Episode 99

EPISODE 99
LEVEL A1.2/ A2.1

READING COMPREHENSION 

 

AGE

‘How old are you?’ It’s a simple question and there is usually a simple answer: ‘ten years old’, ‘twenty three years old’, ‘forty four years old’. But when does a young person become middle aged (= no longer young but not yet old), and when should you start calling a person old? Age is not a problem when you are a baby or a child, but once you become an adult (= someone who is no longer a child and is legally responsible for their actions) the issue becomes more important. 

There is a saying that old age is always ten years older than you. If you are a teenager (= a person between the ages of 13 and 19) you probably think that someone in their late twenties (= 26-29 years old) is old. If you are thirty you might think that a person who is over fifty is elderly (= old) and a person who is thirty five is still in their youth (= s/he is still young). Maybe it is better to believe those who claim that age is rather a state of mind and that it does not matter how old you really are if you feel young at heart.

 

More contexts for the new words: 

• Her father has aged dramatically since she last saw him (= has become older)
• The Polish Parliament is planning to raise the retirement age to 67 (= the age at which you can stop working)

 

EXERCISE 1 

Decide if the following sentences are true or false:

1. Elderly is the same as old.
2. If you are in your late thirties you will turn forty soon.
3. A teenager is a person between 10 and 12.
4. In Poland you legally become an adult when you are 18 years old.
5. A middle aged person is someone who is 20 years old.
6. If a person ages they become younger.

 

EXERCISE 2 

Match the question halves. Then answer the questions.

1. Should retirement
2. Do you think nowadays people age
3. In your opinion, how old is

 

a) sooner or later than in the past ?
b) middle-aged?
c) age be different for men and for women? 

 

ENGLISH IN USE  

In this lesson we are going to discuss the difference between 0 and 1st conditional.

If I am late for work, my boss gets angry.
If I am late for work, my boss will get angry.

As you can see the grammar structures in these two sentences look as follows:

0 CONDITIONAL = IF + PRESENT SIMPLE, PRESENT SIMPLE
1ST CONDITIONAL = IF = PRESENT SIMPLE, WILL + INFINITIVE

When we talk about the difference in meaning, 0 Conditional describes a general condition, so it is used to talk about things that usually happen.

If I am late for work, my boss gets angry.

This sentence means that always when I am late for work my boss gets angry.

 

1st conditional describes a possible situation in the future.

If I am late for work, my boss will get angry.

This sentence means that if in the future I am late fork, my boss will get angry.

 

IDIOM CLOSE-UP

Of all the kids who COME OF AGE this year how many will actually vote?

If you come of age you reach the age when you are officially an adult.

 

PHRASAL VERBS CLOSE-UP

1. When you GROW UP you change from being a baby or a young child to being an adult or an older child.
   She’s really starting to grow up now.
2. When you GET ON you grow older.
   My dad is getting on a bit now.

 

EXERCISE 3 

Complete the sentences with correct prepositions:

1. All the children have grown ………….. and the parents are left with a lot of debts.
2. Aunt Mary is getting ………….. in years, isn’t she?
3. All children think that the life of an adult person is fantastic and they would like to come ………. age as soon as possible.

 

NEWS

DIE OR RETIRE?

Workers may soon see a major change in the length of their working lives. An American expert on society and work said yesterday that the age at which people retire might one day be 85 instead of 65. This means the idea of early retirement may disappear completely. The reason for that is that modern medicine and technology will mean people will live to be much older than now and economies would not be able to support so many retired people.

It is believed that most people living in today’s industrialized societies will live to be 100. Once scientists unlock the key to the gene that makes us age, society will change dramatically. It is probable that many workers will discover their pension companies do not have enough money to fund their retirement. This means that dreams of early retirement will remain just dreams.

 

GLOSSARY 

• major – important, serious
• length – how long something is
• support – give money to sb
• unlock – to open sth
• fund – give money for sth that costs a lot

 

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