[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 |