ustkaman
The familyis one of the oldest social institutions in the history of mankind though nobody knows when exactly it started. It was probably when Adam and Eve created the first family.There are several definitions of a family. some people consider it as people who live together in one house. They are usually relatives by blood or by marriage, but not necessarily. Adopted children, stepchildren and stepparents are, naturally, members of the family too. Sometimes even nannies and old friends who share the same house feel inseparable from the family as well. To other people it's not the place but the blood which is more important. You may never have seen your third cousin living thousands of miles away from you but he's still your family and you have to care for him and be kind to him.In human history, the family was usually built around the man — either the oldest man in the family or the breadwinner. In some cultures,however,the status of women, both in society and in the family, was higher than the status of men and it was the mother who made decisions and ruled the family. Nowadays two family-defining terms are often used: a traditional family and a nuclear family. A traditional or extended family was the dominant family format of the past and it had a similar structure in different countries. it consisted of several generations and was headed by the eldest man in the family. for example, an ideal traditional Chinese family consisted of the head of the family and his wife, their three or four sons and their wives (the daughters didn't live in the parent's house as they moved to their husbands' families after the wedding) and a dozen grandchildren. people lived shorter lives then, that's why there were usually no more than three generations in a family. Children were absolutely dependent on their parents and grandparents and the status, role and behavior of each member of the family were strictly regulated. Nobody could break the rules. The interests of the family were above the interests, they were punished very severely. Most traditional families in russia, ukraine, and poland looked the same.Nowadays families are much smaller. they often consist of only two generations: parents and their dependent children. A family of this kind is called a nuclear family. Unlike in the traditional family, where the father went to work to earn money and the mother stayed at home to cook, wash and raise the children, there are no strictly defined male and female chores within a nuclear family. this means that most women go to work and earn money along with their husbands, and men help their wives with cooking, washing and other work round the house. Contemporary children behave differently too. They are allowed to express their point of view and take part in decision- making on different family issues. Sometimes they even ignore the senior generation's recommendations or advise, which was absolutely impossible in traditional families. children are more independent nowadays and when they grow up, they often prefer to live apart from their parents. some people believe that it loosens the family bonds but it's not true. Sometimes it may even improve relationships between generations. having separate homes doesn't matter much as long as adult children care for their parents and remember to help them. Определить: True, False or Not Stated.1.The scientists have got reliable facts about when the institution of family was founded. 2.People understand the word family in different ways. 3.The women in Ancient Egypt headed their families.4.Traditionally, in China power and responsibility belonged to the eldest man in the family.5.The author defines a traditional chinese family as five generations living together.6.Parents in traditional families didn't allow children to argue with them. 7. In modern nuclear families, responsibilities are not strictly distributed between husband and wife. 8.The author disapproves of the situation when parents and adult children live separately.
