Uint 7 Text 1 How America Lives.docx

Uint 7 Text 1 How America Lives.docx

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Uint7Text1HowAmericaLives

Pre-readingquestions

1.Americansaresaidtobeopen,free,andfrank.Whatisyouropinion?

2.HowwouldyoucompareAmericanswithChinese.

Americansstillfollowmanyoftheoldways.Inatimeofrapidchangeitisessentialthatwerememberhowmuchoftheoldweclingto.Youngpeoplestillgetmarried（2.41millioncoupleslastyearasopposedtoonly1.52millionin1960）.Ofcourse,manydogetdivorced,buttheyremarryatastonishingrates.Theyhavechildren,butfewerthanbefore.Theybelongtochurches,eventhoughtheyattendsomewhatlessfrequently,andtheywanttheirchildrentohavereligiousinstruction.Theyarewillingtopaytaxesforeducation,andtheygenerouslysupportinstitutionslikehospitals,museumsandlibraries.Infact,whenyoucomparetheAmericaoftodaywiththatof1950,thesimilaritiesarefargreaterthanthedifferences.

Americansseemtobegrowingconservative.The1980election,especiallyfortheSenateandHouseofRepresentatives,signaledadecidedturntotherightinsofaraspoliticalandsocialattitudeswereconcerned.Itisasifourcountryspentthe1960sand1970sjealouslybreakingoutofoldrestraintsandnowwishestoputthebrakeson.Weshouldexpecttoseeareaffirmationoftraditionalfamilyvalues,sharprestraintsonpornography,areturntoreligionandarejectionofcertainkindsofsociallegislation.

Patternsofcourtshipandmarriagehavechangedradically.Wheresexwasconcerned,Iwasraisedinanatmosphereofsuspicion,repressionandPuritanism,andalthoughhuskyyoungkidscansurvivealmostanything,manyinmygenerationsufferedgrievously.Withoutreservation,Iapplaudthefreerpatternsoftoday,althoughIbelievethatit’sbeendifficultforsomefamiliestohandlethechanges.

Americanwomenarechangingtherules.ThirtyyearsagoIcouldnothaveimaginedagroupofwomenemployeessuingamajorcorporationformillionsofdollarsofsalarywhich,theyalleged,hadbeendeniedthembecausetheyhadbeendiscriminatedagainst.NorcouldIimaginewomeninuniversitiesgoinguptothemenwhorantheathleticprogramsanddemandingajustshareofthephysicaleducationbudget.Atwork,atplay,atalllevelsoflivingwomenaresuggestingnewrules.

Americaisworriedaboutitsschools.IfIhadachildtoday,Iwouldsendherorhimtoaprivateschoolforthesakeofsafety,forthedisciplinethatwouldbeenforcedandfortherigorousacademicrequirements.ButIwoulddoubtthatthechildwouldgetanybettereducationthanldidinmygoodpublicschool.Theproblemisthatgoodpublicschoolsarebecomingpitifullyrare,andIwouldnotwanttotakethechancethattheoneIsentmychildrentowasinadequate.

SomeAmericansmustliveonwelfare.Sinceitseemsobviousthatournationcanproduceallitsneedswithonlyapartoftheavailableworkforce,somekindofsocialwelfareassistancemustbedoledouttothosewhocannotfindjobs.WhenIthinkofatypicalwelfarerecipientIthinkofayoungneighborwomanwhosehusbandwaskilledinatragicaccident,leavingherwiththreeyoungchildren.Inthebadolddaysshemighthaveknowndestitution,butwithfamilyassistanceshewasabletoholdherchildrentogetherandproducedthreefine,tax-payingcitizens.Americaisessentiallyacompassionatesociety.

Americacannotfindhousingforitsyoungfamilies.IconsiderthisthemostseriousdangerconfrontingfamilylifeinAmerica,andIamappalledthattheconditionhasbeenallowedtodevelop.Formorethanadecade,travelerslikemehavebeenawarethatincountrieslikeSweden,Denmark,RussiaandIndiayoungpeoplehavefounditalmostimpossibletoacquirehomes.InSwedenthecustomarywaitwas11yearsofmarriage,andweusedtoask,“whatwentwrong?

”Itseemedtousthatamajorresponsibilityofanynationwouldbetoprovidehomesforitsyoungpeoplestartingtheirfamilies.Well,thisdreadfulsocialsicknesshasnowovertakentheUnitedStates,andforthesamereasons.Thebuildersinoursocietyfinditprofitabletoerectthree-bathroomhomesthatsellfor$220,000withamortgageat19percentbutfinditimpossibletoerectsmallhomesforyoungmarrieds.Foramajornationtoshowitselfimpotenttohouseitsyoungpeopleisadmittingafailurethatmustbecorrected.

Ourprospectsarestillgood.Wehaveaphysicalsettingofremarkableintegrity,theworld’sbestagriculture,asplendidwealthofminerals,greatriversforirrigationandanunsurpassedsystemofroadsfortransportation.Wealsohaveamagnificentmixtureofpeoplefromallthecontinentswithvariedtraditionsandstrengths.Butmostofall,wehaveauniqueandbalancedsystemofgovernment.

IthinkofAmericaashavingtheoldestformofgovernmentonearth,becausesincewestartedourpresentdemocracyin1789,everyothernationhassufferedeitherparliamentarychangeorrevolutionarychange.Itisoursystemthathassurvivedandshouldsurvive,givingthemaximumnumberofpeopleamaximumchanceforhappiness.

Glossary

divorceclaim

conservativeenforce

Senaterigorous

insofarpitifully

restraintinadequate

bingewelfare

reaffirmationdole

pornographyrecipient

legislationdestitution

courtshipcompassionate

radicallyappall

suspicioncustomary

repressiondreadful

Puritanismovertake

huskyerect

reservationmarrieds

applaudimpotent

sueprospect

allegeirrigation

discriminateunsurpassed

athleticunique

budgetparliamentary

justicemaximum

Notes

1.AbouttheauthorJamesAlbertMichener（1907-1997）,Americanwriter,becameknownforthevoluminousresearchheincorporatesandmakesaccessibleandinterestinginhiswritings.Hisbookstypicallyprovideadetaileddiscussionofthehistoryandgeographyofspecificregions.HiswiderangingwritingcareerbeganwhenhisexperiencesduringWorldWarⅡprovidedthematerialforabookofshortstories,TalesoftheSouthPacific（1947）;forwhichhereceivedthe1984PulitzerPrizeinfiction.HisotherworksincludeSayonara（1954）;Hawaii（1959）;Chesapeake（1978）;TheCovenant（1980）;Poland（1982）;Texas（1985）;andAlaska（1988）;TheNovel（1991）;Recessinal（1994）;AMiracleinSeville（1995）;TheBridgeatAndau（1957）;Iberia:

SpanishTravelsandReflections（1968）;AMichenerMiscellany:

1950-1970（1973）;Michener’smemoir,TheWorldIsMyHome（1992）.

2.The1980election…signaledadecidedturntotheright（Paragraph2）Theresultsofthe1980electionindicatedthatpublicattitudesandidologiesweredefinitelybeginningtofavourareturntotraditionalarrangements.Inthissentence,therightreferstobeliefscharacteristicofRightWing,politicalgroupsorideologiesfavoringmainrenanceofthecurrentdistributionofpowerandwealthorareturntotraditionalarrangements.Right-winggroupsareapttobemorealignedwiththemilitaryandthechurchthanothergroups.Withinagroup,RightWingissometimesappliedtobemoreconservativemembers,whileliberalmembersareknownasLeftWing.

3.Puritanism（Paragraph3）thepracticesanddoctrinesofthePuritanswhoweremembersofagroupofProtestantsin16th–and17th–centuryEnglandand17th-centuryAmericawhobelievedinstrictreligiousdisciplineandcalledforthesimplificationofactsofworship.ThemovementwasanattempttoremoveRomanCatholicinfluencesfromtheChurchofEngland.

4.InSwedenthecustomarywaitwas11yearsofmarriage（Paragraph7）InSweden,newlymarriedcoupleswillhavetowaitfor11yearsbeforetheycanhavetheirownhomes.

5.balancedsystemofgovernment（Paragraph8）TheconceptreferstothethreebranchesoftheUnitedStatesgovernment-thelegislative,theexecutive,andthejudicial-thatrestrainandstabilizeoneanotherthroughtheirseparatedfunctions.Thelegislativebranch,representedbytheCongress,mustpassbillsbeforetheycanbecomelaw.Theexecutivebranch-namely,thepresident-canvetobillspassedbytheCongress,thuspreventingthemfrombecominglaw.Inturn,byatwo-thirdsvote,theCongresscanoverridethepresident’svote.TheSupremeCourtmayinvalidateactsoftheCongressbydeclaringthemcontrarytotheConstitutionoftheUnitedStates,buttheCongresscanchangetheConstitutionthroughtheamendmentprocess.

Textcomprehension

Ⅰ.WhichofthefollowingisNotamajoraspectoftheAmericanlifediscussedbytheauthor?

A.Agricultureandtransportation.

B.Marriageandwomen’ssocialstatus.

C.Socialwelfareandeducation.

D.Familyvalueandhousing.

Ⅱ.Judge,accordingtothetext,whetherthefollowingstatementsaretrueorfalse.

1.Youngpeoplestillgetmarried,butthedivorcerateishigherthantheremarriageratebecausemanydon’twanttoraisechildren.

2.Theauthorwelcomesthefreerpatternsoftoday’scourtshipandmarriagebecausemanyyoungkidsofhistimesufferedbitterly.

3.Todaystillveryfewwomeninuniversitiesaregoinguptotheathleticprogramsanddemandingajustshareofthephysicaleducationbudget.

4.Americanpublicschoolstodayareinferiortothosedecadesago.

5.Buildersseemnotwillingtoerectsmallhomesforyoungmarriedcouplesbecauseitisnotveryprofitable.

Ⅲ.Answerthefollowingquestions.

1.HowdoestheauthorcomparetheAmericanlifeatpresentandinthepastintermsofsimilaritiesanddifferences?

2.WhatoldwaysdoAmericansstillfollow?

3.Whatdosetheauthorimplyinthephrase“putthebrakeson”?

4.TowhatextentareAmericanwomenchangingtherules?

5.Whataspectsofaschoolwouldbeauthorconsiderwhensendingkidstoschool?

6.Whatdoestheauthorintendtotellwiththecaseofhisyoungneighbor?

7.WhatconclusiondoestheauthordrawabouttheprospectsoftheAmericanpeople?

Why?

Ⅳ.Explaininyourownwordsthefollowingsentencestakenfromthetext.

1.The1980election…signaled