01 TOPIC: FAMILY

Language Focus

A. Vocabulary
Words Phonetic Meaning
1 Community (n) /kəˈmjuː.nə.t̬i/
2 Nuclear family (n) /ˈnuː.kliː.ɚ/ /ˈfæm.əl.i/
3 Extended family (n) /ɪkˈsten.dɪd/ /ˈfæm.əl.i/
4 Generation (n) /ˌdʒen.əˈreɪ.ʃən/
5 Individual (adj/n) /ˌɪn.dəˈvɪdʒ.u.əl/
6 Be responsible for (adj) /rɪˈspɑːn.sə.bəl/
7 Financial decisions (n) /ˈfaɪ.næns/ /dɪˈsɪʒ.ən/
8 unique (adj) /juːˈniːk/
9 Multicultural (adj) /ˌmʌl.tiˈkʌl.tʃɚ.əl/
10 Cultural differences (n) /ˈkʌl.tʃɚ.əl/ /ˈdɪf.ɚ.əns/
11 Stand still (v) /stænd/ /stɪl/
12 Legal decision (n) /ˈliː.ɡəl/ /dɪˈsɪʒ.ən/
13 Matter (n) /ˈmæt̬.ɚ/
14 Society (n) /səˈsaɪ.ə.t̬i/
15 Differ (v) /ˈdɪf.ɚ/

Reading

The meaning of family

We all know that each family is unique and that families differ around the world, but how?

A. We are all individual people and we are all members of society too. Cultures differ in the
relationship between the individual and the community. Some cultures focus on the
significance of each individual; some believe that the interests of the community matter
more than those of the individual. This has an impact on attitudes towards family life.
Cultures that value individuality focus on the individual's right to independence and a
 private life. Cultures that give greater value to the community say that individuals must
put the wishes of their family and their society before their own individual wishes.

B. Many western cultures place a high value on the individual. In these cultures, people live
in 'nuclear families'. This means that only the parents and their children live together. In
many other cultures people live in 'extended families'. In these families, children are not
only close to their immediate family; they also have very strong relationships with their
grandparents as well as their aunts, uncles and cousins. The different generations of
extended families often live together in one house.

C. In modern nuclear families, the mother and father usually decide together how they want
to live and how they will educate their children. In extended families, there is often a
more traditional sharing of responsibility. The father is usually responsible for life
outside the home. He, for example, is responsible for financial or legal decisions. It is
usually a woman - the mother or sometimes the grandmother - who has responsibility for
life inside the home. She chooses, for instance, what the family will eat and what colour
the walls will be.

D. Another difference is the relative importance of the man's and the woman's families when
a couple marries and has children. In most European cultures, children traditionally take
their father's surname, but they are not considered more related to either their father's or
their mother's family. This is not always the case in other cultures. In Middle Eastern
families, for example, the father's family is often the more important one. However, in
some American Indian and African cultures children are, first and foremost, members of
their mother's family.

E. Nowadays, many societies are multicultural. So everyone has to understand that cultural
differences affect family relationships. It is important to remember, however, that
cultures do not stand still. This means that we cannot know for sure what a person's
attitude towards their family is today just because they come from a particular culture.

Expert IELTS

B. Exercise
I. Write the synonyms of these words in the text.
Words Synonyms
 influence
These days
crucial, essential
make decisions
in charge of
conventional, old-fashioned

II. Fill in the gaps with the suitable words:

generations extended family responsible for community cultural differences

1. ____ is a larger family unit that goes beyond the immediate parents and children.

2. Because extended families often share a strong sense of loyalty and support, members
are typically ______assisting one another during challenging times.

3. Family traditions can strengthen bonds between_______, and they also provide a
sense of belonging.

4. Families often participate in _________events to strengthen their bonds and support

5. While _______can sometimes lead to misunderstandings within families, open

Exam focus

MATCHING HEADINGS

 Underline the keywords in the headings.

 Scan and locate the relevant section.

 Read the first and last sentence of the paragraph

 Understanding the main idea of the heading can be made easier by paraphrasing.
Question 1-5
Choose the correct heading for paragraphs A-E from the list of headings below. Write the correct
number, i-vi.
List of headings
i Whose side of the family: the mother's or the father's?
 ii How is society changing?
iii Who is more important: the person or the group?
iv Who makes which decisions?
v How well do families get on with each other?
vi Who shares your home?
1. Paragraph A
2. Paragraph B
3. Paragraph C
4. Paragraph D
5. Paragraph E

Question 6 - 11
Read the passage and match the topics (6-10) with the paragraphs (A-E)
6. family size
7. the individual and society
8. social change
9. different sides of the family
10. roles in the family