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The Perfect Match

时间:2005-05-04 16:00来源:互联网 提供网友:hwmy   字体: [ ]
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Lesson 28

                                The Perfect Match

                                       Text A

    I walked into the office and shook hands with a smiling man named Mr Bleaucher. He was dressed very well, compared to me. He shuffled1 a pile of papers like they were so many pancakes.

    "I'm sure you'll be very pleased with her," he said. "She was picked by our compatibility computer out of over one hundred ten million eligible2 women in the United States. We categorize by race, religion, ethnic3 and regional background. . . "
    I sat there interestedly, wishing I had taken a shower before I came. It was a very nice office but the chair wasn't too comfortable.


    "And now . . . " he said. He flung open the door to the next room like a magician. He needed a cape4 , though. I was expecting a rabbit but I got a surprise.
    She was pretty. Really, she was pretty.
    "Mr Walker, this is Miss Dunfield of Laughing Lake, Montana.
Miss Dunfield, this is Mr Franklin Walker of New York. "
    "Really Frank. Franklin is something else again," I said. I
was a little nervous. She was pretty, you see.
    Mr Bleaucher left and we were able to talk. "Hello. "
    "Hello," she said.


    "I'm ... I'm very pleased with the choice," I said. I was trying to be suave5. Maybe she didn't like being called a choice. "I mean - I'm glad the way things turned out. "
    She smiled. She had a nice smile. Good teeth.
    "Thank you," she said. "So am I. " She was shy.
    "I'm thirty-one," I blurted6 out.
    "Yes , I know , " she said. "It's all on the cards. "


    It seemed like the conversation was about over. Everything was on the cards. So there wasn't really much to talk about.
    "How about children?" she said.
.   "Three. Two boys and a girl. "
    "That's exactly what I want," she said. "It's down on the file under `Future Planning' . That one there. "


    I suddenly noticed that sheaf of papers in my hand. On the first page was glued an IBM card with vital statistics about her. I guessed the thing she was holding was the same thing on me. I began looking through it and so did she. The turning pages made a lot of noise.
    It said she liked classical music. (This was in "Preferences and Habits". )
    "You like classical music?" I asked her.


    "Well. . . better than anything else. I also have the complete collection of Frankie Laine records. "
    "He was a great old singer," I agreed.
    I went on looking through the file and so did she. She liked books , football , sitting near the front in movies , sleeping with the windows closed, dogs, cats, goldfish, tuna fish, salami sandwiches, simple clothes, private schools for the children (our children, really), living in the suburbs, art museums. ...
    She looked up. "It seems we like the same things , " she said.


    "The exact same things , " I said.
    I read the report titled "Psychology7". She was shy, avoided arguments, wasn't outspoken8, a good mother type.
    "I'm glad you don't drink or smoke," she said.
    "I don't. I don't like to. Sometimes I have beer, though. " "It doesn't say so down here. "
    "Well, maybe I forgot to put that down. " I hoped she didn't mind.
    We finished reading the reports on each other. "We're very much alike , " she said.


    Alice and I have been married for nine years now. We have the three kids already, two boys and a girl. We live in the suburbs
and listen to a lot of classical and Frankie Laine records. The last time we had an argument is too far back to remember. We agree on practically everything. She's been a good wife and, if I may say so, I've been a good husband. Our marriage is perfect.
    We're getting divorced next month. I can't stand it.


                                        Text B

    Mum's first attempt at match-making ended in dismal9 failure. People say as a woman approaches middle age, she interests herself in young people's love affairs and likes match-making. If this is true, I hope this first failure would discourage Mum from acquiring such an interest.


    I really don't know why she should have gone to such lengths to try to bring those two young people together. It was a fruitless and thankless job, doomed10 from the start because both parties put impossible demands on the opposite side. The man, Xiao Liu, is about thirty and works in Mum's office, apparently11 a very promising12 young man with an M. A. degree.

Because he is very choosy he has never been able to find a wife and is beginning to get worried as he will soon be over thirty. The girl works in Dad's office and is twenty-eight. She is also a college graduate and very good at her work. She is quite pretty and has a very strong character. She too has not been able to find a husband because she is too choosy. Mum had thought innocently that however choosy they might have been, they would surely be satisfied this time. So she invited them over to meet in our house. She even went to the trouble of cooking them a delicious dinner.

    But Mum's pairis were not rewarded. I don't know how they appreciated Mum's dinner, liut they certainly didn't appreciate each other. Xiao Wu could only meet two of Xiao Liu's numerous demands. She is pretty and she has a college degree. But besides that he also wants the girl to be under twenty-five, to be gentle and docile13, a periect housewife. He thought Xiao Wu had too strong a character and that he wouldn't be able to "control her ".

On the other hand he fared even worse in Xiao Wu's eyes, having met only one of her demands. He is a post-graduate student which is one of her prerequisites14 for a future hus band, and this seems to be the only thing in his favour. She wants her future husband to be an overseas Chinese, or at least to have relatives overseas , so that she could go abroad someday.

Also she wants the man to be around l. 75m in height and Xiao Liu is only 1. 68m. I've heard people say that nowadays, girls consider any young man under 1. 7m as a semi-handicapped, Thank God; I'm already l. 73m and with any luck I can grow another 5cm - a most respectable height. But I don't have any relatives abroad though!


    Mum was most annoyed, and put all the blame on the girl. "What more does she want? She should realize that she's already 28 and she'll never find such an eligible young man again. " Mum never mentioned a word about Xiao Liu's own objections."Who told you to help such an arrogant15 young man? Xiao Wu is a hundred times better than he is. Any sensible young man would have jumped at the chance. "
    "Jump at the chance ! I bet you wish you could jump at the chance yourself ! "
Dad didn't know whether to laugh or to be angry.

 

                          Additional Information

    A 50-year-old woman could not help crying when she heard a story written by her husband over the radio, recalling the early days of their marriage.
    The story by Shen Lijun, a senior lecturer at the Changsha Commercial School in this capital of Hunan Province , depicted16 how he , then a college graduate, met and married his wife, Long Huilan, when he was labelled a right-winger and forced to work in a neighbourhood factory in the 1960s.


    Shen said, "In those days, I dared not fall in love with any girls because of my inferior political status, and married the first girl who was willing. " The couple confessed they did have differences of interests.
    After Shen became a lecturer, most of his visitors were intellectuals, Long said.    "After serving them a cup of tea, I had nothing to say and sat aside. Because of their cultural background, I could not get a word in edgeways during the chats. By and by, I came to see a gap between us. "


    According to Shen, he and his wife also had different ways to teach their children. "I did not like the way she treated our children: spoiling them and then beating them if they did not study well or listen to her.
    "But whenever I come across contradictions with my wife in daily life," Shen explained, "I like to recall those days of hardship we shared together, and this has become a spiritual support to us. "


    Shen is a typical example among the middle-aged17 people in China , an official
of the Changsha City Radio said.
    The radio has opened a special programme to help middle-aged couples deepen their love by reviewing the past and exchanging experiences. The programme has become popular with listeners and has received hundreds of letters from people from all walks of life.


    He Yingcai, a judge of the Hunan Provincial18 Higher People's Court, said middle-aged couples account for one third of those married in the province. Traditionally, the marriage of young people was arranged by their parents and couples paid more attention to each other's family background and political affiliation19 than their own feelings.
    As a result, many couples have no feelings for each other, though they have been married for years.


    According to statistics, about one quarter of the 27, 000 couples divorced last year were middle-aged.
    Rong Xiuqin, an official of the Hunan Provincial Women's Federation,said although the divorce rate among middle-aged people is lower than among people of other ages, this does not mean that their family lives are harmonious20. For the sake of their children, many people try to make the best of it.


    "It is our duty to.help them form harmonious families because social stability depends on the stability of families," she said.
    Tang Xiying, a sociologist21 specializing in marriage and women, noted22 that Chinese families may not be.formed on the basis of feelings, but feelings for each other are the key to stabilizing23 a family.


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 shuffled cee46c30b0d1f2d0c136c830230fe75a     
v.洗(纸牌)( shuffle的过去式和过去分词 );拖着脚步走;粗心地做;摆脱尘世的烦恼
参考例句:
  • He shuffled across the room to the window. 他拖着脚走到房间那头的窗户跟前。
  • Simon shuffled awkwardly towards them. 西蒙笨拙地拖着脚朝他们走去。 来自《简明英汉词典》
2 eligible Cq6xL     
adj.有条件被选中的;(尤指婚姻等)合适(意)的
参考例句:
  • He is an eligible young man.他是一个合格的年轻人。
  • Helen married an eligible bachelor.海伦嫁给了一个中意的单身汉。
3 ethnic jiAz3     
adj.人种的,种族的,异教徒的
参考例句:
  • This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏,这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
  • The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。
4 cape ITEy6     
n.海角,岬;披肩,短披风
参考例句:
  • I long for a trip to the Cape of Good Hope.我渴望到好望角去旅行。
  • She was wearing a cape over her dress.她在外套上披着一件披肩。
5 suave 3FXyH     
adj.温和的;柔和的;文雅的
参考例句:
  • He is a suave,cool and cultured man.他是个世故、冷静、有教养的人。
  • I had difficulty answering his suave questions.我难以回答他的一些彬彬有礼的提问。
6 blurted fa8352b3313c0b88e537aab1fcd30988     
v.突然说出,脱口而出( blurt的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • She blurted it out before I could stop her. 我还没来得及制止,她已脱口而出。
  • He blurted out the truth, that he committed the crime. 他不慎说出了真相,说是他犯了那个罪。 来自《简明英汉词典》
7 psychology U0Wze     
n.心理,心理学,心理状态
参考例句:
  • She has a background in child psychology.她受过儿童心理学的教育。
  • He studied philosophy and psychology at Cambridge.他在剑桥大学学习哲学和心理学。
8 outspoken 3mIz7v     
adj.直言无讳的,坦率的,坦白无隐的
参考例句:
  • He was outspoken in his criticism.他在批评中直言不讳。
  • She is an outspoken critic of the school system in this city.她是这座城市里学校制度的坦率的批评者。
9 dismal wtwxa     
adj.阴沉的,凄凉的,令人忧郁的,差劲的
参考例句:
  • That is a rather dismal melody.那是一支相当忧郁的歌曲。
  • My prospects of returning to a suitable job are dismal.我重新找到一个合适的工作岗位的希望很渺茫。
10 doomed EuuzC1     
命定的
参考例句:
  • The court doomed the accused to a long term of imprisonment. 法庭判处被告长期监禁。
  • A country ruled by an iron hand is doomed to suffer. 被铁腕人物统治的国家定会遭受不幸的。
11 apparently tMmyQ     
adv.显然地;表面上,似乎
参考例句:
  • An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽,豁然开朗。
  • He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。
12 promising BkQzsk     
adj.有希望的,有前途的
参考例句:
  • The results of the experiments are very promising.实验的结果充满了希望。
  • We're trying to bring along one or two promising young swimmers.我们正设法培养出一两名有前途的年轻游泳选手。
13 docile s8lyp     
adj.驯服的,易控制的,容易教的
参考例句:
  • Circus monkeys are trained to be very docile and obedient.马戏团的猴子训练得服服贴贴的。
  • He is a docile and well-behaved child.他是个温顺且彬彬有礼的孩子。
14 prerequisites b5b8e67d6a37d24ad73c89e4c7ac8c9e     
先决条件,前提( prerequisite的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • Good muscles are one of the prerequisites of physical fitness. 肌肉发达是身体健康的一个必备条件。
  • One of the outstanding prerequisites of any city is a local transportation system. 本地运输系统是任何城市的突出前提条件之一。
15 arrogant Jvwz5     
adj.傲慢的,自大的
参考例句:
  • You've got to get rid of your arrogant ways.你这骄傲劲儿得好好改改。
  • People are waking up that he is arrogant.人们开始认识到他很傲慢。
16 depicted f657dbe7a96d326c889c083bf5fcaf24     
描绘,描画( depict的过去式和过去分词 ); 描述
参考例句:
  • Other animals were depicted on the periphery of the group. 其他动物在群像的外围加以修饰。
  • They depicted the thrilling situation to us in great detail. 他们向我们详细地描述了那激动人心的场面。
17 middle-aged UopzSS     
adj.中年的
参考例句:
  • I noticed two middle-aged passengers.我注意到两个中年乘客。
  • The new skin balm was welcome by middle-aged women.这种新护肤香膏受到了中年妇女的欢迎。
18 provincial Nt8ye     
adj.省的,地方的;n.外省人,乡下人
参考例句:
  • City dwellers think country folk have provincial attitudes.城里人以为乡下人思想迂腐。
  • Two leading cadres came down from the provincial capital yesterday.昨天从省里下来了两位领导干部。
19 affiliation MKnya     
n.联系,联合
参考例句:
  • There is no affiliation between our organization and theirs,even though our names are similar.尽管两个组织的名称相似,但我们之间并没有关系。
  • The kidnappers had no affiliation with any militant group.这些绑架者与任何军事组织都没有紧密联系。
20 harmonious EdWzx     
adj.和睦的,调和的,和谐的,协调的
参考例句:
  • Their harmonious relationship resulted in part from their similar goals.他们关系融洽的部分原因是他们有着相似的目标。
  • The room was painted in harmonious colors.房间油漆得色彩调和。
21 sociologist 2wSwo     
n.研究社会学的人,社会学家
参考例句:
  • His mother was a sociologist,researching socialism.他的母亲是个社会学家,研究社会主义。
  • Max Weber is a great and outstanding sociologist.马克斯·韦伯是一位伟大的、杰出的社会学家。
22 noted 5n4zXc     
adj.著名的,知名的
参考例句:
  • The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
  • Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。
23 stabilizing 37789793f41246ac9b11622dadb461ab     
n.稳定化处理[退火]v.(使)稳定, (使)稳固( stabilize的现在分词 )
参考例句:
  • The disulfide bridges might then be viewed primarily as stabilizing components. 二硫桥可以被看作是初级的稳定因素。 来自辞典例句
  • These stabilizing design changes are usually not desirable for steady-state operation. 这些增加稳定性的设计改变通常不太符合稳态工作的要求。 来自辞典例句
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