Hollywood, everybody wants to be r

 Hollywood, everybody wants to be rich, famous, and beautiful. Nobody wants to be old, unknown, and poor. For Hollywood kids, life can be difficult because they grow up in such an unreal atmosphere. Their parents are ambitious, and the children are part of the parents' ambitions.

Parents pay for extravagant parties, expensive cars, and designer clothes. When every dream can come true, kids learn the value of nothing because they have everything. A 13-year-old boy, Trent Maguire has a driver, credit cards, and unlimited cash to do what he wants when he wants.

"One day, I'll earn more than my Dad," he boasts.

Parents buy care and attention for their children because they have no time to give it themselves. Amanda's mother employs a personal trainer, a nutritionist, a bodyguard chauffeur, a singing coach, and a counselor to look after all her 15-year-old daughter's needs.

Often there is no parent at home most days, so children decide whether to make their own meals or go out to restaurants, when to watch television or do homework. They organize their own social lives. They play no childhood games. They become adults before they're ready.

Hollywood has always been the city of dreams. The kids in Los Angeles live unreal lives where money, beauty, and pleasure are the only gods. Will children around the world soon start to think the same? Or do they already?

"Looks are very important in Hollywood. If you're good-looking, you'll go far. I want to be a beautician. You grow up really fast in Los Angeles. Everyone is in a rush to be an adult, to be going to clubs. It's not cool to be a kid." (Mijanou, aged 18.)

"I live in a hotel and when I come home from school, there are maybe 80 people who say ‘Good day’ to me. It's their job to say that. In the bathroom there are mirrors everywhere. I love looking at myself. I can spend five hours doing my hair and posing. I'm going to be a model."
(Emily, aged 10.)

"I've wanted to get my nose done since I was 12. My friends started having plastic surgery and liposuction during my freshman year of high school. My nose cost $10,000. But it was worth it. It changed my life. I’m gonna get into the movies." (Lindsey, aged 18.)

"Everyone thinks Hollywood is so glamorous, but I have news for you. It is really dangerous growing up in Los Angeles. People have guns. Sometimes I think I'm going crazy. I'm going to get out of here just as soon as I can." (Zavier, aged 18.)

Word count: 439 words

SCANNING:

Use your notes to identify where you can find the answers to the questions you have made in the pre-reading stage.

POST-READING:

Glossary:

Pay attention to how the word is combined with other words in context. Do not learn the meaning of the word without sentences. Vietnamese should be the last resort after you have tried all the learning strategies.

• Ambitious (adj.): full of motivation because of great desires or dreams (Đầy tham vọng)

• Extravagant (adj.): given to lavish or imprudent expenditure (Xa hoa, phung phí)

• Designer clothes (pl. n.): clothing articles or apparel, usually expensive, that bear the name of famous fashion designers in the industry (Quần áo hiệu, hàng hiệu)

• Personal trainer (n.) a professional or expert in keeping fit or healthy (Huấn luyện viên riêng)

• Nutritionist (n.): a professional or expert who is knowledgeable in the nutritive value of food (Chuyên gia dinh dưỡng)

• Beautician (n.): a professional who is knowledgeable in making people look more beautiful (Chuyên gia sắc đẹp)

• To do one’s hair: to design or style one’s own hair (Làm tóc)

• To get one’s nose done: to go through an operation or surgery to make one’s nose appear or look more beautiful (Nâng mũi, sửa mũi)

• Liposuction (n.) a type of surgery where body fat is removed by suction to make one look more physically appealing (Giải phẫu thẩm mỹ hút mỡ thừa)

Exercises:

A. According to the text, what are some of the problems of teenagers? Tick them off from the list below.

* Drugs.

* Violence in the streets.

* They don't have enough money.

* Their parents don't give them enough attention.

* They worry about how they look.

* They have no interests or ambitions.

* Their parents want them to do well in life.

* They're too old to be children, but too young to be adults.

B. Are these sentences true or false?

1. Everybody in Hollywood is rich and famous.

2. Hollywood kids don't lead ordinary lives.

3. They understand the value of what they have.

4. Trent Maguire is ambitious.

5. The adults spend time with their children.

6. Amanda's mother listens to all her daughter's problems.

7. The kids are often home alone.

8. Their parents organize every part of their lives.

9. The kids don't want to be children.

10. All the kids in the article complain about living in Hollywood.

Discussion:

Find a study friend to summarize your story. Try to use the vocabulary learned in the article in speaking and writing your summary.

Imagine what your life would be like if you were rich and famous. Talk to your friend or write a paragraph about how your life would be different. Talk or write about:

• your house

• your daily routine

• your entertainment

ANSWERS:

Teenagers’ problems

Problems mentioned in the text include: violence in the streets, lack of attention from their parents, worrying about how they look, their parents wanting them to do well in life and being too old to be kids and too young to be adults.

True/False

1. F

2. T

3. F

4. T

5. F

6. F

7. T

8. F

9. T

10. F

This material is provided by the Australian Centre for Education and Training (ACET).

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