unit13

MARRIAGE

Unit 13Unit 13MARRIAGE

Watch the movie clip and answer the following questions.

1. What do you feel from Lester’s words?

Audiovisual supplementCultural background

He is depressed and sedated.

Very cold and passionless.

2. What do you think of their marriage?


American Beauty


Lester: That’s my wife, Carolyn. See the way the handle on those pruning shears matches her gardening clogs? That’s not an accident.

Jim: Hush, Bitsy! Hush, what’s wrong with you? Lester: That’s our next-door neighbor, Jim. And that’s

his lover, Jim. Jim: You spoiled her. Bitsy, no bark. Come inside now. Me?

Come on. Yes. Inside. Carolyn: Good morning! Jim!Jim: Good morning, Carolyn. Carolyne: I love your tie, that color!Jim: I just love your roses. How do you get them to flouris

h like this?


Carolyn: Well, I’ll tell you. Eggshells and miracle-Gro. Jim: I’ve never heard about that. Lester: Man, I get exhausted just watching her. She was

n’t always like this. She used to be happy. We used to be happy.

1. Divorce in America


The divorce rate in America is reported to be more than 50%, which means one in two couples will break up. Why is it so high? What is the real reason for them to divorce? Freedom is one of the most important beliefs for Americans and nothing can replace it. So if they think the love and family can’t offer them happiness and safety, they would choose to divorce. They wouldn’t think more about the family or the children because they take themselves as the center. What’s worse, as the divorce rate in America rises, bad effects are brought on children who are used to growing up with both parents.


2. Stuttered speech

1) Money Money is a sensitive area and your household finances need to be properly structured. You and your spouse should define your core values. Try to come to an understanding about what you both care the most about spending money on.


2) The in-laws It is not uncommon for some mothers- or fathers-in law to overstep their boundaries and interfere with their child’s marriage. If your in-laws are causing difficulties in your marriage, you and your spouse will then need to set boundaries with your parents.


3) The way they spend their time together Of course, you and your spouse have individual needs and interests. However, you and your spouse should focus on the time you spend together, instead of the activity itself.

Structural analysisGeneral analysis Rhetorical features

Marriage is a social union or legal contract between individuals that creates kinship. People get married for such reasons as legal, social, emotional and economical; for public declaration of love; or for the lawful foundation of a family. Marriage practices are diversified in different cultures. They are dependent on many things, such as conventions, habits, legal system, etc. How much do contemporary people value their marriage? What are the possible causes of their difficulties in regard to marriage? How can marriage be more rationally understood? This text attempts to convince the readers that marriage is thought to be full of difficulties by all people, conventional and unconventional, past and present, and it suggests that taking a proper attitude towards these difficulties may make some difference.

The text falls into three parts: Part I (Paragraph 1): The author, after quoting

Russell on the subject, puts forward his own argument that difficulties in regard to marriage have been an old issue for centuries.

Part II (Paragraphs 2 － 7): The author analyzes the roots of such difficulties by listing quotations from famous literary works and famous people.


Part III (Paragraphs 8 － 9): The author assigns the causes of unhappy marriages to the excessive consciousness of difficulties in human beings, and encourages people to face the difficulties in marriage bravely.


In this text the author often makes comments on the people he quotes or what is said by those people so as to express his own opinions. Listed below are the comments made by the author in Paragraphs 5 － 7:… the reputed saying of the henpecked Socrates, ... . (Paragraph 5)Burton is far from encouraging! (Paragraph 5)Pepys scribbled in his diary ... (Paragraph 5) The pious Jeremy Taylor was as keenly aware that marriage is not all bliss. (Paragraph 6)The sentimental and optimistic Steele … (Paragraph 6)Dr. Johnson, … devoted husband though he was … (Paragraph 7)


MARRIAGE Robert Lynd

“Conventional people,” says Mr. Bertrand Russell, “like to pretend that difficulties in regard to marriage are a new thing.” I could not help wondering, as I read this sentence, where one can meet these conventional people who think, or pretend to think, as conventional people do. I have known hundreds of conventional people, and I cannot remember one of them who thought the things conventional people seem to think. They were all, for example, convinced that marriage was a state beset with difficulties, and that these difficulties were as old,

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if not as the hills, at least as the day on which Adam lost a rib and gained a wife. A younger generation of conventional people has grown up in recent years, and it may be that they have a rosier conception of marriage than their ancestors; but the conventional people of the Victorian era were under no illusions on the subject. Their cynical attitude to marriage may be gathered from the enthusiastic reception they gave to Punch’s advice to those about to marry － “ Don’t.”

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I doubt, indeed, whether the horrors of marriage were ever depicted more cruelly than during the conventional nineteenth century. The comic papers and music-halls made the miseries a standing dish. “You can always tell whether a man’s married or single from the way he’s dressed,” said the comedian. “Look at the single man: no buttons on his shirt. Look at the married man: no shirt.” The humour was crude; but it went home to the honest Victorian heart. If marriage were to be judged by the songs conventional people used to sing about it in the music-halls, it would seem a hell mainly populated by twins and leech-like mothers-in-law.

2

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The rare experiences of Darby and Joan were, it is true, occasionally hymned, reducing strong men smelling strongly of alcohol to reverent silence; but, on the whole, the audience felt more normal when a comedian came out with an anti-marital refrain such as: O why did I leave my little back room In Bloomsbury, Where I could live on a pound a week In luxury (I forget the next line). But since I have married Maria, I’ve jumped out of the frying-pan Into the blooming fire.

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No difficulties? Why, the very nigger-minstrels of my boyhood used to open their performance with a chorus which began: Married! Married! O pity those who’re married. Those who go and take a wife must be very green. It is possible that the comedians exaggerated, and that Victorian wives were not all viragos with pokers, who beat their tipsy husbands for staying out too late. But at least they and their audiences refrained from painting marriage as an inevitable Paradise. Even the clergy would go no farther than to say that marriages were made in Heaven. That they did not believe that marriage necessarily ended there is shown by the fact that one of them wrote a “best-seller” bearing the title How to Be Happy Though Married.

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4

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I doubt, indeed, whether common opinion in any age has ever looked on marriage as an untroubled Paradise. I consulted a dictionary of quotations on the subject and discovered that few of the opinions quoted were rose-coloured. These opinions, it may be objected, are the opinions of unconventional people, but it is also true that they are opinions treasured and kept alive by conventional people. We have the reputed saying of the henpecked Socrates, for example, when asked whether it was better to marry or not: “Whichever you do, you will repent.” We have Montaigne writing: “It happens as one sees in cages. The birds outside despair of ever getting in;

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those inside are equally desirous of getting out.” Bacon is no more prenuptial with his caustic quotation: “He was reputed one of the wise men that made answer to the question when a man should marry: ‘A young man not yet; an elder man not at all.’” Burton is far from encouraging! “One was never married, and that’s his hell; another is, and that’s his plague.” Pepys scribbled in his diary: “Strange to say what delight we married people have to see these poor folk decoyed into our condition.”

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The pious Jeremy Taylor was as keenly aware that marriage is not all bliss. “Marriage,” he declared, “hath in it less of beauty and more of safety than the single life － it hath more care but less danger; it is more merry and more sad; it is fuller of sorrows and fuller of joys.” The sentimental and optimistic Steele can do no better than: “The marriage state, with and without the affection suitable to it, is the completest image of Heaven and Hell we are capable of receiving in this life.”

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Rousseau denied that a perfect marriage had ever been known. “I have often thought,” he wrote, “that if only one could prolong the joy of love in marriage we should have paradise on earth. That is a thing which has never been hitherto.” Dr. Johnson is not quoted in the dictionary; but everyone will remember how, devoted husband though he was, he denied that the state of marriage was natural to man. “Sir,” he declared, “it is so far from being natural for a man and woman to live in a state of marriage that we find all the motives which they have for remaining in that connexion and the restraints which civilised society imposes to prevent separation are hardly sufficient to keep them together.”

7

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When one reads the things that have been said about marriage from one generation to another, one cannot but be amazed at the courage with which the young go on marrying. Almost everybody, conventional and unconventional, seems to have painted the troubles of marriage in the darkest colours. So pessimistic were the conventional novelists of the nineteenth century about marriage that they seldom dared to prolong their stories beyond the wedding bells. Married people in plays and novels are seldom enviable, and, as time goes on, they seem to get more and more miserable. Even conventional people nowadays enjoy the story of a thoroughly unhappy marriage. It is only fair to say,

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however, that in modern times we like to imagine that nearly everybody, single as well as married, is unhappy. As social reformers we are all for happiness, but as thinkers and aesthetes we are on the side of misery. The truth is that we are a difficulty-conscious generation. Whether or not we make life even more difficult than it would otherwise be by constantly talking about our difficulties I do not know. I sometimes suspect that half our difficulties are imaginary and that if we kept quiet about them they would disappear. Is it quite certain that the ostrich by burying his head in the sand never escapes his pursuers? I look forward to the day when a great naturalist will discover that it is to this practice that the ostrich owes his survival.

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1. Why is it said that the younger generation of conventional people has a rosier conception of marriage than their ancestors? (Paragraph 1)

Because people of the younger generation are mostly not yet married and they thus have great expectations of marriage.

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2. What attitude did people in the Victorian era have towards marriage? (Paragraph 1)

Even people in the Victorian era, which was a period renowned for its emphasis on social duties rather than rights, did not have expectations for a difficulty-free marriage.

1. Who are those people the author quoted? Are they considered conventional or unconventional? Why? (Paragraphs 2 － 7)

The people quoted are all philosophers, writers, and scientists, whom the author considers as unconventional people, since they were all people with knowledge, talents and wisdom beyond the ordinary. What they thought of marriage could be derived from the essence of human experience.

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2. How did the novelists and playwrights describe marriage in their works? (Paragraphs 2 － 7)

The conventional novelists of the nineteenth century seldom described marriage after the wedding. Even when married people did appear in plays and novels later on, they usually seemed more and more miserable.

1. What attitudes do social reformers and thinkers and aesthetes hold towards marriage? Why? (Paragraphs 8 －9)Social reformers tend to take an optimistic view towards marriage, while thinkers and aesthetes are on the pessimistic side, thinking of marriage as full of miseries. Social reformers usually encourage people to get married by convincing them of the happiness of marriage, since marriage and family are the cornerstones of a stable society; while thinkers tend to analyze both the positive and negative sides of marriage, and aesthetes strive for the perfection of marriage, so they focus more on its miserable side.

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2. Did the author draw a conclusion concerning the truth of marriage? Why or why not? (Paragraphs 8 － 9)No, he didn’t. He explains that whether marriage is difficult or not depends on people’s attitude: if we think it’s difficult, then it is; but if we can ignore the difficulties, then they may well cease to exist.

Group discussionsDo you think that half our difficulties are imaginary? Give some specific examples in your study and life experiences to illustrate your opinion.

Detailed reading

Collocation:

be beset with/by

e.g.A nightmare afflicts me from time to time.Unemployment afflicts 1.2 million workers in that country.

beset: v. (of a problem or difficulty) trouble (sb. or sth.) persistently

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e.g.problems besetting the countryThe maintenance of an effective incomes policy is beset with problems.

Synonym:

afflict

rosy: a. likely to be satisfactory and very successful or

enjoyable

Detailed reading

e.g. rosy prospectsa rosy view

Synonym:

hopeful, promising

Idiom:

Everything in the garden is rosy.样样称心如意。 / 一切都满意。 / 事事如意。

illusion: n. a false idea or belief, esp. about sb. or about a

situation

Detailed reading

e.g.He could no longer distinguish between illusion and reality.It is time for them to cast aside their illusions.

Collocation:

be under no illusions about sth.have/cherish/entertain/hold illusions about sth.

e.g. illusionary stage effects

Derivation:

illusionary a.

Synonym:

vision, delusion, fantasy, misconception

Detailed reading

cynical: a. skepticale.g.

a cynical view/smileHe was getting harder and more cynical about life.

Translation:

由于困难很大，他对这个主意是否可行持怀疑态度。The enormous difficulty makes him cynical about the feasibility of the idea.______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

他不相信她有胜利的希望。He was cynical about her prospects for victory.______________________________________________________________

Derivation:

cynicism n.

Detailed reading

crude: a. rude and offensivee.g.a crude remark/joke

crude interference in another country’s internal affairsthe crude behaviour of schoolchildren

Synonym:

vulgar

Derivation:

crudely ad.crudity n.

e.g.The crudity of her language shocked him.

Detailed reading

reverent: a. showing great respect and admiration

e.g.a reverent silencefile past the tomb in a reverent mannergive reverent attention to the sermon

Synonym:

respectful, adoring

Derivation:

reverently ad.reverence n.

e.g.The crowd knelt in reverence and worshipped.The younger generation lack reverence.

Detailed reading

refrain: n. (in Paragraph 2) a regularly recurring phrase or verse, esp. at the end of each stanza or division of a poem or song; chorus vigorous and glowingv. (in Paragraph 4) stop oneself from doing sth., esp. sth. that one wants to do

Collocation:

refrain from (doing) sth.

e.g. refrain from laughing/tearsHe has refrained from criticizing the government in public.

Detailed reading

green: a. young and lacking experience

e.g.a green handThe new trainees are still very green.

Antonym:

experienced, mature, versed

Detailed reading

tipsy: a. slightly drunk

e.g.The wine had made Barton a trifle tipsy.

Synonym:

tiddly

Antonym:

sober

Detailed reading

rose-coloured: a. used in reference to a naively optimistic or idealistic viewpointe.g.a rose-coloured talk/plan

a rose-coloured vision of the world

Synonym:

rose-tinted

Translation:

他总是过于乐观地看待世界。He tends to view the world through rose-coloured spectacles.______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

Detailed reading

reputed: a. generally thought to be sth. or to have done sth., although this is not certain e.g.a man reputed to have worked miracles

He is the reputed writer of the two epic poems.

Synonym:

supposed

Derivation:

reputedly ad.

e.g.events that reputedly took place thousands of years agoReputedly, he is very dangerous.

Detailed reading

henpecked: a. dominated by one’s wife

e.g.A henpecked husband always gives in to his wife.

Translation:

他是个典型的“妻管严”。He is a typical henpecked husband.______________________________________________________________

我看他将来是要怕老婆的。I can see he’s going to be henpecked.______________________________________________________________

repent: v. feel regret or sorrow about one’s wrongdoing or sin

repent one’s crimes before a priestBitterly did we repent our decision.

Collocation:

repent of sth.; repent bitterly; come to repentDerivation:

repentance n.

repentant a.

He shows no sign of repentance.

She was not in the least repentant.

Detailed reading

e.g.

e.g.

e.g.

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caustic: a. critical in a bitter or sarcastic way

caustic comments/wita caustic tongueSome caustic things have been written about media stars.

Collocation:

be caustic about

e.g.

Synonym:

biting, acid

Detailed reading

scribble: v. write sth. quickly and untidily

I scribbled his phone number in my address book. He scribbled down our names.

Word formation:

“scrib-” means “to write”

e.g.

describe, inscribe, prescribe, subscribe, transcribe, postscript, scripture

e.g.

Detailed reading

decoy: v. lure (a person or animal) away from their intended course, typically into a trap

They decoyed him into a dark street.decoy sb. away from the house

Synonym:

lure, entice

e.g.

The child was lured into a car but managed to escape.The bargain prices are expected to entice customers away from other stores.

e.g.

Collocation:

decoy into

Detailed reading

pious: a. having or showing a deep respect for God and

religionpious acts/utterancesMrs. Smith was a very pious woman who attended church services regularly.

e.g.

Antonym:

impious, profane, undutiful

Detailed reading

prolong: v. make sth. last longer

prolong a visitprolong one’s stay in LondonAll the time people are seeking to prolong life.The operation could prolong his life by two or three years.

e.g.

Synonym:

lengthen, extend

Derivation:

prolongation n.prolonged a.

Detailed reading

motive: n. a reason for doing sth.

be proper in motiveHe says that he is doing this to help me, but I suspect an ulterior motive.

e.g.

Collocation:

motive for sth.ulterior motive

Detailed reading

Translation:

这起谋杀案看不出有什么动机。There seemed to be no motive for the murder.______________________________________________________________

贪婪是他偷窃的唯一原因。Greed was his only motive for stealing.______________________________________________________________

Derivation: motiveless a.

an apparently motiveless murder/attacke.g.

He has earned himself an enviable position in the bank.Her dedication to her work was admirable.

e.g.

Detailed reading

enviable: a. so desirable as to arouse envy

He is in the enviable position of having two job offers to choose from.She learned to speak foreign languages with enviable fluency.

e.g.

Synonym:

admirable

Comparison:

enviable & admirable

an aesthetic appreciation of the landscapee.g.

Detailed reading

aesthete: n. a person who has a love and understanding of art and beautiful things

Derivation:

aesthetic a.

Nobody will deny that Wilde is an outstanding aesthete.

e.g.

aesthetically pleasing colour combinationse.g.

aesthetically ad.

the relationship between aesthetics and translation

e.g.

aesthetics n.

These technological developments were hardly imaginable 30 years ago.

e.g.

The equator is an imaginary line around the earth.

e.g.

Detailed reading

imaginary: a. existing only in your mind or imagination

Comparison:

imaginary: hypothetical, existing only in one’s mind and not in real life

imaginary fears/threatsThe story is wholly imaginary.

e.g.

imaginable: possible to imagine

imaginary & imaginable

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Blank filling:

Even in the danger, we should save the injured by every means.

imaginary___________

imaginable____________

即使是在虚构的危险当中，我们也应该尽一切可能抢救伤员。

Their cynical attitude to marriage may be gathered from the enthusiastic reception they gave to Punch’s advice to those about to marry － “ Don’t”. (Paragraph 1)

Paraphrase:From the way they enthusiastically received the “Don’t” advice given in the magazine Punch, we can tell that they adopted a skeptical attitude to marriage.

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The humour was crude; but it went home to the honest Victorian heart. (Paragraph 2)

Paraphrase:

Although the humor might sound offensively rude, it was readily accepted by people in the Victorian era.

Detailed reading

The marriage state, with and without the affection suitable to it, is the completest image of Heaven and Hell we are capable of receiving in this life.

Paraphrase:

The marriage state, whether there is love involved or not, is a combination of the happiness and misery we may encounter in life.

Word derivation

Words and phrases practice

Synonym / Antonym

Vocabulary Translation Integrated skillsOral activitiesWritingGrammar

1) We could the governor’s speech now, but we will consider it till the afternoon, and shall then be more specific in our answer.

make answer to __________________


2) your recent inquiry, we have to pass it on to the board.

In regard to _____________

3) From her attitude towards you I am that she loves you.

under no illusions ____________________

4) The glorious words of the old Hebrew poets while he was listening to the

lecture of his teacher.

went hometo his heart

_____________

_____________


e.g. 申请人须回答下列所有问题，并用墨水笔清晰地写出回答。

Applicant must make answer to all of the following questions, and such answers must be written out plainly in ink.

make answer to: answer, reply


e.g. 公司关于加班的立场在合同中有明确说明。

The company’s position in regard to overtime is made clear in the contract.

in regard to: concerning


e.g. 我对节食在我身上所能起的作用不再抱有任何幻想。I am under no illusions about what a diet could do for me.

under no illusions: holding no false belief


e.g.我们注意到雪莱的诗句如何打动了他的心。

We have noticed how Shelly’s poem went home to his heart.

go home to one’s heart: deeply touch or grieve sb.


1) comic a.→ comedy n.→ comedian n. ant. tragic a. → tragedy n. → tragedian n.

e.g. 喜剧通常有一个愉快的结局。

这个喜剧演员擅长表演滑稽戏剧。A comedy usually has a happy ending.

The comedian is good at performing comic opera.


2) exaggerate v. → exaggerated a. → exaggeration n.

e.g. 我认为电视的影响怎么说也不夸张。

这篇新闻报道的内容言过其实。

说大多数同学从未读过一部完整的莎士比亚戏剧一点也不夸张。

I don’t think it is possible to exaggerate the power of television.

The newspaper accounts are exaggerated.

It is no exaggeration to say that most students have never read a complete Shakespeare play.


3) repute n. → reputable a. → reputation n.

e.g. 她是一位享有国际声誉的作家。

凡是有信誉的公司都提供保单。

他不久就获得了一级厨师的荣誉。

She is a writer of international repute.

All reputable companies give a guarantee.

He soon acquired a reputation as a first-class cook.


4) repent v. → repentant a. → repentance n.

e.g. 他开始后悔自己的草率决定。

我无心在那颗追悔莫及的破碎的灵魂上再捅一刀。

由忏悔必生悔罪，由悔罪必得饶恕。

He came to repent his hasty decision.

I have no heart to add a hurt to that repentant and broken spirit.

From confession flows repentance and from repentance forgiveness.


5) desire n. → desirous a.

e.g. 她感到一种难以遏制的想回家的愿望。

他非常希望你参加这次会议。

She felt an overwhelming desire to return home.

He is strongly desirous that you should attend the meeting.


6) civilize v. → civilized a. → civilization n.e.g.粗鲁的丈夫在妻子的开导下变得文雅了。

他们的目标是创立一个秩序井然、公平文明的社会。

维多利亚时代的人认为铁路带来了进步和文明。

The rough husband has been civilized by his wife.

Their aim is to create an orderly, just and civilized society.

The Victorians regarded the railways as bringing progress and civilization.


7) imagine v. → imaginary a. → imagination n.

e.g.我现在无法想象没有了孩子们的生活。

顷刻间她幻想的全部幸福都成了泡影。

不要一味凭空想象。

I cannot imagine life without the children now.

All her imaginary happiness vanished in a moment.

Don’t let your imagination run away with you.

impious, profane, undutiful

1. Conventional people like to pretend that difficulties in regard to marriage are a new thing.

Synonym: ordinary, commonplace, conformist

2. The pious Jeremy Taylor was as keenly aware that marriage is not all bliss.

Antonym:


3. But at least they and their audiences refrained from painting marriage as an inevitable Paradise.

withhold, abstain, restrainSynonym:

4. Pepys scribbled in his diary.

Synonym: write, scrawl, scrabble


5. Bacon is no more prenuptial with his caustic quotation.

Synonym: sarcastic, biting, scornful

6. The sentimental and optimistic Steele can do no better.

Antonym: dispassionate, unemotional, hard-hearted, pragmatic

8. I sometimes suspect that half our difficulties are imaginary.

Antonym: real, genuine, factual


7. All the motives which they have for remaining in that connexion and the restraints which civilized society imposes to prevent separation are hardly sufficient to keep them together.

Synonym: restriction, control, limit

Vocabulary Grammar Translation Integrated skillsOral activitiesWriting

Conjuncts

Homonymy of adjectives and adverbs

A conjunct is an adverbial whose function is to join two sentences or other discourse units (e.g. however, anyway, in the first place).



Practice: Explain the meaning of the words in italics in the following sentences.

result

1) The cloned child would be a genetically identical twin of the original, and thus physically very similar — far more similar than a natural parent and child.

enumeration

2) Why “copy” people in the first place?


addition

3) Above all, how would a teenager cope with looking at me, a balding, aging man, and seeing the physical future ahead of him?

4) Each of us can imagine hypothetical families created by the introduction of a cloned child — a copy of one partner in a homosexual relationship or of a single parent, for example.

exemplification


contrast

5) Rather, my judgment is that it would be difficult for families created in this way to provide an appropriate environment for the child.

6) It is possible, however, that the copy would develop quite differently.

concession

7) By contrast, human cloning could, in theory, be used to obtain tissues needed to treat disorders such as Parkinson’s disease and diabetes.

contrast


8) Moreover, there is a lot we do not know about the effects of cloning, especially in terms of aging.

addition


Complete the sentences with appropriate conjuncts in the box.

1) He has the opportunity, the motivation, and the courage to do it.

2) The weather was cold and wet, but we had a great time.

3) He lost his watch, his car broke down, and he got a letter of complaint from a customer: , he had a bad day.

above all__________

above allin other words

ratherhowever

still moreover

on the other handall in all

still_____

all in all__________


4) A talented artist, he was, , a writer of some note.

5) We thought the figures were correct. , we have now discovered some errors.

6) They took with them some chocolate, cans of beer and fruit juice, a flask of coffee, a pack of sandwiches:

, enough refreshments.7) They’d love to have kids, but ,

they don’t want to give up their freedom. 8) The walls were not white, but a sort of dirty

grey.

above allin other words

ratherhowever

still moreover

on the other handall in all

moreover__________

However__________

in other words________________

on the other hand___________________

rather_______


Homonymy of adjectives and adverbsHomonymy refers to the relation between two words having the same spelling and the same pronunciation but different meanings as they are one adjective and the other adverb. For example, clean means free from dirty or stains as an adjective while as an adverb, it is used to emphasize the completeness of a reported action, condition or experience.


completely

1) I ( , cleanly) forgot the appointment. clean

in a clean manner

2) The election campaign was not conducted very (clean,

).cleanly

to a high level in position

3) The cat sprang ( , highly) in the air.high

Practice:Select the correct word from those given in brackets.


to a high degree

4) The students speak (high, ) of their professor.highly

in a straight line, without turning aside

5) Can I dial this number ( , directly) or do I have to go through the operator?

direct

at once

6) He should be here (direct, ) if you don’t mind waiting.

directly


exactly at the stated time

7) The tour bus will leave at 8 o’clock ( , sharply).sharp

severely

8) The police were (sharp, ) criticized for their handling of the investigation.

sharply

1. 尼日利亚的石油工业饱受腐败困扰。其结果是油价上涨，人权遭到践踏。 (be beset with)

If you are beset with difficulties, problems, fears, etc., there are so many of them or they are so great that they are difficult for you to deal with.


Translate the following sentences into English.

Nigeria’s oil industry is beset with corruption. The result is higher oil prices and human rights abuses.

Practice：维持一种有效的收入政策困难重重。

这个队整个赛季都受到伤痛困扰。


The maintenance of an effective incomes policy is beset with problems.

The team had been beset with injuries all season.

2. 如果这个世界上都是坦白正直的人，我们就能避免许多无休止的争论！ (refrain from)


If you refrain yourself from doing sth., you control yourself not to do it.

If the world were populated with all upright men, we would be able to refrain from many ceaseless arguments.

Practice：我坚决要求他不要做唯唯诺诺的人。

他强忍着不责骂自己的孩子，直到同伴离去。


I insisted that he refrain from being a yes-man.

He refrained from scolding his child until the company left.

3. 不要奢望迅速完事，因为想要快点完成任务，就不可能把事情做得很彻底。 (be desirous of)


If you are desirous of sth., you have a wish for it.

Do not be desirous of having things done quickly. Desire to have things done quickly prevents their being done thoroughly.

Practice：他意欲在政府文官机构谋个职位。

佩吉特（ Paget）小姐很想去伦敦旅行么？


He is desirous of obtaining a position in the Civil Service.

Is Miss Paget desirous of traveling to London?

4. 守在大钟附近的士兵是不会被诱离他的哨位的。 (decoy)


If you decoy sb. or sth., you lead them away from where they intended to go by means of a trick, esp. so that you can catch them or kill them.

The guard near the big clock cannot be decoyed away from his post.

The soldiers decoyed the enemy towards the minefield.


Practice：有八枚导弹受到了诱导而偏离了目标。

士兵诱使敌人去雷区。

Eight of the missiles were decoyed away from targets.

5. 每天按时散步也许是延长老年人生命的最可行的运动方式之一。 (prolong)


To prolong sth. means to make it last longer.

Taking a regular walk every day is probably one of the most feasible forms of exercise to prolong life for the elderly.

Don’t prolong the agony － just tell us who won!


Practice：他对处境很满意，希望长此不变。

别卖关子了——快说谁赢了！

He enjoyed the situation and wanted to prolong it.


Dictation

Cloze


Dictation You will hear a passage read three times. At

the first reading, you should listen carefully for its general idea. At the second reading, you are required to write down the exact words you have just heard (with proper punctuation). At the third reading, you should check what you have written down.

To be called beautiful / is thought to name something essential / to women’s character and concerns, / in contrast to men, / whose essence is to be strong, or effective, or competent. / It does not take someone with advanced feminist awareness / to find that the way women are taught to be involved with beauty / reinforces dependence and immaturity. / Everybody knows that, / for it is “everybody,” a whole society, / that has identified being feminine with caring about how one looks, / and being masculine with caring about what one is and does / and only secondarily about how one looks. / Given these stereotypes, / it is no wonder that beauty enjoys, at best, a rather mixed reputation.


Dictation

Americans haven’t given up on marriage as a cherished ideal. Indeed, most Americans continue to prize and value marriage an important life goal, and the vast majority of us will marry at least once in a lifetime. By the mid-thirties, a majority of Americans have married at least once.

Most couples enter marriage with a strong and determination for a lifelong, loving partnership. Moreover, this desire may be increasing among the young. Since the 1980s, the percentage of

ClozeFill in each blank in the passage below with ONE appropriate word.

as___

desire_______


young Americans who say having a good marriage is extremely important to them as a life goal has increased slightly. But when men and women today, they are entering a union that looks very different from the one that their parents or grandparents entered. As a couple’s relationship, marriages are more likely to be broken by divorce by death. And although one might expect that greater freedom to leave an unhappy marriage might increase the chances that intact marriages would be very happy, this does not to be the case. Marriages are less happy today than in past decades.

that_____


marry_______

than_____

seem______

As an adult stage in the life course, marriage is shrinking. Americans are living longer, marrying later, exiting marriage more quickly, and choosing to live together before marriage, after marriage, in-between marriages, and as an alternative marriage. A small but growing percentage of American adults will never marry. As a , marriage is surrounded by longer periods of partnered or unpartnered singlehood over the course of a lifetime. Among young women, social confidence in is wavering. Until very recently, young women were highly optimistic about their chances for marital happiness and


to___

consequence_______________

marriage __________

success. Now, according to youth surveys, their in their ability to achieve successful marriage is declining. Moreover, they are notably more accepting of alternatives to marriage, such as unwed parenthood and cohabitation.


confidence_____________




as___

desire_______

Inferred from the sentence structure, this blank should be filled with a preposition, which is used to describe the fact that sth. has a particular function.





as___

desire_______


This sentence lacks a noun which shares the similar meaning with determination and can be modified by strong. As we know, most couples have a fancy dream towards marriage. Thus, here we can infer that they have a strong “desire” for marriage.


that_____

marry_______

than_____

seem______


Grammatically speaking, this sentence is complete in meaning and only lacks a relative pronoun to introduce the object clause.


that_____

marry_______

than_____

seem______


The whole passage talks about marriage. What’s more, the subject of this clause men and women has already indicated the answer: “marry”.



that_____

marry_______

than_____

seem______

Indicated by more likely, we come to know that this is a sentence of comparative structure. Obviously, it lacks the marker of comparative construction, which is “than”.


that_____

marry_______

than_____

seem______


This sentence lacks a verb, giving the impression of being or doing sth. We may quickly think of the structure of “seem to be/do sth.”.


to___


marriage __________


In this sentence, alternative refers to a thing that you can choose to do or have out of two or more possibilities. And this noun cannot be used separately but should exist with the preposition “to” in this sentence.


to___


marriage __________


The previous sentences talk about some facts existing in the society, while this sentence comes to the result of such phenomenon. Since “consequence” is the synonym of “result” and meets the requirement of “as a ____” construction, it should serve as the best answer.


to___


marriage __________


What kind of social confidence? It is further explained by the next sentence, especially marital happiness and success. Thus, this noun should be related to marital aspect.

success. Now, according to youth surveys, their in their ability to achieve successful marriage is declining. Moreover, they are notably more accepting of alternatives to marriage, such as unwed parenthood and cohabitation.

confidence_____________


Judging from the context of social confidence in the previous sentence, they share the same topic. In the meantime, “confidence” often collocates with the followed preposition in.


Giving a talk

Having a discussion

Giving a talk

Topic A: What Factors We Should Consider Before Marriage


love, health, personality, career, family background, education background, life experience, moral standards, common interests, economic condition, plan for future

Words and phrases for reference:


love, health, personality, career, family background, education background, life experience, moral standards, common interests, economic condition, plan for future

Words and phrases for reference:

Topic B: My Idea of What Marriage Should Be Like


Topic: What are the reasons for the phenomenon that more and more people, especially the young, prefer to remain single?

a. It is because marriage leads to more economic pressure.

b. It is because the younger generation wants to have more leisure and pleasure for themselves.

c. It is because their interpretation of marriage has been changing.

Viewpoints for reference:


Suppose you have to make a choice between marriage and a single life, and you decide to choose marriage. Write a short composition with the title “My Ideal Husband” or “My Ideal Wife”. In the first part of your composition, say something about the general trend concerning marriage in China today and the decision you have made. In the second part, explain what kind of man makes an ideal husband or what kind of woman makes an ideal wife. And in the third part, justify your decision by concluding that an ideal husband or an ideal wife will bring happiness to one’s life.

My Ideal Husband One who is caring and honest and treasures his

family like no one else. One who is nice, tender, forgiving, passionate,

hard-working, honest, peaceful, generous, understanding, pleasant, warm, intelligent, attentive and compassionate.

One who has a great sense of humor. One who will actually listen to a conversation that

you have started and make intelligent remarks. One who will also do the housework without

having been asked to. One who would tell you your flaws, but in a loving

way, who would help you change and become better.

Viewpoints for reference:



My Ideal Wife One who is responsible for the family and takes

good care of her hubby and children with a loving heart.

One who is somewhat talented in some field, with a desire to learn new things in life.

One who respects the senior and loves the young. One who is good at cooking as well. One who should not be too foolish, or too clever.

① In my opinion, an ideal wife must be qualified with these characters. ② First, she must be an intelligent and educated person with good manners. ③ As we know, parents are the first teachers to their child. ④ Especially the mother, for mothers get along with the children for most of the time, their behavior affects them gradually. ⑤ Therefore, a well educated mother also can bring up a polite child. ⑥ Second, she should be a generous and lenient person. ⑦ She can tolerate the mistakes made by her husband and child. ⑧ Besides, she should show filial obedience to parents of both sides. ⑨ All the above characters of an ideal wife are quite important for a harmonious family.

Sample:


Text II Memorable quotes

Lead-in questions

Text

Questions for discussion

Lead-in questions1) What are the responsibilities of a wife?a. to take care of her husband, their child and parentsb. to do the houseworkc. to satisfy the physical and mental needs of her husband

2) What does marriage mean to women?Tip: companionship, enjoyment of the family life, sacrifice of her time and energy even her whole career, less communication with their friends and the outside world


WHY I WANT A WIFEJudy Brady

I belong to that classification of people known as wives. I am a Wife. And, not altogether incidentally, I am a mother. Not too long ago a male friend of mine appeared on the scene from the Midwest fresh from a recent divorce. He had one child, who is, of course, with his ex-wife. He is obviously looking for another wife. As I thought about him while I was ironing one evening, it suddenly occurred to me that I, too, would like to have a wife. Why do I want a wife?


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I would like to go back to school, so that I can become economically independent, support myself, and, if need be, support those dependent upon me. I want a wife who will work and send me to school. And while I am going to school I want a wife to take care of my children. I want a wife to keep track of the children’s doctor and dentist appointments. And to keep track of mine, too. I want a wife to make sure my children eat properly and are kept clean. I want a wife who will wash the children’s clothes and keep them mended. I want a wife who is a good nurturant attendant to my children, arranges for their schooling, makes sure that they have adequate social life with their peers, takes them to the park, the zoo, etc.

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I want a wife who takes care of the children when they are sick, a wife who arranges to be around when the children need special care, because, of course, I cannot miss classes at school. My wife must arrange to lose time at work and not lose the job. It may mean a small cut in my wife’s income from time to time, but I guess I can tolerate that. Needless to say, my wife will arrange and pay for the care of the children while my wife is working. I want a wife who will take care of my physical needs. I want a wife who will keep my house clean. A wife who will pick up after my children, a wife who will pick up after me. I want a wife who will keep my clothes clean, ironed,

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mended, replaced when need be, and who will see to it that my personal things are kept in their proper place so that I can find what I need the minute I need it. I want a wife who cooks the meals, a wife who is a good cook. I want a wife who will plan the menus, do the necessary grocery shopping, prepare the meals, serve them pleasantly, and then do the cleaning up while I do my studying. I want a wife who will care for me when I am sick and sympathize with my pain and loss of time from school. I want a wife to go along when our family takes a vacation so that someone can continue to care for me and my children when I need a rest and a change of scene.


I want a wife who will not bother me with rambling complaints about a wife’s duties. But I want a wife who will listen to me when I feel the need to explain a rather difficult point I have come across in my course of studies. And I want a wife who will type my papers for me when I have written them. I want a wife who will take care of details of my social life. When my wife and I are invited out by my friends, I want a wife who will take care of the babysitting arrangements. When I meet people at school that I like and want to entertain, I want a wife who will have the house clean, will prepare a special meal, serve it to me and my friends, and not interrupt when I talk about the things

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that interest me and my friends. I want a wife who will have arranged that the children are fed and ready for bed before my guests arrive so that the children do not bother us. I want a wife who takes care of the needs of my guests so that they feel comfortable, who makes sure that they have an ashtray, that they are passed the hors d’oeuvres, that they are offered a second helping of the food, that their wine glasses are refilled when necessary, that their coffee is served to them as they like it. And I want a wife who knows that sometimes I need a night out by myself.


If, by chance, I find another person more suitable as a wife than the wife I already have, I want the liberty to replace my present wife with another one. Naturally, I will expect a fresh, new life; my wife will take the children and be solely responsible for them so that I am left free. When I am through with school and have acquired a job, I want my wife to quit working and remain at home so that my wife can more fully and completely take care of a wife’s duties. My God, who wouldn’t want a wife?

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About the text — This text first appeared in the Spring 1971 issue of Ms. Magazine and has been reprinted often and it is one of the best-known manifestos in popular feminist writing and a classic of feminist satire.


About the author — Born in 1937, Judy Brady became a freelance writer during the 1960s and has written articles on such issues as abortion, education, and the labor and women’s movements for a variety of publications.

I belong to that classification of people known as wives. (Paragraph 1) － I am among the people who are labeled wives.


Not too long ago a male friend of mine appeared on the scene from the Midwest fresh from a recent divorce. (Paragraph 2) － Not long ago one of my male friends from the Midwest came to see me. He had just had a divorce.



have adequate social life with their peers (Paragraph 3) — spend enough time playing with children of their age

A wife who will pick up after my children, a wife who will pick up after me. (Paragraph 4) — A wife who will clear up the mess the children have made, a wife who will clear up the mess I have made.



I want a wife to go along when our family takes a vacation so that someone can continue to care for me and my children when I need a rest and a change of scene. (Paragraph 4) — I want a wife who will travel with us when the family is on vacation, so that I and my children will still be taken care of when I want to have a rest and enjoy a new environment.


… that they have an ashtray, that they are passed the hors d’oeuvres that they are offered a second helping of the food ... (Paragraph 6) — … that my guests have an ashtray if they smoke, that they have the appetizer before the meal, that they will get a second helping of the food when necessary ...


If, by chance, I find another person more suitable as a wife than the wife I already have, I want the liberty to replace my present wife with another one. (Paragraph 7) — In the case that I find a better woman and want her to be my new wife, I want my present wife to give her place away and let me marry the new one.


My wife must arrange to lose time at work and not lose the job. It may mean a small cut in my wife’s income from time to time, but I guess I can tolerate that. (Paragraph 3) — My wife should know how to ask for leaves for any reason of the family but still keep her job. I can tolerate the small loss of her income because of the leaves.


Needless to say, my wife will arrange and pay for the care of the children while my wife is working. (Paragraph 3) — It is certain that my wife will arrange and pay somebody to take care of the children when she is working.


I want a wife who will care for me when I am sick and sympathize with my pain and loss of time from school. (Paragraph 4) — I want a wife who will care for me when I am sick, and feel sorry for my body pain and missing classes because of illness.


1. What effect does the author obtain with the title “Why I Want a Wife”?

If you have noticed that this article is written by a woman, you will definitely find the title “Why I Want a Wife” so intriguing that your curiosity about what the author has to say is immediately aroused.


2. What kind of literary devices does the author use to achieve the special satirical effect?The most prevalent device is sarcasm. This can be seen throughout the whole text. She is constantly using sarcasm to describe a wife’s roles. “I want a wife who takes care of the children when they are sick, a wife who arranges to be around when the children need special care, because, of course, I cannot miss classes at school.” As one reads on, one can immediately tell that Brady has gone through all of the situations she describes and has put a humorous twist on them. She also goes into great detail in


describing why she wants a wife. “I want a wife who will keep my clothes clean, ironed, mended, replaced when need be, and who will see to it that my personal things are kept in their proper place so that I can find what I need the minute I need it.”Reoccurrence of key elements is another literary device that Brady uses throughout her article. She is always describing what the wife does for the husband, but never describes what the husband does for the wife. She uses this as a strong building block in her essay. Without using this, she would not have conveyed her message that a wife is always giving and that a husband expects a wife to meet all of these traditional standards.


3. If you are a woman, after you have read Text I and Text II, do you still want to get married and become a wife? This is an open question. What follows is only one of the possible answers.No. Both Text I and Text II are so pessimistic towards marriage and woman’s status in marriage. Because of the difficulties in marriage and the unequal role of husband and wife, it might frighten away some of us from stepping into the wedding hall.


1. An ideal wife is any woman who has an ideal husband. — Booth Tarkington

2. All young women begin by believing they can change and reform the men they marry. They can’t.

— George Bernard Shaw


Questions for discussion

1) In your opinion, what’s your standard for an ideal husband/wife?

2) To what extent can you tolerate your future husband/wife?

I believe that the ideal husband is one who is caring and honest and treasures his family like no one else. An ideal husband is the one who will actually listen to a conversation that you have started and make intelligent remarks. He is the one who will also do the housework without having been asked to. He is a husband who knows everything about you: the things that make you mad or sad and the things that make you happy.


1) Example for reference:

Guidance:

There are two aspects to consider as to whether I can tolerate my future husband or not. One is physical and the other is spiritual. On one hand, he must pay enough attention to the personal and environmental hygiene. Otherwise, it is too terrible to live with him. On the other, he must give due respect to my parents. Since my parents have taken care of me for more than 20 years, he should feel obliged to treat them well and love them. It’s one of the most fundamental ethical values. In a word, I have rather high expectations for my future husband in the mentioned two aspects in my future marriage.


2) Example for reference:


Booth Tarkington (July 29, 1869 — May 19, 1946) was an American novelist and dramatist. Tarkington’s best known work today is The Magnificent Ambersons, which won the Pulitzer Prize, due in part to its famous treatment by Orson Welles in 1942 and its frequently favored listing on the Modern Library’s list of top-100 novels.


George Bernard Shaw (26 July 1856 — 2 November 1950) was an Irish playwright and a co-founder of the London School of Economics. He is the only person to have been awarded both a Nobel Prize for Literature (1925) and an Oscar (1938), for his contributions to literature and for his work on the film Pygmalion (adaption of his play of the same name), respectively.

unit13

Documents

divorce rate

marriage practices

childs marriage

money money

public declaration of

good morning

social union

legal contract