Unit 3 Teenagers should be allowed to choose their own clothes
The other day, my friends and I talked about the rules that we have in school. At our school , we have to wear uniforms every day. The problem is that all my classmates think the uniforms are ugly. We think young people should look smart and so we would like to wear our own clothes. Our teachers believe that if we did that, we would concentrate more on our clothes than our studies. We disagree. We would feel more comfortable and that is good for studying. If we can’t do that, we should be allowed to design our uniforms. That would be a good way to keep both teachers and students happy.
It’s also probably a good idea for parents to allow teenagers to study in groups during the evening. I know we get noisy sometimes, but we learn a lot from each other. We also think that vacations should be longer. At present they’re too short. Longer vacations would give us time to do things like volunteering. Last summer I had an opportunity to volunteer at the local hospital, but I couldn’t because I had to go back to school. It would be a good experience for me because I want to be a doctor when I’m older.
Should I be allowed to make my own decisions?
Many teenagers have hobbies. But sometimes these hobbies can get in the way of schoolwork, and parents might worry about their child’s success at school. Teenagers often think they should be allowed to practice their hobbies as much as they want. Do you agree?
Liu Yu, a fifteen-year-old boy from Shandong, is a running star. He is on his school running team and has always wanted to be a professional
athlete. However, his parents won’t allow him to train as much as he would like to. “ Of course we want to see Liu Yu achieve his dreams,”she says Wr Liu,” and we know how much he loves running. That’s great, and my wife and I have nothing against running! But we do think that our son needs to be realistic. Now that he is getting older, he needs to think about what will happen if he doesn’t become a professional runner in the end.”
Liu Yu doesn’t really agree. “Well, I think I should be allowed to make decisions for myself,” he says.” My parents have always taught me the important of working hard and not just to do what I enjoy. I understand this. But I’m serious about running .Being a professional runner is the only thing I have ever wanted to do.”
Mr and Mrs Liu believe that Liu Yu should study hard in the evenings, and so they don’t allow him to practice running on school nights.” I know this might seem strict,” says Mrs Liu,“ but we think we’re doing the right thing. He has to understand that very few people can become professional athlete. It’s a very difficult dream to achieve. We don’t allow him to practice every day because we think he needs to spend time on his homework.”
But Liu Yu still doesn’t agree.“ I know my parents care about me,” he says. “But they are always talking about what will happen if I don’t succeed. But I will succeed! I think I should be allowed to make this decision for myself. Only then will I have a chance of achieving my dream.”
