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.