Growing Up Unhappy?

In recent years evidence has been collected which suggests that the proportion of British children & teenagers who are unhappy is higher than in many other developed countries. For example, a recently published report set out to measure “well-being” among young people in nineteen European countries, plus the United States & Canada, & found that the United Kingdom came bottom.

The report was based on official statistics & surveys in which young people answered questions on a wide range of subjects. With regard to “material well-being” it concluded that when comparing developed countries, there is no clear relationship between GDP (gross domestic product) per head & happiness, but that economic inequality within those countries is linked with unhappiness. The United Kingdom is a relatively unequal country with a relatively high proportion of children & teenagers living in households with less than half the national average income, & this seems to have a negative effect on how they feel about themselves.

Young British people also seem to have less healthy family & poor relationships. The report found that relatively few British fifteen-year-olds sit down with their parents to regularly share the main meal of the day – an event seen by the researchers as an indicator of family togetherness. More worrying was the fact that fewer than half of British eleven-, thirteen- & fifteen-year-olds said they generally found their peers “kind & helpful (compared with more than 70% in most of the countries near the top of the well-being table) & that almost 40% said they had been bullied by other young people in the previous two months. As for “risk behaviours”, the report suggested that in Britain a higher proportion of fifteen-year-olds have been drunk on alcohol, smoked cigarettes & taken illegal drugs than in most other developed countries.

More recently, another study has produced similar findings, concluding that young people’s lives in Britain have become ‘more difficult than in the past” & that more of them are anxious & troubled”. This report blames factors such as family breakdown, too much competition in education, income inequality, & even the construction of houses & other buildings in open spaces where children used to play. Its authors also argued that what lies behind most of these things, directly or indirectly, is an individualistic society in which adults are too concerned with their own objectives & insufficiently concerned with looking after others, including children.

 

1. How many countries are featured in the first report?

A Nineteen B Twenty C Twenty-one D Twenty-three

2. The first report showed that young people in the richest developed countries _____ in other developed countries.

A were less happy than their peers B were much happier than their peers C were as happy as their peers D were a great deal happier than their peers

3. Fewer than half of British children found their companions _____ A willing to help. B good & loyal. C handy & friendly. D friendly & honest.

4. The second report concluded that the lives of young people in Britain used to be _____.

A more difficult. B much poorer. C easier. D more interesting.

5. The second report suggests British society is too _____.

A unique. B typical. C distinguishing. D egocentric.

 

25. Read the text below. Match choices (A-H) to (1-5). There are three choices you do not need to choose.

1 () Finland

The outdoors & physical fitness are important to the Finns, who have a wide range of activities,

including walking, fishing (& ice fishing), camping, skiing, track & field, basketball, ice hockey,

& boating. Golf is gaining in popularity; some people play it even on the ice in winter. The sauna is

a traditional way to relax & socialize for people of all ages. During a retreat to a summer cottage,

a popular is to run from a hot sauna for a swim in a cold, clear lake nearby.

2 () Indonesia

Badminton & soccer are the most popular sports in Indonesia, & many people play volleyball

& tennis. Shadow-puppet theatre is a traditional art, & performances are particularly common in

rural areas & on special occasions. Others recreational activities include watching television & going

to the cinema. Censorship is strict.

3 () The Philippines

People spend their leisure time socializing with relatives & neighbours or watching films; the

Philippines is the world’s fourth largest producer of films, a number of which have a strong religious

theme. In the cities, video cassette recorder ownership has grown considerably among the middle

class, & video rental stores are common. Sundays are big days for sports, basketball, baseball,

& soccer are all played. Pilipinos are keen gamblers which accounts for the popularity of horse races

& cockfights, & playing mah-jongg, a Chinese table game played with tiles.

4 () Italy

An evening or Sunday afternoon stroll around the town is a well-established tradition in both rural

& urban areas. On Sundays many Italians go to the countryside, or to a sports event. In summer,

crowds flock to the beach. Discotheques are popular among unmarried young people, particularly on

Saturday nights. Soccer is by far the most popular sport. Bicycling, auto racing, skiing, & tennis are also

are also popular. Recently, basketball has attracted a large Italian following.

5 () Mongolia

Mongolian wrestling, horse racing, & archery are the most popular sports. The annual wrestling

championships are enthusiastically followed throughout the country. Boxing, soccer, volleyball,

basketball, & table tennis are also enjoyed. Leisure activities include visiting family & friends, watching

television, going to the movies, & especially in summer, making outings to the countryside. Sunday is a

favourite day for picnics, & some people own small summer cabins in the hills around the capital.

 

In this country _________

A people like walking in the evening.

B people are fond of shows.

C people like swimming in cold water.

D people breed horses for sports.

E people love windsurfing.

F people are fond of gambling.

G people never spend time outdoors.

H people prefer fitness to skiing.