Susan  How have your two sons been doing at school lately, Andy?
Andy  Terrible! James never starts working, and Malcolm never stops working.
Susan  You're joking, of course. I hear that Malcolm is likely to win all the prizes in the exams this year.
Andy  Yes, so his teachers say. But he deserves to do well. He's always been so conscientious and hard-working, and he's been slaving at his books every evening for months on end recently. He wants to go to Oxford University next year.
Susan  Maybe he'll [bad word] a university lecturer himself eventually.
Andy  Maybe. But I think he studies too hard; I sometimes wish he'd go out and enjoy himself for a change. 
Susan  Yes... What about the younger one?
Andy  Well, James' teachers say that he has ability, but that he's too inconsistent and that he rarely does his best. In other words, he's not bad when he makes an effort, but he's too idle. He couldn't care less about exams. He does his homework in ten minutes every evening and [bad word] out to play tennis.
Susan  He's crazy about tennis, isn't he? Perhaps he can make his fortune at it. You can make more money from sport than from an old-fashioned profession these days.
Andy  So I believe. But my wife always worries about the children's future. She wants James to give up tennis and study law, but I don't believe in forcing boys to take up careers they're not cut out for. I wonder how James'll develop in a couple of years' time!