Read the
article and put the following headings that summarize each paragraph in the
correct order.

a) Modern families

b) What we mean when we talk about family

c) The way families lived in the past

FAMILY

When British and American
people use the word family ___________1  the mother father and their children. In
a general social context, ‘the family’ is usually _____________2
mean this nuclear family.

Society in Britain and the
US _____________3 a nuclear family living in the same house and
_____________4 each other’s lives. Fifty years ago, the
typical family was a husband and a wife, and two or three children. The father
spent all day at work and ___________5 decisions about how the money
he earned was spent. The mother stayed at home to manage the house and look
after children. Children were _______________6 their parents.

Many modern families live
rather differently, and because of this some people think that the family unit
is dying and society _____________7. Many couples still get married,
but others live together without _____________8. A few years ago,
couples living together usually got married when __________9 a
family, but this happens less now. Another trend is ________________10 married
later in life and to have fewer children, so the size of the average family is
shrinking.

Read the article again and choose the best phrase to fill in gaps 1-10 to
complete the text. There’s one phrase you won’t need to use.

a)
taken to                                          g)
made most of the

b)
closely involved in                         h)
which normally consists of

c)
getting married                                           I
they wanted to start

d)
they often mean only                                 j)
expected to obey

e)
is being weakened                          k)
is traditionally based on

f)
for people to get

Read the article again and answer the questions.

1.
What is ‘nuclear family’?

2.
How did the father spend a typical day 50 years ago?

3.
How did the mother spend a typical day 50 years ago?

4.
Why are some people worried about society today?

5.
Do couples that live together always get married?

6.
Are modern families normally larger or smaller than fifty years ago?