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Unit 1VoicesfromtheFamily

CLOSEREADINGPre-readingQuestions1.ThereisatraditionalChinesenotionthatamother’sjobistobringupchildren.Whatdoyouthinkofthenotion?

2. Whatdoyoubelieveistheresponsibilityofafatherinthefamily?

3. Whatkindofafather(ormother)doyouliketobewhenyougetmarriedandhaveafamilyofyourown?

TheBelatedFatherEllenGoodman

Thereisasmallclipping,nomorethan2squareinches,thathasbeeninmyfilemarked“Fathers”sincelastfall.It’sasimplestoryaboutajudgeinwesternMassachusettswho,whenconfrontedwithafifteen-year-oldkidintrouble,madeanunusualjudgment.Hesentencedthefathertothirtydaysofdinnerathome.

Therearesomeotherthingsinthefolder.Oneisalettertoanadvicecolumnfromawoman.Thewoman’shusbandhasneverkissedtheirbabysonbecausehe

said,“Ifeltfunnykissingaguy.”Behindthatletterisastatistic:“Tenpercentofthechildreninthiscountryliveinfatherlesshomes.”

Thereisalsoaquotefromanovelaboutthechildrenofthesixties,writtenbyStephenKoch.Itsays,“Whoamongthosefierysons,withtheirvagueandblastedeyes,reallyconnectedwithhisfather;whoevenknew,letaloneadmired,whatthefatherdidinthatinvisible city ofhis? Fatherhood meantdelivering,ornotdelivering,checks.Itmeantnotbeingaround,orbeingunwelcomewhenaround.Itmeanteithershoutingorthatsoul-crushingsilencemostdeeplyinstalledinthesoul

ofanyred-bloodedAmericanboy:Dadmutebehindhisnewspaper.”

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Iwishthereweresomethingelseinthefilefolder,somestory,somerolemodelyoucouldapplaud.

Therearesomanyyoungfatherswhodon’twanttobeliketheirowndads.Theyfeelawkwardwhentheyfindthemselvesalonewiththeirfatherstoday.Theyflipthroughtheirownmentalfilesonthesubject.ThereisFatherKnowsBestandFatherKnowsNothing,FatherasPal,andFatherasTrans-parent.Thereisevenanoccasionalfull-timefather—whotripsinallthepitfallsoffull-timemothers.

Noneofthesewilldo.Theydon’tfit.Theydon’tfeelright.Sothesesonsaretryingtodevisetheirownrolemodels.Theyarebecoming—whatshallwecallthem?—workingfathers.

MargaretMeadhaswrittenthat“humanfatherhoodisasocialinvention.”

Maybeso.Buttheyarere-inventingit.Theywanttobeinvolvedinthefullrangeoftheirchildren’slives,toknowwhichdaysthekidshavetowearsneakersforgymandwhichkidwouldstarvebeforehe’deatcauliflower.

Theyarelearningtodealwithkidswhentheyarecryingoraredirtyorhungry.Asonefathersaid,“WhenIwasakid,myfatherwouldplayballwithme,buttheminuteIhurtmyknee,we’dbothcallformymother.”

Hewantsthekindofrelationshipthatisonlywovenintheintimacyofdaily,

time-consumingroutinesduring whichyou “learn”whattheycallintuition—thesecondsensethattellsyouonekidisworriedandanotherissad,andthedifferencebetweenacrythatistiredandonethatishungryorhurt.Thesefathersdon’twanttobeSundayevents.

Ontheotherhand,theyhavenewguilts.Theyfeelguiltyiftheymisstheschoolplayandguiltyiftheyaretiredoroutoftown.Theycan’tpushitdownjustifyingtheirabsencewiththeneedtoMakeIt,orwiththenotionthatchildrenarewomen’swork.

Theywonder:“CanIbeasuccessfulworkerandasuccessfulfather?”Theirbossesareusuallymenoftheirfather’sgenerationwhoseofficesaregearedtofull-timemothersandabsentfathers.Iftheyrefuseovertime,willtheygetahead?Whatiftheycan’ttraveltheirwaytoabetterjob?

Attheofficetheysuddenlyfindthemselves wondering.Didthebabysittershow?IwonderifthebullyintheplaygroundisbotheringBobbyagain?Finallytheywonderwhethertheyhaveenoughenergyleftoverfromworkforfatheringandfortheirownlivesandplansandmarriages.

Andwhentheydescribeallthis,allthisthatissonewtothem,theynoticetheirwivesquietlysmiling.Thesefathersyousee,arebecoming—well,howshouldweputit?Likeus.

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BuildingVocabulary

belated(Title) [bI'leItId] adj.happeningorarrivinglate迟到的

clipping(L.1) ['klIpI췍] n. asmallpiececutfromsomething剪辑, 剪报

confront(L.3) [kən'frʌnt] vt.todealwithsomethingdifficultorunpleasant使面对, 使面临

column(L.5) ['kɒləm] n. anarticleonaparticularsubjectorbyaparticularwriterthatappearsregularlyinanewspaper专栏

statistic(L.7) [stə'tIstIk] n. 统计数字中的一项

fiery(L.10) ['faI췍ri] adj.showinganger易怒的

vague(L.10) [veI췍] adj.unclear无表情的, 模糊的

blasted(L.10) ['bl췍ːstId] adj.damned该死的

invisible(L.12) [In'vIzIb췍l] adj.cannotbeseen看不见的, 无形的

crush(L.14) ['krʌʃ] vt.topresssomethingsohardthatitbreaksorisdamaged压碎, 压垮

install(L.14) [In'stɔːl] vt.tosettlefirmly安置

mute(L.15) [mjuːt] adj.notspeakingorrefusingtospeak缄默的

applaud(L.17) [ə'plɔːd] vi.toexpressstrongapprovalofanidea称赞

flip(L.20) [flIp] vi. (~through)tolookatabookquickly快速翻

动书页

trans-parent(L.21) [træns-'pærənt] n. 超常父母

pitfall(L.22) ['pItfɔːl] n. mistakesthatcaneasilybemade易犯的错误

invention(L.26) [In'venʃ췍n] n. theactofmakingordesigningsomethingnew 发明

sneakers(L.28) ['sniːkəz] n. (AmE.) [oft.pl.]shoesforgamesorsports(多用复数) 运动鞋

cauliflower(L.29) ['kɒlI'flaʊə] n. 花椰菜

intimacy(L.33) ['IntIməsi] n. a state of having a close personalrelationshipwithsomeone亲密

time-consuming(L.34) ['taIm-kən'sjuːmI췍] adj.takingalongtimetodo耗费时间的

routine(L.34) [ruː'tiːn] n. theusualornormalwayinwhichonedoesthings日常工作, 常规

intuition(L.34) ['Intju'Iʃ췍n] n. the power of understanding or knowingsomethingwithoutreasoningonlearnedskill直觉

gear(L.43) [췍Iə] vi. (~to) [oft.pass.] toberecognizedinawaythatissuitableforaparticularpurpose(常

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用被动语态) 使适应, 使适合

babysitter(L.46) ['beIbI'sItə] n. someonewhoispaidtolookafterchildrenwhentheirparentsareatwork (临时) 照看婴

孩者

bully(L.47) ['bʊli] n. apersonwhohurtsorintentionallyfrightensweakerpeople恃强欺弱的人

Massachusetts(L.3) ['mæsə'tʃuːsIts] n. (美国) 马萨诸塞州 (又称麻省)

CulturallySpeaking

I.About“babysitting”IntheUnitedStatesandotherWesterncountries,childrenunderacertainage(usually12yearsold)are,bylaw,notallowedtobeleftathomealonewithoutthesupervisionofadults.Sowhentheparentsorguardianshavetobeawayforafewhoursordays,theymust,outoftheirresponsibilityandrespectforthelaw,findatrustworthypersonorpersonstobabysittheirchildrenuntiltheycomeback.Ababysitterisoftenpaid.Butsomeonewhovolunteerstobabysitdoesnotgetpaid.Ideassimilarto“babysitting”are“house-sitting,”“cat-sitting,”“dog-sitting”andsoon.Whenahouse-ownerhastobeawayforsometime,heorsheoftentriestofindatrustworthypersontotakecareoftheiremptyhouse.Ofcourse,itisperfectlylegalforthehouse-ownertoleavehishouseempty.Butwhycan’tyoujustleaveyourcatordogathomewithoutfindingapet-sitter? Youcanleaveithomealoneforsometime.Butifyouleaveacatordoghomealonefortoolong,youcommitthemoralcrimeofanimalcruelty.

II.About“trans-parent”Theauthorisbeingplayfulhere.Theword“trans-parent”ismadeup:trans+parent.Inthemoreliteralsense,itreferstoaparentwhogoesbeyondthedutiesofparenthood,justlikea“transnationalcorporation”goesbeyondnationalboundariestodobusiness.But,therealhumorhereisthat“trans-parent”soundsjustlike“transparent.”

III.About“workingfathers”Inthemajorityofcases,“workingfathers”wouldrefertofatherswhoareworkingorbelongtotheworkingclass.But,ifyoureadthephrasecarefullyinitsimmediatecontext,youwillseethatitmeanssomethingelse.Thephrasesuggeststhatthosesonsaretryingoutorexperimentingthedifferentwaysofbeingafather.Here,a“workingfather”issimilartoa“workingdefinition”(aprovisionaldefinitionthatisneededforagivensituation).Oncewerealizethis,weappreciatethe

author’ssenseofhumor:sheistryingtosaysomethingnewanddifferent.Alinguistoncemadean

interestingstatement:Anywordinanewcontextisanewword.

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QuestionsforGroupDiscussion

I.ReadingComprehension1.Doyourememberthestoryrecordedonthesmallclippinginthefile?

2. Whatdoesalettertoanadvicecolumnsayaboutafather?

3. Whatistheimageoffatherhoodinthe1960sascreatedinStephenKoch’snovel?

4.Howdoyoungfatherstodayfeelabouttheirownfathers?

5. Whatkindof“fatherhood”aretheyoungfatherstodayinventingorreinventing?

6. Whataretheytryingtodoforandwiththeirchildren?

7.Doyourecallwhatoneyoungfathersaidabouthisfatherwhenhewasakid?

8. Whatkindofrelationshipisheplanningtoformwithhisownchildren?

9. Whydotheyoungfathersfeelguiltysometimes?

10.Howdotheyfeelabouttheirchildrenwhiletheyareatwork? Why?

11.“Thesefathersyousee,arebecoming—well,howshouldweputit? Likeus.”Whoare“us?”Whatdoesthispronountellusaboutthetoneintheessay?

II.ForFurtherDiscussion1.Whatdoesthetitlemean? Howdoesthetitleforecastwhatistofollow?

2.Isitasignofprogressorisitasignofretrogresswhentheyoungfathersbegintoworryabouttheirchildrenwhileatwork?

3.Doyouthinktheseyoungfathersarequalifiedemployees? Giveyourreasonsforyourposition.

4. Whatisan“ideal”father?Isthisafairquestion? Whyorwhynot?

Exercises

I.Fillineachoftheblankswithanappropriateprepositionfromthebox.

as at behind between by for from in of on to with

1. Wearelearningtotellthedifference aninfinitiveandagerund.2.Thepolicegotsomehint aletter aspecialcolumn thelocalnewspaper.

3.Aquote theannualreportsubmitted theheadoftheschooldistricttellshowakid troublehasfailedtoconnect hisfather,who,asthechildcomplains,alwayshides hisnewspapers.

4.Hewassentenced 15days’communitywork drunk-driving.

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II.Paraphrasetheunderlinedwordsorexpressionsineachsentence.1.Whoamongthosefierysons,withtheirvagueandblastedeyes,reallyconnectedwithhisfather?

2. Whoevenknew,letaloneadmired,whatthefatherdidinthatinvisiblecityofhis?

3.Fatherhoodmeantdelivering,ornotdelivering,checks.4.Itmeanteithershoutingorthatsoul-crushingsilencemostdeeplyinstalledinthesoulofanyred-bloodedAmericanboy.

5.Iwishthereweresomethingelseinthefilefolder,somestory,somerolemodelyoucouldapplaud.

6.Theyflipthroughtheirownmentalfilesonthesubject.7.Thereisevenanoccasionalfull-timefather—whotripsinallthepitfallsoffull-timemothers.

8.Hewantsthekindofrelationshipthatisonlywovenintheintimacyofdaily,time-consumingroutines.

III.Rewritethefollowingsentences,makinguseofthewordsorexpressionsinparentheses.

1.Hecannottellthedifferencebetweenthetwosoundsandnodoubthecannotpronouncethemaccurately.(letalone)

2.ThejobatthefrontdeskisdesignedforsomeonewhohashadsomebasictrainingincomputerandEnglish.(bemeantfor)

3.PleasetellMr.Goldsmithassoonashecomestotheofficethatthebosswishestoseehim.(theminute)

4.Shelovestogototheclassreunion,butshedoesnotwanttoseetheonewhohurtherfeelingsinthepast.(ontheotherhand)

5.NobodyknowsforsurewhathashappenedbetweenSusanandherex-boyfriend,butitisclearshesimplyrefusestotakepartinanythingthathassomethingtodowithhim.(beinvolvedin,beconnectedto)

IV.Replacetheunderlinedwithsynonymouswordsorexpressions.Modifythesentencestructureifneeded.

1.It’sasimplestoryaboutajudgewho,whenconfrontedwithafifteen-year-oldkidintrouble,madeanunusualjudgment.

2.ThereisaquotefromanovelbyStephenKoch.3.Sothesesonsaretryingtodevisetheirownrolemodels.4.MargaretMeadhaswrittenthat“humanfatherhoodisasocialinvention.”

5.Thesefathersdon’twanttobeSundayevents.6.Theycan’tpushitdownjustifyingtheirabsencewiththeneedtoMakeIt.

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7.Theirbossesareusuallymenoftheirfather’sgenerationwhoseofficesaregearedtofull-timemothersandabsentfathers.

V.TranslatethefollowingsentencesintoEnglish,makinguseofthesuggestedexpressions.

1.他还不到10岁,但是与他打交道却很难。(nomorethan,dealwith)

2.虽然杰克一直在努力,总希望自己获得成功,但是他却不知道如何与同事们交往。(getahead,connectwith)

3.孩子们都不愿意和她一起玩,所以她一有问题就只有找老师。(theminute,callfor)

4.汤姆可以一天工作10至12个小时,每周工作6天,而且从不拒绝加班加点。怎么说呢?他就是那种被人们称为工作狂的人。(put,whatpeoplecall)

FURTHERREADING

I.OnlyDaughter SandraCisneros

Once,severalyearsago,whenIwasjuststartingoutmywritingcareer,Iwas

askedtowritemyowncontributor’snoteforananthologyIwaspartof.Iwrote:“Iamtheonlydaughterinafamilyofsixsons.Thatexplainseverything.”

Well,I’vethoughtaboutthateversince,andyes,itexplainsalottome,butforthereader’ssakeIshouldhavewritten“IamtheonlydaughterinaMexicanfamilyofsixsons.”Oreven,“Iamtheonlydaughterinaworking-classfamilyofsixsons.”AllofthesehadeverythingtodowithwhoIamtoday.Iwas/amtheonlydaughterandonlyadaughter.

Iwas/amtheonlydaughterandonlyadaughter.Beinganonlydaughterinafamilyofsixsonsforcedmebycircumstancetospendalotoftimebymyself.Beinganonlydaughterinafamilyofsixsonsforcedmebycircumstancetospendalotoftimebymyselfbecausemybrothersfeltitbeneaththemtoplaywithagirlinpublic.Butthataloneness,thatloneliness,wasgoodforawould-bewriter—itallowedmetimetothinkandthink,toimagine,toreadandpreparemyself.

Beingonlyadaughterformyfathermeantmydestinywouldleadmetobecomesomeone’swife.That’swhathebelieved.ButwhenIwasinthefifthgradeandsharedmyplansforcollegewithhim,Iwassureheunderstood.Iremembermyfathersaying,“Quebueno,Mi’ja,that’sgood.”Thatmeantalottome,especially

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sincemybrothersthoughttheideahilarious.WhatIdidn’trealizewasthatmyfatherthoughtcollegewasgoodforgirls—goodforfindingahusband.Afterfouryearsincollegeandtwomoreingraduateschool,andstillnohusband,myfathershakeshisheadevennowandsaysIwastedallthateducation.

Inretrospect,I’m lucky myfatherbelieved daughters were meantforhusbands.Itmeantitdidn’tmatterifImajoredinsomethingsillylikeEnglish.Afterall,I’dfindaniceprofessionaleventually,right? Thisallowedmethelibertytoputteraboutembroideringmylittlepoemsandstorieswithoutmyfatherinterruptingwithsomuchasa“What’sthatyou’rewriting?”

Butthetruthis,Iwantedhimtointerrupt.IwantedmyfathertounderstandwhatitwasIwasscribbling,tointroducemeas“Myonlydaughter,thewriter.”

Notas“Thisisonlymydaughter.Sheteaches.”

Inasense,everythingIhaveeverwrittenhasbeenforhim,towinhisapprovaleventhoughmyfather’sonlyreadingincludesthebrown-inkEstosportsmagazinesfromMexicoCityandthebloodyAlarma! thatfeaturesyetanothersightingofLaVirgendeGuadalupeonatortilla.Orthefotonovelas,thelittlepicturepaperbackswithtragedyandtraumaeruptingfromthecharacters’mouthsinbubbles.

Myfatherrepresents,then,thepublicmajority.ApublicwhoisdisinterestedinreadingandyetonewhomIamwritingaboutandfor,andprivatelytryingtowoo.

WhenweweregrowingupinChicago,wemovedalotbecauseofmyfather.Hesufferedboutsofnostalgia.Thenwe’dhavetoletgoofourflat,storethefurniturewithmother’srelatives,loadthestationwagonwithbaggageandbolognasandwichesandheadsouth.ToMexicoCity.

Wecame back,ofcourse.To yetanother Chicagoflat,another Chicagoneighborhood,anotherCatholicschool.Eachtime,myfatherwouldseekouttheparish

priestinordertogetatuitionbreakandcomplainorboast:“Ihavesevensons.”

Hemeantsietehijos,sevenchildren,buthetranslateditas“sons.”“Ihavesevensons.”Toanyonewhowouldlisten.TheSearsRoebuckemployeewhosoldusthewashingmachine.Theshort-ordercookwheremyfatheratehisham-and-eggsbreakfasts.“Ihavesevensons.”Asifhedeservedamedalfromthestate.

Mypapa.Hedidn’tmeananythingbythatmistranslation,I’m sure.But

somehowIcouldfeelmyselfbeingerased.I’dtugmyfather’ssleeveandwhisper:

“Notsevensons.Six!Andonedaughter.”

Whenmyoldestbrothergraduatedfrom medicalschool,hefulfilledmyfather’sdreamthatwestudyhardandusethis—ourheads,insteadofthis—ourhands.Evennowmyfather’shandsarethickandyellow,stubbedbyahistoryofhammerandnailsandtwineandcoilsandsprings.“Usethis,”myfathersaid,tappinghishead,“andnotthis,”showingusthosehands.Healwayslookedtiredwhenhesaidit.

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Wasn’tcollegeaninvestment? Andhadn’tIspentallthoseyearsincollege?

AndifIdidn’tmarry,whatwasitallfor? Whywouldanyonegotocollegeandthenchoosetobepoor?Especiallysomeonewhohadalwaysbeenpoor.

Lastyear,aftertenyearsofwritingprofessionally,thefinancialrewardsstartedtotricklein.MysecondNationalEndowmentfortheArtsFellowship.AguestprofessorshipattheUniversityofCalifornia,Berkeley.Mybook,whichsoldtoamajorNewYorkpublishinghouse.

AtChristmas,IflewhometoChicago.Thehousewasthrobbing,sameas

always:hottamalesandsweettamaleshissinginmymother’spressurecooler,andeverybody—mymother,sixbrothers,wives,babies,aunts,cousins—talkingtooloudandatthesametime.LikeinaFellinifilm,becausethat’sjusthowweare.

Iwentupstairstomyfather’sroom.OneofmystorieshadjustbeentranslatedintoSpanishandpublishedinananthologyofChicanowritingandIwantedtoshowittohim.Eversinceherecoveredfromastroketwoyearsago,myfatherlikestospendhisleisuretimehorizontally.Andthat’showIfoundhim,watchingaPedroInfantemovieontelevisionandeatingricepudding.

Therewasaglassfilledwithmilkonthebedsidetable.TherewereseveralvialsofpillsandballedKleenex.Andonthefloor,oneblacksockandaplasticurinalthatIdidn’twanttolookatbutlookedatanyway.PedroInfantewasabouttoburstintosong,andmyfatherwaslaughing.

I’mnotsureifitwasbecausemystorywastranslatedintoSpanish,orbecauseitwaspublishedinMexico,orperhapsbecausethestorydealtwithTepeyac,thecoloniamyfatherwasraisedinandthehousehegrewupin,butatanyrate,myfatherpunchedthemutebuttononhisremotecontrolandreadmystory.

Isatonthebednexttomyfatherandwaited.Hereaditveryslowly.Asifhewerereadingeachlineoverandover.Helaughedatalltherightplacesandread

lineshelikedoutloud.Hepointedandaskedquestions:“IsthisSo-and-so?”“Yes,”Isaid.Hekeptreading.

Whenhewasfinallyfinished,afterwhatseemedlikehours,myfatherlooked

upandasked:“Wherecanwegetmorecopiesofthisfortherelatives?”

Ofallthewonderfulthingsthathappenedtomelastyear,thatwasthemostwonderful.

QuestionsforReadingComprehension

1.WhydoesCisnerosthinkthatbeingtheonlydaughterinafamilyofsixsonsexplainseverything?

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2. Whyisitthatshewantstoaddsomethingmoreforthesakeofthereader?

3. Whatisthedifferencebetween“beingtheonlydaughter”and“beingonlyadaughter?”

4.Didshebenefitanythingfromherlonelinessinafamilyofsixsons?

5. Whydidherfatherapproveherplanforcollege?

6. Washerfather’sapprovaltheonlythingshewantedfromherfather?

7. Whydidthefamilymovearoundsomuch?

8.HowdidCisnerosfeelwhenshewasreferredtobyherfatherasoneofthesevensons?

9. Whatwasherfather’sdreamregardinghischildren?

10. WhathappenedtoCisneroslastyear?

11. WasherfatherinagoodconditionwhenshewentbacktoChicagoatChristmas?

12.Howdidherfatherreacttothestory?

QuestionsforDiscussion

1.Whyisthestorycalled“OnlyDaughter?”

2.AlthoughCisneroshasbeenasuccessfulwriter,sheseemstoneedconfirmationofthevalueofherworkfromherfather,eventhoughheisnotareaderofliterature.Whyisthissoimportanttoher? WhatdoesthistellyouaboutCisnerosherself?

3.HowdidCisnerosfeelwhenherfatherusedtosay,“Thisisonlymydaughter.Sheteaches,”asopposedto,“Thisismyonlydaughter.Sheisawriter?”

II.IWantaWife JudySyfers

Ibelongtothatclassificationofpeopleknownaswives.IamAWife.And,notaltogetherincidentally,Iamamother.

Nottoolongagoamalefriendofmineappearedonthescenefreshfromarecentdivorce.Hehadonechild,whois,ofcourse,withhisex-wife.Heisobviouslylookingforanotherwife.AsIthoughtabouthimwhileIwasironingoneevening,itsuddenlyoccurredtomethatI,too,wouldliketohaveawife.WhydoIwantawife?

Iwouldliketo go backtoschoolsothatIcan become economicallyindependent,supportmyself,and,ifneedbe,supportthosedependentuponme.Iwantawifewhowillworkandsendmetoschool.AndwhileIamgoingtoschoolIwantawifetokeeptrackofthechildren’sdoctoranddentistappointments.Andtokeeptrackofmine,too.Iwantawifetomakesuremychildreneatproperlyand

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arekeptclean.Iwantawifewhowillwashthechildren’sclothesandkeepthemmended.Iwantawifewhoisagoodnurturingattendanttomychildren,whoarrangesfortheirschooling,makessurethattheyhaveanadequatesociallifewiththeirpeers,takesthemtothepark,thezoo,etc.Iwantawifewhotakescareofthechildrenwhentheyaresick,awifewhoarrangestobearoundwhenthechildrenneedspecialcare,because,ofcourse,Icannotmissclassesatschool.Mywifemustarrangetolosetimeatworkandnotlosethejob.Itmaymeanasmallcutinmywife’sincomefromtimetotime,butIguessIcantoleratethat.Needlesstosay,mywifewillarrangeandpayforthecareofthechildrenwhilemywifeisworking.

Iwantawifewhowilltakecareofmyphysicalneeds.Iwantawifewhowillkeepmyhouseclean.Awifewhowillpickupafterme.Iwantawifewhowillkeepmyclothesclean,ironed,mended,replacedwhenneedbe,andwhowillseetoitthatmypersonalthingsarekeptintheirproperplacesothatIcanfindwhatIneedtheminuteIneedit.Iwantawifewhocooksthemeals,awifewhoisagoodcook.Iwantawifewhowillplanthemenus,dothenecessarygroceryshopping,

preparethemeals,servethempleasantly,andthendothecleaningupwhileIdomystudying.IwantawifewhowillcareformewhenIamsickandsympathizewithmypainandlossoftimefromschool.IwantawifetogoalongwhenourfamilytakesavacationsothatsomeonecancontinuetocareformeandmychildrenwhenIneedarestandchangeofscene.

Iwantawifewhowillnotbothermewithramblingcomplaintsaboutawife’sduties.ButIwantawifewhowilllistentomewhenIfeeltheneedtoexplainaratherdifficultpointIhavecomeacrossinmycourseofstudies.AndIwantawifewhowilltypemypapersformewhenIhavewrittenthem.

Iwantawifewhowilltakecareofthedetailsofmysociallife.WhenmywifeandIareinvitedoutbymyfriends,Iwanta wife whowilltakecareofthebabysittingarrangements.WhenImeetpeopleatschoolthatIlikeandwanttoentertain,Iwantawifewhowillhavethehouseclean,willprepareaspecialmeal,

serveittomeandmyfriends,andnotinterruptwhenItalkaboutthethingsthatinterestmeandmyfriends.Iwantawifewhowillhavearrangedthatthechildrenarefedandreadyforbedbeforemyguestsarrivesothatthechildrendonotbotherus.Iwantawifewhotakescareoftheneedsofmyguestssothattheyfeelcomfortable,whomakessurethattheyhaveanashtray,thattheyarepassedthehorsd’oeuvres,thattheyareofferedasecondhelpingofthefood,thattheirwineglassesarereplenishedwhennecessary,thattheircoffeeisservedtothemastheylikeit.

AndIwantawifewhoknowsthatsometimesIneedanightoutbymyself.Iwantawifewhoissensitivetomysexualneeds,awifewhomakeslove

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passionatelyandeagerlywhenIfeellikeit,awifewhomakessurethatIamsatisfied.And,ofcourse,IwantawifewhowillnotdemandsexualattentionwhenIamnotinthemoodforit.Iwantawifewhoassumesthecompleteresponsibilityforbirthcontrol,becauseIdonotwantmorechildren.IwantawifewhowillremainsexuallyfaithfultomesothatIdonothavetoclutterupmyintellectuallifewithjealousies.AndIwantawifewhounderstandsthatmysexualneedsmayentailmorethanstrictadherencetomonogamy.Imust,afterall,beabletorelatetopeopleasfullyaspossible.

If,bychance,IfindanotherpersonmoresuitableasawifethanthewifeIalreadyhave,Iwantthelibertytoreplacemypresentwifewithanotherone.

Naturally,Iwillexpectafresh,newlife:mywifewilltakethechildrenandbesolelyresponsibleforthemsothatIamleftfree.

WhenIamthroughwithschoolandhaveajob,Iwantmywifetoquitworkingandremainathomesothatmywifecanmorefullyandcompletelytakecareofawife’sduties.

MyGod,whowouldn’twantawife?

MultipleChoiceExercises

I.Comprehension1.Beingawifeandamother,Syferssaysthatshewantsawifeinorderto .(a)makeitpossibleforhertogobacktoschoolandtohaveabetterjob(b)fullyunderstandwhatamanexpectsfromhiswife(c)formaproperimageofwhatawifeshouldbe(d)attackthetraditionalideaofawife’sduties

2.Whileexpectingmywifetobesexuallyfaithfultome,I .(a)intendtomeetfullymyownsexualneeds(b)wanttobefreeinchoosingmysexualpartner(c)askmywifetoberesponsibleforbirthcontrol(d)needtocommunicatewithpeopleasfullyaspossible

II.Structure3.Hecan’trememberwherehehaslefthiskeysandhehaslooked themthewholeday.(a)at (b)for (c)in (d)to

4.WhenyougettoShanghai,I’llarrange afriendtomeetyouatPudongAirport.(a)at (b)for (c)in (d)to

5.Ifheeverfailsintheexams,heexpectshisparentstosympathize himandencouragehimtotryagainthefollowingyear.

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(a)at (b)for (c)of (d)with6.Shewillnottakeherroadtestnextweek;sheisnotready it.(a)about (b)at (c)for (d)with

III.Vocabulary7.Notlongagoamalefriendofmineappearedonthescene .(a)justcompletedadivorce(b)justfreedhimselffromadivorce(c)withalotofexperienceindivorce(d)readyforafreshdivorce

8.WhileIamgoingtoschool,Iwantawifeto thechildren’sdoctorappointments.(a)keeparecordof(b)payattentionto(c)preparealistof(d)beonthetrackof

9.Ifmywifelosestimeatherjobforthefamilyandgetsasmallcutinherincome,IguessI that.(a)canaccept(b)canunderstand(c)wouldnotcomplainabout(d)wouldignore

10.Ineedawifetokeepthehousecleanandto .(a)makeroom(b)tidythings(c)arrangethings(d)pickoutthingsforme

LISTENINGPre-listeningQuestions1.Howoldwasyourfatherwhenyouwereborn?

2. Whenyouwereachild,whatwasyourimpressionofyourownfather?

3. Whatisspecialaboutyourfather?

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Unit1

MyFather

ExercisesforListeningComprehension

I.Listentothetapednarrativeonce.Thenchoosethebestanswer(froma,b,c,d)tocompleteeachofthefollowing.

1.WhenIwasgrowingup,myfather .(a)wasawayfromhomemostofthetime(b)wasveryspecialtomebecauseheplayedbaseballwithme(c)couldn’tdoeverythingwithmeasotherfathers(d)couldn’tworkwithtoolsinthegarage

2.Ilovedtoseemyfatherbecause .(a)Ididnotseehimathometoooften(b)hewasphysicallynotverystrong(c)hewasabittooold(d)Ididnotlovethesmellofhisaftershave

II.Now,listentothenarrativeonemoretimeandanswerthetrueorfalsequestions.WriteaTinfrontofastatementifitistrueaccordingtotherecording,andwriteanFifitisfalse.

( )1.MyfatherwasabitoldwhenIwasborn.( )2.Myfatherdidnotplaysportswithmebecausehewasnotaroundmostofthetime.( )3.Duringweekends,myfatherwouldoftenworklonghoursinthegarage.( )4.Myfatherdidnotforceustobehaveincertainways.

III.Fillintheblanksbasedonwhatyouhearonthetape.1.Itwas togointothegarage withhistoolsandifhewas

Ialwayswanted ,maybelearn .2.Hewasmaybe ,and—hedidn’ttalk—hedidn’ttalkalotabout

.3.Ifyou wantedto know about as ,you hadto

andthenhewould ,andyouusuallywouldn’tget fromhim.

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AMovieSuggestion

BigDaddy(1999)

Genre:comedyDirectedby:DenisDugan

Scriptedby:SteveFranks

Synopsis:SonnyKoufax(playedbyAdamSandler)isa32-year-oldlawschoolgraduatewholivesinaniceapartmentin Manhattan.Buthedoesnothingandlivesoffaninvestmentthatwastheresultofameagerlawsuithewonayearago.Whenhisgirlfriendleaveshim,Fateseemstostepinwithaready-madesolution...

QuestionsforDiscussion1.Howistheboyfound? Whoishe?

2.HastheboygotanythingtodowithSonny’sgirlfriend?

3. Whydoesn’tSonny’splanworkout?

4.Identifyapainfulmoment.Whyisitpainful?

5. Whataresomeofthefunniestmoments?

6.HowdidSonny’soutlookonlifechangethroughthisexperience?

7. Whatdidyoulearnaboutfatherhoodfromthismovie?

WRITINGTextforWritingPractice

HerSecretsJohnBerger

FromtheageoffiveorsixIwasworriedaboutthedeathofmyparents.EverytimeIwenttobed—andinthisIamsureIwaslikemillionsofother

children—thefearthatoneorbothmyparentsmightdieinthenighttouchedthe

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napeofmyneckwithitsfinger.Suchafearhas,Ibelieve,agreatdealtodowith

nightfall.Yetsinceitwasimpossibletosay:youwon’tdieinthenight,willyou?(whenGrandmotherdied,Iwastoldshehadgonetohavearest,or—thiswasfrommyunclewhowasmoreoutspoken—thatshehadpassedover),sinceIcouldn’tasktherealquestionandIsoughtareassurance,Iinvented—likemillionsbefore

me—theeuphemism:seeyouinthemorning!Towhicheithermyfatherormother,

whohadcometoturnoutthelightinmybedroom,wouldreply:seeyouinthemorning,John.

Aftertheirfootstepshaddiedaway,Iwouldtryforaslongaspossiblenottoliftmyheadfromthepillowsothatthelastwordsspokenremained,trappedlikefishinarock-poolatlowtide,betweenmypillowandear.Theimplicitpromiseofthewordswasalsoaprotectionagainstthedark.ThewordspromisedthatIwouldnot(yet)bealone.

NowI’mnolongerusuallyfrightenedbythedarkandmyfatherdiedtenyearsagoandmymotheramonthagoattheageofninety-three.Itwouldbeanaturalmomenttowriteanautobiography.Allthatinterestsmeaboutmypastlifearethecommonmoments.The moments—whichifIrelatethem wellenough—willjoincountlessotherslivedbypeopleIdonotpersonallyknow.

Sixweeksagomymotheraskedmetocomeandseeher;itwouldbethelasttime,shesaid.Afewdayslater,onthemorningofmybirthday,shebelievedshewasdying.Openthecurtains,sheaskedmybrother,soIcanseethetrees.Infact,shediedthefollowingweek.

Onmybirthdaysasachild,itwasmyfatherratherthanshewhogavemememorablepresents.Shewastoothrifty.Hermomentsofgenerositywereatthetable,offering whatshehadboughtandpreparedandcookedandservedtowhoevercameintothehouse.Otherwiseshewasthrifty.Imustmakethatclearer.Shedidn’tbelievelifewasmean—itwasgenerous—butshehadlearntfromherownchildhoodthatsurvivalwashard.Shewastheoppositeofquixotic—forshewasnotbornaknightandherfatherwasawarehouseforemaninLambeth.Shepursedherlipstogether,knittedherbrowsasshecalculatedandthoughtthingsoutandcarriedonwithanunspokendetermination.Sheneveraskedfavorsofanyone.Nothingshockedher.Fromwhatevershesaw,shejustdrewthenecessaryconclusionssoastosurviveandtobedependentonnobody.Inmyadultlife,theonlyoccasionsonwhichweshoutedateachotherwerewhensheestimatedIwasbeingquixotic.

Love,mymotherhadthehabitofsaying,istheonlythingthatcountsinthisworld.Reallove,shewouldadd,toavoidanyfactitiousmisunderstanding.Butapartfromthatsimpleadjective,sheneveraddedanythingmore.

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WritingExercises

Rewritethefollowingsentences,beginningineachcasewiththephraseinparentheses.Makeotherchangeswhenneeded.1.WheneverIvisitedmyhometown,asmallvillageinthemountainarea,memoriesaboutmyhappyandcarefreechildhoodwouldcomebacktomeimmediately.(Everytime...)

2. Wecandiscussvariousthings,butwhatinterestsmemostatthemomentiswhetherweshouldtakethetrip.(Allthatinterestsme...)

3.Thetravelagenttoldusthatthetripwouldberatherinexpensive,butwefoundoutintheendthatitcostusalotofmoney.(Infact...)

4.Mymotherhasajobontheothersideofthecityandcomeshomeratherlate;myfatherdoesthecookingeveryday.(Itismyfatherwho...)

GuidedWriting:Summary

I.Writeasummaryofthetextbyansweringthefollowingquestionsinnomorethan60words.

1. WhendidBergerbegintohavefearforthedeathofhisparents?

2. Whattimeofthedaydidthefearemerge?

3. Whatdidhewanttoknow?

4. Whatdidheaskinstead?

II.Writethreeorfoursentencesusingthepromptsgivenbelow.1.mother-thrifty-generousatthetable2.learnt-atchildhood-hardtosurvive3.askednofavor-dependedonnobody4.love-onlything-theworld

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