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American Teens Talk!
What have you been doing this week?
Asim: After school today, we came to the
park. Two of us were playing baseball, and
two of us walked around making videos.
Why are you making videos?
Alex: Because it’s fun, something to kill
time.* We put them on YouTube.
What are you doing in school this week?
Mahmoud: CST preparation. That’s
California Standardized Testing. Everyone
in second through eleventh grade takes
the test. It helps decide what classes you
get to take next year. The preparation
helps us get ready for the test.
What do you do on weekends?
Des: Go to the mall.*
Alex: Buy clothes.
Asim: I play video games. I go on the
computer a little. Sometimes I hang with*
my brother, or I hang out with my friends.
How do you get money to buy clothes?
Des: From Mom.
Asim: I have a job painting. I paint houses
on weekends with my uncles, and when I
get money, I use it to buy clothes.
Alex: I work at East Oakland Regional Park.
We go and paint benches, pull up weeds,
make the park cleaner. I get money, and
then I buy clothes, or food (I’m a junk
food* junkie*), or I might take these
friends to the movies.
Four Fiends,
ages 13 and 14
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American Teens Talk!
Is there anything you want to say to
kids in other countries?
Des: Stay safe.
Alex: Have as much fun as possible. Learn
to turf. (It’s a kind of dance.)
Asim: Hmm. Don’t go to the bad stu, like
drugs or alcohol—or war.
Mahmoud: Admire the little things.
Kill time: If you kill time, you do things that
aren’t really boring but aren’t really useful
either.
Mall: A large shopping area with many
shops.
Hang, hang with, hang out with: These
are very informal words. They mean “talk to
and enjoy being with friends without doing
anything special or exciting.”
Junk food: This is food (often for snacks) that
tastes good but isn’t very nutritious.
Junkie: A slang word for a person who is
addicted to something or who can’t stop
using something.
1. Do you enjoy junk food? What do you do
to stay healthy? Do you have any habits
that you think aren’t really healthy?
2. Mahmoud says, “Admire the little things.”
What are some of the little things in life
that make you happy? Why are they
special to you?
A Few Words
Discussion Questions
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