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Views #437 | Low-Intermediate 4

Teen Life

Mike and Mark discuss if teens have it better or worse today.

Script
Vocab
Quiz

Mark: Hey, Mike. Here's a question. Do you think teenagers these days, have a better life than say we did when we were teenagers?

Mike: Well, it's, that's a debate that's been going on since the days of Socrates and Plato, I think, but again, and probably like Socrates had said himself, "You know kids today are a lot different than they were when we were younger", that's for sure. Whether it's better or not, I personally think we had it better because we weren't stuck behind a computer or behind a TV set all day. I think we tended to do things more outside, but I think whether you're a teenager now or then, probably the same kind of issues went on in your head.

Mark: Yeah, that's the way I feel about it, actually.

Mike: Think so.

Mark: Well, these kind of, these kind of debates or these kid of issues, I feel like there is no better or worse, it's just different, you know.

Mike: How do you think it's different?

Mark: Well, in obvious ways, like the technology now. Like I can remember the first, my first microwave and my family's first VCR, and those were, you know, pretty exciting moments, yeah, absolutely.

Mike: How's about going to the library to have to get research.

Mark: Yeah! That's interesting, but people don't do that much anymore and I don't even realize that, but yeah the technology is definitely better now, but it's more addictive. I mean kids don't play outside. They just play video games all day and you know, I wasn't allowed to stay inside so much when I was a kid.

Mike: Same here. Same here. I was sort of forced to go outside, but also, although, I guess you could make an argument and say the kids do kind of play with each other when they get on those, the internet gaming sites, and there's a whole group of them from Morocco to Mexico to Canada to the States, all playing online, of course, they never see each other but they're all trying to kill each other.

Learn vocabulary from the lesson!

stuck behind a computer

We weren't stuck behind a computer or behind a TV set all day.

When you work on a computer you can say that you are 'stuck behind a computer.' It means that you have to stay working on the computer because you have a responsibility to do something there, but you would prefer to be doing something else. Notice the following:

When I spend the whole day at work stuck behind a computer I feel really tired when I get home.
My eyes hurt from being stuck behind a computer all day.

in your head

Whether you're a teenager now or then, the same kind of issues went on in your head.

Things that go on 'in your head' are things that you think about. Notice the following:

She has a lot going on in her head right now.
Sometimes I don't understand what goes on in your head.

same here

Same here - I wasn't allowed to stay inside so much when I was a kid.

You can say 'same here' when you want to agree with someone and say you feel the same way or have had the same experience. Notice the following:

Same here - I wasn't allowed to eat candy very often.
Same here - I love playing sand volleyball.

forced to go outside

When we were kids, we were sort of forced to go outside to play.

When you are 'forced to go outside' it means that your parents make you leave the house temporarily to be outside in the fresh air. Notice the following: