Lesson 10
Communication Between Parents and Teenagers
Guidance
Communication is so important in our lives. 生活中，沟通十分重要！
1 Living and dealing with kids can be a tough job these days, but living and dealing with parents can be even tougher.
2 If I have learned anything in my 16 years, it is that communication is very important, both when you disagree and when you get along. With any relationship, you need to let other person know how you are feeling. If you are not able to communicate, you drift apart.① When you are mad at your parents, or anyone else, not talking to them doesn’t solve anything.
3 Communication begins with the concerns② of another. It means that you can’t just come home from school, go up to your room and take no notice to anyone. Even if you just say “Hi,” and see how their day was for five minutes, it is better than nothing.
4 If you looked up the word “communication” in a dictionary, it would say “the exchange of ideas, the conveyance of information, correspondence, means of communication: a letter or a message.” To keep a good relationship, you must keep communication strong. Let people know how you feel, even if it’s just by writing a note.
5 When dealing with parents, you always have to make them feel good about how they are doing as a parent.② If you are trying to make them see something as you see it, tell them that you’ll listen to what they have to say, and ask them politely to listen to you. Shouting or walking away only makes the situation worse.
6 Here is an example: One night, Sophie went to a street party with her friends. She knew she had to be home by midnight after the fireworks, but she didn’t feel she could just ask to go home. That would be rude. After all, they had been nice enough to take her along with them. Needless to say, she was late getting home.③ Her parents were mad at first, but when Sophie explained why she was late, they weren’t as mad and let it go. Communication is the key here. If Sophie’s parents had not been willing to listen, Sophie would have been in a lot of trouble.
7 Communication isn’t a one-way matter: it goes both ways. Just remember: If you get into a situation like Sophie’s, telling the other person how you feel—listening is the key to communication.
(397 words)
Word bank
Notes
① If you are not able to communicate, you drift apart. 如果你们不能沟通，你们就会变得疏远。drift apart，意为“疏远”。
② When dealing with parents, you always have to make them feel good about how they are doing as a parent. 在与家长打交道时，你必须始终让他们对自己作为一名家长的做法感觉良好。
③ Needless to say, she was late getting home. 不用说，她回家晚了。
Practice
Ⅰ. Reading comprehension
1. According to the passage, dealing with parents is__________than with kids.
A. more difficult
B. easier
C. more uninteresting
D. more interesting
2. The main idea of Paragraph 2 is__________.
A. the importance of friendship
B. to make your feeling known to others
C. the importance of communication
D. the disagreement between generations
3. According to the passage, which of the following is proper（合适的）?
A. When you get home, go to your room directly.
B. When you get home, say hello to your parents and have a talk with them.
C. When you get home, take no notice to anyone.
D. When you get home, get angry with your parents because they didn’t get dinner ready.
4. Sophie’s story in this passage shows that__________.
A. Sophie’s parents are willing to listen to her
B. Sophie is very polite to her parents
C. Sophie did well in explaining her being late
D. communication is the solution（解决办法）to misunderstanding
5. In the writer’s opinion, all the following statements are correct except “__________”
A. If you don’t agree with others, you’d better let them know.
B. It is better to say “Hi” to others than say nothing.
C. If you are not able to communicate, walk away.
D. Communication is a two-way deal.
Ⅱ. Writing practice
Have you ever had trouble with your parents? How do you deal with it? Were they willing to listen to you? What happened in the end?
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