A First Look

A. Background Building

1. Look at the illustration on the previous page and answer the ques­tions below.

a. What are these two people doing?

b. Do you think that they are on vacation? с How old do you think they are?

d. "Retire" means to stop working when you are old. What do you think a "retirement city" is?

2. Complete these sentences about your culture.

a. People usually retire when they are____________

b. After retirement, they spend their time__________________ ing

(verb)

B. Topic

DIRECTIONS: Before you begin to read, look at these topics. There is one topic for each paragraph. Look quickly at the reading to find these topics. Do not read every word at this point. Write the number of the paragraph next to the topic of that paragraph.

1. the financial problems of retirement

2. the value of work in America

3. answers to some problems

4. _______ the positive side of retirement

5. _______ explanation of retirement

С. Reading

DIRECTIONS: Now read.

Work is a very important part of life in the United States. 1

When the early Protestant immigrants came to this country, they 2

brought the idea that work was the way to God and heaven. This 3

attitude, the Protestant work ethic, still influences America today. 4

1 Work is not only important for economic benefits, the salary, but 5

also for social and psychological needs, the feeling of doing some – 6

thing for the good of the society. Americans spend most of their 7

lives working, being productive. For most Americans, their work 8

defines them: They are what they do. What happens, then, when a 9

person can no longer work? 10

Most Americans stop working at age sixty-five or seventy and 11

retire. Because work is such an important part of life in this culture, 12

retirement can be very difficult. Retirees often feel that they are 13

2 useless and unproductive. Of course, some people are happy to re – 14

tire; but leaving one’s job, whatever it is, is a difficult change, even 15

for those who look forward to retiring. Many retirees do not know 16

how to use their time or they feel lost without their jobs. 17

Retirement can also bring financial problems. Many people 18

rely on Social Security checks every month. During their working 19

years, employees contribute a certain percentage of their salaries 20

to the government. Each employer also gives a certain percentage 21

to the government. When people retire, they receive this money as 22

income. These checks do not provide enough money to live on, how – 23

ever, because prices are increasing very rapidly. Senior citizens, 24

3 those over sixty-five, have to have savings in the bank or other re – 25

tirement plans to make ends meet. The rate of inflation is forcing 26

prices higher each year; Social Security checks alone cannot cover 27

these growing expenses. The government offers some assistance, 28

Medicare (health care) and welfare (general assistance), but many 29

senior citizens have to change their lifestyles after retirement. They 30

have to spend carefully to be sure that they can afford to buy food, 31

fuel, and other necessities. 32

Of course, many senior citizens are happy with retirement. 33

4 They have time to spend with their families or to enjoy their hob – 34

bies. Some continue to work part time; others do volunteer work. 35

Some, like those in the Retired Business Executives Association, 36

even help young people to get started in new businesses. Many re – 37

tired citizens also belong to "Golden Age" groups. These organi – 38

zations plan trips and social events. There are many opportunities 39

for retirees. 40

American society is only beginning to be concerned about the 41

5 special physical and emotional needs of its senior citizens. The gov – 42

ernment is taking steps to ease the problem of limited income. They 43

are building new housing, offering discounts in stores and museums 44

and on buses, and providing other services, such as free courses, 45

food service, and help with housework. Retired citizens are a rapidly 46

growing percentage of the population. This part of the population 47

is very important and we must respond to their needs. After all, 48

every citizen will be a senior citizen some day. 49

React

Underline one interesting idea from the reading. Read it aloud several times to yourself to understand its meaning more fully.

D. Scanning/Vocabulary Part 1

DIRECTIONS: Write the line number where you find the wordfsj. Then choose the best meaning for the word as it is used in that sentence.

1.	work	line number__
	a. material	b. jobs	с	business
2.	influences	line number__
	a. changes	b. affects	с	compares
3.	economic	line number__
	a. partial	b. financial	с	supportive
4. productive	line number__
	a. useful	b. unnecessary	с	professional
5.	retirement	line number
	a. stopping work	b. employment	с	taking a rest
6.	employer	line number
	a. worker	b. boss	с	businessman
7.	afford	line number
	a. be able to buy	b. contribute	с	prevents

8. volunteer	line number
a. unpaid	b. salaried	с intentional
9. contribute	line number
a. include	b. take	с give
10. provide	line number
a. give	b. prepare	с offer
Part 2

DIRECTIONS: Find a word in the reading which has a meaning similar to the following. The line is given.

1. belief (4)_______________________________

2. pay (5)

3. useful (8)______________________________

4. unimportant (14)________________________

5. depend on (19)__________________________

6. part (21)_______________________________

7. salary (23)_____________________________

8. needed things (32)_______________________

9. older (33)______________________________

10. worried (41)____________________________

11. reduced prices (44)______________________

12. answer (48)____________________________

E. Reading Comprehension

DIRECTIONS: Circle the letter of the choice that best completes each sentence.

1. The author believes that work first became important to Americans because of pressure.

a. economic b. religious с family

2. Protestants believed in____

a. high salaries b. America с hard work

3. Senior citizens have to have other savings because Social Security checks____

a. are not enough b. come monthly с cover growing

expenses

4. When Americans stop work, it is difficult for them to____

a. feel productive b. get Social Security с be religious

checks

5. According to the author,____ Americans stop work at age sixty-five or seventy.

a. some b. a few с most

6. The author mentions____ examples of discounts.

a. two b. three с four

7. Many retirees feel useless because they____

a. do volunteer work b. have limited incomes с aren’t working

8. The last sentence of the reading means that each person———

a. is important b. is a citizen с will grow old

9. A salary is a____ benefit.

a. psychological b. social с financial

10. Many people who retire feel unproductive because their work——

a. defined their lives b. was unimportant с was difficult

section 2

Look Again

A. Vocabulary

DIRECTIONS: Circle the letter of the choice that best completes each sentence.

1.

Clothing is an example of a(n)____________

b. employer с employee

a percentage of my income to my church.

b. receive с contribute

to work at the school; he never gets paid.

b. volunteers с provides

6. The older children in a family always____ the younger ones.

a. establish b. influence

7. I don’t have enough money to buy a new car. I cannot_

a. demand b. provide

8. Your salary is very low. Do you have any other___ ?

a. income b. interest

9. His physical condition is unbelievable: he’s seventy and he_

a. no longer b. then с still

10. He is a—- volunteer here at the hospital; he is a big problem and no help.

a. productive b. useful с useless

В. Vocabulary/Comprehension

DIRECTIONS: Complete the reading summary with the words from this list. Try to complete it first without looking back at the reading.

Generally speaking, Americans (1)_______________ until they are (2)

__ Then they (3) (4)______________________ can

be very difficult for people because their work was so (5)__________

to them. Often people work so much that they do not take the time to

(6)____________ or to have a(n) (7)_____________ Then when they

retire, they don’t know what to do with all the (8)______________ time

on their hands. They also can feel (9)_____________ because they are

not being (10)_____________ Retirement isn’t easy.

C. Think About It

1. One problem for senior citizens is financial. List some sources of in­come that retirees in the U. S. have.

2. Does your country have a social security system similar to the one in the United States? How does the system work? Do senior citizens have enough money to live on?

3. Another problem that retirees face is what to do with all their free time. What are some of the activities mentioned in the reading?

4. What do you think are the most serious problems of old age? Write #1 next to the most serious problem for the elderly.

In your home country

__ financial________ physical______ psychological______ housing

In the United States

__ financial________ physical______ psychological______ housing

D. Graph

DIRECTIONS: The question of growing old is different for different countries. Study the fol­

lowing chart and answer the questions below.

Estimated population in selected countries for the year 1990.

		PERCENTAGE	PERCENTAGE
	MEDIAN	OF POPULATION	OF POPULATION
	AGE*	FROM AGE 0-14	65 AND OLDER
Australia	31.8	22.5	10.8
Brazil	22.7	35.2	4.7
France	38.5	19.2	13.0
Greece	36.5	21.1	13.4
Ghana	16.5	47.1	2.8
Indonesia	22.0	35.7	3.8
Japan	36.8	19.2	11.4
Korea	24.1	32.4	4.2
Lebanon	21.5	35.3	5.1
Malaysia	21.9	35.7	3.9
Mexico	19.6	39.1	3.7
Sweden	39.0	16.0	17.6
Switzerland	38.1	16.6	14.8
U. S.S. R.	31.5	25.1	9.4
U. S.	32.8	22.1	12.2
Venezuela	20.8	38.3	3.7

•median age means that 50 percent of the population is older than that age and 50 percent is younger. Source: World Population Prospectus: Estimates and Projections as Assessed in 1984. New York: United Nations, 1986.

There are great differences in the age of the populations in the various countries.

1. Which country has the largest percentage of retired people?______

2. Which country has the largest percentage of children?___________

3. In which country is more than 50 percent of the population over 39?

4. Find two countries which have similar population trends? Explain why.

a.

b. ___________

If these population trends continue, think about what will happen in dif­ferent countries, and how the number of older people and the number of children will affect life in those countries.

____________________________________

Contact a Point of View

A. Background Building

Read these two opinions about retirement. Which is more positive? Which do you think your parents will have when they retire? How about you?

1. "I’ve never been happier. I finally have time to do all the things that I had always wanted to do."

2. "I have too much time and I don’t always know what to do with my­self. I almost never see my friends from work."

B. Timed Reading

DIRECTIONS: Read the following point of view and answer the questions in

four minutes.

I retired about a year ago. The company had a big party for me and gave me a gold watch for more than thirty years of service. At the party, everyone said to me, "Retirement is a time to do all the things you didn’t have time to do. It’s a new beginning." I can’t say that I dislike retire­ment, but after working for thirty-five years, day after day, it’s hard to adjust to all this free time.

Just after I retired, Peg and I went to visit John, Jr. in Chicago and Ann in New York. We really had a good time. We enjoy being together. In fact, John, Jr. invited us to come and live with him. He knows that living on Social Security checks and a small retirement plan is not easy. But we decided not to move in with him. We have our lives and he and his wife have theirs. We are going to stay here in town. We may move to an apartment, because the house is too big for only the two of us and it’s hard to keep clean. Peg is having some trouble with her back; she’s seeing the doctor tomorrow.

Money isn’t a serious problem for us because we do have some sav­ings, but we have to make careful decisions about what we can afford. We’re not used to living on a fixed income, but we make ends meet. I still belong to the club and I play cards there once a week, and we spend time with other retired couples in the area. My only regret is that I didn’t spend enough time thinking about retirement before it happened.

DIRECTIONS: Read each of the following statements carefully to determine whether each is true (Tj, false (F), or impossible to know (ITKj.

1. This man retired about six months ago.

2. ________ The people at the party were negative about retiring.

3. _ _ _ This man’s son is married.

4. _______ This man worked for forty years in the company.

5. ________ He and his wife are moving in with John, Jr.

6. ________ This man dislikes retirement.

7. ________ He and his wife live only on their savings and a retire­

ment plan.

8. ______ This man has other children at home.

9. This man has some physical problems.

10. This man and his wife are going to move from the town.

C. Vocabulary

DIRECTIONS: Fill in the blanks with vocabulary from the reading. Make necessary changes in the form of the word.

1. serious/regret/plans

I have some_____________________________________________ about my

____________________ to live away from my family.

2. in fact/begin/back/trouble

Little by little he is_____________________ to feel better.________________ ,

he has no_____________________ at all with his_____________________ now.

3. dislike/decisions/money

I_______________ making__________________ about__________________

4. limited/afford/make ends meet

I can’t__________________________ to live on a_______________ income be­cause I can’t

D. React

DIRECTIONS: Show your opinion of the following statements by putting і next to your first preference, 2 next to your second choice, and so on through 6. Share your ideas with a classmate or the class.

When my parents grow old and retire, I hope that they live

________ with me.

________ with my brother.

________ with my sister.

________ some time with me, and some time with my brother and/or

sister.

________ near me, so I can visit them.

________ independently of the family.

Often a real problem happens when one parent dies and the other is alone. If my father died, I’m sure that my mother would

________ continue living where she is living.

________ move in with me.

live with my brother.

live with my sister.

move to a smaller residence.

move to a nursing home (a home for the elderly).

E. Word Analysis

Part 1

DIRECTIONS: Choose the appropriate word form in each sentence.

1. special	1. What is the	of this restau-
specialty	rant?
2. pain	2. What a	in the neck!
painful
painless
3. simple	3. She is a	child.
simplicity
4. knowledge	4. Her	of physics surprised me.
knowledgeable
5. beneficial	5. It is	to visit another country.
benefit
6. cultural	6. Differences in	often cause se-
culture	rious trouble.
7. familiarity	7. I was unaccustomed to the	in
familiar	that society.
8. fear	8. He is without
fearless
fearful
9. impressionable	9. She is very young and
impression
10. senseless	10. What is the real	of this word?

sense Part 2

1. Study the meanings of these:

Another example:

-er the subject trainer

of the stem________________________________

-ее the object of trainee_____________________

the stem

(Note: – er endings are more common than – ее endings)

popul-	people	population
cent-	hundred	percentage
psych-	the mind	psychological

2. Complete the sentences with one of the above words.

a. What is the_____________________ of your city?

b. Sometimes retirement is a big_____________________ adjustment. It takes

time to get used to it.

с In the circus, an animal______________________ works very closely with the

animal to teach it tricks.

d. What____________________ of the people voted against gun control?

e. My sister is a___________________ in computer programming. She’s learn­

ing a lot in her program.

3. Write the meaning of the boldfaced word on the line.

a. The city celebrated its bicentennial with a parade and other special activities.

b. The man tried to kill his family. He was psychotic.

с The manager showed the trainees around the store.

d. The law was extremely unpopular._____________________

section 4

Look Back

A. Vocabulary

DIRECTIONS: Circle the letter of the choice that best completes each sentence. 1. Poverty in a wealthy society is a(n)_______________________________ problem.

	a. mobile	b. ethical	с	spacious
2.	She is in her last year of high school. She is a ■
	a. junior	b. senior	с	beginner
3.	A car is a(n)	in the suburbs.
	a. aspect	b. establishment	с	necessity
4.	Don’t worry. Everything will be fine. Heaven will
	a. produce	b. provide	с	make ends meet
5.	This coat is	You can have it with 15 percent off.
	a. salaried	b. increasing	с	discounted
6.	The price of gold	daily.
	a. costs	b. inflates	с	develops
7.	I can with twenty dollars a day.
	a. afford	b. make ends meet	с	look for
8.	This hat is	in the rain. It’s too small and doesn’t cover my head.
	a. fixed	b. useless	с	casual
9.	Our culture	our thoughts and actions.
	a. influences	b. gets started	с	contains
10.	He’s a very good student. , he’s the best in the class.
	a. For example	b. In fact	с	Therefore

В. Matching

DIRECTIONS: Find the word or phrase in column В which has a similar mean­ing to a word in column A. Write the letter of that word or phrase next to the word in column A.

	A	В
1.	afford	a. useful
2.	provide	b. affect
3.	necessities	c. value
4.	influence	d. part
5.	ethic	e. needed things
6.	financial	f. be able to buy
7.	growing	g. economic
8.	percentage	h. respond
9.	answer	i. increasing
0.	productive	j. give

С Synthesis Questions

Visit a retirement community or an old age home. Work with your teacher to arrange your visit. Some possibilities: prepare some enter­tainment for the people there; become a "conversation partner" with someone there; prepare some snacks for some of the people there and have some informal discussions with them; ask to interview them about questions you have prepared.

A recent study about old age showed that older people were happy with their lives but that young people thought that senior citizens were lonely and worried. Think about a senior citizen you know. Is that person lonely or unhappy? What does this person do with his or her free time?

The United States is often criticized for being a country where every­one wants to be young, especially older people. Think about older peo­ple you have seen in the United States. Write some positive aspects of their lives and some negative aspects:

Positive Negative

4. There is a well-known expression in English: "You’re only as old as you feel." What do you think this means? Do you agree?

D. Vocabulary Preview

DIRECTIONS: What smaller words can you find in the following words? equalize (1) wealthy (7) differences (2) upper (8) successful (3) royalty (9) equality (4) background (10) restrooms (5) powerful (11) protection (6) minority (12) E. Skimming DIRECTIONS: Look quickly at the next page. Answer these questions.

1. What book is this from?

2. What information is listed?

F. Scanning

Answer these questions as quickly as possible.

3. Find an organization that helps seniors with health problems.

4. Find three organizations that help seniors get good food to eat.

5. Find an organization that helps a senior who cannot drive.

6. Find an organization that helps Indochinese and Chinese senior cit­izens.

7. Where can seniors go if they want people to socialize with?

8. What is your reaction to the information in Figure 1?

Security-Senior

869

Senior Citizens Serv
Organizations (Cont’d)	_____________ ✓

ELM BAPTIST CHURCH-

Sun Sch 9:30 AM-Wor 11 AM & 6 PM Senior Adults-Wed 10:30 AM-7 PM Bible Study-Childrens Clubs-Youth Spanish Speaking Services Available Rev John Miller-Sr. Pastor Richard Lee-Assistant Pastor N46th & Sunnyside 491-4354

GOLDEN CARE PLUS

Associated With City Hospital

1550 N 115th…………. 365-7587

Green Senior Center 525 N 85th 447-7841

Hamption House For Senior Citizens

5225 15th NE………….. 524-0473

Hanley Nutrition Site 1210SW 136th 448-5768

Hanley Senior Center 1210 SW 136th 244-3686

HOME REPAIRS F0RTHE ELDERLY

500 30th St…………… 447-7802

HOMESHARING F0RSENI0RS

1601 2nd Ave Suite 800…. 448-5725

Independent Living 1715 E Cherry 322-3637

Indochina/Chinese Elderly Association

409 Maynard St………… 624-9577

June Valley Senior Center

105 2nd Ave NE………… 392-2381

LA EASEL RESTAURANT

252416th……………… 329-3837

Lifetime Learning Center 202 John 283-5523

Lifetime Services Inc

800 5th Ave Suite 800….. 622-8220

MEALS-ON-WHEELS

1601 2nd Ave Suite 800…. 448-5767

North Senior Center

9929 NE 180th 8th……… 487-2441

Northwest Senior Center 4429 32 NW 447-7811

Norton Day Care For Adults

9250 14th NW………….. 784-8285

Nutrition Projects for Senior Citizens

1601 2d Suite 800……… 448-5768

Pederson John Social Services

3015 37th SW………….. 935-3020

Red Cross Aid To Aging

1900 25th Av S………… 323-2345

Senior Center of Weston

4217 SW Oregon………… 932-4044

SENIOR MEAL PROGRAM

1601 2nd Ave Suite 800….. 448-5768

SENIOR INFORMATION & ASSISTANCE

1601 2nd Ave Suite 800 …. 448-3110

SENIOR REFERRAL SERVICE…… 344 5767

Senior Rights Assistance

1601 2nd Ave Suite 800…. 448-5720

SENIOR RIGHTS ASSISTANCE

1601 2nd Ave Suite 800… 448-5720

Senior Services

211 Burnett N :………… 235-2533

SENIOR SERVICES OF SEATTLE/KING COUNTY

1601 2nd Ave Suite 800…. 448-5757

Central Area

500-30th Ave S……….. 447-7816

Greenwood

525 N 85th St………… 447-7841

First Hill

800 Jefferson St……… 448-5748

Southeast Seattle

7315-39th Ave S………. 722-0317

Northwest

5429-32nd Ave NW……… 447-7811

Tallmadge Hamilton House

5225-1 5th Ave NE……… 524-0473

Wallingford

4649 Sunnyside Ave…….. N 447-7825

West Seattle

421 7 SW Oregon St…….. 932-4044

Black Diamond

6th & Lawson……….. 886-2418

Maple Valley,

22010 SE 248th………… 432-3222

Bothell

9929 NE 180th…………. 487-2441

Shoreline

835 NE 155th………….. 365-1536

Sno-Valley

Stossel & Commercial Sts.. 333-4152

Vashon-Maury

SW 176th St…………… 463-5173

Share The Ride Club P…….. О Box 80325 246 7881

Shoreline Senior Adult Multi Service Center

835 NE 155th…………… 365-1536

Southeast Seattle Senior Center

4655 S Holly St……….. 722 0317

SPECIALIZED TRANSPORTATION

1601 2nd Ave Suite 800…. 448 5740

Wallingford Senior Center

4649 Sunnyside N………. 447-7825

White Center Nutrition Program 9002 16th SW 762-8762

Figure

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