Unit 4

1. Unit 4

2. Contents • Pre-reading questions • Background information • Structure analysis • Comprehension questions • Language points of Text I • Grammatical items • Exercises • Comprehension questions of Text II • Oral activities • Writing practice

3. Text I Why I Want a Wife • Pre-reading questions 1.What role does a wife usually play in a traditional Chinese family? What role does an American wife usually play in her family? Are there any similarities or differences between them? 2. Is there any change today in women’s status in China and around the world?

4. Background information (1) • About the text and the author • Judy Syfers, born in 1937 in San Francisco, is a feminist, political and environmental activist, and a freelance writer. Her classic satirical essay “ Why I Want a Wife” was first published in Ms. Magazine in 1971 and was widely circulated in the women’s movement.

5. Background information (2) • Judy Syfers  • Judy Syfers, who was born in San Francisco in 1937, feels that the problems of American wives " • stem from a social system which places primary value on profits rather than on people’ s needs. As long as we continue to tolerate the system, we will continue to be exploited as workers and as wives." 

6. Background information (3) •  Ms. Syfers received her B.F.A. in painting from the  • University of lower in 1960. She wanted to go on to a  • higher degree that would enable her to paint and to  • teach in a university, but her (male) teachers advised  • that the best she could hope for as a woman was teaching in high school . Her reaction was to drop school, get married, and have two children. Thus the present piece, which appeared in the Spring 1972 preview issue of Ms., arises from real experience.

7. Background information (4) • 1937出生于旧金山的朱迪·赛菲丝（Judy Syfers）认为美国妻子的根本问题是:"美国社会的主流价值观看重利益而不尊重人们的需要。只要我们继续容忍这种社会制度，我们就会继续被当作劳工和妻子遭受剥削。"赛菲丝夫人于1960年获爱荷华　州立大学美术学绘画专业学士学位。她想继续深造获取更高学位，希望一边画画一边在大学教书。她的（男）同事建议，作为一个女人，最好是在中等教育水平的学校执教。但她根本不听，很快就结婚、生子......

8. Structure analysis of the text (1) • The writer uses a simple, straightforward style. By mentioning her encounter with a male friend of hers “fresh from a recent divorce, “ she introduces her major proposition- wives are taken for granted. Then she supports the argument with seemingly trivial things from daily life, which are carefully arranged so as to contribute to the conclusion.

9. Structure analysis of the text (2) • Paragraph 1-2 • The writer introduces her identity in the first paragraph and starts her bitter satire, in the second paragraph, on those men desiring for a wife who fits in with their ideal notions by pretending that she would like to have a wife with all possible virtues. Here are some questions to consider:

10. Structure analysis of the text (3) • Paragraph 3-7 • Here Syfers divides a wife's duties and responsibilities into various functions or services according to the ideal notions most men are likely to have for a wife.

11. Structure analysis of the text (4) • Paragraph 8-9 • The writer states a wife’s status in a family.

12. Comprehension questions (1) • Q1: How does the author account for family duties and household chores in a specific way? Sum them up and illustrate them with examples of your own. • A1: Household chores are broken down into three parts according to the husband’s needs. They are looking after his children, meeting his physical needs, and taking care of his social life. First, the wife is supposed to be the nurturing mother of his children-for instance, she has to take leave to nurse the sick child though she cannot lose her job. Second, the wife must meet the husband’s physical needs such as washing, cleaning, cooking, and she has to be on his beside when he is sick. Third, she must never overlook her duty for her husband’s social life. All these chores are for the benefit of the husband.

13. Comprehension questions (2) • Q2: What is a wife supposed to attend to in taking care of a child? • A2: According to Syfers, a wife has to take sole charge of child care while working. She has to feed the children properly and keep them clean; she has to arrange for their schooling and take care of their social life; she has to keep close track of their medical care and lose time at work when needed to take care of the sick child though she cannot lose her job. In a word, she has to be a full-time mother to her children. As for the father, his role and duty can be overlooked.

14. Comprehension questions (3) • Q3: What social duties is a wife required to assume according to the author? • A3: According to Syfers, a wife’s social duties are all directed towards the success of the husband’s social life. She has to make arrangements so that the children won’t be in the way when they have a night out or have guests home. She has to clean the house, prepare special meals, and attend to the needs of every guest so that they will feel comfortable. Apart from that, she has to understand and accept the fact sometimes her husband needs a night out by himself. As for the wife’s own social life, syfers mentions nothing, which implies the wife should have no social life of her own at all.

15. Comprehension questions (4) • Q4: What does the author say, both explicitly and implicitly, about divorce? • A4: The essay implies that a man or only a man is at liberty to file for a divorce so as to replace the old wife with a new one. A man comes out of a divorce free and fresh while a woman has to take the pain and responsibility to take care of their children solely.

16. Language points of Text I (1) • 1. incidentally: • in a way that was not planned, but as a result of something else. • Quite incidentally , I got some information at the party. • The infectious are discovered only incidentally at postmortem examination.

17. Language points of Text I (2) • 3. if need be : • if necessary • We will come to your help if need be. • If need be, we can take a second car to fit everyone in.

18. Language points of Text I (3) • 4. keep track of : • to have accurate and up-to-date information about something all the time • How do you manage to keep track of the latest economic development? • It's hard to keep track of time in here

19. Language points of Text I (4) • 5. make sure : • to take action so that something will certainly happen (In the object clause following make sure, the verb usually appears in the present tense but refers to the future time. • Make sure that you get here before eight tomorrow morning. • Before you start to fill in the form, make sure you fully understand the instructions.

20. Language points of Text I (5) • 6. peer : • a person of the same age, class, position, etc. as oneself • It is hard to resist peer pressure. • He is popular with his peers.

21. Language points of Text I (6) • 7. rambling: • (of a speech, writing) disordered and wandering • I've just had this rambling, incoherent letter from my sister. • His actions were accompanied by a rambling monologue.

22. Language points of Text I (7) • 8. hors d'oeuvres: • savory food served in small amounts at the beginning of a meal

23. Language points of Text I (8) • 9. replenish : to fill up again • Let me replenishyour glass. • Food stocks were replenished by imports from the USA.

24. Language points of Text I (9) • 10. sensitive to : • strongly or easily influenced or changed by • She is sensitive to the change of weather. • His reply showed he was very sensitive to criticism.

25. Language points of Text I (10) • 11. clutter up : • to make untidy or confused, especially by filling with useless or unwanted things • This room is so impressive that it would be a shame to clutter it up. • She says she deliberately tries not to clutter up her mind.

26. Language points of Text I (11) • 12. entail : • to make (an event or action) necessary; to involve • The changed outlook entails higher economic growth than was previously assumed. • Repairing the roof will entail spending a lot of money.

27. Language points of Text I (12) • 13. adherence to : • acting in accordance (with something); following (something) • He was noted for his strict adherence to the rules. • The villagers' adherence to their religious beliefs impressed all the visitors.

28. Language points of Text I (13) • 14. monogamy : • the custom or practice of having only one wife or husband at one time mono-SSHF one, single Other examples:monologue, monolingual

29. Exercises (1) Translation exercises • 这个公司主要是由刚刚从学校毕业的年轻人组成的。（fresh from） • This company is mostly composed of young people fresh from school. • 我从未想到他会做这种事情。(it occurs to someone that) • It never occurred to me that he would ever do such a thing.

30. 在必要时，我会尽力去说服他的。( if need be) • I’ll try my best to persuade him if need be. • 毕业后，我要与同学保持联系很困难。(keep track) • It is difficult to keep track of my fellow students after graduation.

31. 谁将负责宴席后的甜食？(see to) • Who is going to see to the desserts after dinner? • 不要用这种琐碎的小事去烦你的上司。(bother…with) • Don’t bother your boss with such trifles. • 我的工作是不时的补充库存。(replenish) • My work was to replenish our stock time and again. • 他经常把书房搞得乱七八糟。(clutter up) • He often clutters up his study.

32. Exercises (2) • Fill in the blank in each sentence with a word taken from the box in the proper form. acquire classify quit adhere entail ramble arrange entertain Replenish assume passionately solely

33. Exercises (5) solely • The regulations are __________ designed to control dangerous practices-they can’t eliminate them. • This job would _________ your learning how to use a computer. • The English love football and gardening ______, don’t they. • If there is no president, power will be ______ by the most extremist forces. entail Passionately assumed

34. Exercises (2) • Seventy thousand tons of cereals are needed to ____________ stocks. • Sometimes the old man speaks sensibly; sometimes he ____________ . • An efficient worker must _________ to the schedule. • Is this the private dining room in which Mr. and Mrs. Richardson used to _________ their groups of friends? replenish rambles adhere entertain

35. Good bye!