Step by Step 3000 第2册 Unit1:Happy Family Life(1)

 　　Step by Step 3000. Book 2.

　　Unit 1. Happy family life.

　　Part 1. Warming up.

　　A. Keywords. family, name, age.

　　Vocabulary. architect, Wales.

　　Supply the missing information about the Porter family according to what you hear.

　　Mr William Porter is very old, he is 87, and Mrs Catherine Porter is 80.

　　Mr Porter is from Wales.

　　John Porter and Mary are brother and sister.

　　John Porter is 53, and his is a lawyer, his wife Susan is 48, and she is an architect.

　　James Porter and Joan Lee are cousins.

　　Jams Porter is 24, and Joan Lee is 17.

　　B. Keywords. dates, specific, protect, talk, understand, respect.

　　Vocabulary. fatigue¹, foxhole², distracted, abuse.

　　You are going to hear some ideas that may help make a marriage work.

　　Listen carefully, complete the following seven tips, and decide whether you agree or disagree with the speaker.

　　Check the appropriate box.

　　Here are a few general ideas I believe help make a marriage work.

　　1. Go on dates with each other.

　　Renew romantic feelings by spending special time together.

　　2. Be as specific as you can when you complain, make a request or offer praise.

　　3. When stressed by fatigue or your own insecurities, imagine you and your partner in a foxhole, surrounded by danger.

　　Instead of striking out at your partner, find a way to protect the partnership³.

　　4. When you feel distant, talk about it with your partner.

　　5. Be assured that partners in all marriages sometimes get tired, irritable⁴ or distracted.

　　Work together to understand each other.

　　6. Respect each other.

　　Leave if danger exists, find professional help if physical, sexual, emotional or verbal abuse occurs.

　　7. Fight to understand, not to win.

　　C. Keywords. losing, "lose-lose" solutions, control.

　　Vocabulary. attest⁵, excel, reside in, configuration⁶, spouse⁷.

　　Here's a passage about how to excel in the art of domestic argument.

　　Supply the missing words while listening.

　　Having been married for more than 40 years, I can attest to the truth of the following statement :

　　To excel in the art of domestic argument, one must master the art of losing.

　　Modern psychologists are taking with the "win-win" solution.

　　But in marriage, success resides more in "lose-lose" solutions.

　　Out of these, both parties can win.

　　For in the love configuration losing gives a gift that always returns.

　　The issues that people argue over most in marriage such as how to spend money often are not the real ones.

　　The key issue is who is going to be in control?

　　When I was younger, my need to control arose out of fear a lack of trust, insecurity.

　　The day I finally realized I didn't need to control my wife, that indeed I ought not to control her, that I couldn't control her, and that if I tried to, I would destroy our marriage was the day our marriage began.

　　What is it we want most from a marriage?

　　To love and be loved. To be happy and secure. To grow to discover.

　　A love relationship is the garden in which we plant, cultivate and harvest the most precious of crops, our own self, and in which our spouse is provide the same rich soil in which to bloom.

　　We cannot obtain what we want unless our parter also gets what he or she wants.

　　So remember, if you want to feel loved and respected, give up control.

1 fatigue   

n.疲劳，劳累

参考例句：

• The old lady can't bear the fatigue of a long journey.这位老妇人不能忍受长途旅行的疲劳。
• I have got over my weakness and fatigue.我已从虚弱和疲劳中恢复过来了。

2 foxhole   

n.（军）散兵坑

参考例句：

• On an impulse he kicked some sand into Ridge's foxhole.一时性起，他就提起脚来将一些沙子踢进里奇的坑里。
• The sentry guard dived into his foxhole and closely observed the stranger towards him.哨兵跳入了散兵坑，密切注视着陌生人向他走来。

3 partnership   

n.合作关系，伙伴关系

参考例句：

• The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
• Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。

4 irritable   

adj.急躁的；过敏的；易怒的

参考例句：

• He gets irritable when he's got toothache.他牙一疼就很容易发脾气。
• Our teacher is an irritable old lady.She gets angry easily.我们的老师是位脾气急躁的老太太。她很容易生气。

5 attest   

vt.证明，证实；表明

参考例句：

• I can attest to the absolute truth of his statement. 我可以证实他的话是千真万确的。
• These ruins sufficiently attest the former grandeur of the place. 这些遗迹充分证明此处昔日的宏伟。

6 configuration   

n.结构，布局，形态，(计算机)配置

参考例句：

• Geographers study the configuration of the mountains.地理学家研究山脉的地形轮廓。
• Prices range from $119 to $199,depending on the particular configuration.价格因具体配置而异，从119美元至199美元不等。

7 spouse   

n.配偶(指夫或妻)

参考例句：

• Her spouse will come to see her on Sunday.她的丈夫星期天要来看她。
• What is the best way to keep your spouse happy in the marriage?在婚姻中保持配偶幸福的最好方法是什么？