5. Read and retell the text. Is your family nuclear or extended? What are the advantages and disadvantages of both types?

The first thing most Western people notice in the Far, Middle and Near East is the respect everyone has for old people. Elderly men and women live with their married children and are important members of the family. They look after the children, help with cooking, give advice and often rule family life. Living in an extended* fam­ily has advantages for everyone. A small child, for example, knows many people from the very be­ginning, not just his mother and father. When his mother goes out, it doesn't matter. He'll stay with someone who loves him — an aunt, sister or grandmother.

For the young mother and father there are also advantages. They can go out to work, and grand­mother will look after the house and children. This is especially important in farming communities, where both men and women work in the fields.

And the older woman, for example, has some­thing important to do. She sees how her children and grandchildren grow up. She is needed and loved.

The nuclear* family is a product of the West. The typical family consists of mother, father and two children. If the mother goes out to work, she must leave them with a stranger — someone who looks after them as a job, for money. If there is a divorce * or separation*, the child's life will change completely.

And as for the elder people, too many of them live alone — in special flats or homes. They hardly ever see their children and grandchildren. They have nothing important to do. They are often poor and lonely. In the winter many elder people die of cold or from falls in the house, because there is no one to look after them. Nobody cares.

extended family	расширенная семья
nuclear family	малая семья, состоящая из детей и родителей
divorce	развод
separation	разлука, раздельное проживание
hardly	едва
lonely	одинокий

6. Read and translate the text about Decline* of the Traditional Family in Britain:

Fresh evidence* of the traditional family's de­cline in Britain was published last week with fig­ures showing that within 12 years a majority of the adult population will be unmarried.

It would be for the first time since census* records began in 1801 that those who are divorced*, widowed* or have never married had outnumbered married adults.

Forecasts* suggest that by 2011 the proportion of the adult population that is married will fall from about 55 per cent today to 48 per cent. By 2020 the figure will be 45 per cent.

Marriage rates among the under-thirties will continue the decline which started in the seven­ties and the proportion of adults who have never married will rise from 12 per cent to 41 per cent for men and from 24 per cent to 33 per cent for women.

Half of all men aged between 30 and 44 will re­main single by 2021. It is also estimated that the number of couples which don't register marriage will double over the next 25 years.

Two in every five marriages now are expected to fail. The number of first marriages is at its low­est level for a century and has halved in fewer than 30 years. Specialists predict continuation of chang­es that have already occurred.

The figures have profound social and economic consequences*. They are used for shaping policy on housing and social security.

As number of people living alone is growing and more houses will be needed to accommodate* them.

decline	упадок, снижение
evidence	свидетельство
census	перепись населения
divorced	разведенный
widowed	овдовевший
widow(er)	вдова (вдовец)

Practice more

1. You are going to visit Great Britain and applying for a visa. Fill in the section of your application about you and your family. (Вы собираетесь посетить Великобританию и заполняете анкету, чтобы получить визу. Заполните части анкеты с вопросами о вас и вашей семье).

Part 1. About You

1. Given name

2. Family name

3. Other names

4. Sex (male/ female)

5. Marital status (single, divorced, dissolved partnership, married, civil partner, separated, widowed)

6. Date of birth

7. Place of birth

8. Country of birth

9. Nationality

10. Do you hold (held) any other nationalities? (yes/no)

Part 3. Your Contact Details

1. Your full residential address and postal code

2. Your home telephone number

3. Your mobile telephone number

Part 4. Your Family

1. Father’s given name

2. Father’s family name

3. Father’s date of birth

4. Father’s place and country of birth

5. Mother’s given name

6. Mother’s family name

7. Mother’s date of birth

8. Mother’s place and country of birth

Part 5. Finances and employment

Are you a student?

Give the details about the course and institution you attend.