Last Sunday, after leaving school, Li Ping went home feeling extremely tired. He wanted to have a good rest and relax. When his parents said hello to him, he was so impatient that he didn't say anything and went straight to his own bedroom. Though his parents were very confused, they didn't ask him why and continued with the cooking. After a while, loud music came from Li Ping's bedroom. His mother was very angry and she rushed into his room.

2. Now please talk about each picture as fully as possible in groups of four and share your opinions with your partners. Better not let go the chance to speakJ. I will invite some of you to report back your descriptions.

3. Do you think there is a generation gap between you and your parents? Does the generation gap really exist? How do you overcome the gap?

Sample answers

A. Yes, sometimes my parents try and interfere in my life and make my decisions for me. My parents want me to be a lawyer, but I want to be a writer or a journalist. We argue a lot about what subjects I should study at university and which job I should get. I spend much of my time working on the school newspaper, but my parents say I should concentrate first on my subjects and forget about extra-curricular activities. They think if I waste my time on these activities, I won't get good enough grades to attend a good university.

They also try to control my home life a lot. My mother is always asking me to help with the cooking and keep my room clean, but I just want to relax and listen to music or chat to my friends on the Internet. My father wants me to take extra maths lessons at the weekend, but I think I need time to have fun with friends as well as study.

B. My parents want to control my life too. We argue about my grades and study almost every day. Whenever I feel angry with my parents, I talk it over with my best friend. I don't expect that she will have a better solution to the problem than me, but I can express my inner feelings to her better than to my parents. Unlike my parents, who shout at me and say I am wrong and bad for not wanting the same things as them, my friend understands completely what I am feeling. We have the same dreams and ambition.

C. My parents don't trust me at all. They always think I am out having fun with my friends, not studying. I often meet my friends after school to research projects and do homework. We do have fun, but we still do lots of work. Sometimes I am late home and my father always asks me lots of questions about where I have been and who I met. They think I am playing games in the Internet cafe or out shopping for clothes or CDs. I tell them I am studying but they just don't believe me. We often argue and they call me a bad child and say I am disobedient and don't respect them. I try to be a good child, but sometimes when I am tired or in a bad mood, I am not very polite to my parents, I sometimes stay quiet and don't answer their questions and don't do the things they ask me to, like helping around or going to bed on time, but I think sometimes they just don't understand me.