英语专业八级满分听力 test-7

[00:27.42]Test Seven

[00:27.96]SECTION A MINI-LECTURE

[00:29.93]In this section, you will hear a mini-lecture.

[00:33.21]You will hear the lecture ONCE ONLY.

[00:35.94]While listening, take notes on the important points.

[00:39.33]Your notes will not be marked,

[00:41.52]but you will need them to complete a gap-filling task after the mini-lecture.

[00:46.11]When the lecture is over,

[00:47.98]you’ll be given two minutes to check your notes,

[00:50.38]and another 10 minutes to complete the gap-filling task.

[00:53.44]Now listen to the mini-lecture.

[00:55.96]In today’s lecture,

[00:58.14]I’ll talk about the American families from the following five aspects:

[01:02.63]family structures,

[01:04.19]the emphasis on individual freedoms,

[01:06.70]the role of the child,

[01:08.11]equality in the family,

[01:09.75]and family values.

[01:11.28]First, family structures.

[01:13.58]What is the typical American family like?

[01:16.86]If Americans are asked to name the members of their families,

[01:20.80]family structure becomes clear.

[01:22.98]Married American adults will name their husband or wife and their children,

[01:27.58]if they have any, as their “immediate family”.

[01:30.64]If they mention their father, mother, sisters, or brothers,

[01:34.57]they will define them as separate units,

[01:36.76]usually living in separate households.

[01:39.17]Aunts, uncles, cousins,

[01:41.28]and grandparents are considered “extended family.”

[01:44.12]Traditionally, the American family has been a nuclear family,

[01:48.61]consisting of a husband, wife and their children,

[01:51.89]and living in a house or apartment.

[01:54.07]Grandparents rarely live in the same home with their married sons or daughters,

[01:58.89]and uncles and aunts almost never do.

[02:01.73]Second, the emphasis on individual freedom.

[02:05.59]Americans view the family as a group

[02:08.54]whose primary purpose is to advance the happiness of individual members.

[02:13.24]The result is that the needs of each individual

[02:15.99]take priority in the life of the family.

[02:18.71]In contrast to that of many other cultures,

[02:21.78]the primary responsibility of the American family member

[02:25.61]is not to advance the family as a group,

[02:28.23]either socially or economically,

[02:30.42]nor is it to bring honor to the family name.

[02:33.48]This is partly because the United States is not an aristocratic society.

[02:39.06]Family name and honor are less important than in aristocratic societies,

[02:44.75]since equality of opportunity

[02:47.15]regardless of birth is considered a basic American value.

[02:51.20]Moreover, there is less emphasis on the family

[02:54.81]as an economic unit because the American family is rarely self-supporting.

[02:59.84]Relatively few families maintain self-supporting family farms

[03:04.65]or businesses for more than one generation.

[03:07.72]A farmer’s son, for example,

[03:10.01]is very likely to go on to a college,

[03:12.63]leave the family farm,

[03:14.28]and take an entirely different job in a different location.

[03:17.89]The American desire for freedom

[03:20.84]from outside control clearly extends to the family.

[03:24.23]Americans do not like to have controls

[03:27.40]placed on them by other family members.

[03:29.70]They want to make independent decisions

[03:31.88]and not be told what to do by grandparents or uncles or aunts.

[03:36.37]For example, both American men and women expect to decide

[03:40.64]what job is best for them as individuals.

[03:43.37]Indeed, young Americans are encouraged by their families

[03:47.20]to make such independent career decisions.

[03:49.93]What would be best for the family is not considered to be

[03:53.43]as important as what would be best for the individual.

[03:56.82]Third, the role of the child.

[03:59.34]The American emphasis on the individual, rather than the group,

[04:03.82]affects children in a contradictory way.

[04:06.45]On the one hand, it may cause them to get more attention

[04:10.72]and even have more power than they should.

[04:13.23]On the other hand, because most children have mothers

[04:16.84]who are working outside the home,

[04:18.37]they may not get enough attention from either parent.

[04:21.54]Worse yet, parents who feel guilty for not having enough time

[04:25.81]with their children may give them more material things

[04:29.31]to compensate for the lack of attention.

[04:31.71]Studies show that both parents are now spending less time with their children,

[04:36.75]due to work habits and a busy lifestyle.

[04:39.91]In general, American families tend to place more emphasis

[04:43.74]on the needs and desires of the child

[04:46.04]and less on the child’s social and family responsibilities.

[04:49.98]In the years after World War Two,

[04:52.94]so much stress has been placed on the psychological needs of children

[04:57.20]that the number of experts in this field has increased enormously.

[05:01.47]Some Americans believe that the emphasis

[05:04.20]on the psychological needs of the individual child

[05:07.26]have been carried too far by parents and experts alike.

[05:11.31]Although Americans may not agree on

[05:13.93]how best to nurture and discipline their children

[05:16.89]they still hold the basic belief that the major purpose of the family

[05:20.83]is the development and welfare of each of its members as individuals.

[05:25.52]The next point I’d like to talk about is equality in the family.

[05:30.45]Along with the American emphasis on individual freedom,

[05:34.28]the belief in equality has had a strong effect on the family.

[05:38.10]There is much more social equality between parents and children

[05:42.15]than in most aristocratic societies or societies ruled by centuries of tradition.

[05:47.51]This can be witnessed in arguments between parents and their children,

[05:51.77]and in the considerable independence granted to teenagers.

[05:55.50]Children are given a lot of freedom and equality in the family

[05:59.65]so that they will grow up to be independent,

[06:02.18]self-reliant adults.

[06:04.04]Last, the family values.

[06:06.23]Daniel Yankelovich, based on a survey,

[06:09.07]reports that there are 11 points that a majority of Americans agree on “family values”.

[06:15.09]He classifies six of them as “clearly traditional”.

[06:18.81]They are respecting one’s parents,

[06:21.10]being responsible for one’s actions, having faith in God,

[06:25.15]respecting authority,

[06:26.68]married to the same person for life,

[06:29.42]and leaving the world in better shape.

[06:31.60]The other five are “a blend of traditional and newer, more expressive values”.

[06:37.51]They are giving emotional support to other members of the family,

[06:41.67]respecting people for themselves,

[06:44.18]developing greater skill in communicating one’s feelings,

[06:48.01]respecting one’s children,

[06:50.09]and living up to one’s potential as an individual.

[06:53.04]The ideal of the American family is group cooperation

[06:56.76]to help achieve the fulfillment of each individual member,

[07:00.59]and shared affection to renew each member’s emotional strength.

[07:04.42]Families can be viewed as similar to churches in this regard.

[07:08.24]Both are seen by Americans as places where the human spirit can find refuge

[07:13.71]from the highly competitive world outside and renewed resources to continue the effort.

[07:19.95]By this, we are now coming to the end of today’s lecture.

[07:23.34]Thank you for your attention.