I. Read the following statements and say if you agree or disagree with them.

• Family is often the source of our problems and anxieties.

• There are two general types of family: the nuclear family and the extended family.

• The family unit is in crisis now and traditional family life is a thing of the past.

• Other types of family (e.g. single parent household, homosexual families, etc.) are as good as traditional (nuclear family).

II. Skim the text and check and make sure that you have guessed right.

There are many different views on family life. Some people could not do without the support and love of their families. Others say it is the source of most of our problems and anxieties. Whatever the truth is, the family is definitely a powerful symbol. Turn to the television or open a magazine and you will see advertisements featuring happy, balanced families. Politicians often try to win votes by standing for “family values”: respect for parental authority, stability in marriage, chastity and care for the elderly.

Sociologists divide families into two general types: the nuclear family and the extended family, which may include three or more generations living together. In industrialized countries, and increasingly in the large cities of developing countries, the nuclear family is regarded as normal. Most people think of it as consisting of two parents and two children. In fact, the number of households containing a nuclear family is shrinking year by year.

There are people who say that the family unit in most countries is in the crisis and that traditional family life is a thing of the past. This is of great concern to those who think a healthy society is dependent upon a stable family life. They see many indications that the family is in decline, in such things as the acceptance of sex before marriage, the increased number of one-parent families, the current high divorce rate and what they see as a lack of discipline within the family.

There is a definition of a “normal family”. Broadly speaking, the family is a group of people related by blood or law, living together or associating with one another for a common purpose. That purpose is usually to provide shelter and food, and to bring up children. The nature of the family keeps changing; there are a number of types of family that exists in a society at any one time.

III . Read the text again and answer the following questions:

1. What is the most general view on family life?

2. How do politicians use family values in their campaigns?

3. What is the extended family?

4. What are the indications that family life is in decline?

5. What is a ‘normal’ family?

Improve your study skills

Developing reading strategies

Before you read a text, you should be aware of which type of reading you are going to do. You will have to decide what your purpose is when reading a certain text. Becoming aware of this fact will help you to both focus on the important points and reach your goal.

Suggestions for improving your reading skills

• Make it a habit to read texts in the foreign language. You may start with children's stories and move on to newspaper articles, magazines and books for adults.

• Choose books, newspapers and magazines according to your personal interests and needs.

• Buy a bilingual book or buy the same book in your native language and in the foreign language. When reading, compare the books when there is something that you don't understand.

• Most of the time it is not necessary to understand every single word when reading a text. So don‘t panic if there are a few words you don‘t know. You may try to guess their meaning from the context.

• If there are words that you don't know but you think are important, look them up in a dictionary and write them down. Study them again after reading.

• If your reading purpose is to find out specific information, think about some key words first, then scan the text to find these key words. Underline important words and phrases. You may also take notes.

• If your purpose is to generally understand the text, underline important phrases in each paragraph and write down the most important things.