работа с аутентичным газетным материалом на уроках английского языка
методическая разработка по английскому языку по теме

Teen Pregnancy A Global Tragedy

Millions of girls face the challenge of raising infants by themselves. Is it possible for them to succeed? How can young ones best be helped to avoid this problem?

Mothers too soon

"My boyfriend was a cute guy. He had money, and we could go places and have fun. When I missed my period, I realized something was wrong. How was I to tell my mom? How could this happen to me? I was only 16 years old, and I didn’t know what to do." -Nicole. Today Nicole, in her mid-30's, is a confident, energetic mother of three. Her oldest child is 20 years of age. Yes, years ago she was one among millions of unmarried pregnant teens. Like other teenage mothers, she found herself lost in a morass of formidable challenges, tough deci sions, and uncertain prospects. Nicole does not often talk about the shock, the denial, the fear, the an ger, and the despair that marked her late teenage years — a time when her peers worried about their clothes and school grades. Nevertheless, Nicole's situation was not hopeless. She came from a loving family that had tried to instill7 high moral princi ples in her. Although for a while she chose to disregard8 those principles — and paid the consequences — lat er on, those same values led her to a productive and meaningful life. "Not all hope is lost" became her motto. Unfortunately, not every teenage mother has a supportive family — or such an optimistic outlook. Many quickly find themselves trapped in a seemingly hopeless state of poverty. Some must deal with the emotional aftermath of rape and violence. None of this bodes13 well for the chil dren of teen mothers. Says the book Teen Moms — The Pain and the Promise, babies of teen mothers "tend to have lower birth weight, more childhood illnesses, more infant mor tality, poorer medical care, suffer more from hunger and malnourish-ment15; they are exposed to more vio lence, and have more delayed development than children born to older mothers." Indeed, daughters of teen mothers are more likely to be come teen moms themselves than are children born to older mothers. How widespread is teen pregnancy? How can teenage mothers successful ly face the challenges of raising their infants? Is there any way to help young ones avoid falling into such dire straits16 in the first place?

Teen pregnancy has been called an epidemic. However, the tragic proportions of this problem are best seen when the impact of a pregnancy upon one frightened teenage girl is considered. At the very least, she will experience drastic17 changes in her life that will deeply impact not only herself but also her family and loved ones. It would be simplistic18 to consider teen pregnancy to be merely an issue of contraception. The evidence indi cates that teen pregnancy involves a number of complex social and emo tional issues.

Contributing Factors

Research shows that many teen mothers come from broken homes. "My whole life all I have ever wanted was a real family" is the recurrent cry of many pregnant teens. Evident ly, then, dysfunctional families may set the stage for teen pregnancy. An outreach program that assists teen mothers found that they often have "volatile relationships with their mothers and no relationships with their fathers." Anita, who became a mother at the age of 18, remembers that although her single mother worked hard to provide for her mate rially, Anita still felt the emotional void created by the absence of her father. Other girls become unwed mothers as a direct result of rape. For some of them, the trauma seems to trigger emotional pain that may become manifest later in destructive conduct. Jasmine, for example, was raped at age 15. "After that," she remembers, "I became self-destructive. When I was 19, I got pregnant." Sexual abuse may also trigger feelings of worthlessness. "I never felt worthy of anything," laments Jasmine. Anita went through a similar ordeal23: "Be tween the ages of 7 and 11,1 was molested by a teenager. I hated my self. I blamed myself." She became pregnant at the age of 17. On the other hand, some youths are the victims of their own overconfidence and curiosity. Nicole, quoted above, admits: "I thought that I had all the answers, that I was capable of doing any thing. Unfortunately, I was also capable of having a baby." Carol, who likewise became an unwed mother at an early age, experimented with sex because of curiosity. She says, "I felt there were things out there that I was missing." Ignorance of the consequences of sexual activity also plays a role. In Britain, according to sociologists Karen Rowling son and Stephen McK ay, some young people "lack accurate knowledge about... what to expect in relationships and what it means to get pregnant." Some youths seemingly do not grasp24 the connection between sex and pregnancy. In one survey, teen mothers "often reported being shocked or surprised to find they were pregnant even if they had not been using contraception." Nevertheless, it is the changing atti tudes toward sex that have had the biggest influence on teen pregnancy. Australian researchers Ailsa Burns and Cath Scott say there has been a reduction in social, religious, and economic sanctions against sex out side of marriage." Having an out-of-wedlock child may no longer carry the same stigma that it did in times past. Why, in some areas teenagers may even view having a baby as some sort of trophy or status symbol!

Emotional Aftermath

The realities of teen motherhood are quite different from youthful fantasies. Upon learning that they are pregnant, girls often experience a storm of emo tions. Many admit feeling shocked or stunned. "Common reactions in clude anger, guilt, and denial," says the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Denial can be dangerous, though, as it may prevent a girl from pursuing needed medical treatment.

"I got scared," recalls Elvenia of the moment she came face-to-face with the results of her "adventure" with sex. Many pregnant girls do not have someone to confide in or are too ashamed to talk about their situation. Not surprisingly, then, some become overwhelmed by guilt and fear. Many pregnant teens also suffer severe de pression. "I didn't particularly care about living, and I didn’t care if I died," says Jasmine. 

1. Match the following

1. A baby, clever, a fellow, to understand, assured, to vaccinate, an ache, a marsh, huge, hard, the death, a question, the emptiness, to complain, a test, a result, research, a shame, afraid, to seize.
2. An infant, , scared, to grasp, formidable, an issue, the void, to lament, an ordeal, a consequence, survey, a stigma, to overwhelm ,tough, to instill, the pain, mortality, cute, confident, morass, a guy.

2. Make up the nouns, translate them and explain. 

For example: illness – it is a health problem which you are suffering from, which makes you feel ill.

                           Ill , worthless, blind, deaf                    

3. Prove that:

1. Nicole’s situation was not hopeless.
2. Teen’s pregnancy has been called an epidemic.
3. Many teen mothers come from broken homes.
4. Sometimes overconfidence and curiosity are the reasons for pregnancy.
5. Many pregnant teens suffer severe depression.
6. Children of teen mothers are more likely to be born unwell.

4. Match the following, find the word combinations in the text, translate the sentences

pregnant                                 child

an outreach                            void

emotional                               program

result                                     accurate knowledge

lack                                        of rape

an out-of- wedlock                teens

5. Change the underlined words

1. Four of ten girls become pregnant before age 20 every year.
2. Sorry to say ,not every teenage mother has a supportive family.
3. In fact, daughters of teen mothers are more likely to become teen moms themselves.
4. Still, the tragic proportions of this problem are seen very well.
5. Approximately 80 percent of fathers do not marry the teen moms of their children.
6. In spite of it, it is the changing attitudes toward sex that have had the biggest influence on the pregnancy.

Nevertheless, annually, nearly, however, indeed, unfortunately

     6. Does the problem of teen’s pregnancy exist in our country, our town, our college? What is your attitude to this problem?