2Mental and physical development

VOCAB

• acquired : learned (a skill)
• imitating : copying people
• unassisted / without support : without help
• spontaneously : in a natural, unforced way
• mastered : developed a skill to a high level
• stage / period : phase

Read this text about development in adolescence. Then complete the folowing sentences with words from the text.

The final stage before adulthood is adolescence. This is a period of ==transition== for teenagers and there are many crucial milestones. Socially and emotionally, teens worry that they may not be developing at the same rate as their ==peers==. They become extremely self-conscious and ==may== be overly sensitive about their appearance. Teens ==may== rebel against their parents but are also more able to accept the ==consequences== of their actions.

This is also a ==period== of enormous physical change and adolescents experience changes in their physical development at a rate ==unparalleled== since infancy. These changes include significant gains in height and weight. Within a year, boys and girls can gain an average of 4.1 inches and 3.5 inches in height respectively. This growth spurt ==typically== occurs two years earlier for girls than for boys and can tend to make both sexes go through a clumsy phase. In terms of their cognitive development, adolescents have greater reasoning skills and have developed the ability to think logically and hypothetically. They are also able to discuss more abstract concepts. They should also have developed strategies to help them study.

1. First-year students often struggle with the transition from high school to university.
2. The rate at which a change occurs can cause problems for both the very young and the elderly.
3. It can be less stressful to make a presentation to your peers rather than to your teachers.
4. The increase in violence among young people may be a consequence of watching too much violence on TV and in video games.
5. Petrol prices are increasing at a speed that is unparalleled since the oil crisis of the 70s.
6. Teenagers may/typically rebel against their parents between the ages of 14 and 16.
7. In part three of the speaking test you are expected to be able to talk about more abstract topics.
8. Infinity is a very difficult concept for children to grasp.

Childhood / Parenthood

Talk about time

1. The period of greatest stability occurred between 1985 and 1990.
2. The greatest period of growth was in 2004.
3. The figures grew from 2,500 to 6,000 in 2007.
4. The company gained an extra 2,000 employees in 2002.
5. Sales increased at a significant rate between 2001 and 2005.
6. The number of migrants rose significantly from 1980 to 2000.

THE MIND

• keep an open mind : try not to judge before you know the facts
• bear in mind : remember
• have something in mind : have an idea
• have something on your mind : be worried about something
• my mind went blank : I couldn't remember a thing
• it slipped my mind : I forgot
• put your mind at ease : stop you from worrying
• broaden the mind : increase your knowledge

Memory → remember, memory, remind, reminisce, look back, remind, forget, reminder

CORRECT THE VOCAB

1. I will always ~~memory~~ how beautiful the sunset was on that day. remember
2. I have very fond ~~reminders~~ of my school days. memories
3. Could you ~~remember~~ me to buy some bread on the way home? remind
4. At school we always had to ~~memory~~ long lists of vocabulary. memorise
5. I ~~remind~~ how happy our childhood was. remember