TEENAGE BLUES

Speaker A :
I will only be sitting for my SPM next year but my parents are already putting a lot of
pressure on me to do well in the exam. They told me that I must do just as well as my elder
sister who scored 9As in her SPM two years ago. They have arranged so many tuition
classes for me. Sometimes, I have to go from one class to another without any break. To
ensure that I attend all of them, my mother shuttles me from one tuition centre to the next. I
know they mean well, but sometimes I get so tired that I can hardly concentrate on the
lesson being taught. I wish they are not so demanding and give me some breathing space. 1
have contemplated talking to my parents and telling them that I don't need so much tuition
and that they should give me some time to go out with my friends. I do not wish to bury
myself under piles of books every day. They get very annoyed with me if I spend some time
on recreation. But then again, if they continue to put pressure on me, I think I might suffer
from a nervous breakdown. What should I do?

Speaker B :
I am very unhappy with my physique. I am very thin so some people call me a walking
skeleton. That is cruel. They don't know how much it hurts to be tagged as such. It isn't my
fault that I am thin. I have tried ways to put on weight but all my efforts have come to
nothing. Despite having begun a high protein diet and indulging in food that is rich in fat, I
have yet to see any significant increase in my weight. I have heard of a new drug that helps
people like me to gain weight. It claims to have worked wonders for anorexics and bulimics
but that drug is very expensive and should be taken after medical advice. I have not spoken
to my parents about using it. My other worry is its cost. I'm not sure if they can afford to put
aside a few hundred ringgit for me. Should I speak to them?

Speaker C :
I am 15 years old and the only child. I simply cannot live with my parents any more. My
parents are always quarrelling and this has been going on for months. Each time they yell at
each other, divorce always comes up and that has affected my life and my studies. I'm also
the target of their quarrels. They always find fault with me and stop me from meeting my
friends. This frustrates me. They keep telling me that they are doing this for my own good. I
know they care for me but sometimes I really feel lonely and miserable.


MEANINGS

A. anorexic (n rk sk)
n.
1. a person suffering from anorexia or esp. anorexia nervosa, pathologically thin.

B. shut tle (sh t l)
v. shut tled, shut tling, shut tles
v.intr.
To go, move, or travel back and forth by or as if by a shuttle: business people who shuttle
between European capitals.
v.tr.
1. To cause to move back and forth frequently.
2. To transport by or as if by a shuttle: shuttle a scientific payload to an orbiting space station.

C. ensure (n; -) or insure
vb (tr)
1. (may take a clause as object) to make certain or sure; guarantee: this victory will ensure his
happiness.
2. to make safe or secure; protect
ensurer n

D. breathing space`
n.
1. Also called breathing spell`. an opportunity to rest or think.
2. sufficient space in which to move, work, etc.
3. enough area to permit freedom of movement: the country gives us some breathing space.
4. a pause for rest, etc: a coffee break was their only breathing space.

E. con tem plate (k n t m-pl t )
v. con tem plat ed, con tem plat ing, con tem plates
v.tr.
1. To look at attentively and thoughtfully.
2. To consider carefully and at length; meditate on or ponder: contemplated the problem from
all sides; contemplated the mystery of God.
3. To have in mind as an intention or possibility: contemplate marriage; forced by the
accident to contemplate retirement.
v.intr.
To ponder; meditate.

F. nervous breakdown

"Nervous Breakdown" is sometimes used to describe a stressful situation in which someone
becomes temporarily unable to function normally in day-to-day life.
It's commonly understood to occur when life's demands become physically and emotionally
overwhelming.
G. physique (fzik)
n
1. the general appearance of the body with regard to size, shape, muscular development, etc
2. Your physique (/fzik/) is the shape and size of your body.

H. walking skeleton
n
- a very dramatic way of saying that someone is terribly, often dangerously, thin.

I. tagged

transitive verb
1
: to provide or mark with or as if with a tag: as
a : to supply with an identifying marker or price <was tagged at $4.95>
b : to provide with a name or epithet : label, brand <tagged him a has-been>
c : to put a ticket on (a motor vehicle) for a traffic violation
d : to deface with a graffito usually in the form of the defacer's nickname
2
: to attach as an addition : append
3
: to follow closely and persistently
4
: to hold to account; especially : to charge with violating the law <was tagged forassault
Burt Woolis

J. significant sgnfk()nt/
adjective
adjective: significant

1. sufficiently great or important to be worthy of attention; noteworthy.
"a significant increase in sales"
2. having a particular meaning; indicative of something.
"in times of stress her dreams seemed to her especially significant"

K. in dulge
verb \in-dlj\
: to allow (yourself) to have or do something as a special pleasure
: to allow (someone) to have or do something even though it may not be proper, healthy,
appropriate, etc.
: to patiently allow (someone) to do or say something
L. bulimic [bjulmk]
Noun - a person suffering from bulimia
diseased person, sick person, sufferer - a person suffering from
an illness
Adj. - suffering from bulimia

M. anorexic anrksk/
noun
plural noun: anorexics
1. 1.
a person suffering from anorexia.
2. 2.
a medicine which produces a loss of appetite.