英语口语教程(中级) UNIT 6-9

Oral Workshop   Discussion   Lesson 6-9 ;

[00:13.97]Lesson 6 ;

[00:16.64]How It Feels When   Parents Divorce  Text A ;

[00:22.14]Ari,age fourteen When my parents were married, ;

[00:28.36]I hardly ever saw my Dad because he was always busy working. ;

[00:32.77]Now that they're divorced, ;

[00:34.50]I've gotten to know him more because I'm with him every weekend. ;

[00:38.27]And I really look forward to the weekends ;

[00:40.90]because it's kind of like a break-- ;

[00:42.73]it's like going to Disneyland because there's no set schedule, ;

[00:46.54]no "Be home by five-thirty" kind of stuff.It's open. It's free. ;

[00:52.19]And my father is always buying me presents. ;

[00:55.27]My Mom got remarried and divorced again, so I've gone through two divorces so far. ;

[01:01.81]And my father's also gotten remarried ;

[01:04.23]--to someone I don't get along with all that well. ;

[01:06.81]It's all made me feel that people shouldn't get married-- ;

[01:09.88]they should just live together and make their own agreement. ;

[01:12.81]Then,if things get bad, ;

[01:14.54]they don't have to get divorced and hire lawyers and sue each other. ;

[01:17.69]And,even more important,they don't have to end up hating each other. ;

[01:22.64]I'd say that the worst part of the divorce is the money problem. ;

[01:27.25]It's been hard on my Mom because lots of times she can't pay her bills, ;

[01:31.31]and it makes her angry when I stay with my father and he buys me things. ;

[01:35.38]She gets mad and says things like ;

[01:38.70]"If he can buy you things like this, then he should be able to pay me." ;

[01:42.76]And I feel caught in the middle for two reasons: ;

[01:45.68]first,I can't really enjoy whatever my Dad does get for me, ;

[01:49.60]and second,I don't know who to believe. ;

[01:52.47]My Dad's saying,"I don't really owe her any money," and my Mom's saying he does. ;

[01:59.26]Sometimes I fight for my Mom and sometimes I fight for my Dad, ;

[02:03.17]but I wish they'd leave me out of it completely. ;

[02:06.05]In a lot of ways I wish my Mom would get remarried, ;

[02:09.51]because then she wouldn't have to worry so much about finances. ;

[02:12.93]But I'm sorry that my Dad got remarried, ;

[02:15.51]because I feel left out a lot of times. ;

[02:18.14]And one thing I really worry about is that I think they want to have a baby, ;

[02:22.05]and I know that if they do,it will be just like a replacement for me. ;

[02:27.30]That's because I only see my Dad on weekends, ;

[02:31.02]and since he would see the baby more than he'd see me, ;

[02:33.89]he'd probably grow to like it more than he likes me. ;

[02:37.41]It could be a lot like what happened with my dog Spunkur. ;

[02:40.83]I've had him for about six years ;

[02:42.90]and I've always said I'll never love any dog as much as I love him. ;

[02:46.55]Well,a year ago I picked up a little black Labrador puppy from the pound, ;

[02:51.51]and now I find I'm not as friendly with Spunkur as I used to be. ;

[02:55.07]And I think Spunkur feels jealous, ;

[02:57.30]just like I would if my Dad and my stepmother had a baby. ;

[03:00.62]My Dad said it wouldn't be that way, ;

[03:02.85]that we'll he a whole family and I'd have a little brother or sister, ;

[03:05.88]which would be a lot of fun,but I told him, ;

[03:08.45]"Look,by the time the kid is old enough to talk,I'll be out of college. ;

[03:13.51]I'm not going to have anything to do with a baby. ;

[03:16.08]You know that it's just a replacement for me!" ;

[03:19.60]If I lived full-time with my Dad, ;

[03:22.82]it would probably be easier for me to accept a baby ;

[03:25.75]because we'd be on an equal footing, but I'd rather stay with my Mom, ;

[03:30.06]where life is normal--where we live like most people live, ;

[03:33.82]with breakfast at breakfast time and dinner at dinner time. ;

[03:37.64]I do my homework, play with my friends --it's all the way life should be. ;

[03:42.69]If I lived with my Dad,it might be more fun at times,but I would go crazy. ;

[03:48.09]I wouldn't want to be brought up that way. ;

[03:51.21]  Text B ;

[03:54.14]Sara,age twelve I guess the main reason I was mad at Daddy was ;

[04:00.73]because it all made my mother so unhappy, ;

[04:02.93]and I ended up feeling sorry for both of them-- ;

[04:05.71]my mother because she was struggling to make ends meet, ;

[04:08.78]and my Dad because he couldn't really do much about it. ;

[04:12.30]Even though my parents separated more than three years ago, ;

[04:15.91]it's still very vivid in my mind ;

[04:18.04]and I doubt if I'll ever forget the way I felt at the time. ;

[04:21.56]Yes,as awful as it was,I never hoped they'd yet back together. ;

[04:26.22]And now I think I'd die if they did, because it would be so awkward for me. ;

[04:31.27]I think they're both much happier now, ;

[04:33.45]and it's obvious to me that they both lead totally different lives. ;

[04:37.52]Since the breakup I've been able to see my parents' true colors ;

[04:41.28]especially my mother's.I've seen a side of her that I never saw before. ;

[04:47.43]When she was married,she and Daddy were the perfect couple, ;

[04:51.59]always quiet, talking about dignified things, ;

[04:54.81]and they would never laugh or anything. ;

[04:57.24]Nowadays my mother is always happy and gay. ;

[05:00.51]Another way she's changed is that she always used to hide her problems from me ;

[05:05.21]but now she's more apt to discuss things. ;

[05:07.94]I think she's more relaxed--and so's my Dad. ;

[05:12.10]Both of my parents started dating other people right away, ;

[05:16.86]and I think they'll both get remarried eventually,which is fine with me. ;

[05:20.97]They don't discuss their love lives with me all that much, ;

[05:24.64]but of course I'm not blind. ;

[05:26.72]For example,one night I had a sleep-over at a friend's house ;

[05:30.46]and the next morning I came home earlier than I'd planned to. ;

[05:33.51]Well.I just stormed into my mother's bedroom,and there was this guy in her bed-- ;

[05:38.29]she was somewhere else,in another room. ;

[05:40.86]I started crying and everything, ;

[05:42.99]and my mother tried to convince me she had slept on the couch. ;

[05:46.26]Now that I look back, it was pretty hilarious, ;

[05:48.60]and of course I don't care--I mean, ;

[05:50.63]I understand about those kind of arrangements. ;

[05:53.04]In the beginning, when my father had a girlfriend sleep over, ;

[05:56.55]he didn't know how to tell me--he just sort of said, ;

[05:59.72]"Oh,you're sleeping on the couch tonight," ;

[06:02.40]because at that point I didn't have my own room at his house and shared the bedroom. ;

[06:06.71]It's still hard for my Dad to level with me about this part of his life, ;

[06:10.18]but he's getting better. ;

[06:11.81]Anyhow,neither of them should worry about my getting upset, ;

[06:15.28]because I'm old enough to understand that grown-ups are allowed to have ;

[06:18.08]private lives,which includes other people. ;

[06:20.46]But if someone's going to spend the night, ;

[06:22.49]I think it's better and less awkward if I know about it beforehand, ;

[06:25.52]so I'm not taken by surprise.I still want to get married and have kids, ;

[06:31.06]but I have a lot of friends who don't want to. ;

[06:33.44]I was discussing marriage with one boy I know,and he said, ;

[06:36.91]"I'm never ever getting married." He took his parents' divorce really badly ;

[06:41.48]because his mother and father weren't friends afterwards-- ;

[06:43.68]they were enemies, screaming on the phone to each other. ;

[06:46.75]I'm glad my parents are good friends, having lunch together and stuff. ;

[06:50.56]I think it's so much easier for the child if the parents are friendly. ;

[06:53.98]If they aren't,it's really difficult because there's always a right side ;

[06:57.42]and a wrong side and the kids are just caught in the middle. ;

[07:01.28]I think I've grown up a little faster because of my parents' divorce. ;

[07:05.64]It's made me realize more about the problems of life ;

[07:08.44]and helped me to understand my parents-- ;

[07:10.42]and appreciate them as individuals. ;

[07:12.75]It's just too bad they couldn't have been as happy and productive as a couple ;

[07:17.31]as they've been since they've been on their own. ;

[07:19.89]And I also wish that the next time my mother ;

[07:22.62]has tickets for a Rolling Stones concert, ;

[07:24.72]she takes me instead of her boyfriend, which is what she did the last time! ;

[07:29.57]    Additional    Information Heather,age eleven ;

[07:33.09]So we have to switch back and forth. ;

[07:35.92]doing it on a weekly basis seems to work the best. ;

[07:39.04]I'll try to make one room my real room ;

[07:42.06]and have the other one like camping out.I can't buy two of everything. ;

[07:46.42]so I might as well have one good room that's really mine. ;

[07:50.18]Another aspect of joint custody that's difficult ;

[07:53.60]is that my parents have very different rules and philosophies about life. ;

[07:57.52]For example,my Dad's attitude is that he lets us learn by our mistakes, ;

[08:02.32]and my mother does exactly the opposite- ;

[08:04.75]she tells us how to act before we make the mistake. ;

[08:07.73]And my Dad says we can watch TV for a while after school, ;

[08:11.24]and my Mom says we can't ;

[08:12.78]that we have to select our programs very carefully. ;

[08:16.20]At my Dad's house Matthew has to do his homework right away, ;

[08:20.21]but he gets to stay up until nine and watch The A Team ;

[08:23.53]because that's his favorite show. ;

[08:25.46]Mom doesn't want him to when we're at her house ;

[08:28.39]but she feels she has to give in because Matthew says, ;

[08:31.16]"Well,Daddy lets me do that at his house." ;

[08:34.09]He's learning to play them against each other at a very early age. ;

[08:38.00]I don't do that,but I have to admit ;

[08:40.53]there are times when I secretly wish I was at whichever house I'm not at. ;

[08:45.28]It would be nice if there could be a special house for divorced families. ;

[08:50.04]It would be like two houses. ;

[08:52.12]Side by side,with a place in the middle where the kids could live. ;

[08:55.74]Then when parents had arguments they could each go to their own place ;

[09:00.10]and get away from each other and think things out by themselves. ;

[09:03.86]That way,they could realize how ;

[09:05.85]dumb they were behaving and get back together again. ;

[09:08.89]I know it's too late for that kind of arrangement with my parents- ;

[09:12.61]and as I look back I see that they're both happier being apart. ;

[09:16.72]My father's become a different person, you know,and it's unbelievable. ;

[09:21.03]I like the person he is now because he doesn't get angry as fast as he used to. ;

[09:25.54]And my mother's much happier ;

[09:27.38]because she doesn't have to worry about getting Daddy mad. ;

[09:30.22]Another good thing that's happened ;

[09:32.11]is that my father's turned into a terrific cook, ;

[09:34.81]and it makes me feel proud to be one of the only people in my class ;

[09:38.72]whose father cooks and does things like taking me to hockey practice and to sewing ;

[09:43.25]And it's great to see how my Mom doesn't have to rely on Daddy to ;

[09:46.72]pay the bills and throw out the garbage. ;

[09:48.80]She's working now and that's helped her feel important. ;

[09:52.22]Neither of them has to rely on the other one in dumb ways, ;

[09:55.98]the way they used to,and I think they are both much better off as a result. ;

[10:00.19]I know that neither of them will ever be able to forget all the anger. ;

[10:03.96]but I think that as time goes on ;

[10:06.04]they'll sort of come to their senses and be pretty good friends. ;

[10:10.00]That's what I hope for more than anything in the world! ;

[10:51.06]Lesson 7   Going Shopping ;

[10:56.48]  Text A ;

[10:58.46]Gretel and Mrs Clark went shopping in the centre of London yesterday. ;

[11:04.01]"I'd like to know which store you like best in London,Mrs Clark," Gretel said. ;

[11:09.41]"Now that's a difficult question," Mrs Clark replied. ;

[11:13.57]"I just haven't any idea which store I like best. ;

[11:16.75]There are so many huge stores in London. ;

[11:19.67]I suppose Selfridges must be the biggest. There's so much variety there. ;

[11:25.07]I can usually find what I'm looking for. ;

[11:27.35]Then there's Liberty's.It's such a lovely building. ;

[11:31.11]Harrods is very famous,too.It's such a smart store, ;

[11:35.08]I love all the big stores in London ;

[11:36.97]because you can walk round and nobody bothers you. ;

[11:39.35]Nobody tries to sell you anything--unless you want to buy something. ;

[11:43.15]Sometimes I go window-shopping, ;

[11:45.13]or just wander round a store and look at the things on display. ;

[11:48.60]The big stores are one of the sights of London.I went to the sales in January. ;

[11:54.69]That was one of the sights of London, too!My goodness! The crowds! ;

[11:59.25]But it was worth it. I bought some lovely things very cheaply. ;

[12:03.01]It was good fun,but very exhausting." ;

[12:06.04]  Text B ;

[12:09.85]As she walked round the huge department store, ;

[12:13.42]Edith reflected how ;

[12:14.34]difficult it was to choose a suitable Christmas present for her father. ;

[12:18.55]She wished that he was as easy to please as her mother, ;

[12:21.47]who was always delighted with perfume.Besides, ;

[12:25.14]shopping at this time of the year was a most disagreeable experience: ;

[12:29.00]people trod on your toes,poked you with their elbows and almost knocked ;

[12:32.66]you over in their haste to get to a bargain ahead of you. ;

[12:35.52]Partly to have a rest,Edith paused in front of a counter ;

[12:39.87]where some attractive ties were on display. ;

[12:42.31]"They are real silk" the assistant assured her,trying to tempt her. ;

[12:46.54]"Worth double the price," But Edith knew from past experience ;

[12:50.73]that her choice of ties hardly ever pleased her father. ;

[12:54.40]She moved on reluctantly and then,quite by chance, ;

[12:58.46]stopped where a small crowd of men had gathered round a counter. ;

[13:02.00]She found some good quality pipes on sale-- ;

[13:05.10]and the prices were very reasonable. Edith did not hesitate for long: ;

[13:09.71]although her father only smoked a pipe occasionally, ;

[13:12.28]she knew that this was a present which was bound to please him. ;

[13:15.60]When she got home, ;

[13:17.39]with her small but well-chosen present concealed in her handbag, ;

[13:20.86]her parents were already at table having supper. ;

[13:23.58]Her mother was in especially cheerful mood. ;

[13:26.30]"Your father has at last decided to stop smoking," she infor- med her daughter. ;

[13:31.11]   Additional    Information     (1) ;

[13:34.78]JOAn:Yes,madam?   Can I help you? ;

[13:38.15]MRSS:Oh yes,please,   but you're just   closing,aren't   you? ;

[13:42.21]JOAN:Well,yes,we   are,madam.The   shop shuts in   five minutes. ;

[13:46.57]MRSS:I shan't keep   you long then. ;

[13:48.85]It was about some saucepans you had in your window last week. ;

[13:52.61]JOAN:Last week,   madam? ;

[13:54.30]I really can't remember which ones you mean.What were they like? ;

[13:59.20]MRSS:Oh,they were   lovely!Sort of   imitation wood, ;

[14:03.61]dark brown colour, country-style you know, ;

[14:07.43]and the lips,if I remember rightly, ;

[14:09.76]had a sort of leaf pattern,or was it flowers? ;

[14:13.92]JOAN:That's   strange. ;

[14:15.80]I don't recognise any of the ones we had from that description. ;

[14:19.87]Are you sure they were in this shop? ;

[14:22.79]MRSS:Oh,you must   know the ones I   mean. ;

[14:25.32]They were in a sale.A real bargain. ;

[14:28.29]Reduced to a quarter of the original price. ;

[14:31.21]I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw them. ;

[14:34.14]JOAN:I'm afraid the   sales are over now,   madam, ;

[14:37.21]and I know we sold out of all the saucepans. ;

[14:40.68]MRSS:I don't think   you did,you know. ;

[14:42.96]At least,my neighbour,Mrs Cliffe, ;

[14:45.58]told me she saw some here only yesterday. ;

[14:48.95]JOAN:Well,it's all   new stock in the   window now. ;

[14:52.72]MRSS:May I just have   a look,to see if   there's anything   else? ;

[14:56.38]JOAN:Er,well,madam,   as you know,we   were just closing. ;

[15:00.40]MRSS:Yes,yes,I'm   sorry I won't   keep you. ;

[15:03.22]It must get on your nerves when customers come in right on closing-time. ;

[15:07.38]But they were such beautiful saucepans! ;

[15:10.46]I'd have bought them then if only I'd made up my mind on the spot. ;

[15:14.67]JOAN:Perhaps,madam,   if you came back   tomorrow, ;

[15:18.09]I could show you all we have in our range of kitchen ware. ;

[15:21.65]And there are still one or two things at sale price. ;

[15:25.42]MRSS:Oh look!   That one there! ;

[15:28.10]That's the sort of thing I was looking for! ;

[15:30.72]But it's not quite the right colour. ;

[15:33.10]JOAN:That might be   the artificial   lighting,madam. ;

[15:35.92]of course,if you came back in daylight, ;

[15:38.45]you might find it's exactly what you're looking for. ;

[15:41.52]MRSS:There it is!  That's the pattern!  The set behind you! ;

[15:45.73]Thank goodness they haven't been sold! ;

[15:48.11]And thank you so much for being so patient with me. ;

[15:51.33]Yes,those are the ones! ;

[15:54.01]    (2)Shops ;

[15:57.20]Most shops in Britain open at 9.00 a.m.and close at 5.00 or 5.30 in the evening. ;

[16:03.97]Small shops usually close for an hour at lunchtime. ;

[16:07.68]On one or two days a week-usually Thursdayand and/or Friday ;

[16:11.80]-some large food shops stay open until about 8.00p.m.for late night shopping. ;

[16:16.75]Many shops are closed in the afternoon on one day a week. ;

[16:20.96]The day is usually Wednesday or Thursday ;

[16:23.69]and it is a different day in different towns. ;

[16:26.71]Nearly all shops are closed on Sundays. ;

[16:30.08]Newspaper shops are open in the morning and sell sweets and cigarettes as well. ;

[16:35.73]But there are legal restrictions on selling many things on Sundays. ;

[16:40.19]In general, ;

[16:41.87]overseas visitors don't have much difficulty knowing where to buy things. ;

[16:46.03]Most shops sell the things that you would expect them to. ;

[16:49.45]One problem is stamps. ;

[16:52.08]In Britain you can only buy these at post-offices. ;

[16:55.89]Many large food shops(supermarkets) are self-service. ;

[17:00.50]When you go into one of these shops you take a basket ;

[17:03.67]and you put the things you wish to buy into this. ;

[17:06.10]You queue up at the cash-desk and pay for everything just before you leave. ;

[17:11.15]If anyone tries to take things from a shop without paying ;

[17:15.02]they are almost certain to be caught. ;

[17:17.25]Most shops have store detectives ;

[17:19.48]who have the job of catching shoplifters. ;

[17:22.01]Shoplifting is considered a serious crime by the police and the courts. ;

[17:26.27]When you are waiting to be served in a shop it is important to wait your turn. ;

[17:30.87]It is important not to try to be served before people who arrived before you. ;

[17:35.78]Many people from overseas are ;

[17:38.00]astonished at the British habit of queueing. ;

[18:18.64]Lesson 8 ;

[18:21.61]  What to Do about     Grandma     Text A ;

[18:26.96]Hal Bohlman,his wife Judy,and their three children live in a small apartment. ;

[18:33.63]Hal work in the income tax division of the government ;

[18:36.70]where he is a public information officer. ;

[18:39.03]Their children are now 12,10 and 5 years old. ;

[18:43.54]Their plan is for Judy to return to work ;

[18:45.92]after their youngest child starts elementary school next year. ;

[18:49.46]They hope to save up enough money to buy a house, ;

[18:52.48]since they feel their present two bedroom apartment is much too crowded. ;

[18:56.94]Last week,however, Judy's father died suddenly of a heart attack. ;

[19:02.19]They now have to decide what to do about Judy's mother, ;

[19:05.46]since Judy is the only child. ;

[19:07.59]Judy's father was the manager of a store in a large supermarket chain, ;

[19:12.45]so her mother will receive a modest but sufficient pension from the company. ;

[19:16.76]In addition,she will receive the money from her husband's life insurance ;

[19:21.27]and will continue to receive social welfare benefits from the government. ;

[19:25.53]In order to avoid inheritance taxes, ;

[19:27.91]her husband in his will left his estate to Judy ;

[19:30.88]with the provision that his wife would have use of it as long as she lived. ;

[19:34.70]Judy realizes that it would probably be dangerous for her mother to live alone. ;

[19:39.85]Although her health is basically good for someone her age, 73, ;

[19:44.90]she has bad days when her heart or arthritis acts up. ;

[19:48.57]Judy is afraid she might have trouble taking care of herself now that she is alone. ;

[19:53.13]She is living in the house that she and her husband owned, ;

[19:55.90]a three bedroom house in the suburbs of the same city where Hal and Judy live. ;

[20:00.51]Hal and Judy's mother never got along well in the past, ;

[20:04.32]but Hal realizes that Judy is worried about her mother. ;

[20:08.09]  Text B ;

[20:11.21]The huge population of China is indeed a very serious problem. ;

[20:16.17]The government has made great efforts to control the birth rate in recent years ;

[20:20.48]But the work has encountered strong resistance, ;

[20:23.45]especially in rural areas, ;

[20:25.28]where both economy and culture are still very backward, ;

[20:28.35]resulting in the birthrate rising again. ;

[20:31.03]Many people blame this on the feudal tradition ;

[20:34.15]that it was good to have more children to have more working hands. ;

[20:37.82]However,this is only half the story. ;

[20:40.59]In the countryside there are no pensions ;

[20:43.76]and no free medical care for the aged. ;

[20:46.24]Many young couples are afraid that once they are old, ;

[20:49.21]there will be nobody to care for them. ;

[20:51.05]So they want a son who can tend them all their lives. ;

[20:54.71]If we raise more funds for the elderly in rural areas ;

[20:58.23]and build more sanatoriums and other institutions for them, ;

[21:01.30]the farmers can put their minds at rest. ;

[21:03.63]The majority of young couples nowadays are well educated ;

[21:07.25]even in the poverty-stricken areas. ;

[21:09.53]Although the feudal influence is strong, ;

[21:11.76]they can understand the importance of family planning. ;

[21:14.63]What worries them most is their own old age. ;

[21:18.35]Lesson 8     Additional     Information ;

[21:20.33]Many Suicides Reported on Respect For Aged Day ;

[21:25.68]Tragic suicides by aged persons ;

[21:28.83]were reported from across the country on Monday ;

[21:31.49]when the nation celebrated Respect for the Aged Day, a national holiday. ;

[21:37.20]In the city of... ,a 76-year-old woman was ;

[21:41.57]found to have hanged herself in her room at about 2 a.m., ;

[21:44.34]her grandson reported to police. The woman,..., ;

[21:48.01]had been suffering from tuberculisis and the hardening of the arteries ;

[21:52.52]in addition to the loss eyesight,the grandson told police. ;

[21:56.73]In the city of ...,a neighbor visited a 78-year-old man's home ;

[22:01.98]at 9.a.m.to find that he had gassed himself. ;

[22:05.01]The man,...,had lived alone on pension since 1961 when his wife died. ;

[22:11.30]In...,a farmer reported to police that his 68-year-old wife ;

[22:16.38]hanged herself in a shed Monday afternoon. ;

[22:19.35]The woman,Mrs...,was worried about her frail health and ;

[22:23.81]had often talked of loneliness in old age,according to the husband. ;

[22:27.97]A person fishing in the sea off the city of... ;

[22:31.69]found the body of an aged woman drifting at 10.20. a.m.Monday. ;

[22:36.54]Police later identified the body as that of...,92,of ..., ;

[22:42.54]who had been missing since Friday. ;

[22:45.02]Her family members believed that she was overwhelmed by pessimism ;

[22:49.08]because she was unable to receive pension from the city office ;

[22:52.20]due to some flaw in her papers on Wednesday. ;

[22:56.02]A 66-year-old woman hanged herself in a room in her house in... ;

[23:01.32]while her daughter- in-law was in another room.The daughter -in-law,Mrs..., ;

[23:06.32]told police that her mother-in-law, ;

[23:09.10]...,had been almost bed-ridden since 1973. ;

[23:51.91]Lesson 9 ;

[23:54.73]Why Is the World   So Tough to Her?   Text A ;

[24:00.83]David:What's the   matter? ;

[24:03.03]Sue:Oh,I don't know. David:Oh,come on...   it's something.   What is it? ;

[24:07.19]Sue:It's just   life...it's   so boring. ;

[24:10.07]David:Oh,it's not   so bad...you've   got Daniel! ;

[24:12.99]Sue:But he's only   a baby!It's all   right for you. ;

[24:16.06]You'll leave the house in five minutes.I'll be here all day. ;

[24:20.03]When'll you come home?You won't come home till seven! ;

[24:23.69]David:One of us must   go to work,dear. ;

[24:25.68]Sue:Yes,but your   day'll be   interesting. ;

[24:28.50] My day'll be the  same as every day. David:My work isn't  always interesting. ;

[24:33.21]Sue:I know,but you   travel around, ;

[24:35.54]you meet different people and you do different things. ;

[24:39.10]Who'll I meet today? What'll I do? Eh? I'll wash up,feed the baby, ;

[24:45.34]do the washing,clean the house,bath the baby,take the dog for a walk... ;

[24:51.50]David:But...but...   dear. ;

[24:53.44]Sue:Then I'll go to   the supermarket,   prepare dinner, ;

[24:56.10]meet you at the station,have dinner, wash up again. ;

[24:59.59]David:But...but...   dear. ;

[25:01.03]Sue:Then I'll feed   the baby again,   put the baby to   bed...What a life! ;

[25:05.83]Today,tomorrow,this week,next week, ;

[25:09.15]this month,next month,next year... for ever! ;

[25:12.50]David:It's just Monday   dear...you'll be   O.K.later. Sue:Will I? ;

[25:18.74]  Text B ;

[25:22.26]Today my cousin paid us a visit. ;

[25:25.53]She is a technician working in an electronics factory. ;

[25:29.29]She has been very unhappy recently because of a quarrel with her boss. ;

[25:33.90]It all started when she was denied a chance to go abroad for a training course. ;

[25:38.86]By qualification she was the ideal choice--a college degree, ;

[25:43.66]a working knowledge of English ;

[25:45.50]and generally acknowledged as very good in her field. ;

[25:48.57]But the final choice fell on a young man inferior to her in every respect. ;

[25:53.77]Naturally she was very upset and wanted to know why. ;

[25:57.59]Her boss who in fact quite liked her told her quite candidly. ;

[26:01.85]"We did think of sending you but decided against it because you are a girl ;

[26:07.75]The answer infuriated her all the more and she accused him of sex discrimination. ;

[26:13.19]The best explanation she could get out of him ;

[26:16.07]was that it would not be "convenient" ;

[26:18.50]for a girl to be on her own in a foreign country as there was only one vacancy. ;

[26:23.15]Not convenient for whom? For herself? She didn't mind.For her fellow trainees? ;

[26:29.99]That's sheer nonsense. For her boss? How and in what way? ;

[26:34.70]Poor girl.I quite sympathize with her, ;

[26:38.12]but that women are at a disadvantage is a reality she'll have to face. ;

[26:42.48]I told her that our form master was telling us only the other day ;

[26:46.24]that girls shouldn't aim too high in choosing their future speciality ;

[26:49.81]or choosing a university. ;

[26:51.69]Certain subjects and certain departments are almost closed to them. ;

[26:56.40]They'll have to have 10 or more marks than the boys in order to be accepted. ;

[27:00.61]"And it's not only the colleges and universities," ;

[27:03.83]Mum explained with anger. ;

[27:05.17]"All organizations and work units are equally bad in sex discrimination ;

[27:09.11]when taking in new employees. ;

[27:10.94]One's sex is more important than one's other qualities,it seems. ;

[27:14.56]Some departments take in women just as if they are ;

[27:17.46]forced to buy some inferior goods. ;

[27:19.47]The bargaining that goes on just makes me sick. ;

[27:22.31]You want to buy a carton of high-grade cigarettes? ;

[27:24.94]Very well,you must buy three packs of the cheap brand as well. ;

[27:28.90]So if you want to assign one girl to our department, ;

[27:32.03]you must give us two boys as well.It's really disgusting!" ;

[27:35.89]"I don't blame them really," said Dad, ;

[27:38.62]"However good a girl is,when she marries, trouble begins. ;

[27:42.18]First there is this long maternity leave. ;

[27:44.71]Then there'll be constant leaves ;

[27:46.24]because there will always be this or that wrong with her darling baby. ;

[27:49.53]Even when she works she will be constantly thinking of her darling child ;

[27:53.32]or knitting for him or her.And she becomes petty too, ;

[27:56.94]breaking into tears at the slightest provocation ;

[27:59.37]and quarrelling with others over trifles". ;

[28:01.82]This naturally brought a barrage of protests and condemnations ;

[28:05.81]from the two women in the room who almost tore him to pieces. ;

[28:08.98]In the end it was Granny who came to his rescue. ;

[28:11.56]"Well,a woman's place is at home, as I always say. ;

[28:15.67]And what do you want to go abroad for,child? Think of all the dangers! ;

[28:19.49]How can girls cope with them? ;

[28:21.17]I think your leaders were quite right in not letting you go." ;

[28:24.24]"Oh,Granny,you don't know anything at all! ;

[28:27.41]You are still living in the old world. ;

[28:29.59]It seems our future lies in the future generation," ;

[28:32.77]my cousin said pointedly to Dad, referring to me. ;

[28:36.48]Actually she is only ten years older than me. ;

[28:40.20]Equality of the sexes is certainly a very complicated problem. ;

[28:44.81]Just having equal rights to vote and equal pay for equal work ;

[28:48.67]have not solved the problem,not by a long shot. ;