UNIT 1: FAMILY LIFE

I.       TÓM TẮT LÝ THUYẾT

1.        Nội dung

Pronunciation: Consonant blends: /br/, /kr/, and /tr/

Vocabulary: Words and phrases related to family life

Grammar: Present simple vs. present continuous

Reading: Reading for specific information in a text about the benefits of doing housework for children

II.   BÀI TẬP ÁP DỤNG

Getting Started

Listen and read

Nam:   Hello, Minh.

Minh: Hi, Nam. How are you? I’m going to play football at our school stadium with a few friends this evening. Are you free to join us?

Nam:   I’d love to, but I’m afraid I can’t. I’m preparing dinner.

Minh: Really? Doesn’t your mum cook?

Nam:   Oh, yes. My mum usually does the cooking, but she’s working late today.

Minh: How about your sister, Lan? Does she help with the housework?

Nam:   Yes. She often helps with the cooking. But she can’t help today. She’s studying for her exams.

Minh: I see. I never do the cooking. It’s my mother’s job.

Nam:   Really? So how do you divide the household chores in your family?

Minh: Mum is the homemaker, so she does the chores. My dad is the breadwinner, he earns money. And we, the kids, study.

Nam:   Well, in my family, we divide the housework equally – Mum usually cooks and shops for groceries: Dad cleans the house and does the heavy lifting.

Minh: What about you and your sister?

Nam:   My sister does the laundry. I do the washing-up and put out the rubbish. We also help with the cooking when our mum is busy.

Minh: That sounds fair! Anyway, I have to go now. See you later.

Nam:   Bye. Have fun.

Read the conversation again and decide whether the following statements are true (T) or false (F).

1. Nam’s mother is cooking now.                                                           ___

2. Everybody in Nam’s family does some of the housework.                 ___

3. The children in Minh’s family don’t have to do any housework.        ___

Write the verbs or phrasal verbs that are used with the nouns or noun phrases in the conversation.

Complete the sentences from the conversation with the correct forms of the verbs in brackets.

1. I’d love to, but I’m afraid I can’t. I (prepare) __________ dinner.

2. My mum usually (do) __________ the cooking but she (work) __________late today.

Từ vựng

1. prepare /prɪˈpeə(r)/ (v): chuẩn bị

    eg: He was in the kitchen preparing lunch.

2. do the cooking (v.p): nấu ăn

    eg: My husband does all the cooking.

3. study for exams (v.p): học cho kì thi

    eg: He is studying for the tomorrow exam.

4. divide /dɪˈvaɪd/ (v): phân chia, phân công

    eg: The book is divided into 11 sections.

5. household chores (n.p): việc nhà

    eg: Who does most of the household chores?

6. homemaker /ˈhəʊmmeɪkə(r)/ (n): nội trợ

    eg: TV commercials often show happy homemakers.

7. breadwinner /ˈbredwɪnə(r)/ (n): trụ cột tài chính

    eg: In my family, my father is the breadwinner.

8. equally /ˈiːkwəli/ (adv): công bằng, bình đẳng

    eg: Everyone should be treated equally.

9. shop for groceries (v.p): mua thực phẩm

    eg: My mothers shops for groceries every weekend.

10.  do the heavy lifting (v.p): làm công việc mang vác nặng

    eg: My father is responsible for doing heavy lifting in my house.

11.  do the laundry /duː/ /ðə/ /ˈlɔːndri/ (v.p): làm công việc giặt giũ

    eg: My sister likes doing the laundry a lot.

12.  do the washing up (v.p): rửa chén/ bát

     eg: I always do the washing up after meals.

13.  put out the rubbish (v.p): vứt rác

     eg: My brother main job is to put out the rubbish at the end of everyday.

Language

Pronunciation

a. Listen and repeat. Pay attention to the consonant blends /br/, /kr/, and /tr/.

b. Listen to the sentences and circle the words you hear.

1.

a. brush             

b. crash                 

c. trash

2.

a. brain              

b. crane                 

c. train

3.

a. bread             

b. create                

c. tread

Vocabulary

a. Match the words with their meanings.

b. Complete the sentences using the words in a.

1. My mother is a _________. She doesn’t go to work but stays at home to look   after the family.

2. When I lived in this city, I used to shop for _________ at this supermarket.

3.  My eldest son is strong enough to do the _________ for the family.

4. Hanna hates doing _________ except cooking.

5. Mr. Lewis is the _________ of the family, but he still helps his wife with the housework whenever he has time.

Grammar

a. Choose the correct form of the verb in each sentence.

1. Mrs. Lan usually does / is doing the cooking in her family.

2. I’m afraid he can’t answer the phone now. He puts out / is putting out the rubbish.

3. He cleans / is cleaning the house every day.

4. My sister can’t do any housework today. She studies / is studying for her exams.

5. My mother does / is doing the laundry twice a week.

b. Read the text and put the verbs in brackets in the present simple or present continuous.

Mrs. Lam is a housewife. Every day, she (1. do) _______ most of the house work. She cooks, washes the clothes, and cleans the house. But today is Mother’s Day. So Mrs. Lam (2. not do) _______ any housework. At the moment, she (3. watch) _______ her favorite TV program. Her children (4. do) _______ the cooking and her husband (5. tidy up) _______ the house. Everybody (6. try) _______ hard to make it a special day for Mrs. Lam.

Từ vựng

1. homemaker /ˈhəʊmmeɪkə(r)/ (n): nội trợ

    eg: My mother is a perfect homemaker.

2. breadwinner /ˈbredwɪnə(r)/ (n): trụ cột tài chính

    eg: My father is the breadwinner in my family.

3. grocery /ˈɡrəʊsəri/ (n): thực phẩm

     eg: Mom wanted me to get the groceries.

4. heavy-lifting /ˌhevi ˈlɪftɪŋ/ (n): công việc mang vác nặng

     eg: Children should avoid doing heavy-lifting.

5. housework /ˈhaʊswɜːk/ (n): việc nhà

     eg: I have to employ someone twice a week to help me with the general housework   too.

Reading

Work in pairs. Look at the picture and answer the questions.

1. What is each person in the picture doing?

2. Do you think that they are happy? Why or why not?

Read the text and tick (✓) the appropriate meanings of the highlighted words.

Most people think that housework is boring and is the responsibility of wives and mothers only. Many parents don’t ask their children to do housework so that they have more time to play or study. However, studies show doing chores is good for children.

Kids who do housework develop important life skills that they will need for the rest of their lives. Doing the laundry, cleaning the house, and taking care of others are among the important skills that children will need when they start their own families. These are the things that schools cannot fully teach, so it’s important for children to learn them at home. Sharing housework also helps young people learn to take responsibility. They know that they have to try to finish their tasks even though they do not enjoy doing them. Doing chores also helps develop children’s gratitude to their parents. When doing housework, they learn to appreciate all the hard work their parents do around the house for them. In addition, doing chores together helps strengthen family bonds, creating special moments between children and parents. It makes children feel they are members of a team.

All in all, doing housework can bring a lot of benefits to children. It teaches them life skills and helps build their character. Therefore, parents should encourage their kids to share the housework for their own good as well as the good of the whole family.

1. responsibility

a. duty

b. hobby

2. gratitude

a. the feeling of being great

b. the feeling of being grateful

3. strengthen

a. make something stronger

b. make something more difficult

4. bonds

a. close connections

b. common interests

5. character

a. qualities that make a person the same as others

b. qualities that make a person different from others

Read the text again and answer the questions.

1. What do most people think about house work?

2. Why don’t many parents make their children do housework?

3. What are some important life skills children can learn when doing housework?

4. What do children learn as they finish household tasks that they don’t enjoy?

5. Why does sharing housework strengthen family bonds?

Work in pairs. Discuss the question.

What benefits do you think you can get from sharing housework?

Từ vựng

1. responsibility /rɪˌspɒnsəˈbɪləti/ (n): trách nhiệm
 eg: She is no longer able to fulfil her responsibilities.

2. life skills (n): kỹ năng sống
 eg: My school teaches real life skills.

3. develop /dɪˈveləp/ (v): phát triển
 eg: Some children develop more slowly than others.

4. gratitude /ˈɡrætɪtjuːd/ (n): lòng biết ơn
 eg: I would like to express my gratitude to everyone for their hard work.

5. appreciate /əˈpriːʃieɪt/ (v): đánh giá cao, đề cao
 eg: We really appreciate the extra effort you’re making.

6. strengthen /ˈstreŋkθn/ (v): tăng cường
 eg: The experience of bereavement can strengthen family ties.

7. bond /bɒnd/ (n): sự gắn kết
 eg: The students formed strong bonds with each other.

8. benefit /ˈbenɪfɪt/ (n): lợi ích
 eg: I’ve had the benefit of a good family.

9. character /ˈkærəktə(r)/ (n): tính cách
 eg: Generosity is part of the American character.

10. encourage /ɪnˈkʌrɪdʒ/ (v): khuyến khích
 eg: My parents have always encouraged me in my choice of career.

Speaking

Below are reasons why children should or shouldn’t do housework. Put them in the correct column. Add some more if you can.

Should

Shouldn’t

1. Doing housework helps them develop life skills.

2. Doing housework teaches them to take responsibilities.

3. Kids should be given plenty of playtime when they are young.

4. They may break or damage things when doing housework.

5. Doing housework helps strengthen family bond.

6. They need more time to study and do homework.

Work in pairs. Complete the conversation between Anna, Nam, and Minh using some ideas from 1. Then listen to the conversation and check your answer.

Anna: Nam, why do you think children should do housework?

Nam:   Because 1) ___________.

Anna: It’s true. Life skills such as cooking, cleaning or taking care of others are       really necessary for kids when they grow up.

Nam:   Yes, we should all have these basic life skills to be adults.

Anna: Now Minh, why do you think children shouldn’t do housework?

Minh: I think kids are kids. 2) ___________.

Nam:   I don’t agree with you. I’m afraid too much playtime isn’t good for children.

Anna: Well, thank you both for sharing your ideas. They are very useful for my      project.

Work in groups. Have similar conversations exchanging opinions about whether children should or shouldn’t do housework. You can use the ideas from 1 and the reading text.

Từ vựng

1. develop /dɪˈveləp/ (v): phát triển
 eg: The child is developing normally.

2. playtime /ˈpleɪtaɪm/ (n): thời gian chơi đùa
 eg: The children always go outside at playtime.

3. damage /ˈdæmɪdʒ/ (v): phá hủy
 eg: Smoking seriously damages your health.

4. strengthen /ˈstreŋkθn/ (v): tăng cường
 eg: The measures should help create jobs and strengthen the economy.

5. basic /ˈbeɪsɪk/ (adj): cơ bản
 eg: I’m going to ask you a few basic questions.

6. necessary /ˈnesəsəri/ (adj): cần thiết
 eg: Food is necessary for survival.

Listening

Work in pairs. Look at the picture and answer the questions.

1. What can you see in the picture?

2. What do you think the students is talking about?

Listen to the introduction to the talk show and check whether your answer to Question 2 above is correct or not.

Listen to the talk show and decide whether the statements are true (T) or false (F).

1. There are three people in Hieu’s family.       ___

2. Hieu’s parents teach him physics.       ___

3. When Hieu needs help, his brother always helps him.       ___

4. Hieu’s family routines help them spend some time together every week.       ___

Listen again and complete each sentence with ONE word from the recording.

1. Hieu’s parents always listen to him and cheer him up whenever he has ________.

2. His parents’ _________ and trust give him strength to carry on.

3. Hieu’s brother is his best friend. He shares his happy and __________ moments       with him.

Work in groups. Discuss the following question.

How can parents help their children achieve success in their studies?

Từ vựng

1. routine /ruːˈtiːn/ (n): sinh hoạt thường ngày
 eg: Hieu’s family routines help them spend some time together every week.

2. cheer someone up /tʃɪə(r) ˈsʌmwʌn ʌp/ (v.phr): cổ vũ
 eg: My parents always listen to me and cheer me up whenever I have problems.

3. trust /trʌst/ (n): niềm tin
 eg: His parents’ love and trust give him strength to carry on.

4. carry on (phr.v): tiếp tục
 eg: Carry on with your work while I’m away.

5. achieve success /əˈtʃiːv səkˈses/ (v.phr): đạt thành tựu
 eg: How can parents help their children achieve success in their studies?

Writing

Work in groups. Which of the following activities in the pictures do you think can be family routines?

Read Joey’s email about his family routines and complete the table with the information from it.

To: dong@webmail.com

Subject: My family routines

Hi Dong,

How are you getting on? In your last email you asked me about my family routines. Well, we have quite a few routines to help us learn life skills and build family bonds, but I’ll tell you about three main ones.

First, my family always have dinner together. Dinners are important for us since we share our daily experiences and talk about the latest news. Second, we watch our favorite game show on TV together every Friday evening. We discuss the questions and guess the answers. It’s great fun every time we get a correct answer. Third, once every two weeks, on Saturday we clean the house together. We make a list of all the chores. Each of us then chooses one or two household tasks according to personal choice. We all feel happy and proud when we see our home spotlessly clean at the end of the day.

Do you have similar family routines? I’d be interested to know about your family.

Please write back soon.

Best,

Joey

Complete the email about Dong’s family routines using the information in the box.

To: joey@webmail.com

Subject: My family routines

Hi Joey,

How are you? We’re all doing fine here. You asked me about my family routines. Well, we have a number of routines to help us learn life skills as well as build family bonds. Here are three main ones.

………………………………………..

………………………………………..

………………………………………..

What do you think about my family routines?

Please, write back soon and let me know.

Best wishes,

Dong

Từ vựng

1. have a picnic (v.p): đi dã ngoại
 eg: We had a picnic beside the river.

2. routine /ruːˈtiːn/ (n): hoạt động hàng ngày
 eg: Make exercise a part of your daily routine.

3. chore /tʃɔː(r)/ (n): việc lặt vặt
 eg: I always help my mother with the household chores when I have free time.

4. correct /kəˈrekt/ (v): sửa lại cho đúng
 eg: Read through your work and correct any mistakes that you find.

5. spotless /ˈspɒtləs/ (adj): không tì vết
 eg: She keeps the house spotless.

Communication and Culture / CLIL

Everyday English

a. Listen and complete the conversation with the expressions in the box. Then practice it in groups of three.

Anna: Do you guys think that teenagers should do housework?

Minh: Yes, 1) __________ teenagers as well as other members of the family should share the housework.

Anna:  Do you mean everybody in the family has to help with the housework?

Minh:  That’s right. 2) __________ doing household chores together helps build family bonds.

Tu: Well, 3) __________. Teenagers should spend all their time studying instead of doing housework. They’ll need good grades to get into top universities.

A. I strongly believe that

B. I’m not sure about that

C. I have no doubt that

b. Work in groups. Have similar conversations exchanging opinions about whether family members should spend time together.

Useful expressions

Strong opinion

– I strongly believe that …

– I’m sure that …

– I have no doubt that …

Neutral opinion

– In my opinion …

– To my mind …

– I suppose that …

Culture

a. Read the text and list the five family values of British people in the 21st century in the table below.

BRITISH FAMILY VALUES

Family values are ideas about how people want to live their family life and are passed on from parents to children. Strong family values can prepare children for a happy life. Results of a recent survey in the UK show that even though modern family life has changed greatly, a number of traditional family values are still important in the UK nowadays.

On top of the list are the values of being truthful and honest, and respecting older people. Children are taught to tell the truth from an early age. They learn to show respect to older people, who have a wealth of life experiences. Having good table manners is the third important family value. Coming fourth and fifth on the list are the values of remembering to say please and thank you, and helping with family chores respectively.

It is clear that in the 21st century, British people still follow some traditional family values.

Traditional British family values

1. ______________________________________________

2. ______________________________________________

3. ______________________________________________

4. ______________________________________________

5. ______________________________________________

b. Work in pairs. Discuss whether Vietnamese people have similar family values.

Từ vựng

1. value /ˈvæljuː/ (n): giá trị
    eg: The young have a completely different set of values and expectations.

2. traditional /trəˈdɪʃənl/ (adj): truyền thống
 eg: Their marriage is very traditional.

3. pass on /pɑːs ɒn/ (v): lưu truyền
 eg: Family rules are passed on from parents to children.

4. survey /ˈsɜːveɪ/ (n): cuộc khảo sát
 eg: The results of the survey come as no surprise to us.

5. truthful /ˈtruːθfl/ (adj): trung thực
 eg: To be quite truthful with you, I’m not very keen on this color.

6. honest /ˈɒnɪst/ (adj): thành thật, chân thành
 eg: He gave an honest answer to a difficult question.

7. respect /rɪˈspekt/ (v): tôn trọng
 eg: She had always been honest with me, and I respect her for that.

8. respectively /rɪˈspektɪvli/ (adv): lần lượt
 eg: My children, ages 4 and 6, respectively, are very good at playing tennis.

9. table manner /ˈteɪbl ˈmænə(r)/ (n): quy tắc ứng xử trên bàn ăn
 eg: There are so many rules about proper table manners to learn.

Looking back

Pronunciation

Listen and write /br/, /kr/ or /tr/ above the word that has the corresponding consonant blends. Then practice reading the sentences.

1. I like ice cream, but my brother likes bread pudding.

2. Tracy crashed her car into a tree and broke her leg.

3. They often have crab soup for breakfast.

Vocabulary

Complete the text. Use the correct forms of the word and phrases in the box.

In Thanh’s family, everybody shares the housework. His mother 1) ______. Thanh really enjoys the food she cooks. Thanh’s father is a strong man, so he 2) ______. Thanh helps with the 3) ______. He feels proud that he knows how to run a washing machine. Thanh’s sister helps with 4) ______. She does it regularly, so their house is never dirty. She also 5) ______ after each meal.

Grammar

There is a mistake in each sentence below. Find the mistake and correct it.

1. I’m writing to you to tell you how much I’m wanting to see you.

2. Jack is away on business, so now I look after his dog.

3. Nam’s often looking untidy.

4. She can’t answer the phone now. She cooks dinner.

5. Excuse me, do you read the newspaper? Could I borrow it?

6. What are your family doing in the evenings?

Từ vựng

1. run a washing machine /rʌn ə ˈwɒʃɪŋ məʃiːn/ (v.phr): vận hành máy giặt
 eg: He feels proud that he knows how to run a washing machine.

2. regularly /ˈreɡjələli/ (adv): một cách thường xuyên
 eg: Thanh cleans the house regularly, so it is never dirty.

3. be away on business /bi əˈweɪ ɒn ˈbɪznəs/ (phrase): đi công tác xa
 eg: Jack is away on business, so now I am looking after his dog.

Project

Work in groups. Do a research on Family Day in Viet Nam or other countries in the world. Present your findings to the class. Your presentation should include:

where it is celebrated 

when it is celebrated 

when it was first celebrated 

why it is celebrated 

what people often do to celebrate the day