1、大学英语听说教程3 Unit 4 MarriageUnit 4 MarriagePart APre-listening TaskQuestions for Discussion1.What do you think of marriage? Do you think a happy marriage is the most important thing in your life?2.What kind of person do you want to marry? What are your standards in choosing a life companion?3.What do y
2、ou think is crucial for a happy marriage?4.What usually causes troubles in a marriage?5.Do you think differences between husband and wife are unavoidable? If you do, could you suggest some ways for them to deal with the problem?6.Have you heard of marriage agreements? Do you think a couple should si
3、gn a marriage agreement before getting married?Additional Question for DiscussionDo young men and young women have the same standards in choosing a spouse? If not, why not?Language FocusHere are some sentences and structures that you may find useful in discussing the above questions. Both men and wo
4、men consider marriage a very important part of their lives. Most men would like their spouses to be young and beautiful. Others consider inner beauty more important. When a woman chooses her spouse, she often puts emphasis on his character / temperament / education / profession / income / appearance
5、 / family background. Some young women today consider of great importance in choosing a boyfriend / life companion. Happiness in marriage does not depend on material wealth. Marriages based on mutual love create a happy and harmonious atmosphere in the family. Mutual respect and understanding betwee
6、n husband and wife contribute much to a happy marriage. Education is an important condition for a good marriage because a couple whose educational levels do not match may not have much to say to each other / have constant arguments over family issues, big or small. A marriage based on romantic love
7、alone will not necessarily last long, for a sense of responsibility is also essential to a successful marriage. I would marry someone who loves me and cares for me most. I would marry someone who is generous / intelligent / ambitious / broad-minded / considerate / good-looking / kind-hearted / humor
8、ous. I wouldnt like to marry someone who is too money-conscious / stingy / selfish / hot-tempered / narrow-minded / rude / impolite / possessive. Each individual is unique and differences between husband and wife are therefore unavoidable / a rule rather than an exception. Its very important for hus
9、band and wife to show appreciation of each other / talk and get to know what his or her partner expects. A marriage agreement sounds too practical / lacks romantic flavor / reduces marriage to mere business. I think a written marriage agreement shows how much you and your partner are going to respec
10、t each others needs and expectations / promises a harmonious relationship in married life. Trouble starts in a marriage when one partner keeps complaining about small things, making the other feel resentful. Constantly criticizing your partner and his or her family gives rise to troubles in / may de
11、stroy a marriage. Lack of understanding / tolerance over differences may bring troubles to a marriage / cause a marriage to fail.Part BListening TasksConversation 1A Marriage Agreement (Part One)Word Bankoutline v. to describe briefly with few details 概述spouse n. a husband or wife 配偶pet a. denoting
12、a thing that one feels particularly strongly about 额外的，极为的peeve n. sth. that annoys you 引人动气的事物bug v. (American slang) to annoy, to irritate 激怒article n. a section of a legal agreement that deals with a particular point 协议的条款pet peeve sth. that you strongly dislike because it always annoys you 额外引人动
13、气的事Script:(Tom and Linda have signed a marriage agreement. Both agree not to break the rules outlined in the agreement. John, a reporter, is talking to them about the agreement.)John: Tom, Linda, first Id like to ask you why you decided to write this unusual agreement.Tom: We found that many problem
14、s are caused when a person has different expectations from his or her spouse. We wanted to talk about everything openly and honestly before we started living together.Linda: Also we both know how important it is to respect each others pet peeves. Like, I can get very annoyed if others leave stuff cl
15、othing, papers, everything! lying around on the floor. It really bugged me, so we put that in the agreement. John: This is mentioned in Article 1: Cleaning Up, isnt it? It says, “Nothing will be left on the floor overnight. Everything must be cleaned up and put away before going to bed.”Tom: Then Il
16、l know clearly what Lindas expectations are.John: I see. What about Article 2: Sleeping? It says, “We will go to bed at 11 . and get up at 6:30 a.m. except on weekends.” Im sure some people hearing this will think that this agreement isnt very romantic.Tom: Well, we disagree. We think its very roman
17、tic. This agreement shows that we sat down and talked, and really tried to understand the other person. A lot of problems occur in a marriage when people dont talk about what they want.Linda: Thats right. When we disagreed about something, we worked out a solution that was good for both of us. I wou
18、ld much rather have Tom really listen to me and understand my needs than give me a bunch of flowers or a box of candy.Exercise 1Listen to the conversation and choose the right answers to the questions you hear.1. Which statement best summarizes the marriage agreement between Tom and Linda?a. It is a
19、 set of rules that will restrict their personal freedom to a certain extent.b. It is a set of rules that will enable them to live up to each others expectations.c. It is a set of rules that will prevent them from getting a divorce.d. It is a set of rules that will save their marriage.2. According to
20、 Tom, what will give rise to problems in a marriage?a. Different interests.b. Different pet peeves.c. Different expectations.d. Different sleeping habits.3. What can be inferred about Linda from the conversation?a. She is sensible and well-organized.b. She doesnt like flowers or candy very much.c. S
21、he is too practical to be a good wife.d. She is quick-tempered and domineering.Exercise 2Listen to the conversation again and complete the answers to the following questions.1. Why did Tom and Linda decide to sign the agreement?Because they wanted to understand each others expectations so that poten
22、tial problems could be avoided and they could live happily together.2. What is Article 1 about?Cleaning up. Everything must be cleaned up and put away before going to bed.3. What is Article 2 about?Sleeping. Time for bed: 11 .; time to get up: 6:30 a.m. except on weekends.Conversation 2A Marriage Ag
23、reement (Part Two)Word Bankupdate v. to make sth. up-to-date 更新make it up to become friends again after a quarrel 争吵后和解figure out to work out the solution to a problem 想出Script:John: Linda, do you spend a lot of time checking to see if the other person is following the rules? Arguing?Linda: No, not
24、at all.Tom: A lot of couples argue because they dont understand each others expectations. I think we spend less time arguing than most couples because we both know what the other person expects.John: What happens if one of you breaks a rule?Tom: Well, thats in Article 13 of our agreement. John: Is i
25、t? Oh yes, Article 13: Breaking Rules. “If you break a rule, you must apologize and do something nice for the other person to make it up.”Linda: Yeah, like last time Tom broke the rule of driving.John: Whats the rule?Linda: The rule is we must ask for directions if we are driving and get lost for mo
26、re than five minutes. John: What happened? Tom: We were driving to a friends wedding, and we got lost. Linda wanted to stop at a gas station to ask for directions, but I thought I could figure it out. Linda: Then we drove forty miles in the wrong direction and ended up being late for the wedding.Tom
27、: So I took her out to dinner. I knew what I should do to apologize. John: Thats very important, I think, knowing how to apologize. By the way, do you plan to update your agreement at all? What if things change in your life and a rule doesnt work anymore?Linda: Weve thought about that too. Article 1
28、4 states that we must review this agreement once a year and make necessary changes.John: Well, it was really nice talking to you both. Thank you very much for your time. Tom & Linda: Thank you. Exercise 1Listen to the conversation and choose the right answers to the questions you hear.1. How many ar
29、ticles are probably in Tom and Lindas marriage agreement?a. 12.b. 13.c. 14. d. 15.2. How do Tom and Linda feel about their marriage agreement?a. Linda is not very happy with some of the articles in the agreement.b. Tom thinks some of the articles in the agreement are too strict.c. Both Tom and Linda
30、 are satisfied with it.d. Both Tom and Linda are not satisfied with it and they want to make a lot of changes to it.3. What will happen to their marriage agreement in a years time? a. They will review the articles and make changes to update them.b. They will sit down and write out a new agreement.c.
31、 They will not make any changes to the agreement.d. They will not need it anymore, as they are both familiar with its contents.Exercise 2Listen to the conversation again and complete the answers to the following questions. is stated in the rule of driving? It is stated that if they get lost for more
32、 than five minutes when they are driving, they must stop and ask for directions.2. What is Article 13 about? What does it say? Article 13 is about breaking rules. The article says, “If you break a rule, you must apologize and do something nice for the other person to make it up.”3. What is Article 14 about? What is stated in the agreement? It is about reviewing the contents of the agr
