Sample

A: How many people are there in your family?                                          

B: There are four of us—my mother, my father, a younger brother, and me.

A: Who do you take after?

B: Some people say I’ve got my mother’s blue eyes and my  father’s short temper. En, I think I’m like my younger brother.

A: Why is that?

B: Because we’re both really into outdoor sports…

Language  Note

    When referring to siblings, it’s common  to be specific about whether a sibling is older or younger. Many languages  have completely different words for an older or younger sibling.

    In English, it’s common to use the  modifier older or big to refer to an older sibling and younger or little to  refer to a younger sibling. For example, I have two older brothers and one  younger sister; My older sister just got married; My little brother is coming  to visit me next week.

    Some people may also use the word baby as  a modifier to talk about the youngest person in a family, even when that  person is an adult. For example, He’s turning 25 but he's still my baby  brother.

    In English, it’s common for someone to  not include themselves when saying how many siblings they have: I have one  brother and one sister. It is then inferred that there are three children in  the family, including the speaker.

    When speaking about your family in  general, however, it is not strange to say There are three children in my  family. This would include the speaker.

Reference:

l  Expressions  for describing appearance

solid frame,  lovely figure, round/oval face, curly hair, round/almond eyes, broad/flat  nose, full/thin lips

l  Expressions  for describing personality

energetic, dependable, easygoing, a  great sense of humor, friendly and open with everyone,

I am a free spirit.

l  Expressions  for describing hobbies

   My  favorite is …

   My true  calling is to…

   … is my  thing.

I am  passionate about…

I can’t live  without…

I am a film  fanatic.

Supplemental Information:

The novela,  or telenovela, are popular TV dramas in Latin America that usually run for  one year. They are often compared to American soap operas for their  exaggerated characters and story lines.

Studies  have shown that Brazilians who live in areas where novelas are broadcast on TV and watched regularly are  influenced by the shows. Parents name their children after characters in the novelas, for example, more so than  parents in other parts of the country.

The  family size in novelas is  typically small, and this is believed to be affecting reproduction in Brazil.  Since most households in Brazil now have televisions, compared to just  decades ago, it is believed that these new novela “role models” are having a great influence  on the structure and makeup of the modern Brazilian family.

Supplemental Information:

Eric  Klinenberg is a social anthropologist who wrote the book Going Solo, which  talks about why more people prefer living alone today.

In  the 1950s, only 10% of Americans lived alone, while today it’s  closer to 28%. In big cities in the U.S., 35 — 45% of people live alone.

Klinenberg  says that this is partly because more people are single now. He also found in  his research that people who live alone aren’t usually isolated; instead  they have a very lively social life and communities of people they see often.  Also, technology lets us stay connected with others even while we are alone.

This  trend of living alone is even more popular in some European countries,  especially in Scandinavia.

Supplemental  Information:

The  different family patterns:

Extended family:An  extended family is a family that extends beyond the nuclear family,  consisting of parents like father, mother, and their children, aunts, uncles,  and cousins, all living nearby or in the same household. An example is a  married couple that lives with either the husband or the wife's parents. The  family changes from immediate household to extended household.

Nuclear family: An unclear  elementary family or conjugal family is a family  group consisting of two parents and their children  (one or more).

Single-parent families:  the single-parent family can be defined as families where a parent lives  with dependent children, either alone or in a larger household, without a  spouse or partner.

DINK family: DINK is an acronym  that stands for "double income, no kids". It describes a childless  or child free couple where both partners receive an income.

Reference：

One-child policy，China's one-child  policy was part of a birth planning program designed to control the size  of its population. 

A two-child policy is a  government-imposed limit of two children allowed per family or the payment of  government subsidies only to the first two children. Since 2016, it has been  implemented in China, replacing the country's previous one-child  policy.

Empty Nester, someone  whose children having grown up and left.

Left-behind  children，refer to children who remain in rural regions of  China while their parents leave to work in urban areas. In many cases, these  children are taken care of by relatives, usually by grandparents or family  friends, who remain in the rural regions. These children are often  categorized as left-behind given that the rural regions they reside in often  lack social and economic infrastructures that are more readily available and  accessible in urban areas.

Migrant worker，is a person who either migrates within  their home country or outside it to pursue work. Overall,  the Chinese government has tacitly supported migration as means of  providing labour for factories and construction sites and for the long-term  goals of transforming China from a rural-based economy to an  urban-based one.

Supplemental Information:

The otters  raised by the Biologist Chambers are river otters. They usually eat fish and  shellfish. Otters are known to be playful and energetic. River otters are  mostly found in the water but they sometimes spend time on land too,  especially when traveling or searching for a mate. They are more active at  night than during the day.

To teach  children about otters, Chambers created a coloring book about otters, which  he wrote and illustrated. Chambers also made a calendar about otters using  his own photographs. He has also made films about otters with National  Geographic.

Language Note

raise  refers to taking care of a living thing from the time it's a baby. It is used  to describe the experience of taking care of both animals and humans. Another  similar term is bring up. A  person can also talk about their own childhood using raise, usually in the passive voice.

For  example, I was raised in the country  before moving to the city when I was 20; My parents worked all day when I was  small, so I was raised by my grandparents.

A  person who raises a certain  kind of animal, such as a dog, and then sells the animal, is called a breeder. In the case of the  Chambers, they are not breeders.