78 Read the first part of Mike's story. Then in pairs discuss what will happen next.
Part 1
My father comes home from work and I hear the sound of a slamming door. I know it is 4 pm. In an hour or so all other members of my family will be back home and the sound of the door will become a wailing siren in my brain and will warn me of their return. I’m waiting for more conflicts to happen in the evening. It is very likely that my parents and I will find something to fight about tonight again. What can I do about this? I decide to get into my own room, shut the door and find some serenity there.
Soon the house is full of the sounds of several televisions, the radio in my sister’s room next door and the yells of my youngest sister. The only thing I ask for is a moment of peace. Is it too much? I can’t believe that it is too difficult for them to calm down for some time. Evidently so.
Then, I hear the first knock on my door but knock is not the correct word here. They are the bangs, the mini-explosions that cause the bookshelves tremble and the window glass rattle. It is a real torture: all these comments about my room, calls for help from the sisters and orders to do something from the parents. Just leave me alone!
I know that tension has become part of my relationship with my parents and their demands increase it. I try to ignore the irritation, calm down and relax. But I fail completely. We go on quarrelling until dinner, and then...
It's 4 p.m. The sound of a slamming door indicates my father’s home from work. Within 30 minutes the remaining four members of my family come home and the sound of that door becomes a wailing siren warning me of their approach. What conflicts will happen this afternoon? What can my parents and I possibly find to fight about tonight? I walk into my room and shut the door, hoping to find serenity there.
The silence is replaced with the sounds of multiple televi¬sions, the noise from a radio in my sisters room next door and the continuous yells of my youngest sister. Is it too much to ask for a moment of peace? Would it be entirely too difficult for everyone to calm down once in a while? Apparently so.
Within a few minutes, I hear the first knock on my door. Actually, "knock" is not the correct word. The "bangs" on my door are mini-explosions that make the window rattle and my shelves shake. And so the torture begins; from this point on, I am met with critical comments about my room, requests for full attention from my sisters and non-stop demands to do this, that and the other. Could everyone just leave me alone?
Each demand increases the tension that has, in recent years, become a permanent part of my relationship with my parents. I try to calm down. I try to relax and ignore the irritation. I try, but fail miserably. So we quarrel until
dinner, and then...
(From Teenlnk magazine)
Part 1
My father comes home from work and I hear the sound of a slamming door. I know it is 4 pm. In an hour or so all other members of my family will be back home and the sound of the door will become a wailing siren in my brain and will warn me of their return. I’m waiting for more conflicts to happen in the evening. It is very likely that my parents and I will find something to fight about tonight again. What can I do about this? I decide to get into my own room, shut the door and find some serenity there.
Soon the house is full of the sounds of several televisions, the radio in my sister’s room next door and the yells of my youngest sister. The only thing I ask for is a moment of peace. Is it too much? I can’t believe that it is too difficult for them to calm down for some time. Evidently so.
Then, I hear the first knock on my door but knock is not the correct word here. They are the bangs, the mini-explosions that cause the bookshelves tremble and the window glass rattle. It is a real torture: all these comments about my room, calls for help from the sisters and orders to do something from the parents. Just leave me alone!
I know that tension has become part of my relationship with my parents and their demands increase it. I try to ignore the irritation, calm down and relax. But I fail completely. We go on quarrelling until dinner, and then...
It's 4 p.m. The sound of a slamming door indicates my father’s home from work. Within 30 minutes the remaining four members of my family come home and the sound of that door becomes a wailing siren warning me of their approach. What conflicts will happen this afternoon? What can my parents and I possibly find to fight about tonight? I walk into my room and shut the door, hoping to find serenity there.
The silence is replaced with the sounds of multiple televi¬sions, the noise from a radio in my sisters room next door and the continuous yells of my youngest sister. Is it too much to ask for a moment of peace? Would it be entirely too difficult for everyone to calm down once in a while? Apparently so.
Within a few minutes, I hear the first knock on my door. Actually, "knock" is not the correct word. The "bangs" on my door are mini-explosions that make the window rattle and my shelves shake. And so the torture begins; from this point on, I am met with critical comments about my room, requests for full attention from my sisters and non-stop demands to do this, that and the other. Could everyone just leave me alone?
Each demand increases the tension that has, in recent years, become a permanent part of my relationship with my parents. I try to calm down. I try to relax and ignore the irritation. I try, but fail miserably. So we quarrel until
dinner, and then...
(From Teenlnk magazine)