INTERVIEW WITH VICTOR AND SAMIRA: The influence of peers

Here are some words and phrases from the interview with Victor and Samira printed in bold and given in the context in which you will hear them. They are followed by definitions.

Do you ever change your mind: change your opinion Site said it’s a waste of money: not worth the money I am jusL jealous: unhappy and slightly angiy because you want what someone else has loads of people: a lot of

the people you hang out with: spend time with You can’t conform all the time: do what everyone else is doing You’re in the same boat: in the same situation

LISTENING FOR SPECIFIC INFORMATION

1 Read the following questions before you listen to the interview with Victor and Samira.

1 How old is Victor?

2 Does Victor think he is influenced by his friends? Explain your answer.

3 What does Victor want to get and why?

4 How does Victor’s mom feel about what he wants?

5 What is Victor going to do about the situation?

6 What grade is Samira in?

7 Does Samira agree that her peers influence her a lot? Explain your answer.

8 Who influences Samira more – her friends or her parents? Why?

2 Now listen to the interview. Write short answers for the questions in step 1.

З I Compare your answers with a partner and then with the class.

AFTER THE INTERVIEWS

PERSONALIZING THE TOPIC

Discuss the following questions with a partner and then share your ideas with the class.

When you were an adolescent. . .

1 Did your family try to influence the clothes you wore?

2 Did you ever have friends lhal your family did not like?

3 What time did you have to be back home in the evening?

4 Were you allowed to date?

5 Did you spend a lot of time alone?

6 Did your family have strict rules about what you couldn’t do?

EXAMINING GRAPHIC MATERIAL

A lot of information that you find on a topic is presented in graphic form, so it is important to practice reading and analyzing graphs and charts.

One of the reasons that parents worry about adolescent peer pressure is that teenagers may start to experiment with alcohol, tobacco, and drugs. Look at the following chart and then discuss the questions below with the class.

1 Describe the information in the chart. Does any of the data surprise you?

2 What do you think would be different in a chart about teenage drug abuse in your community?