An Australian Teen

 
 
 

Vocabulary

bathe	maritime	surveyor (2)
port	logistics	transport
pad	imagine	impressive
knee	court (2)	do for a living
dirty	involve	knee pads
smile	sibling	have a good time
think	way (2)	take for granted
sewer	turn out	contribute

 
 
 
 
 
 

Video

 

 
 
 
 

Transcript

Hello I’m Megan Perez from Perth, Western Australia, and I’m fifteen years old.

After school, I like listening to music. I like playing the guitar and piano. And also just playing songs that I learn from the internet.

Do you have any siblings?

I have one older sister and one younger sister. My older sister lives America. And my younger sister, she’s still twelve, she lives with us, at home.

What do your parents do for a living?

My dad is a maritime surveyor and my mom is in the transport and logistics field. My dad surveys ships, so he goes to different ports, and sometimes he has to go away just to survey ships.

What makes you happy?

I just like being impressive on a court. I like playing with my friends and using the knee pads.

Usually I start off as the first setter, which is the first person in the middle at the front.

What do you image the life of children in other countries to be like?

Since my parents are from the Philippines, it’s interesting visiting the Philippines so often because going back to the Philippines and driving around, you see small children in the streets, with no clothes. And their dirty and they’re bathing in the rain, in the sewers.

But they still smile. They’re still having a good time.

And then it makes me think about how when I go home from school, and I have a hot shower, I take it for granted.

What are your hopes for the future?

As we start helping and contributing in small ways, eventually it turns out to be bigger. And when more people get involved, I think that’s when we can really help other people.

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Questions

11. Megan can play musical instruments. True or false? What instruments can she play?

12. She has one brother. Yes or no? Do they all live together?

13. Is Megan’s father an unskilled, uneducated laborer, or a skilled, educated professional?

14. He works a regular nine to five, Monday through Friday job. Is this right or wrong?

15. Does Megan enjoy playing sports?

16. Is her life in Australia similar to or different from the life of many people in her father’s and mother’s home country?

7. Megan wants to make lots of money and become very rich. Is this correct or incorrect?
 
 
 
A. Are you from Australia? Have you been to Australia? Do you know anyone from Australia?

B. Describe the climate and geography of Australia.

C. What is Australia’s economy like? What does Australia produce, import and export?

D. Name some tourist, cultural and natural attractions of Australia.

E. What comes to mind when you think of Australia? What do you associate with Australia?

F. I would like to live in Australia. Yes or no? Would you like to visit Australia?