高级综合英语教程1

Unit 6

I.

Background to Text 1

Family is considered to be the “cell” of society. It is a group of

people related to each other by blood or by marriage. There are

extended families

—

a large

group of relations living together or

in close contact with each other. In such a family, usually several

generations live under the same roof, including grandparents. On

the other hand, there are “nuclear” families, consisting of parents

and children.

In

some

societies

an

extended

family

consists

of

a

large

group

of

people

of

different

generations

closely

or

distantly

related,

depending

on

each

other

for

economic

support

and

security. In others, even nuclear families can be very large with

many children.

In different countries, there are different policies for family

size, and people take different attitude towards it. For instance, in

some

developed

countries,

people

tend

to

marry

late

and

have

fewer

children.

Some

governments

have

to

give

incentives

to

encourage births. However, in some developing countries, where

people tend to have more children and population is growing so

fast

that

it

hinders

the

economic

development

and

keeps

the

living standard low, governments are forced to formulate policies

to limit family size.

Of course, people still do not agree as to the matter of family

size because there are a lot of factors involved such as economy,

religion, cultural tradition, education and even politics. There are

indeed

advantages

and

disadvantages

to

have

a

number

of

brothers or sisters. This text is a narration of the experience by a

young

woman

who

was

brought

up

with

six

other

brothers

or

sisters.

In

her

opinion,

having

a

big

family

is

a

bad

thing,

for

there

is

always

competition

among

the

brothers

and

sisters

for

things. They fight for better beds, for better places to watch TV

,

for

own

favourite

TV

programmes

and

for

parents?

care.

They

have no privacy, no peace and quiet because of too many friends

(each has friends of their own) and pets and so on. For parents,

having a large family means a heavy burden. Children pose a big

pressure for food and clothes, and there is endless housework to

do:

cleaning

and

tidying

the

house;

cooking,

shipping

and

washing. What is more, parents often have to deprive themselves

of food and clothes as well as of their own free time to provide a

decent life for children.

II.

Detailed study of the text

1.

sibling

n.

: a brother or sister

2.

Large families have been getting a bad press recently.

(L.1)

There has been more and more written in newspapers or talked

about on radio or TV about the negative things of large families

nowadays.

3.

…must all be living on state handouts.

(L.2)

…are almost certainly living on government?s security benefits

handout

n.

:

money, food etc. given out to people who need it

4.

The children out of control, unloved and unwashed.

(L.3)

The

children

are

badly-behaved,

they

do

not

have

much

of

parents? care and appear dirty and untidy.

out of control

: no longer subject to proper direction or restraint;

not

under

control;

not

properly

directed,

managed,

trained,

disciplined, etc.

5.

…

play truant from school…

(L.4)

…stay away from school with leave or explanation…

6.

…

none of us from multiple births…

(L.7)

…none of us are twains or triples…

7.

…queues for the bathroom were always a nightmare…

(L.9)

…waiting for the bathroom was always a terrible experience…

8.

Big families used to be the norm, not the exception.

(L.10)

Big families were very common in the past, not unusual cases.

9.

…when

having

a

large

family

was

an

insurance

against

an

uncertain future.

(L.12)

…at that time, having more children meant that they would have

people to rely on for a living when they got old…

10.

It was common not to make it to adulthood…

(L.13)

It was common for children to die young before they grew up…

make it:

survive; succeed

11.

…I was an only child—

so much pressure to achieve, so much

guilt if you’re not around…

(L.17)

…I was an only child. It was too much pressure to have just one

child. Being an only child you often feel guilty if you get away

from your parents…

12.

…it mus

t have made you really outgoing and able to stick up

for yourself.

(L.21)

…growing up with many brothers and sisters must have trained

you to be friendly and sociable and to be able you to speak or act

in your own defence when necessary.

1)

outgoing

adj

.

: friendly and sociable

2)

stick up for sb.:

speak or act in one?s defence

13.

Are you Catholic?

(L.22)

It probably implies that Catholics tend to have large families.

14.

I had to sit three-deep in front of the television set.

(L.25)

I

was

forced

to

sit

behind

my

brothers

and

sisters

(three

seats)

away from the TV set.

15.

I

am

now

very

protective

of

my

privacy

and

get

upset

if

I

don’t have enough time on my own.

(L.26)

1)

protective

adj

.:

inclined or tending to protect

2)

on one’s own:

alone; without help

16.

…blot out a row going on at the other end of the sofa.

(L.32)

…keep a blind eye on or turn a deaf ear to the noisy quarrel of

my brothers or sisters on the other end of the sofa.

1)

blot out:

hide from sight; refuse to think about

2)

row

n

.: (

BrE

) a loud noise; a fierce quarrel or dispute

17.

…I usually wore my sisters’ hand

-me-

downs…

(L.33)

…I

usually

wore

the

clothes

which

my

sisters

had

used

when

they were small…

hand-me- downs

: a compound word made from the phrase ?hand

down to me”

18.

…

were

you

wearing

an

afghan with

a

mauve

Laura

Ashley

smock in 1984?…

(L.35)

1)

afghan

n

.:

a

knitted

and

sewn

woolen

blanket

or

shawel

(originating from Afghanistan)

2)

smock

n

.:

a woman?s long loose blouse

19.

I

might

not

have

been

able

to

stop

my

brothers

watching

Match of the Day, but being a baby had its advantages too.

(L.39)

It implies that her brothers were fond of watching the programme

“Match of the Day”, but since she was little, she was able to stop

her

brothers

watching

that

programme

so

that

she

could

watch

her favourite programme.

20.

Having loads of brothers and sisters meant I was exposed to a

variety of music…

(L.40)

Since I had so many brothers and sisters, I was given a chance to

listen

to

different

kinds

of

music

while

my

brothers

and

sisters

were lis

tening…

21.

I

was

into

Radio…

when

most

of

my

friends

hadn’t

progressed past …

(L.43)

This

is

an

example

of

the

writer

keeping

up

with

the

time

and

always leaving

her friends far behind

in

terms of music or pop

songs.

22.

I

could

secretly

borrow

my

sisters

’

slightly

-too-big

high-

fashion items…

(L.45)

When

my

sisters

were

away

I

could

try

their

up-to- date

fashionable clothes, which were still slightly too big for me.

23.

R

owdy

night-time

giggling

was

never

blamed

on

me

and

I

don’t remember ever being told o

ff.

(L.48)

Nobody ever blamed me for noisy laughing at night (even though

I did it). I don?t remember anybody ever scolding me.

tell off:

scold or reprimand

24.

…my

parents

were

remarkably

lax

about

discipline

by

the

time they got to me.

(L.50)

…my

parent

s

were

extremely

lenient

to

me

in

matter

of

discipline.

lax

adj

.:

lacking care, concern or firmness

25.

My oldest sister…a mother herself by the time I came along,

had endured immovable curfews…

(L.51)

My oldest sister…became a mother herself when I was b

orn, had

never been allowed to

stay out

late at

night

and

this rule never

changed…

1)

come along

: arrive

2)

curfew

n

.:

an order forbidding people to be in the street after

a certain hour

26.

…when a new baby was born, the older ones would go back

into n

appies in protest…

(L.56)

…when a new baby was born, the older ones were still so little

that they had to wear nappies and would cry when they were put

on nappies…

27.

…

put me off domestic drudgery for life.

(L.57)

…caused me to dislike tedious housework

all my life.

1)

put sb. off

:

cause one to

loose enthusiasm, to

feel

disgust,

for something

2)

domestic

adj

.: relating to the home, family, or private life

3)

drudgery

n

.

: tedious menial work

28.

…disposable nappies…

(L.59)

…nappies intended to be thrown away after use…

29.

At mealtimes, which were always two sittings,…

(L.63)

For every meal, we had to eat in two groups one after another…

30.

“I’ve been making a sponge”…

(L.66)

I?ve been making a sponge cake (or putting)…

31.

…made me averse to anything mor

e strenuous than heating

up ready-to-

bake ciabatta…

(L.68)

…made

me

reluctant

to

do

anything

that

is

more

troublesome

than to heat up ready-to-

bake ciabatta…

1)

averse to

: reluctant about or opposed to

2)

strenuous

adj.

:

requiring or performed with great effort or

energy

3)

heat up:

make become hot or warm

32.

…but we never went without.

(L.78)

…but

the

whole

family

always

managed

a

holiday

away

from

home.

go without (sth.):

succeed to live without; do without

33.

…she

had

ensured

everyone

else

had

been

inoculated…

(L.81)

…she had made sure every other member of the family had been

vaccinated against disease…

34.

…Mum

only

got

better

because

she

was

worried

about

the

washing piling up.

(L.84)

Mum

got

better

just

because

she

worried

that

there

would

be

nobody to do the washing if she was gone.

35.

…so

family

get

-togethers

are

like

remakes

of

The

Godfather…

(L.91)

…so

family

reunions

are

like

what

in

the

film

The

Godfather

reappeared again…

The Godfather:

a US film directed by Francis Coppola (1972), a

drama focusing on the power and influence of a Mafia dynasty

36.

…have a penchant for…

(L.93)

…have a liking for something that is slightly disapproved of by

others…

37.

…who knows not to walk between the remote control and the

television.

(L.93)

…implies

that

the

c

hild

does

not

need

to

make

so

much

effort

even as to go to the TV set but to use the remote control only.

III.

Answers for Text 1

Skills Development

Pre-reading

1.

You start with group work and end up with class discussion. The

teacher may put the main points on the board.

2.

It begins with individual word and then pair work.

Reading

2.

A.

3.

The text indicates that the author takes a negative attitude towards

a

large

family,

though

she

found

it

nice

to

be

the

youngest

of

siblings and large families are not that bad as the press depicts.

4.

●

living conditions

●

dressing

●

her mother?s experience

●

her idea of her own family size and life style

5.

Advantages

● exposure to a variety of music

● not to blame for noise at night

● never being told off

● parents lax about discipli

ne

● try sisters? fashionable clothes

Disadvantages

● sharing bedroom

● no privacy

● no peace and quiet

● too many friends, pets; too noisy,

● wearing hand

-me-downs

●

unable

to

watch

own

favourite

programmes

6.

1)

A

2)

a.

never asked children to help with housework

b.

ate left-over

c.

constant shopping, cooking, washing, cleaning

d.

never did anything for herself

e.

always tired

f.

had all others inoculated but herself

g.

survived typhoid because of her concern for the children

7.

●

hate housework

●

hate noise

●

become selfish

●

want only one child

●

get used to ready-made food

●

have the child well-provided for

8.

What is said

What is meant

Catholics tend to have large families

She had no privacy when she was a child

She had enough of noise and children

Father was extremely strict with her sister but

lax with her

Mum is used to and cannot forget her former

role of cooking for the family

Mum

survived

typhoid

not

because

of

medical treatment but because her concern for

her children

Post-reading

1.

This

is

a

role-play

activity,

designed

to

motivate

students

to

speak in English, and improve their ability to organize their ideas

orally and elicit information for a specific purpose. To ensure a