Unit 7 How America LivesText Comprehension1. Which of the following is NOT a major aspect of the American life discussed by the author?A. Agriculture and transportation.B. Marriage and women's social status.C. Social welfare and education.D. Family value and housing.Key: [ A ]2. Judge, according to the text, whether the following statements are true or false.1). Young people still get married, but the divorce rate is higher than the remarriage rate because many don't want to raise children. [ F ]2). The author welcomes the freer patterns of today's courtship and marriage because many young kids of his time suffered bitterly. [ T ]3). Today still very few women in universities are going up to the athletic programs and demanding a just share of the physical education budget. [ F ]4). American public schools today are inferior to those decades ago. [ T ]5). Builders seem not willing to erect small homes for young married couples because it is not very profitable. [ T ]Writing StrategiesThis text is an essay of exposition, for it presents solid facts and major problems about American social life, though the writer inserts his own ideas at times. The whole article is clearly organized, concentrating on the major changes and problems in current American society. The paragraphs are developed by the deductive method. Each paragraph contains a topic sentence, which is proved, explained, or illustrated. For example, each of the first three paragraphs begins with a topic sentence. Can you point out the topic sentences of paragraphs 4-8?It is easy to see that each paragraph starts with a topic sentence:Paragraph 4: "American women are changing the rules."Paragraph 5: "America is worried about its schools."Paragraph 6: "Some Americans must live on welfare."Paragraph 7: "America cannot find housing for its young families."Paragraph 8: "Our prospects are still good."In order to impressively illustrate, prove, or support the topic statements, the author employs various writing strategies, such as comparison and contrast that are used to show the similarities and differences concerning the issues under discussion. For instance, the beginning paragraph contains five sentences that tell us the relevant similarities and differences by means of comparison and contrast. Can you pick out some sentences in other paragraphs that show a relevant contrast?In Paragraph 2: "The 1980 election, especially for the Senate and House of Representatives, signaled a decided turn to the right insofar as political and social attitudes were concerned. It is as if our country spent the 1960s and 1970s jealously breaking out of old restraints and now wishes to put the brakes on, as cautious people often do after a binge."In Paragraph 4: "Thirty years ago I could not have imagined a group of women employees suing a major corporation for millions of dollars of salary which, they alleged, had been denied them because they had been discriminated against. Nor could I imagine women in universities going up to the men who ran the athletic programs and demanding a just share of the physical education budget. But they are doing this — and with the support of many men who recognize the justice of their claims."In Paragraph 5: "If I had a child today, I would send her or him to a private school for the sake of safety, for the discipline that would be enforced and for the rigorous academic requirements. But I would doubt that the child would get any better education that I did in my good public school. The problem is that good public schools are becoming pitifully rare, and I would not want to take the chance that the one I sent my children to was inadequate."In Paragraph 6: "In the bad old days she might have known destitution, but with family assistance she was able to hold her children together and produced three fine, tax-paying citizens." (This sentence implies a contrast: it is not the case nowadays.)In Paragraph 9: "I think of America as having the oldest form of government on earth, because since we started our present democracy in 1789, every other nation has suffered either parliamentary change or revolutionary change."As can be seen in the text, the tone is mainly objective, and it is definite and resolute when the writer expresses obligations as well as his attitudes or opinions. For example, in Paragraph 6, we find two sentences: "Some Americans must live on welfare." and "…some kind of social welfare assistance must be doled out to those who cannot find jobs." These two sentences resolutely express the moral obligation to those Americans who cannot find jobs and make the writer's attitude absolutely clear. Now list some other examples in the text to show that the tone is definite or resolute when the writer expresses obligations and his attitudes or opinions.The following examples show the definite or resolute tone of the writer.In Paragraph 1: "In a time of rapid change it is essential that we remember how much of the old we cling to."In Paragraph 2: "We should expect to see a reaffirmation of traditional family values, sharp restraints on pornography, a return to religion and a rejection of certain kinds of social legislation. "In Paragraph 3: "Without reservation, I applaud the freer patterns of today, although I believe that it's been difficult for some families to handle the changes."In Paragraph 5: "The problem is that good public schools are becoming pitifully rare, and I would not want to take the chance that the one I sent my children to was inadequate."In Paragraph 7: "America cannot find housing for its young families. I consider this the most serious danger confronting family life in America, and I am appalled that the condition has been allowed to develop? For a major nation to show itself impotent to house its young people is admitting a failure that must be corrected."Language Work1. Explain the underlined part in each sentence in your own words.1). They belong to churches, even though they attend somewhat less frequently.→ believe in Christianity and are members of the Christian churches2). The 1980 election signaled a decided turn to the right insofar as political and social attitudes were concerned.→ insofar as: to the extent that; were concerned: were involved3). Without reservation, I applaud the freer patterns of today.→ With whole-hearted support4). For a major nation to show itself impotent to house its young people is admitting a failure that must be corrected.→ to display its inability5. We have a physical setting of remarkable integrity.→an extraordinarily unspoilt physical environment2. Fill in each blank with one of the two words from each pair in their appropriate forms and note the difference of meaning between them.restraint constraintExplanation: Restraint and constraint are sometimes interchangeable in use, meaning control over the way you behave which prevents you from doing what you want to do. But restraint can specially refer to calm, controlled, and unemotional behaviour, while constraint is something that limits or controls what you can do.1. Options are offered subject to staff availability and timetable constraints.2. Reminding all concerned that violence breeds violence, they repeat their appeal for calm and restraint.3. The appalled chief warned his violent officers to show restraint.4. We have just been looking at the number of coal mine accidents, and they can certainly be a big constraint on what China is striving for.expect hopeExplanation: Both words pertain to the attitude of looking forward to something that is to occur in the future. Hope suggests looking forward exclusively to some positive or favorable outcome; it may be well-founded in probability or completely beyond the scope of the possible. Expect suggests looking forward either to a positive or to a negative outcome, but the point of this word is that it concerns itself with supposed certainties. Also, the two words fall into different sentence structures: to hope that / or hope to do / to expect something.1. We are expecting rain again late this afternoon according to the weather report.2. A draw seems to be the best they can hope for.3. I can't manage that by myself, and I don't see why it should be expected of me either.4. Diplomats hope the meetings will help build mutual trust.rejection refusalExplanation: Both words mean the unwillingness to accept, receive, or take into account a person or thing. Rejection refers to the failure to accept or grant and carries overtones of casting aside as useless, valueless or unsuitable, while refusal means the failure to comply with or the failure to do something with overtones of firmness and even rudeness.1. The rejection of the plan by the Congress three weeks ago led to a major protest by the administration.2. Their refusal to compromise will inevitably invite more criticism from the UN.3. His refusal to talk was sheer stubbornness.4. The rejection of such initiatives indicates that the voters are unconcerned about environmentalallege assertExplanation Assert means to state with firmness and force, whereas allege means to state without offering necessary proof.1. Mr. Helm planned to assert that the bill violated the First Amendment.2. She has strong feelings about the alleged growth of violence against female officers.3. The Nordic countries have been quick to assert their interest in the development of the Baltic countries.4. The enquirer dug deeper into the alleged financial misdeeds of his government.3. Fill in the blank in each sentence with a word or phrase taken from the box, using its appropriate form.allege prospect ponder recipient discriminated compassionate destitution grievously reaffirmation dreadful binge dole1). When his prospective employers learned that he smoked, they said they wouldn't hire him.2). In him the polarities of life are resolved and balanced, male and female, strength and compassion, severity and mercy.3). Inarticulate and rather shy, he had always dreaded speaking in public.4). Allegations of brutality and theft have been leveled at the army.5). Our government cannot keep doling out money to those who are fastidious about the jobs offered to them.6). He was deeply grieved by the sufferings of the common people.7). Many studies have shown that "restrained eaters" will eventually binge and relapse.8). He reaffirmed his commitment to the country's economic reform program.4. Make a sentence of your own for each of the given words with meanings other than those used in the text. You may change the part of speech of these words.1). couple→ Over-use of those drugs, coupled with poor diet, leads to physical degeneration.2). tax→Overcrowding has taxed the city's ability to deal with waste.3). turn→ She announced that she was going to turn professional.4). just→ It's not just a financial matter.5). sharp→ In the hot sun the rain-washed herbs smelled sharp, spicy, and sweet all at once.6). husky→ His voice was husky with grief.5. Fill in each blank with a conjunct, selected from those supplied in the parenthesis, which provides the most natural development of thought.``Thank you very much for lending me this book. (1) Actually (Furthermore/So/Actually) I'm afraid I didn't understand much of it. (2) Consequently (Consequently/On the other hand/However) I read less than half of it! (3) Nevertheless (Thus/Besides/Nevertheless) it's a subject that interests me. (4) Moreover (Therefore/Moreover/Consequently) it's one that I need to know more about for my work. (5) Besides (In fact/Thus/Besides), this isn't the first time that I've tried to find out something about it, as you may remember. (6) Therefore (Therefore/In fact/And yet) you can see I'm not giving up! (7) However (Furthermore/However/Thus) I haven't got a lot of time to spend on it. (8) So (So/Nevertheless/On the other hand) perhaps you'd be good enough to send me that simpler book you mentioned.6. Put a word in each blank that is appropriate for the context.Most Americans have great vigor and enthusiasm. They prefer to discipline themselves (1) rather than be disciplined by others. They pride themselves on their independence, their right to make up their own minds. They are prepared to (2) take the initiative, even when there is a risk in doing so. They have courage and do not give in easily. They will take any sort of job (3) anywhere rather than be unemployed. They do not care to be looked after by the government. The (4) average American changes his or her job nine or ten times during his or her working life.Americans have a warmth and friendliness which is (5) less superficial than any foreigners think. They are considered sentimental. When on ceremonial (6) occasions they see a flag, or attend parades celebrating America's glorious past, tears may come to their eyes. Reunions with family and friends (7) tend to be emotional, too. They like to dress correctly, even if "correctly" means flamboyantly. They love to boast, (8) though often with tongue in cheek. They can laugh at themselves and their country, and they can be very self-critical, while remaining always intensely patriotic.The U. S. A. is reputed to be a classless society. There is certainly not much social snobbery or job snobbery. The manual worker is usually quite at (9) ease in any company. This is partly explained by the fact that people of all (10) income groups go together to the same schools. Americans are far more race-conscious than they are class-conscious.Translation1. Translating Sentences1). 假如你要去英国度假，那么你在与天气打赌。