Under Pressure

Read the text then answer the questions below : The results of a new poll show that financial problems have taken over from the environment as the main concern for young people. The survey asked over 12,000 people aged between 14 and 18 what they were most worried about. The clear ‘winner’ was ‘finding a job’, while the environment was only the seventh greatest worry. This compares with similar polls in the last fifteen years when environmental worries came first.One of the poll’s organizers commented that the results demonstrated a clear change in attitude. ‘It’s not just that getting a job is the main worry,’ he said. ‘Also included in the top six worries were getting into debt (6th) and passing exams (4th=). I’m convinced that there’sa connection. Because of changes in the job market, there is more and more pressure on young people nowadays to pass exams and go on to university in the hope of finding a good job. Rising university fees make it inevitable that many students graduate from university with huge debts.’Other concerns mentioned by large numbers of young people also tended to be personal rather than social, including worries about relationships (2nd), health (3rd), and ‘fitting in with peers’ (4th=). Annette Coleman, director of the Green Earth organization, said yesterday that she was disappointed, but not surprised’ at the fall in the number of young people concerned about the environment Put the list of concerns in the order they appear in the text 2- What do the results of a new poll show? 3- Why is it important for young people to pass exams and go to university? 4- Why do many students graduate from university with huge debts? II- Complete the sentences with phrases from the text 1. Previous similar polls show that environmental worries were first2. The stress that young people face these days is the changes in the job market III- Decide whether the following are True or False 1. Environment problems are more important nowadays than fifteen years ago ( False)2. According to the poll’s organizer, the change in the results explained a change in people's interests (True )3. The director was surprised and disappointed at the fall in the number of young people concerned about the environment ( False )4. Three of the concerns by the young people tended to be personal rather than social ( True ) IV- Match these words and pronouns with what they refer to: 12000 the number of the young people who set for the survey 14-18 the age of the people who set for the survey they 12000 people he one of the poll organiser she Annette Coleman