英语口语教程(中级) UNIT 25-28

Oral Workshop:     Discussion Lesson25Ad-28(Text) ;

[00:08.10]    Lesson 25 ;

[00:12.55]Additional information ;

[00:15.09]Not long ago,a newspaper column caught my attention. ;

[00:20.01]It was the first time since I came to America ;

[00:23.19]that I read about an issue similar to the ones I often heard in China. ;

[00:27.22]It all started from a letter sent ;

[00:29.83]to a newspaper column by a woman named Sally rom Toronto,Canada. ;

[00:34.27]She told the columnist about her unpleasant experience on a bus ride in Canada. ;

[00:38.79]She was in the late stage of her pregnancy with very swollen ankles. ;

[00:42.91]However,people on the bus just pretended not o notice her. ;

[00:46.63]The responses to Sally's letter,in the columnist's words were ;

[00:50.97]"staggering",and many of them were "unpredictable". ;

[00:55.00]Almost all the women readers,of course, ;

[00:58.72]gave their understanding and sympathy to Sally. ;

[01:01.33]A woman who signed her name as "L.M. ;

[01:04.26]"related Sally's experience with her own. ;

[01:06.69]She told the columnist that she had used ;

[01:09.08]public transport ation for 11 years in Detroit ;

[01:11.87]and never saw a man give his seat to a pregnant woman. ;

[01:15.15]She pointed out, however,women passengers did it all the time. ;

[01:19.05]As for her own experience, ;

[01:20.91]she once offered a seat to another pregnant woman ;

[01:23.47]when she herself was in her seventh month pregnancy. ;

[01:26.53]When the other woman sat down and said to L.M.," Bless you for saving my life", ;

[01:31.80]the man sitting next to her "turned red as a tomato". ;

[01:35.61]Some people think that nowadays in America, ;

[01:39.11]a lot of men were raised with no manners. ;

[01:41.72]A woman reader from California wrote about what she once saw on a bus ;

[01:45.84]and implied that parents should be strict with their children's behavior. ;

[01:49.34]She was sitting behind a mother and a teenage son. ;

[01:53.01]An elderly lady got on the bus and stood near the boy, ;

[01:56.07]struggling to stay upright. ;

[01:57.71]The boy was engrossed in his comic book when his mother poked him ;

[02:01.34]and ordered him to give his seat to that elderly woman. ;

[02:04.48]The Californian woman thought the mother was oing a fine job bring up her son. ;

[02:09.80]Men readers,however, responded to Sally differently. ;

[02:14.23]Some of them have long resented at women's equal rights campaigns, ;

[02:18.48]and took this opportunity to get back at women. ;

[02:21.31]Here is what a man from Anchorage, Alaska wrote: ;

[02:25.12]This is for Sally in Toronto who figures she is entitled to a seat on the bus ;

[02:29.99]because she is seven months pregnant:Get real,lady,this is the '90s. ;

[02:34.47]You women have been screaming about equal rights,so now you've got them. ;

[02:38.27]Live with your equal rights and stop beefing. ;

[02:41.33]Another reader from Philadelphia ;

[02:43.72]claimed he learned his lesson from an experience on a bus. ;

[02:46.65]This is what he wrote in his letter published in November,1990: ;

[02:51.16]The last time I offered a woman a seat on the bus was in 1972. ;

[02:56.65]She glared at me and said."Do I look helpless?"I replied, "No,but I thought." ;

[03:04.14]She cut me off with, "You thought? ;

[03:06.97]The trouble with you chauvinists is that you don't think. ;

[03:09.94]Women today don't want a seat on a bus. ;

[03:12.29]They want equal pay."She then laun- ched into a women's liberation lecture. ;

[03:17.51]I was never so glad to get off a bus in my life. ;

[03:21.23]There are also those who are ;

[03:23.40]unhappy with life and hate the world in which they are living. ;

[03:26.50]Therefore,they used Sally's letter as an opportunity to speak out their mind. ;

[03:31.46]A person from Oakland does not think Sally deserves any sympathy. ;

[03:35.18]His reason is that overpopulation is a major problem in the universe today ;

[03:39.52]and there are other reasons that he dislikes this world. ;

[03:42.05]Therefore,he concludes hat anyone who would bring a child into this "crazy, ;

[03:46.70]mixed-up"world is insane and deserves punishment. ;

[03:52.23]    Lesson 26  There Are Two Sides    to Everything ;

[04:34.09]    Text A ;

[04:36.96]I had a most exasperat -ing and frustrating experience with the hospital today. ;

[04:42.77]But Granny had it much worse. ;

[04:45.11]First she was the victim of an accident and then she was the suffering patient. ;

[04:50.91]She was out shopping early this morning, ;

[04:53.39]and was hardly a few scores of yards from our house ;

[04:56.18]when she was knocked down by a bicycle. ;

[04:58.35]The rider was a reckless young man who didn't even stop after the accident, ;

[05:02.65]but raced away as though an army was after him. ;

[05:05.13]It was a neighbour who recognized her and came to call me ;

[05:08.89](both of my parents were out). ;

[05:10.80]When I heard the news, my heart jumped up to my mouth. ;

[05:14.07]I raced downstairs, two or three steps at a time ;

[05:17.31]and sprinted to the spot.I never ran so fast in my life. ;

[05:21.47]There I saw a crowd of people.I elbowed my way in, ;

[05:24.97]and saw Granny sitting on the ground leaning against a tree, ;

[05:28.42]her face all swollen and her mouth bleeding. ;

[05:31.83]She was holding her left arm with her right hand. ;

[05:34.89]It must be a fracture judging from the way it hurt her. ;

[05:38.26]Some of the crowd were concerned and offering help and advice, ;

[05:41.67]but most were just curious onlookers. ;

[05:43.70]Someone managed to stop a passing car for us, ;

[05:46.27]and the driver kindly drove us to the nearest hospital ;

[05:49.37]Then our ordeal began. ;

[05:52.34]Naturally I took her to the emergency room first ;

[05:57.03]and expected immediate attention. ;

[05:59.82]But we had to wait for t least ten minutes before a doctor came over to us. ;

[06:04.03]He just took a brief look at her and said simply:"Go to the dental department." ;

[06:08.86]"But doctor,aren't you going to give her a thorough check?"I asked. ;

[06:13.20]"Don't worry,her life is not in danger." ;

[06:15.90]Before I could say anything more,he was already out of sight. ;

[06:19.93]There was nothing for us to do but look for the dental department ;

[06:24.22]which took us a long time because it was on the third floor. ;

[06:27.72]There the dentist told us that we must register first, ;

[06:31.36]so I had to rush all the way down again to the ground floor, ;

[06:34.63]there only to find a long queue. ;

[06:37.29]I tried to jump the queue explaining it was an emergency case, ;

[06:41.63]"Go to the emergency room if it's an emergency case!" ;

[06:45.26]I didn't know whether to laugh or to cry. ;

[06:48.54]Anyway I stood obediently at the end of the line ;

[06:52.66]and at last when my turn came I was given many forms to fill, ;

[06:56.29]some of which were very detailed and quite unnecessary I thought. ;

[07:00.19]After filling them I found I had to queue up once again to hand them in! ;

[07:04.53]By the time everything was finished and I rushed upstairs, ;

[07:08.25]I was happy to find the dentist had ;

[07:09.80]the decency not to wait for me before treating Granny. ;

[07:12.94]That was the first comforting thing after entering the hospital ;

[07:16.17]and I really felt grateful to the dentist. ;

[07:18.74]After putting several stitches to lips and gum, the dentist said: ;

[07:22.42]"That's all.Now go and pay your bill." "But doctor,her arm hurts." ;

[07:28.35]"You have to go to the surgical department for that. It's just opposite. ;

[07:32.29]I'll take you there."I really like the man. ;

[07:36.63]But all the same I had to run all the way down to the ground floor ;

[07:39.97]to register again for the surgical department. ;

[07:42.83]And for all the much trouble the doctor spent less than five minutes examining ;

[07:47.44]Granny and said: "She'll need an X-ray." ;

[07:50.72]He wrote out a chit and that was that. ;

[07:54.30]The X-ray department was on the ground floor ;

[07:58.29]and I had to help her all the way down. ;

[08:00.46]The complications and rigmarole involved in getting the X-ray done were ;

[08:04.53]too complicated and irritating to describe. ;

[08:07.24]The long and short of it was,after we got the X-ray picture, ;

[08:10.91]I had to take Granny all the way up again to the third floor. ;

[08:13.70]After taking a look at it,the doctor said:"No bones broken. ;

[08:18.40]I'll prescribe some pain-killer and antibiotics." ;

[08:22.60]So it was all the way down again. ;

[08:25.93]The complications in paying the bill and getting the medicine were ;

[08:30.18]too silly for words. I had to queue from window to window- ;

[08:34.34]to get the medicine priced and added up, to pay the bill,to get the medicine... ;

[08:39.83]And if you didn't know the right order and sequence,which I didn't, ;

[08:42.80]it often meant standing in the wrong queue ;

[08:44.88]only to be told to come back again after queuing up at another window. ;

[08:48.69]By the time we got home it was almost one o'clock. ;

[08:53.12]We had spent almost four hours at the hospital,and I made a calculation: ;

[08:58.30]Five minutes with the doctor in the emergency room, ;

[09:00.82]half an hour with the dentist,ten minutes with the surgeon- ;

[09:04.37]three quarters of an hour all told.The rest of the time was spent. ;

[09:08.71]Waiting queuing, rushing from place to place. ;

[09:11.81]If Granny had had to do all that by herself, ;

[09:15.13]she wouldn't have left the hospital alive,I'm sure. ;

[09:18.71]    Text B ;

[09:22.61]Dr Ding Ping,a bone specialist in No.2 People's Hospital of ;

[09:28.02]Anqing in Anhui Province,won a bronze medal at the 37th ;

[09:32.27]International Eureka Fair in Brussels last year for his invention ;

[09:35.94]a new bone-setting device.Not only the doctor himself was happy and honoured, ;

[09:41.52]his hospital,indeed the whole city felt honoured and happy too. ;

[09:45.33]But who would have thought that his invention not only brought ;

[09:48.31]the doctor a bronze medal,but also plunged him into a heavy debt. ;

[09:52.90]It all started in 1986 when for the whole year ;

[09:58.04]Dr Ding spent his every spare minute on his new invention. ;

[10:01.72]After another year's clinical trial use, the device proved to be effective. ;

[10:06.19]So in June last year Dr Ding was informed by the Science ;

[10:10.66]Commission of Anhui Province that this invention had been selected ;

[10:13.90]to compete in the 37th ureka International Fair. ;

[10:17.44]This was indeed happy news,but Dr Ding's happiness was marred ;

[10:23.02]by the fact that he had to pay 5,000 yuan for entering his item for the fair. ;

[10:27.62]Where on earth was he to raise such a huge sum? ;

[10:30.06]He applied for aid from the Municipal Science Commission, ;

[10:33.69]but got turned down because firstly the Commission ;

[10:36.45]thought his invention was a private one, ;

[10:38.30]the work of an individual and therefore could not be unded by the public, ;

[10:41.93]and secondly the Commission was hard up anyway and could not ;

[10:45.12]afford to pay out such a large sum. So what was to be done? ;

[10:49.06]At the last moment his hospital came to the rescue: ;

[10:52.29]They agreed to lend Dr Ding 5,000 yuan, but starting from January this year, ;

[10:57.87]they would deduct 50 yuan from his monthly salary ;

[11:00.32]until the debt was fully repaid. ;

[11:02.03]Dr Ding was grateful and jumped at the chance. ;

[11:06.15]But he was under no illusion about the predicament he was plunging himself into. ;

[11:09.87]His salary was only 97 yuan a month. ;

[11:13.55]His wife,a school teacher,only brought home 82 yuan a month. ;

[11:17.80]With two daughters at school their life was not easy as it was. ;

[11:21.48]To have 50 yuan deducted monthly from their meager income ;

[11:25.37]for the next eight years would mean a financial burden ;

[11:28.16]that would surely break the camel's back.Discarding all face problems, ;

[11:33.48]Dr Ding started to beg for alms from all quarters. ;

[11:36.71]Mostly he met with rebuffs,but he could not afford to give up. ;

[11:40.65]After a few months of begging from door to door, ;

[11:43.49]he managed to collect 1,400 yuan. ;

[11:46.32]Quite a substantial sum,but he was still 3,600 yuan short. ;

[11:51.72]The news that his invention had won a bronze medal ;

[11:55.53]not only brought some spiritual comfort,but also some material gains. ;

[12:00.14]His hospital decided to award him 500 yuan ;

[12:03.06]as a token of recognition for his brilliant work. ;

[12:05.90]But the fact remains that he still had a debt to pay, ;

[12:09.04]now reduced to 3,100 yuan. ;

[12:11.92]Again he applied for help from various municipal departments, ;

[12:15.60]but so far without success. ;

[12:18.12]Is Dr Ding and his family going to spend the next five years in overty and misery ;

[12:23.00]just because he has invented something useful ;

[12:25.03]and won international recognition? ;

[12:27.20]Additional Information ;

[12:29.94]It's a hospital scene. People are lining up for registration. ;

[12:35.61]After seeing the doctor they come back to line up again for their medicine, ;

[12:40.22]Of course it's a very time-consuming process, ;

[12:43.10]because they have to get the prescriptions priced at one window and pay at another. ;

[12:47.61]Then at the last window they get their medicine. ;

[12:50.71]That means altogether they have to line up at three different windows ;

[12:54.83]just to get their medicine. ;

[12:56.96]To avoid all this trouble, ;

[12:58.95]a smart woman works out the most convenient way of getting her medicine. ;

[13:02.58]She herself stands at the end of the first line and puts her pram ith her baby in it, ;

[13:07.63]a toy duck and her own bag at the end of the other three lines. ;

[13:11.35]She has them all strung together with the wool yarn with which she's knitting ;

[13:14.94]She believes this will save her the trouble of lining up three times. ;

[13:19.23]    Lesson 27    Is It an Ideal     Career? ;

[14:02.33]    Text A ;

[14:04.50]I am not an extreme feminist.I am not an extreme anything. ;

[14:10.61]However,I am a firm believer in equality and freedom. ;

[14:15.13]I think we are all entitled to the same rights and opportunities. ;

[14:19.86]Perhaps my views on feminism are influenced by the fact ;

[14:23.50]that I was an only child and perhaps if I had had a brother, ;

[14:27.04]he(and I)might have been treated differently. ;

[14:30.36]My mother was the perfect example of all an ardent feminist would hate: ;

[14:35.67]she waited hand and foot on my father and did it all without complaint. ;

[14:40.41]When my father arrived home from work,his soup was served. ;

[14:44.58]Every night his clothes for the next day were left out with the underwear ;

[14:47.94]thoughtfully placed on op so that he didn't even have to think what to put on first. ;

[14:52.41]His shoes were always polished for him, ;

[14:55.91]his right to be first in the bathroom was never challenged, ;

[14:59.41]and if he ever found himself in the kitchen it was by mistake. ;

[15:03.31]My mother was honestly ontent with this situation ;

[15:06.59]and regarded my father as a perfect husband: ;

[15:09.55]he was a caring, generous man-a good provider.What more could any woman ask? ;

[15:15.04]I remember being brought up,not as a male or female, ;

[15:19.07]but simply as an individual, ;

[15:21.25]and although I suppose I must have been influenced by my parents, ;

[15:24.79]I do not remember ever eing encouraged to make marriage my major ambition. ;

[15:28.69]I was fortunate enough o marry a man who did not expect to chain me to the kitchen sink. ;

[15:34.44]He was quite capable of polishing his own shoes,and mine too while he was at it. ;

[15:39.31]He was also able to wash dishes,dust,or do anything else around the house. ;

[15:44.36]We managed beautifully with no strict male/ female division of labour. ;

[15:49.85]Our first baby arrived much to our delight, six months ago. ;

[15:55.21]I was more than pleased to give up my job as I had become sick of it. ;

[15:59.51]I looked forward to my baby,and now he is here I actually enjoy him very much. ;

[16:04.47]I have no intention of eturning to work,as I think our son ought to ave a parent ;

[16:08.78]to care for him for a few years at least. ;

[16:11.38]Indeed,I could be very appy with the situation, ;

[16:13.95]were I not experienci- ng quite unexpected problems adapting to my new role. ;

[16:19.13]When I attended the ante-natal clinic, ;

[16:21.16]I remember the doctor asking me what I was', meaning my occupation, ;

[16:26.21]rather than my blood group or star sign. ;

[16:29.09]Yet when I went to the baby clinic for the first time, ;

[16:31.84]all they wanted to know was what my husband 'was'. ;

[16:35.38]I am still wondering what difference that makes to anything, ;

[16:39.59]and I was hurt that nobody wanted to know about me any more. ;

[16:43.49]Quite suddenly I was just someone's wife and someone's mother ;

[16:46.72]I no longer seemed to have an identity of my own. ;

[16:49.20]Where,previously,my husband was quite happy to help around the house, ;

[16:54.25]his attitude now seems o be that if I'm at home all day,I can do all the housework. ;

[16:59.61]And what bugs me most is that I find myself going along with it. ;

[17:03.37]If the baby cries during the night, ;

[17:05.63]then there is no question about who gets up.Have I taken leave of my senses? ;

[17:10.41]My sense of self- esteem seems to be logged with baby powder and baby cream! ;

[17:15.06]But the aspect of motherhood ;

[17:17.32]I've found hardest to take has been the loss f earning power, ;

[17:20.55]and what I see as a loss of financial independence. ;

[17:23.74]For seven years I enjoyed helping to bring home the bacon, ;

[17:26.71]and money never caused a row.It does now. ;

[17:30.16]Although the decision to have our baby and for me to stay at home as a joint one, ;

[17:34.81]I feel totally dependent on my husband, ;

[17:37.43]who is becoming more and more irritated by my stupidity. ;

[17:40.79]The indignity of being financially dependent on my husband ;

[17:43.72]is something I feel very sensitive about. ;

[17:46.46]Logically,having a baby ought to have extended me as a person: ;

[17:49.69]I should be the person I was plus the person I am, ;

[17:53.02]as a result of my new experience.It hasn't worked out like that. ;

[17:57.36]Motherhood seems to have wiped out ten years of varied and ;

[18:00.76]interesting work experience and taken me back, ;

[18:04.00]not forwards-a whole generation back. ;

[18:07.45]But the big difference between my mother and me is that she was happy and I am not. ;

[18:13.34]I know a conflict that she couldn't have imagined. ;

[18:16.88]    Text B ;

[18:21.14]Having a special day in honour of teachers is a fine thing. ;

[18:25.83]But one day a year is not enough! ;

[18:28.75]Where would the world be without teachers? What hope would there be for human progress? ;

[18:34.16]Teachers deserve the respect of the whole of society the whole year round. ;

[18:38.50]But they haven't got it.What is most remarkable and regrettable is ;

[18:42.35]that in this great land of China, ;

[18:44.39]with its ancient civilization and traditional respect for learning, ;

[18:47.80]teachers are so looked down upon ;

[18:49.79]that it is necessary to set aside a day to show respect for them. ;

[18:53.20]Why is this? I believe hat teachers' low social status ;

[18:58.47]is inseparable from their low pay,and poor iving and working conditions- ;

[19:02.59]though these are gradually being improved. ;

[19:04.76]But still the state allocation of funds for education is, per capita, ;

[19:09.23]among the lowest in the world.So teachers are,in general, ;

[19:13.97]under-paid and overworked-especially those in preschool, ;

[19:17.60]primary and secondary education. ;

[19:20.39]This despite the fact that Comrade Deng Xiaoping ;

[19:22.96]immediately on resuming office pointed out: ;

[19:25.26]education is a continuous process and the pay and conditions of teachers ;

[19:29.38]from the most elementary level must be improved. ;

[19:32.13]This statement was most encouraging,but progress since it was made, ;

[19:35.80]some years ago,has been painfully slow. So today,who wants to become a teacher? ;

[19:42.05]Who wants to marry a teacher? ;

[19:43.69]When far better prospects are offered in other professions? ;

[19:46.88]True,"man does not live by bread alone" -but he can't live without it. ;

[19:51.66]Of course many fine dedicated people are still willing, ;

[19:55.56]even eager to become and remain teachers. Many,but not enough. ;

[20:00.43]That's one reason why there are middle school classes of 70 and more pupils, ;

[20:05.48]and intolerable situation.The lower the number of students in a class ;

[20:10.04]the higher the quality of education can be. Of course I am not speaking personally. ;

[20:16.28]Looking back on 35 years as a teacher in China I feel grateful. ;

[20:20.45]As a teacher here I have had a happy and rewarding life. ;

[20:23.68]Being surrounded by young people has helped to keep me young. ;

[20:26.82]But my pay and conditions are well above those of my Chinese colleagues. ;

[20:30.68]A big and rapid improvement in their social status, ;

[20:33.51]together with a similar improvement in their pay, ;

[20:35.68]working conditions and housing,will attract more and more fine people ;

[20:39.44]to the teaching profession. ;

[20:41.26]That is a vital and urgent necessity for China's socialist modernization. ;

[20:46.53]Additional Information ;

[20:49.94]For many of you this will be your last year at shcool ;

[20:53.48]and now is the time for you to begin ;

[20:55.39]thinking seriously about your future careers. ;

[20:58.48]In order to give you as much help as possible, ;

[21:01.37]I have drawn up a list of questions that you ought to ask yourself. ;

[21:06.55]"Have I given thought to what I would like to be doing 15 to 20 years from now? ;

[21:13.06]"Bear in mind that the areer you choose will affect the future course of your life. ;

[21:18.59]It will partially determine your range of friends, ;

[21:22.00]your choice of husband or wife, where you live, ;

[21:25.32]your recreational activities,and other important aspects of your life. ;

[21:30.02]"Have I a clear knowledge of my abilities and aptitudes, ;

[21:35.42]as well as my interests and aims? ;

[21:38.21]"Be honest about your weak points as well as our strong ones. ;

[21:42.33]Take a really good look at yourself ;

[21:44.81]and give real thought to the kind of person you are, ;

[21:47.82]what you are good at, and what kind of person you want to be. ;

[21:52.52]"Do I know the kind of ccupations in which people like myself ;

[21:57.12]tend to find success and satisfaction? ;

[21:59.69]"Once you have examined and found out about yourself, ;

[22:03.72]your next question is what you can really do ith yourself. ;

[22:07.04]You can gain some idea f what other people, with similar abilities nd interests, ;

[22:12.45]consider to be import- ant and challengeing in the careers that they chose, ;

[22:16.34]by talking to people already in the careers hat interest you. ;

[22:20.15]Watch these people at work. ;

[22:22.23]"Have I weighed carefully the immediate advantages ;

[22:25.95]against the long term prospects offered by the jobs I am considering? ;

[22:30.34]"Will the occupation you select give you satisfaction,not just when you start, ;

[22:37.20]but in the years to come? ;

[22:39.46]Realize now the importance of education in all fields, ;

[22:43.49]technical and professional. Remember that when promotion occurs, ;

[22:48.89]preference is usually given to educated persons-other things being equal. ;

[22:54.12]"Have I talked about my job references with y careers master,my parents, ;

[23:00.81]my teachers and my headmaster?"Remember ;

[23:05.32]they have a tremendous und of experience from which you should benefit. ;

[23:09.35]They can help you think about the job in which you will ;

[23:11.79]find satisfaction and challenge. ;

[23:14.09]They can stimulate you to give careful thought to what you really want to do, ;

[23:19.23]and offer useful suggestions as to how you might take full advantage ;

[23:23.53]of your personal qualities and qualification. ;

[23:27.11]"Have I made a real study of jobs in Hong Kong? ;

[23:32.07]"It takes a very long time to find the work that suits you the best. ;

[23:36.50]Reading about and studying a number of occupations is something you should ;

[23:40.13]do over and over again. ;

[23:42.17]In Hong Kong very little material is provided about the careers available. ;

[23:47.62]But there is some.You or your parents should btain it as soon as possible. ;

[23:53.11]Your careers master will be able to help you in this, ;

[23:55.68]if your school has one."How do I regard my job? ;

[24:01.44]Is it just a means of getting money to do the things that I want to do? ;

[24:05.78]Is the work important to me and my future happiness and contentment? ;

[24:09.27]Is it a combination of both these things? ;

[24:12.15]"The above questions and their answers should give you some better ideas ;

[24:16.49]about how you should start planning your career. ;

[24:18.88]Your life-long job cannot be approached in any kind of haphazard fashion. ;

[24:24.37]It must be considered carefully,examined from every angle, ;

[24:29.03]talked over with those ho know you and those who can help you in any way. ;

[24:34.78]    Lesson 28  The Perfect Match ;

[25:18.36]    Text A ;

[25:22.48]I walked into the office and shook hands ith a smiling man named Mr Bleaucher. ;

[25:27.70]He was dressed very well,compared to me. ;

[25:30.89]He shuffled a pile of papers like they were so many pancakes. ;

[25:34.44]"I'm sure you'll be very pleased with her,"he said. ;

[25:38.07]"She was picked by our compatibility computer ;

[25:40.64]out of over one hundred ten million eligible women in the United States. ;

[25:44.80]We categorize by race,religion, ;

[25:47.06]ethnic and regional background...."I sat there uninterestedly, ;

[25:51.40]wishing I had taken a shower before I came. ;

[25:54.28]It was a very nice office but the chair wasn't too comfortable ;

[25:57.55]"And now..."he said. He flung open the door o the next room like a magician ;

[26:03.75]He needed a cape, though.I was expecting  rabbit but I got a surprise ;

[26:08.76]She was pretty. Really,she was pretty. ;

[26:12.83]"Mr Walker,this is Miss Dunfield of Laughing Lake, Montana. ;

[26:17.22]Miss Dunfield,this is Mr Franklin Walker of New York." ;

[26:21.34]"Really Frank.Franking s something else again."I said. ;

[26:26.25]I was a little nervous.She was pretty,you see. ;

[26:29.66]Mr Bleaucher left and we were able to talk. ;

[26:33.65]"Hello.""Hello,"she said."I'm...I'm very pleased with the choice,"I said. ;

[26:41.97]I was trying to be suave.Maybe she didn't ike being called a choice. ;

[26:45.96]"I mean-I'm glad the way things turned out." ;

[26:48.93]She smiled.She had a nice smile.Good teeth. "Thank you," she said. ;

[26:54.90]"So am I."She was shy. "I'm thirty-one,"I blurted out. ;

[27:00.40]"Yes,I know,"she said. "It's all on the cards." ;

[27:04.25]It seemed like the conversation was about over. ;

[27:06.82]Everything was on the cards.So there wasn't really much to talk about. ;

[27:10.89]"How about children?" she said."Three.Two boys and a girl." ;

[27:16.16]"That's exactly what I want,"she said. ;

[27:19.04]"It's down on the file under'Future Planning'.That one there." ;

[27:23.12]I suddenly noticed that sheaf of papers in my hand. ;

[27:26.35]On the first page was glued an IBM card with ital statistics about her ;

[27:30.34]I guessed the thing she was holding was the same thing on me. ;

[27:33.57]I began looking through it and so did she. ;

[27:36.27]The turning pages made  lot of noise.It said she liked classical music. ;

[27:41.50](This was in "Preferences and Habits".) ;

[27:44.20]"You like classical music?"I asked her. "Well...better than anything else. ;

[27:49.73]I also have the complete collection of Frankie Laine records." ;

[27:52.97]"He was a great old singer,"I agreed. ;

[27:55.58]I went on looking through the file and so did she. ;

[27:58.54]She liked books, football,sitting near the front in movies, ;

[28:02.62]sleeping with the windows closed,dogs, cats,goldfish, tuna fish, ;

[28:07.76]salami sandwiches, simple clothes, ;

[28:10.55]private schools for the children (our children,really), ;

[28:13.74]living in the suburbs, art museums....She looked up. ;

[28:17.63]"It seems we like the same things,"she said. "The exact same things,"I said. ;

[28:23.61]I read the report titled "Psychology". ;

[28:26.89]She was shy,avoided arguments,wasn't outspoken,a good mother type. ;

[28:32.73]"I'm glad you don't drink or smoke,"she said."I don't.I don't like to. ;

[28:38.23]Sometimes I have beer,though.""It doesn't say so down here." ;

[28:42.26]"Well,maybe I forgot to put that down."I hoped she didn't mind. ;

[28:46.82]We finished reading the reports on each other."We're very much like,"she said. ;

[28:53.64]Alice and I have been married for nine years now. ;

[28:57.62]We have the three kids already,two boys and a girl. ;

[29:00.81]We live in the suburbs nd listen to a lot of classical and Frankie Laine records. ;

[29:04.98]The last time we had an argument is too far ack to remember. ;

[29:08.92]We agree on practically everything. ;

[29:10.83]She's been a good wife and,if I may say so, ;

[29:14.01]I've been a good husband.Our marriage is perfect. ;

[29:17.93]We're getting divorced ext month.I can't stand it. ;