Topic 60 Are games important to adults?

The young of most mammals (млекопитающие), including humans, likes to play. Scientists claim that with lions, for example, play fighting prepares the cubs (детеныш) for their future life as a hunter and killer. The question is whether games teach humans about life. Many people believe that games accustom the player to life-skills such as perseverance (настойчивость) and competitiveness.

to accustom oneself to getting up early — привыкнуть рано вставать

However, I disagree with the title statement because I consider games to be mainly for children. In childhood, we do not have responsibility for the world. The child is always eager to grow up - to become a year older or to reach the legal age of an adult. Children find happiness in games by pretending to be an adult in the real world. The problem is that games are optional; they contain too much happiness and too little hardship to ever be real. An adult, by contrast, finds meaning in his life by accepting that there are greater things in the world than his own happiness.

He was accustomed to sit up late. — Он привык засиживаться допоздна.

One of the dangers of games is that some people attempt (пытаются) to translate the rules of a game onto reality. The modern example of this problem is television and computer games. People in the West are now growing concerns (обеспокоенность) that children and teenagers occasionally imitate violence that they see on the screen. Death is fun on a computer game; and unstable teenagers who kill people in computer games can forget the value of life. American films are often accused of making violence glamorous.

This is not to say that games did not deceive (обманывать) people before the invention of television and the microchip. Success as a sports-star can lead a player to selfimportance. If a football player is made captain of his team and receives praise (похвала) from the local press, he might be tempted to assume that (предположить, что) he is the boss in other areas of his life, such as within friendships. Also, he might be surprised to find that sport is simply not important.

she was tremendously tempted — она испытывала непреодолимое искушение

Finally, gambling should also be mentioned as a dangerous game. Although gambling and the acceptance of luck are acceptable features of many cultures, a selfish gambler can neglect his financial duties towards his family. Eventually, gambling can become a drug that destroys life.

To an extent (В определенной степени), life for most people is precarious (рискованный) enough to include some degree of winning and losing, and of adventure. Also, an unexpected opportunity or lucky find is one of the joys of life. But sooner or later we have to settle down and face the grind (однообразная, скучная работа) of adult life.

Topic 61 Should parents make decisions for their teenage children?

The issue of whether parents or other adult relatives should make important decisions for their teenage children arouses much controversy among people with different perspectives and backgrounds. Some people believe the statement is legitimate, because children are not mature and have not enough experiences to determine the optimal choice. On the other hand, people claim that no body can control other's life even their parents. People should be responsible for their own behaviors and determine their lives. As far as I am concerned, I would like to refute the former and support the latter. In the following discussing, I would like to address some evidence to substantiate my point of view.

In the first place, the most important reason for me to choose this position is that old teenagers have their own thoughts and ideas. The fact that the thoughts of children are not perfect and logical dose not mean their parents have right to eliminate their decision without considering the children's intentions. In the era of rapid social and technological changes leading to increasing life complexity and psychological displacement, the good decision in parents' time would be out of data.

In the second place, the job of parents is not to make decision for their children, but to help them to choose. In this period of 15 to 18 year-old children, they are always radical. If their parents make decisions instead of themselves, they will not obey these decisions. Parents had better told their kids about their opinions, worries and experiences as friends. Give much more room for their kids to think and decide. Respect and believe their kids will choose the better one and will face the result directly.

In sum, considering the aforementioned reasons I support the statement that older teenagers had better make decisions by themselves. Admittedly, our parents are our best and most early teacher. They would give us more important advices to help us choose the best decision.

Topic 61 Should parents make decisions for their teenage children?

First of all, it is not easy to define if people at the age of 15 to 18 are adults or

children because they are physically grown up and intelligent enough to carry

out general work like adults do in a company, while a lot of them are under

their parents' control. I believe that they should be able to make important

decisions by themselves, no matter how hard for them.

Needless to say, the recognition of age and maturity is not universally identical.

There were some times that 15 to 18 years old were recognized as adults and

supposed to think and act independently. It was usual for women at the age of

15 to get married in my grandmother's generation in Japan. Even in the present

days, it is still a common thing in some developing countries. Thus, I guess it

depends on whether the community is wealthy enough for 15 to 18 year-old

children to be children or not. Women in my grandmother's generation needed

to get married as soon as possible and have about 10 children in order to get

enough labor forces for their family business and have them taking care of their

parents and grandparents. In those days, children must have grown up with

prediction of earlier age they had been supposed to become independent.

These days, women in developed countries do not need to have so many

children anymore and they can go on to higher education, by comparison with

early times. It has enabled mothers to get a job as well as fathers in order to

make their family wealthier and keep their children beside them longer. As

children are not expected to be important labor forces for their family anymore,

it may not really matter if they are mature enough to make important decisions.

Then how do children predict themselves to be independent at the age of 15 to

18 in such a situation?

I strongly believe that this phenomenon has made today's adults more immature

and immoral. I could not believe that a lot of 20 year-old Japanese people

attended the ceremony for Coming of Age Day with their parents this year.

Unless adults stop treating young people like children, future adults will

become even more immature. They still need parents' and other adults' advice

to make important decisions but I cannot agree with the title statement: parents

or other adult relatives should make important decisions for their older teenage

children. I would say that it is no more than spoiling children.