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Unit 13
DIALOGUE I
A Sense of Security
A: Before I came to China, when I heard about personal security here being guaranteed, I took it with a pinch of salt. Now that I'm studying in Shanghai, I feel really safe here.
B: It's been three months since you came to our university, hasn't it?
A: Three and a half, to be exact. The feeling of security in Shanghai really makes me think about other big cities. I used to live in a big city and I've been to other big cities in my country and abroad, but I've never experienced such a sense of security as here. I'm curious about how you achieved your social order.
B: We can't say that our country is free from social ills. But comparatively speaking, China's crime rate is one of the lowest in the world. One reason for this is our constant educational campaigns to raise people's moral and legal awareness. At the same time our government maintains an efficient police force to protect the life and interests of the people.
A: Speaking of the police, I find it unusual not to see policemen and patrolmen bearing arms. Most of them don't even carry batons.
B: But some of them do. As a matter of fact, there is division of labour within the police force itself. Generally speaking, there are three kinds of police: household registration police, traffic police, and armed police.
A: What are their specific jobs?
B: The police in charge of household registration are community police whose major responsibility is to keep and update registration information of local residents. Other responsibilities include maintaining social order and security of the local community; dealing with minor criminal offenses such as theft, providing assistance in criminal investigations, and working with community and neighbourhood committees to organize and train civilian public security groups.
A: They do have many responsibilities, don't they?
B: Yes. Besides, they try their best to make sure that the senior citizens and handicapped people in the community are taken good care of. It's also their job to educate and reform local juvenile delinquents.
A: They are truly civil servants. No wonder crime rates are low in China.
B: The police you see in the streets are the traffic police and patrolmen. Their job is to keep traffic moving and to deal with traffic accidents.
A: I'm very impressed by the efficiency of Chinese traffic police in dealing with accidents. The other day I witnessed a five-car accident at an intersection. I was prepared for a long hold-up. To my amazement, they got the traffic moving again in no time.
B: They have to. It's their job. Then there are the armed police, armed when on duty. They are the people who help safeguard the country's sovereignty and dignity and maintain public security. They also protect the lives and property of people.
A: Now I understand why I feel so safe living in this city. I'm free from security concerns.
B: Well, it's not a crime-free paradise. You'll still have to keep alert.
DIALOGUE II
Dialogue:
A is watching an interesting television programme. His younger sister keeps moving about and asking silly questions. Eventually A begins to get irritated.
A: Stop running around, will you?
B: Who's that man? I was wondering why you're so interested in him.
A: He's a detective, a man who catches bad men.
B: Why's he got a funny voice?
A: I don't know, maybe ... Look, why don't you stop talking and just watch?
B: I am watching. Why hasn't he got any hair?
A: I wish you had more common sense. He's getting a little old. Don't you see?
B: How about Father, he's getting old, but he has lots of hair!
A: Now, I'm really fed up with you! What questions! Not all elderly men are bald!
B: I see. And why is the woman there crying?
A: Well, you can see that she's lost her money.
B: She has? When did she lose it?
A: Why don't you just sit still and watch?
B: I've tried, but I can't stand the bald man talking so loudly.
A: Then stay away! Nobody's keeping you from doing that.
B: Don't be so irritable! I just don't understand the programme, that's all.
A: All right, I'll explain to you later on. Now, scram!
B: I wish you wouldn't be so selfish!
A: What? I selfish? Oh, you know I'm anything but that to you.
B: Okay. I'll wait until you've had your fun, if that's what you want.
A: That's exactly what I want, thank you.
B: Isn't it about time that the programme ended?
A: Oh, shut up.
READING I
Hallowe'en
Hallowe'en is the last night of October, and it used to be thought the most enchanted night of the year. It was the night when witches and evil spirits came back on earth to weave their magic spells. Superstitious people kept up many strange old customs in an effort to keep these evil influences away. Farmers used to light big fires in their fields, and the farm workers and their families would walk around the fields singing old songs and hymns. At intervals, the strange procession would stop to hear the local priest offer prayers to the good spirits, and ask them to help keep the evil ones away.
Great care was taken that none of the farm animals were left in the fields. They would all be locked up safely in their stables and sheds, and over each of the stable and shed doors a few rowan leaves would be hung. Witches and evil spirits would not go anywhere near the rowan tree.
In more recent times, Hallowe'en has become a time for parties, when children dress up as witches and play all kinds of special games such as "ducking for the apple". After the games there is often a big supper with plenty of pumpkin pie, cakes and a lot of other delicious things to eat.
But for the most part the children enjoy the fun of dressing up and playing their favourite game of "Trick or Treat". They run down each street knocking on the doors crying loudly "Trick or Treat!", and most people have some sweets ready to give them. Those that do not can expect maybe to have a tyre flattened, or their windows covered in soap. Or the children may just knock on the door and run away.
Many of the houses have a jack-o'-lantern in their windows, which are hollowed out pumpkins with candles burning inside them. But in this modern age many of the pumpkins are being replaced with plastic electric ones that can be brought out each year.
READING II
The Slow Death of the Solemn Sunday
The solemnity with which Sunday was observed in Edwardian England was constantly commented on by visitors from abroad. In Scotland and Wales the day was even more strictly kept. There was little public transport on a Sunday, and most shops were closed, as were many pubs, music halls and other places of entertainment.
In religious families music on the piano or gramophone was taboo unless it was of a sacred character, and cooking was not allowed, so that Sunday lunch often consisted of the cold leftovers of Saturday's dinner.
There was not much to do on Sundays but go to church, and at the beginning of the Edwardian period about a fifth of the population regularly attended at least one Sunday service. For children, Sunday was often a day of deep gloom. Even those whose parents were not religious were usually packed off to Sunday school in the morning to get them out of the house. Children from religious families faced the kind of "Sunday Afternoon with Mama" as described in the literature of the Religious Tract Society. Here the children put away their weekday toys and got out a special Sunday toy consisting of wooden letters to be made up into biblical verses and their Sunday books of Bible stories. If they were very good, their mother read to them from the Bible. Sunday was often the only day when middle and upper class children ate with their parents.
Though religion still dominated Sunday at the beginning of the 20th century, for increasing numbers of people the day's activities did not centre upon church. New inventions held counter-attractions. In 1898 a clergyman had noted that "that innocent machine, the bicycle, is, I believe, doing much more to abolish churchgoing than any other social force." Railway companies were running cheap Sunday excursions to cater for the new hiking and rambling craze. Yet until the outbreak of the War, Bournemouth corporation would not allow trains to stop at the town station on Sunday, and the West Highland Railway found it advisable not to advertise Sunday train services until after World War II.
In 1933 John Reith of the BBC finally relaxed his rule of no radio programmes between 12:30 and 3 p.m. on Sunday, but he still insisted that no jazz or band music, variety or comedy should be broadcast on that day. The result was that the BBC lost most of its audience on Sunday to the commercial European stations.
It is only now that the last restrictions on what the British can do on Sunday are being ended. Parliament will soon legalize all trading activities, live theatrical entertainments and professional sporting events on Sundays, all of which are at the moment technically illegal. The Edwardian Sunday has taken a long time dying.
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