Unit 2 Loving parents， loving children

Part II key to exercises

Section A

Pre-reading activities

2．

1. I am very close to my parents. In fact, we are like friends. I never keep a secret from them. When I have problems, I ask them for their advice. They give me directions about life. I like this relationship with my parents, and I think this is what parent-child relationship should be like.

2. if I were not very close to my parents, I would do the following to improve our relationship:

. find out where the problem is and talk to my parents about it;

. do something that makes them happy;

. call them often when I am away from home;

. keep them informed of what I am doing;

. be open and willing to communicate.

Reading comprehension

Understanding the text

1

1. The daughter bought a large and expensive vehicle probably because her mother advised her to buy a practical and gas-efficient car. The daughter did this on purpose because at this age, she was being rebellious.

2. The mother wants to show that although her daughter tries to show she is an adult, actually she is not.

3. The mother is hap that their daughter is dependent now, but on the other hand, she feels doubtful whether her daughter could take good care of herself.

4. The mother wants to show that her daughter is not ready t e an adult yet.

5. The mother puts her daughter’s books onto a single shelf to deal with later.

6. The mother finds an envelope with items such as old family photographs, letters, greeting cards, and love notes they gave their daughter and sees the words “DO NOT THROW AWAY” marked on the envelope. Her attitude then changes.

7. At first the mother decides to throw some of the items away and donate the rest to charity. After she sees the brown envelope, she changes her mind and puts the back in place.

8. Because the mother knows that the sweet childhood memories will bring her daughter back.

Critical thinking

2

1. If I were the daughter, I would be very much touched when I read the article. I would call my mom to say sorry for acting rebelliously and would tell her how much I love her. Probably I would return home as soon as I can.

2. I don’t think it is wise to refuse parents’ advice or even do the opposite without a good reason. Your parents care about you more than anybody else and always want to share their experience with you. If you follow their advice, you can at least learn from their experience and avoid making some silly mistakes if you don’t take their advice, you may still get experience-but in a hard way. Besides, your parents may directly point out our weaknesses that your peers wouldn’t. so, listening to your parents’ advice can make you smarter and help you grow mature.

3. Good communication will, in my view, help build a good relationship the following are my ways to strengthen communication with my parents:

. visit them whenever possible;

. invite them to see what I am doing at college;

. teach them to use new communication tools, such as WeChat and Skype, so that they can communicate with me wherever I am;

. try to look at things from their perspectives; and

. share with them my feelings, problems or ambitions.

4. Although there is no standard pattern for a good parent-child relationship , some common factors can contribute to a more successful relationship:

. respect each other;

. support and encourage each other;

. understand each other;

. have fun together; and

. be friends.

5. Yes, many parents are expecting to much of their children. First, most families have only one child and parents want to make a perfect child out of them. Second, competition is intense in school and at work today. So parents want their children to learn as much as possible so as to gain advantages over others in competition. It’s not uncommon that some parents force their children to achieve what is even hard for adults. But they ignore the fact that winning is not the only important thing and that children should have their own enjoyment and preferences.

6. No, I don’t think parents today are expecting too much of their children. Competition is becoming increasingly intense in school and at the workplace. So it is natural for parents to help their children to make full use of their talent and become as competitive as possible. They know better about how far their children can go. Besides, more and more parents, including my parents, think it is more important for their children to be healthy and happy. Of course, while they expect that their children study hard and achieve success, they should at the same time see to it that their children are not overworking themselves.

Language focus

Words in use

3

1. awaits    

2. efficiency

3. donation

4. polished

5. stuffed

6. historical

7. emotional

8. embarrassed

9. dump

10. curb

word building

4

Words learned                      new words formed

-er

employ                            employer

computer                          compute

interpreter                         interpret

-ic

atom                             atomic

artist                             artistic

economy                          economic

history                            historic

electronic                          electron

-ous

envy                             envious

continue                          continuous

famous                           fame

various                           vary

5

1. interpreted

2. employer

3. artistic

4. historic

5. compute

6. continuous

7. economic

8. fame

9. electron

10. atomic

11. envious

12. vary

baked cloze

6

1G  2K  3L  4O   5A  6D  7E  8F   9B   10J

Expressions in use

7

1. made it

2. after all

3. strip off

4. with open arms

5. throw away

6. straighten up

7. keep back

8. free of/from

structured writing

9

Parents may get disappointed when you fail to meet their expectations. They may strongly object to your lifestyle and complain that you are wasting time on unimportant things. To solve this problem, you may try to make them understand that you are a responsible person. First tell them that you have inherited many of their merits. Then remind them that you have your own thoughts and life goals as an individual. You can also explain how your lifestyle will help you in a positive way. You may not be able to change your parents’ opinion overnight, but if you keep trying, it well eventually work.

Translation

10

圣诞节是一个被广泛庆祝的文化节日，全世界有许许多多的人在12月25日庆祝这一节日。它是为了纪念耶稣基督的诞辰。该节日最早可追溯到公元336年。渐渐地，这一节日演变为一个既是宗教又是非宗教的节日，越来越多的非基督徒也方励之庆祝圣诞节。如今，圣诞节在便于被作为一个重大的节日和公共假日来庆祝。不同国家的圣诞节风俗也各不相同。现代浒的圣诞节风俗包括圣诞礼物、唱圣诞歌曲、参加教堂活动、摆放各种圣诞装饰品和圣诞树、举行家庭聚会以及准备一顿特别的大餐。对小孩子们来说，空上节日充满了幻想和惊喜。据传说，圣诞老人会在圣诞夜从烟囱进入每户人家，给乖巧听话的孩子带来礼物。由于圣诞节送礼物以及许多其他方面推动了基督徒和非基督徒的经济活动，圣诞节也因此成为商家的一个重大活动和主要销售季。

11

According to the Chinese lunar calendar, August 15 of every year is a traditional Chinese festival-the Mid-Autumn Festival. This day is the middle of autumn, so it is called Mid-Autumn. One of the important Mid-Autumn Festival activities is to enjoy the moon. On that night, people get together to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival, looking up at the bright moon and eating moon cakes. The festival is also a time for family reunion. People living far away from home will express their feelings of missing their hometowns and families at this festival. There are many customs to celebrate the festival, all expression people’s love and hope for a happy life. Since 2008, the Mid-Autumn Festival has become an official national holiday in China.

Section B

Reading skills

1

“All right,”/he says, /and carries the smelly package./As we walk back, /he tells me/about migrations of eels/to the Sargasso Sea:/how/eels come down Dalmatian rivers/and swim across the Mediterranean / and then the whole Atlantic, /until / they reach the warm Sargasso Sea. / Here / they lay their eggs, / and then the baby eels swim back / to the native river / of their parents.

Reading comprehension

Understanding the text

2

1D  2B  3C  4C  5C  6D  7D  8A

Critical thinking

3

1. To me a good parent is quite challenging and demanding. A good parent should:

. attend to children’s physical and spiritual needs;

. be supportive in times of difficulties;

. share life experiences without preaching;

. share hobbies and doing sports with their children; and

. respect their children’s privacy.

2. My parents took god care of my sister and me. They regarded it their duty to make sure that we had good food, decent clothes, and a nice place to live in. but they also required us to do whatever they told us to do. And we were supposed to keep no secrets from them. If I supposed to keep no secrets from them. If I were a parent, I would try my best to supply the best for my child(ren)’s daily needs, just as what my parents did to me. But I would also do something different: I would respect my child(ren)’s privacy; I would not give orders. Instead, I would try to become their friends and encourage them to do what they like.

3. Yes, after reading the two stories in this unit, I have come to a better understanding of my parents’ love for me. Though my father and other show their love in different ways, everything they do for me is meant to do me good, even when they are  being tough with me. Most times I tend to take their love for granted. I rarely spend time thinking about their love for me, let alone expressing thanks for their love. A better understanding of my parents’ love will prompt me to think about that I can do to them, and how I can repay them for their selfless love.

4. Conflicts between parents and children may be sometimes inevitable. However, there are something we can do to reconcile and solve the disagreement:

. calm down – anger only makes things worse;

. analyze the reason for the conflicts;

. try to be in our parents’ shoes and see thinks from their angle;

. explain what is on our mind and try to have their support; and

. make compromises whenever we can.

5. Nowadays many young people are too busy to spend time with their parents. This has been a social problem of public concern. It is true that young people today are facing great pressure from work. They have so many things to do that they often have to work extra hours. But this is no excuse for neglecting their parents. Busy as they are they should try to set aside time to be with their parents, especially on the weekend. The aging parents may feel deserted and lonely, being left at the “empty nest”. In fact, this social problem has prompted the government to take action and make it part of the law that children should regularly visit their parents and attend to their parents’ needs. So as young people, we should realize the problem and try to send as much time as possible with our parents.

Language focus

Word in use

4

1. awkward

2. stretch

3. overtaking

4. delicate

5. anticipate

6. immense

7. reluctance

8. suspicious

9. complain

10. melted

expressions in use

5

1. out

2. for

3. with

4. in / of

5. in

6. down

7. to

8. aboard

sentence structure

6

1. All of Justin’s pain disappeared. So did the ache in his legs.

2. His father doesn't’ have great hope for him now. Nor does his mother.

3. CNN then reported the story and so did other television news programs and major newspapers.

7

1. Not that I don’t like your apple pie, but (that) my doctor tells me not to have any.

2. Not that she is unwilling to help you, but (that) she is tied up with extra work these days.

3. Not that some coffee beans or tea bags are more flavorful than others, but (that) people love changes.

Collocation

8

1. effort

2. decision

3. preparations

4. arrangements

5. meal

6. mess

7. complaints

8. attempts

9. sense

10. excuses

11. suggestions

12. contribution