• fascination — очарование, обаяние, привлекательность
• modern — современный
• to reveal — открывать, раскрывать, обнажать
• urgent — насущный, актуальный
• to concern — касаться, иметь отношение к
• to start a family — заводить семью
• to be in one"s forties — быть в возрасте от 40 до 50 лет
• moreover — более того
• to juggle — совмещать
• suitable — подходящий
• well-paid — хорошо оплачиваемый
• steady — постоянный
• higher education — высшее образование
• to seek — искать
• independently — независимо
• generation — поколение
• separately — раздельно
• to suffer from — страдать от
• lack of attention — недостаток внимания
• nuclear family — полная семья
• typical — типичный
• single-parent family — неполная семья
• to consist of — состоять из
• to divorce — разводиться
• divorce rate — уровень разводов
• occurrence — возникновение, случай
• adultery — измена
• throughout — на протяжении, в течение
• unfaithful attitude — предательское отношение
• spouse — супруг, супруга
• separation — расставание
• communication breakdown — невозможность общения
• to be incompatible — быть несовместимыми
• clash — конфликт
• brawl — перебранка, скандал
• squabble — спор, мелкая ссора
• difference — разногласие
• to resolve — улаживать, решать
• hug — крепкое объятие
• abuse — оскорбление, надругательство
• to taunt — насмехаться, говорить колкости
• to humiliate — унижать
• to hit — бить, ударять
• lamentably — печально, грустно
• wellbeing — благополучие
• priority — приоритет
• to solve — решать
• boredom — скука
• inevitably — неизбежно

Married life. Family life. What’s your idea of them?

What’s your idea of a happy family? (happy marriage?) What do you think are good and bad reasons to get married? Do you think arranged marriages are a good or bad thing? What other ways do people meet marriage partners?

The family relationships - Семейные отношения

The family is very important as a unit in our society. Nothing else but family can be an emotional center of people"s life, can be a transmitter of culture and raising children. Every mother feels great affection for her children and tries to bring them up in a proper way.

Understanding between the members of the family and consideration for others are very important in family relationship. Tenderness, warm-heartedness and respect must always be present in the family to make it friendly. A lot of activities help members of the family to be on friendly terms: discussing all the family plans together, going on trips hikes together, visiting museums, theaters, exhibitions and exchanging opinions about them, sharing the same joys and sorrows.

If you think of the others in the family you show your love and attention in everyday life, you can hurt them if you are selfish, not sincere and rude. It is very important to visit relatives on holidays, on birthdays, on anniversaries and develop close relationship. We feel more affection for our relatives when we are parted from them. The proverb says, "Absence makes the heart grow fonder". When the family is friendly, everybody has the warmed feelings of returning home where dear relatives are waiting for them.

There are different opinions on how children should be treated if they disobey their parents, break the rules, do forbidden things, don"t keep their words or promises. Some people think that parents should be patient, kind and understanding. The rules and children"s behaviors are discussed in such families. But others believe that children ought always to obey the parents and if they won"t they should be punished. From my point of view, such principles won"t do a lot of good. Fear and punishment will lead to selfishness, cruelty and lies. But "love and kindness will save the world".

We are the family of two. I live with my mother. We don"t have such problems as misunderstanding between the members of the family. I think that it is due to the age of my parents and their character.

My mother is 40 years old. She is a kind, clever and responsible woman. My mother always ready to give me necessary information, moral support and a good advice.

It is common knowledge that there is no place like a home. We are dedicated to our homes, we give them much love, care and enthusiasm. A man"s house is his castle. I like my home and I want to tell you more about it.

I live in Kuprijanov st. in the center of our city. We moved into this flat several years ago. Now it is a place where I feel it ease and enjoy every minute of my stay there. We have a washing-machine, a vacuum cleaner, a refrigerator, a freezer, hand-mixer, computer and other things which I consider to be quite necessary as they make our life easier and help to solve a lot of problems in the shortest possible time.

We have 2 rooms, a kitchen and a bathroom. When you drop into our flat you come into a lobby, where you can take off your coat, shoes and hat. I"m very happy to have a room for myself, where I feel quite and comfortable. It is a place where I can relax, read a book and listen to music. There are yellow blinds and a writing table, a sofa, a bookcase where my favorite books are situated.

There are a lot of things in my room which can tell about myself, about my friends and relatives. You can find frames with photos of my parents and best friends on the walls, little pictures. They remind me happy moments of my life and that is why are very dear for me.

You may be surprised, but the most popular and favorite place with all of us is the kitchen. Every Sunday my mother makes a cake and we gather together, discuss our problems and make plans for the next week.

I can tell a lot about my home, but to make a long story short I can say, that speaking about my home, I don"t mean a flat as it is, I mean people, who are dear to me, who love me and are always waiting for me. That is why, wherever I were I would always hurry home.

Family(topic by Shapkina Lyuba)

Your family are probably the most important people in your life. Families consist of parents and children. But we can also say that family is a group of people consisting of a parent and children and their close relations. I think that it is better to have a big family because your relations always help and support you. I have a big family. I haven"t got brothers and sisters but I have grandparents, cousins, aunts, unckles and over relations. To my mind the ideal family is then people have much in common, then they love each over, spend many time together, support and help each over. This family should be friendly. My parents and I spend many time together. At weekands we watch TV, ski, swim in the swimming pool, travel and play different games as football and voleyball. Also we spend holydays together. Thats all for now.

Family problems

"Honour your mother and father and you will live long and be well, if not, you will die" - says the Bible. Some families are happy, some are dead. It seems to me the reason is misunderstanding of each other in the family.

One more thing, teenagers can take on most of the rights and responsibilities of adulthood. Before this occurs, however, they go through the period of adolescence and most of them experience conflicts at that time. They change rapidly both physically and emotionally and they search self-identity as they grow up and become more independent.

Sometimes teenagers develop interests and values different from those of their parents. That sets a conflict between two generations, which leads to a gap in mutual understanding. Traditional disagreements are: the time to come home at night, doing work about the house and the friends to spend time with.

I"d like to point out, that teens face a number of problems: drinking alcohol or using drugs. Moreover, some children run away from their homes. Most of them return after a few days or weeks, but some turn to crime and become juvenile delinquents.

I"m convinced that sometimes parents do not care about their children. It is exactly at that age when young people need a piece of advice or help. Different TV programmes and magazines for the young come to their rescue. In case of need you can also dial a special telephone number, the so-called "telephone of trust".

But it"s not the way out. Parents should help their children and find the right approach to them so as to make everything clear. Being able to view the problems more rationally, they should try to do their best to resolve them. We need to learn to talk our problems over in our family. If we are able to do it, everything will be all right.

Family Relationships

How could you describe the word "family"? First of all "family" means a close unit of parents and their children living together. But we shouldn"t forget that it is a most complex system of relationships. Family relationships are rarely as easy as we would like, and very often we have to work hard at keeping them peaceful.

When do people usually start a family? This question doesn"t have a definite answer. In the 18th, 19th and at the beginning of the 20th century people used to get married at the age of 18 or even 16. If a girl about 23 or more wasn"t married, she was said to be an old maid or a spinster. That might have turned out a real tragedy for her family which usually brought up more than three children, because in some cases a successful marriage was the only chance to provide a good life for the daughter and to help her family. Despite the fact that the girl was so young, she was already able to keep the house, take care of her husband and raise children. To feel the time, its culture and customs I advise you to read a wonderful novel or see a breathtaking film "Pride and Prejudice". Though the story takes place at the turn of the 19th century, it retains fascination for modern readers, revealing some problems which may be urgent in the 21st century.

But life"s changing as well as people"s style of life. Nowadays we have got much more freedom in questions concerning family. It is natural to get married at the age of 20 up to 30; however, some people prefer to make a career first and only after that start a family when they are already in their forties. Moreover, there are many cases when people prefer to live together without being married. There are some reasons for this phenomenon. Firstly, it is difficult to juggle a family life with studies at school or university. But without good education it is practically impossible to find a suitable well-paid steady job. It"s a must to get a higher education, but by this moment you are already 22-24 years old. After that you seek for a well-paid job to live independently, which takes about 3-5 years. Now you see why people in the 21st century do not hurry to get married.

There is also another difference between old and modern families. Nowadays it is very unusual to find three generations living under one roof as they used to do in the past. Relatives, as a rule, live separately and don"t often meet one another. This fact sharply hurts an older generation. Our parents and grandparents usually suffer from lack of attention and respect from their children and grandchildren, although they try not to show it. They really don"t need much, just a telephone call or a visit once a week will make them happy.

There are two basic types of families. A nuclear family - a typical family consisting of parents and children. A single-parent family consists of one parent and children. Nowadays there are very few people who have never divorced. Today the highest divorce rate in the world has the Maldive Republic. The United States of America take the third place. Russia is at the ninth place. What are the reasons of great numbers of divorce? Let us name some of the most common and serious ones.

Occurrence of adultery once or throughout the marriage. The unfaithful attitude towards a spouse destroys the relationship and leads to a final separation.

Communication breakdown. After some time of living under one roof spouses find out that they are absolutely incompatible. Constant clashes, brawls and squabbles cause serious problems. The differences grow as a snowball and can"t be already settled by kisses or hugs.

Physical, psychological or emotional abuses. When a person taunts, humiliates, hits the children or his spouse, it can"t but end with a divorce.

Financial problems. It sounds lamentably, but sometimes love alone can"t guarantee well-being, whereas money can solve many of your problems. So when a couple lacks it, their relations become more and more complicated, their priorities change and the relationships end.

Boredom. A lot of couples get bored of each other after 7 or more years of marriage. Boredom may become the reason of constant quarrels and adultery which inevitably leads to a divorce.

However, it goes without saying, in most cases married couples succeed in solving all the problems and keep living in peace and happiness.

Family relations

The word "family" is associated with warm tender relations between members of the family. A consideration (уважение) fortress (крепость) of such relations became possible when people in the family do many things together, overcome troubles and live friendly. Love gives a feeling of happiness.

But nowadays young people think that family cannot be based only on love and understanding. The social position & salary are also important. But on other hand, labor achievements, mood and what is called happiness depend on family relations. When young people marry, they sometimes think that happiness in their marriage will be created by somebody else, not by themselves. They are mistaken. It is their own duty. Both husband and wife must create their future together. A strong marriage does not mean that husband and wife must have similar characters but the ability to understand each other. Its really very difficult to keep up a marriage without mutual (взаимный) understanding. All members of the family should trust each other; tell each other about their joys and sorrows (печали).

Children should love, respect and obey (слушаться) their parents. Their parents should also remember that role of family in the childrens personality formation is exceptional; no other social institution can substitute it. The erosion of family relations inevitably (неизбежно) leads to the deformation in the normal childrens development. Clever and understanding parents always should be ready to help their children and find the way out.

Housework may take a great deal of peoples time. But if all members of the family help each other, have their special duties, keeping house wont be so difficult. To create a happy family is a difficult task, but everything depends on ourselves. Family will be happy only when everyone will think about the happiness of the others.