流利美国口语2.1

Dialogue 1

A: Do you get along well with your brothers?

B: Of course, we do. We're really tight.

A: I'm jealous¹. My brothers can't stand each other.

B: Really? I'm sorry to hear that.

Dialogue 2

A: What does your family do on weekends?

B: We usually go on picnics and have a barbecue. How about your family?

A: My father works² on weekends so we usually don't go anywhere.

B: Doesn't he get any weekends off?

Dialogue 3

A: It's important to strike a balance between work and family life.

B: Yes, quite right.

A: Working very long hours will affect communication with family members.

B: My wife often complains that I spend too little time with her.

Dialogue 4

A: You mean your wife works at home? Does she just cook and clean, take care of the children?

B: No, that's not right. Most of the time, I do those things.

My wife is a writer. She writes on her computer. She has published ten novels already.

Her next book will come out later this month.

The name of the book is The Death of the Housewife.

A: Unbelievable. I've got to read her new book as soon as it comes out.

B: I think it's worth reading.

dialogue 5

A: One of the greatest changes in family life nowadays

is that many couples decide not to have any children

because they think that children bring more misery³ than joy.

B: To my mind, these couples are not only short-sighted but also selfish.

A: It is an undeniable fact

that a married couple without children have more opportunities to get jobs, enjoy the freedom.

B: But they should not forget that there are also advantages in having children.

Exercise

1. This is the only proper basis for family life.

2. But the reality seems to be

that a strong family life and success on the home front actually contribute to professional success.

3. More than ever before, married couples today are choosing not to have children.

4. Do you believe that the advantages of having children outweigh⁴ the disadvantages?

5. If we are responsible members of the human society,

we should also limit the number of our children according to the social requirements.

6. Human society needs to carry on and its members should give birth to babies.

7. As a couple you may have problems, but none for which breaking up is the solution.

8. In this part, you can have a general idea of the growth of American children.

9. You can find out the situation that the old Americans face.

10. You can get the life of the single parent, the unmarried mother and their children.

1 jealous   

adj.妒忌的，猜忌的；精心守护的

参考例句：

• He was jealous when he discovered that she loved someone else.当他发现她爱别人的时候，他吃醋了。
• An honorable Chinese citizen should be jealous of his own rights.一名光荣的中国公民应当珍惜自己的公民权利。

2 works   

n.作品，著作；工厂，活动部件，机件

参考例句：

• We expect writers to produce more and better works.我们期望作家们写出更多更好的作品。
• The novel is regarded as one of the classic works.这篇小说被公认为是最优秀的作品之一。

3 misery   

n.痛苦，苦恼，苦难；悲惨的境遇，贫苦

参考例句：

• Business depression usually causes misery among the working class.商业不景气常使工薪阶层受苦。
• He has rescued me from the mire of misery.他把我从苦海里救了出来。

4 outweigh   

vt.比...更重，...更重要

参考例句：

• The merits of your plan outweigh the defects.你制定的计划其优点胜过缺点。
• One's merits outweigh one's short-comings.功大于过。