新編大學(xué)英語自主2 Unit 4

[00:00.00] Unit 4:Lesson One Marriage [00:04.50]Practice One Ideal Weight Words You Need to Know [00:11.59]ideal file petition divorce [00:29.38]Exercise 1:Directions:Listen to the passage and decide whether the following statements are true (T) or false (F). [00:41.65]The sweet Helen has been married for six months. [00:45.43]Her mother visits her for the first time. [00:48.56]When Harold, Helen's husband, has gone to the office to work, Helen's mother says, "Now tell me, how are you in your marriage?" [00:59.04]Helen cries, "Terrible, Harold is terrible. He criticizes me from the early morning till the late evening. [01:08.65]He quarrels with me all the time. [01:11.57]I've already lost ten kilograms in weight." [01:15.56]"Oh, you poor girl. You must file a petition for divorce!" [01:20.57]"I will, Mum, I will, but not before three months." [01:25.10]"Why in three months and not at once?" Her mother asked in surprise. [01:30.72]"Because I haven't reached yet my ideal weight of fifty-two kilograms." (117 words) [01:35.47]1)Helen got married six months ago. [01:40.91]2)After her husband had gone to work, Helen's mother came to visit her daughter. [01:48.18]3)Helen didn't want to divorce because she lost 10 kilograms in weight. [01:55.52]4)Three months later, Helen would file a petition for divorce. [02:02.11]5)Helen wanted to lose fifty-two kilograms in weight. [02:08.34]Exercise 2:Directions:Listen to the passage again and answer the following questions briefly. [02:17.45]1)Where is Helen's husband when Helen talks about her marriage with her mother? [02:25.08]2)Why does Helen think her husband is terrible? [02:30.62]3)What is her mother's suggestion? [02:34.87]4)Why is Helen unwilling to divorce her husband at once? [02:41.28]5)What probably is Helen's weight now? [02:46.97]Exercise 3:Directions:Retell the story in the first person of Helen's mother with the following words to remind you. [02:58.31]Practice Two A Puzzling Tradition [03:02.48]Words You Need to Know [03:04.64]reluctance symbolize represent [03:22.64]Exercise 1:Directions:Listen to the passage and answer the following questions briefly. [03:32.29]The Chinese people, I found out, hold onto many traditions that are both interesting and puzzling. [03:39.42]For instance, women customarily walk behind their husbands, and often three of four generations live together in the same house. [03:48.60]None of these customs troubled me, however, until the day I found out that my wedding dress was to be red. [03:57.28]This is America, I thought,not China,and I am not going to make myself look silly by wearing that dress. [04:05.12]What would my friends and family think? [04:07.90]My future mother-in-law soon caught wind of my reluctance to wear the dress and came to visit me. [04:14.63]"I know it is difficult for you to accept wearing a red wedding dress," she said. [04:20.24]"I would like to help you understand our marriage customs. [04:24.71]All Chinese women marry in a red dress because this color symbolizes great happiness, good luck, and a bright future. [04:34.46]To marry in a white dress would bring very bad luck, for white represents mourning and deep sorrow." [04:42.64]Hearing this, I felt there was no way that I could refuse to wear that dress on my wedding day. [04:49.73]Then she smiled and said, "You must promise to pass on this particular tradition to your own daughter one day. Old ways should never be forgotten." [05:00.82]Now so many years have passed since that day, but some things never change. [05:06.32]And one of them is the attitude of people growing up in a new generation. [05:11.47]When I told my own daughter the history of the red dress, she replied, "I'm not wearing that dress!" (262 words) [05:19.36]1)Why was she unwilling to wear the red wedding dress? [05:25.73]2)Why does a Chinese bride wear a red dress in her wedding ceremony? [05:32.93]Exercise 2:Directions:Listen to the passage again and decide whether the following statements are true (T) or false (F). [05:45.56]1)The American girl thought that none of the Chinese customs troubled her. [05:53.23]2)Her future mother-in-law cam to visit her because she wanted to help her prepare for the wedding ceremony. [06:01.51]3)The American girl didn't like to marry in a red dress because it symbolized bad luck and deep sorrow. [06:11.59]4)On her wedding day, she didn't wear that red dress. [06:17.68]5)Her mother-in-law thought that people should always hold onto the old ways. [06:26.32]Exercise 3:Directions:Listen to the passage for the third time and decide which choice is the best answer to each of the questions. [06:37.80]1)Which of the following Chinese customs is NOT mentioned in the passage? [06:44.46]2)What's the passage mainly about? [06:48.53]3)What can you infer from the passage? [06:53.03]4)Which of the following expressions best explains the meaning of "caught wind"? [07:00.52]Practice Three Wedding Customs [07:04.30]Words You Need to Know [07:06.56]license elaborate status registrar [07:29.46]institution make much ado Brazil Denmark [07:53.22]Exercise 1:Directions:Listen to the conversation and answer the following questions briefly. [08:03.34]The follwoing is a conversation between three people, [08:06.90]Usha, Hanne and Lea, on various wedding customs. [08:12.30]Usha:Most of the Indian marriages work out very well I think, although they are arranged. [08:17.52]Hanne:How was yours? A nice big wedding? [08:20.65]Usha:Yes. Most Indian marriages are elaborate marriages. [08:24.54]My marriage went on for three days and we had a lot of guests as well. [08:29.51]Hanne:How many people were there? [08:31.88]Usha:Well, in my marriage, we had about two thousand guests. [08:35.84]Hanne:Oh! [08:36.96]Usha:The interesting thing about it is in Indian marriages even the very poor man has about a hundred guests. [08:43.62]And it depends on his status in the society. [08:46.61]Hanne:How was your... are you married? [08:49.63]Lea:No, I'm divorced. [08:51.79]Hanne:So people can get a divorce in Brazil? [08:54.85]Lea:Oh, yes. We can. Well, since 1980. Er, before it was not allowed. But even so, we can get married just twice in Brazil, you know. A third time is not allowed. [09:09.04]Hanne:Oh! [09:10.26]Usha:How about marriages in Denmark? [09:12.96]Hanne:Well, people don't make much ado about it. Most people er, just move in together, [09:19.69]they don't even bother to get a license. This especially happened some years ago. [09:25.67]That has caused lots of legal confusion. And so now they get married again. [09:32.51]They tend to get married more often. But it's just a simple church wedding or a visit to the registrar's office. [09:39.02]How about your country? [09:41.40]Lea:Well, it's still a strong institution in our society, you know. [09:45.29]But it depends. It concerns the upper and middle classed, [09:49.36]because among the poor people they don't get married at all. [09:53.53]They just live together and separate and that's all. (257 words) [09:58.14]1)Where do the three people come from? [10:03.07]2)What is each of the speakers talking about? [10:08.15]Exercise 2:Directions:Listen to the conversation again and decide whether the following statements are true (T) or false (F). [10:20.60]1)Most Indian marriages are carefully prepared. [10:25.72]2)In India, the size of the wedding depends on how many friends and relatives you hae. [10:33.42]3)In Brazil, people can get a divorce whenever they can't maintain their marriage. [10:40.62]4)In Denmark, some people get married without a license. [10:46.60]5)Now marriage is becoming more popular in Denmark. [10:52.25]Exercise 3:Directions:Listen to the conversation for the third time and complete the table with the information you get from the recording. [11:03.66]Happy Minute [11:05.75]Read the following new words, then enjoy the joke with the following questions in mind. [11:12.12]fiance study theology employment [11:36.17]1.How will the young man provide a nice home for his fiancee? [11:42.32]2.How will the young man afford to raise children? [11:48.30]3.Was the father happy with his future son-in-law? [11:53.81]A young woman brought her fiance home to meet her parents. [11:58.45]After dinner her father asked the young man into his study for a chat. [12:03.82]"So, what are your plans?" he began. [12:07.16]"I'm a theology student," the young man replied. [12:11.30]"Admirable," the father said, "but what will you do to provide a nice home for my daughter?" [12:18.72]"I will study and God will provide," he explained. [12:23.94]"And how will you afford to raise children?" [12:27.58]"God will provide." [12:29.84]The men left the study and the mother asked her husband, "How'd it go?" [12:35.35]"He has no money or employment plans," the father said. [12:40.00]"But on the other hand, he thinks I'm God." [12:43.70]Lesson Two Life Experience [12:47.77]Practice One The Elderly:Past and Present Words You Need to Know [12:55.94]negative adventurous contrast thrill accustom [13:20.68]Exercise 1:Directions:Listen to the passage and complete the table with the different lives led by the elderly in the past and today. [13:32.63]"The elderly" is a phrase that used to bring out many negative feelings. [13:38.50]Many older people felt that they were finished with the best part of their lives. [13:44.11]They just stayed at home and counted the days. [13:47.89]For them, the days of excitement and adventure were over. [13:52.61]The elderly today, in contrast, are often very healthy and adventurous. [13:59.05]Some are still enthusiastic about their work, [14:02.26]and many are excited about their interests. [14:06.14]Retirement is not boring or frightening for them. [14:10.68]Helen is a perfect example. For forty-three years, she had been accustomed to the traditional life of a housewife and mother. [14:20.36]During that time,she had brought up six children. [14:24.47]She had ten grandchildren,and they were rapidly growing up. [14:29.15]When her last child finally moved out, she was not sad about it. [14:34.26]On the contrary, she was thrilled about the opportunity for adventure. [14:39.37]Helen began to make her preparations for the adventure of a lifetime. "And then," [14:45.74]she says simply, "I took off." (164 words) [14:49.34]Exercise 2:Directions:Listen to the passage again and fill in each blank with the information you get from the recording. [14:59.89]Practice Two Good Old Days [15:04.07]Words You Need to Know [15:06.16]pastime deliver dairy products [15:20.95]Exercise 1:Directions:Listen to the passage and answer the following question briefly. [15:30.28]Life was very different in the USA in the 1950s than it is today. Divorce was not common. [15:38.34]Husbands went out to work to support the whole family. [15:42.08]Most women with children depended on their husbands' incomes and didn't work. [15:47.74]Children didn't come home after school to an empty house as many do today. [15:53.28]Families did more things together. One of the favorite family pastimes was a drive in the country. [16:01.34]Gas was cheap. People had big cars, and the whole family could ride comfortably. [16:07.90]Before TV and home computer games became popular, people talked to each other more. [16:14.92]Children didn't have as many toys, and they played more games together. [16:20.42]On Saturday the neighborhood theaters had special movies for the children. [16:25.61]The shows cost only 25 cents. [16:28.81]People stayed at one job for most of their lives. [16:32.12]They didn't change jobs every year like they do today. [16:36.23]They also lived in the same house for a long time. [16:39.43]They didn't move as much. [16:41.52]Services were better in the 1950s. Doctors often came to a sick person's house, [16:49.62]especially if you were "sick in bed". Milkmen delivered fresh dairy products daily to homes. [16:57.61]There were no self-service gas stations,and attendants used to wash your car windows and check your oil free of charge. (210 words) [17:06.40]What are the three main topics in the passage? [17:10.93]Exercise 2:Directions:Listen to the passage again and decide whether the following statements are true (T) or false (F) according to the passage. [17:24.65]1)Many children today don't come home after school to an empty house. [17:31.85]2)Children have more toys today than in the past. [17:37.46]3)In the 1950s there were special films for children with low prices. [17:45.13]4)People stuck to one job all their lives. [17:50.82]5)There were no self-service gas stations in the 1950s. [17:57.77]Exercise 3:Directions:Listen to the passage for the third time and answer the following questions briefly. [18:07.74]1)Why can we say that family relationships in the 1950s were better than today? [18:16.27]2)Could you give an example to illustrate how families spent their spare time? [18:23.29]3)Why do people talk less to each other now? [18:28.62]4)What would one do when he was sick in bed in the 1950s? [18:34.78]5)What did gas station attendants use to do free of charge in the 1950s? [18:41.58]Practice Three Royal Life [18:45.47]Words You Need to Know [18:47.66]aristocratic dimension privileged engagement [19:07.86]autograph pull the wool over one's eyes [19:19.74]Exercise 1:Directions:Listen to the passage and decide which choice is the best one to complete the following statement. [19:30.90]From the moment the world set eyes on Diana, she was the focus of international attention. [19:37.56]Her beauty, her aristocratic background and her role as the future Queen of England gave the Royal Family a new dimension. [19:47.03]Her father described her as "the girl who has everything". [19:51.74]Yet, in becoming one of the most privileged people in the world, Diana gave up many everyday rights. [19:59.63]Although legally she could still vote, she probably didn't. [20:04.56]In public she could not express her real feelings and her private life was often interrupted by the press. [20:13.02]In other words, she had very little "freedom". [20:16.91]The Princess's engagements were decided six months in advance. [20:21.59]A day's programme could begin at 9:30am and finish at 3pm. [20:28.03]Sometimes she went with Prince Charles, sometimes alone. [20:33.18]When she sat down at her desk she might well find hundreds of requests for autographed pictures or requests to have hospitals named after her. [20:43.80]The popularity of the Royals was increased by the fact that they were seen to be busy, but couldn't this have been a case of "pulling the Royal wool over our eyes"? [20:58.31]Exercise 2:Directions:Listen to the passage again and fill in each blank with the information you get from the recording. [21:08.46]Exercise 3:Directions:Listen to the passage for the third time and answer the following questions briefly. [21:18.90]1)What made Diana become the focus of international attention apart from her aristocratic background? [21:27.65]2)What did Diana's father describe her as? [21:32.58]3)How long did her day's program last? [21:36.94]4)What did people request from her? [21:41.00]5)What is the writer's attitude toward the Royal family?

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