Adulthood

To be able to talk about adulthood learn or revise some words or phrases.


Read the following passage:

The period that we call adulthood covers most of our lives. It begins with young adulthood, a time
of many difficult but exciting decisions: What career should I pursue? Where should I live? Should
I get married? What about children?

The years of middle adulthood bring other changes and challenges. Our bodies are beginning to show
signs of age, and our children and our parents are entering new stages of their lives.

Finally, late adulthood, too, is a time of difficult transition. Our bodies have slowed down.
Friends, siblings, and spouses are getting sick and dying. Children have grown up and become
independent. However, late adulthood brings its own rewards as well: retirement provides time to
enjoy grandchildren, hobbies, and travel.


A) How does the reading characterize each of the three stages?


People of different ages can speak differently about the best age to be, they can use various words
and phrases.


B) Read the expressions below and think about at what stage of life people could say:


1  You know how to settle down.

2  I am capable of supporting myself completely.

3  She can’t depend on her parents any more.

4  I have new responsibilities.

5  I was more receptive to new ideas.

6  Now I pretty much know what I like and don’t like.

7  He felt mature and responsible.

8  We feel free of a lot of responsibilities and commitments.

9  The older you get the more you think about your youth.

10 We don’t have time to work anymore.


Adapted from

Espeseth, M. Academic Encounters. Listening, Note Taking, and Discussion. Cambridge: CUP, 1999. p.
46

Espeseth, M. Academic Encounters. Listening, Note Taking, and Discussion. Teacher’s manual.
Cambridge: CUP, 1999. p. 107 - 108



Answers

A  Young adulthood is the time for many important decisions. In middle adulthood, we face physical
changes and changes in our family. In late adulthood, we continue to change physically. Our
children have left home, and people in our age group begin to get sick and die, but we have more
free time.


B  1 – 4 -   late twenties

     5 – 6 -   thirties

     7 – 8 -   forties

     9 – 10 – over fifty