Topic III. What is normal and abnormal behaviour of people?
Active vocabulary that must be used:
each person is a unique personality
certain norms and rules of behavior
stereotype of behavior
normal and abnormal behaviour
to lead unusual life
to afford the most extraordinary view
to extend northwards until it is lost in sight
to frequent or live somewhere
to tell rumours or legends
to spot somebody lurking among the branches
to accommodate something
a touching tale
to be addicted to
to be a real misfortune for somebody
to be in solitude, away from everything
to be beyond description.
to build houses as birds build their nests with pieces of scrap-wood
remarkable agility
to conceal the tree houses
to camouflage something with branches and green paint
a set of rules
to give rise to rumours of a tree-dwelling tribe
to hunt somebody for years
to make a solemn promise
to be the land of opportunity
to be far beyond the limits of normal behaviour
What is normal and abnormal behavior of many people
There are millions of people living in the world. They are so different, each one is a unique personality. And actually, we can’t find two totally identical people. People differ in their behavior and habits, their likes and dislikes. If all people were alike, our life would be dull and uninteresting. In any society there exist certain norms and rules of behavior, certain limits and frames. We all have in our mind some kind of stereotype of behavior - normal behavior; and, on the other hand, behaviour which is viewed by the members of society as abnormal.
To demonstrate quite abnormal behavior of people I would like to tell the story about one unusual American which led quite unusual life. Anybody visiting New York for the first time usually tries to take a room high in one of those over-priced slightly tacky hotels at the southern end of Central Park. The park affords the most extraordinary view. It actually extends northwards until it is lost in sight. You can see a sea of treetops flanked on each side by enormous cliffs of stone and cement. During recent years people who frequent or live near the Central Park tell rumours, legends of people living among the treetops. One story told that there was a whole tribe of mysterious tree-dwellers in the park. People said they used to play tom-toms by night. Another story told about a young and a handsome man who had been spotted from time to time lurking among the branches. It is not surprising at all that such rumours arise. Central Park covers a huge area of about 850 acres. It accommodates a multitude of strange and sinister happenings. But one of the rumors turned out to be true.
One young and handsome man had been living among the treetops for 8 years. And at last after 8 years he was brought to book by city authorities. A lot of people knew a touching tale of Bob Redman who was 22. This young American had always been addicted to trees. But for his family it was a real misfortune because they lived in a tiny apartment on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. When Bob was 14 he went into the park and built himself a tree house there. Later he built more houses and there were 13 of them altogether. Each new house was more elaborate than the previous one. As he had explained to the reporter of New York Times he loved to be up, in trees, away from everything. He liked solitude but most of all he loved to be up in his tree houses and to look at the stars. He said that the view of the city lights and the stars at night was beyond description. Mr Redman built his houses as birds build their nests with pieces of scrap-wood that he managed to scrounge. He carried pieces of wood little by little into the park and then hoisted them up secretly into the tree tops. A lean and muscular young man he could scale tall branchless tree trunks with remarkable agility. Entry to his houses was often 40 feet above the ground with several levels above that. He could climb up the trees very easily.
His final house was the grandest of all. It was what any real estate agent would describe it as a five-room split-level home commanding spectacular view of the city skyline and of all of Central Park. It included ladders and rope bridges, as well as wooden benches and tables. It was difficult to imagine how high the rent for such house could be. Mr Redman went to great pains to conceal his tree houses, building them in neglected corners of the park and camouflaging them with branches and green paint. As a rule he called his houses after his favourite stars – Epsilon Eridani, for example. Sometimes friends came to visit him, sometimes as many as 12 people at a time, they brought sandwiches, books, radios and torches. All of them were given a set of rules, which among other things prohibited branch breaking, fires, litter and loud noise. His brother Bill sometimes brought a set of Congo drums to the tree houses and played them very late at night, giving rise to rumours of a tree-dwelling tribe.
Park authorities quickly became aware of Mr Redman’s activities. But his houses often stayed undetected for a long time. Some lasted as long as a year before park authorities could find them and tear them down - Mr Redman usually watched mournfully from the distance. His final and the most magnificent structure went unnoticed for four months. It had floors strong enough to hold a truck and not one nail was driven into the tree. Unfortunately one morning Mr Redman was awoken by the voice of Frank Serpe, Director of Central Park. Frank Serpe said that Bob’s party was over and asked Mr Redman to come down. Mr Redman came down to meet Mr Serpe and 10 more officers of the Park Enforcement Patrol. It was a victory for Mr Serpe who had been hunting Mr Redman for years.
But actually the story of Mr Redman had a happy ending. After his last house had been dismantled and Mr Redman had made a solemn promise to build no more houses, the Park offered Mr Redman a job. He became a professional pruner and tree-climber for the Central Park. He said he just couldn’t believe the job so perfect for him existed. His mother was also very happy because he got a job and after so many years he was back living at home. It all proves that America is really the land of opportunity in which dreams - even such impossible dreams - can become reality. But it also shows that all people are unique and behavior of many of them is far beyond the limits of normal behavior. But we must try and understand all people. We also must admit that people with abnormal behavior make life around us more interesting as far as their behavior does not interfere with the interests of other people.
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