新视野大学英语读写教程听力 第三册 te-unit09-a

[04:16.17]11  But not everyone takes this advice.
[04:19.55]A classic example is cited by lawyers:
[04:22.90]"An agreement is stuck under somebody's nose on the day of the wedding
[04:27.36]— and it's usually a 'she' — and she signs, but doesn't even read it."
[04:33.23]Another lawyer recalled one awkward episode
[04:36.76]where the two sides were still editing the contract,
[04:39.71]arguing over what to keep and delete,
[04:42.55]as 150 wedding guests were arriving for the wedding.
[04:47.45]When an agreement could not be forged,the wedding was canceled.
[04:52.63]12  A dispute can also break out over prenuptial agreements
[04:56.63]if a couple decides to divorce while living abroad,
[05:00.70]or when they have different passports.
[05:03.15]A lawyer in a London law firm that often handles divorces
[05:08.08]for British-American couples noted that in Britain,
[05:11.97]prenuptial agreements were "just about ignored"by the courts
[05:15.96]because English law says that circumstances of a marriage aren't static,
[05:20.82]and therefore a judge should decide how financial assets will be divided.
[05:26.80]13  That can lead to "court-shopping",
[05:29.93]since what matters is the law of the country where the couple is getting divorced.
[05:34.75]He gave the following example:
[05:37.60]"A wealthy Mr.Ed Smith gets married to Mrs. Smith,
[05:42.06]and they enter into a New York prenuptial contract.
[05:46.06]They live in England, and then decide to get divorced.
[05:49.55]English lawyers will say to Mrs. Smith,
[05:52.36]'No, that contract is not valid,'
[05:55.09]while Mr.Smith will want it to be an American case.
[05:59.27]The issue of where it will be held
[06:01.68]can greatly multiply the amount of time required to reach a settlement."
[06:07.08]14  Romantic love has no bearing on this process,
[06:11.08]say these lawyers, who consider prenups to be business agreements.
[06:15.76]Their justification:
[06:18.21]some 50 percent of all marriages in the United States end up on the trash heap.
[06:24.36]15  Moreover, the discussions for a prenuptial agreement,
[06:28.79]which involve laying bare all one's finances,
[06:32.17]sometimes save a couple from a terrible marriage.
[06:35.95]"It sheds light on issues which could later widen
[06:39.73]and result in divorce," said a lawyer.
[06:42.90]16  But there is still hope.
[06:45.46]"Many people sign an agreement,
[06:48.19]put it in a drawer and never look at it again," the lawyer added.