2020年PETS-3考試教材第十四單元：社會關系

Unit 14 Social Relations

Conversations：

part 1

Part is talking about the family reunion with Alice.

Park:My parents told me my uncles and aunts are planning a big family reunion in London this spring.

Alice:Are you going to the reunion?

Park:You bet.All my uncles and aunts will take their children along,too.

So I'll meet many cousins there.

Alice:How nice!But why London?

Park:Because two of my aunts are Englishwomen.

They met and got married to my uncles in London.

Some of their relatives are still living there.

Alice:Have you ever been to London before?

Park:No.As a matter of fact,I've never traveled outside this country.

I'm very excited about it.I can't wait.

Alice:My parents are going to take me to go on a trip to Tokyo next month but I've been there twice already.

part 2

Old friends meet in the restaurant.

Ted:It's good to see you again.You are an engineer,arn't you?

Did you stay in New York after you left the university?

Arthur:No,I worked in Canada for two years.It's a good place.

Ted:That sounds interesting,but I'm sure you are glad to be back.

What have you been doing since you came back?

Arthur:I've been seeing old friends,visiting my family,buying things for my new flat and just having a holiday.

Ted:Haven't you got another job?

Arthur:Yes,I started a week ago.But what about you?

Ted:I've got a job in a company that sells office equipment-paper,typewriters-you know the sort of thing.

It may sound rather dull,but I'm a salesman and I've been traveling all over Europe for the last two years.

I'm still traveling and still selling.I like working abroad.

part 3

At a social gathering.

Mrs.West:Mr.and Mrs.Rice,oh,I'M delighted you could come.

I've been looking forward to meeting you.I've heard so much about you.

Mrs.Rice:Oh,Mrs.West,it's really a great pleasure for us to be here.

Mr.Rice:It's so nice to meet you.

Mrs.West:Let me introduce you.This is Andrew White.

Andrew,this is Rice.And Ann,his wife.

Andrew:Oh,Mrs.Rice.How exciting!You've just moved here,haven't you?

Mrs.Rice:Yes,that's right.

Andrew:I just loved your latest fashion show.I found it absolutely fascinating.

Mrs.West:So well done.You've certainly got a fantastic imagination.

Mrs.Rice:Thank you.I'm glad you said that.

Passage

US-Japan Relation

In Tokyo some years ago,a Japanese camera maker sought to explain why Japanese were such eager photographers:

Cameras were among the first luxuries that Japanese could have after Word War II:

They were very cheap;the quality was competitive.

Then he became a bit philosophical:

"You must understand that we Japanese want to have a record of everytint marriage,children,sightseeing,even funerals.

We like to look back and that's part of what makes us different from Americans."

"For you Americans,"he said,"tomorrow is more important than yesterday.

You Americans,you always look ahead;you never look back."

That remark helps to explain the remarkable relations between Japan and America since the San Francisco Peace Treaty was signed to bring a formal end to World War II.

The 50th anniversary of that treaty was celebrated in San Francisco last year with Secretary fo State Colin Powell and Foreign Minister Makiko Tanaka leading the American and Japanese delegations.

A half-century ago,it was easier for the victorious Americans to put the war behind them and to look ahead,but that doesn't explain how blood enemies became allies.

Nor does it provide a reason for that alliance enduring through economic quarrels,deepo differences over security and most of all,between peoples so distinctly different.

The treaty itself was a starting point,especially compared to the Treaty of Versailles after World War I.

Versailles sought to punish Germany,especially in economies.

That led to the failure of the Weimar Republic and the rise of Adolf Hitler;20 years later,Europe was in World War II.

In contrast,San Francisco stripped Japan of its colonial empire and armed forces but sought to cultivate reform in the nation's politics,to rebuild its economy and standard of living,and to bring Japan back into the community of nations.

Keeping Japan on the US side during the early days of the Cold War was part,but not all,of the American motive.

The five decades of good relation between the two countries is strikng in the world today,when there are so many quarrels and hate between countries,peoples and religions.

Japanese beliveve in Buddhism while Americans are Christians.

Japanese are far less diverese than Americans.

Japanese take pride in social harmony,Americans in individuality.

Japanese look to their obligations,Americans to their rights.

Japanese seek agreement in making decisions,

Americans decide in an adversarial fashion.

Why,then,a half-century of alliance?

The reasons are partly idealistic but mostly pragmatic.

Japanese share the principles of democracy even if they practice it quite differently.

Culturally many Japanese are intrigued by the art,music and some of the lifestyles of Americans.

A smaller number of Americans are drawn by what they consider to be the exotic nature of Japan.

In addition,they share a drive for prosperity and rising standard of living and Japan rely on America in security matters.

Now Japanese and Americans have gotten along,traveled,studied and done business in each other's countries,forming close personal relationships.

Exercises:

Section I Listening Comprehension

Listen to the record.

Answer each question by choosing A,B,C or D from the four possible choices.

A 1.W:What about going to my hometown to have a good summer holiday?

M:Oh,wonderful,and I'll see the beautiful hills again.

2.M:If you're introduced to a friend's wife,what would you do?

W:Ah,if I call that friend by his first name,and then meet his wife,

I'll probably start out calling his wife"Mrs"

3.M:Would you like to go on a tour with us on Friday?

W:I would enjoy that very much if I didn't have to take an exam on Saturday.

I think I'd better stay at home and study.

4.M:I don't think having big parties is a mistake.I like big parties.

I think we should pay back our friends who have invited us to their parties.

W:But big parties are so impersonal.

I think we should have several small ones instead.

M:My parents told me my uncles and aunts are planning a big family reunion in London this spring.

W:Are you going to the reunion?

M:You bet.

6.M:I've never been to London before.

I am very excited about it.I can't wait.

W:My parents are going to take me to go on a trip to Tokyo next month,but I've been there twice already.

7.W:It's good to see you again.You are an engineer,aren't you?

Did you stay in New York after you left the university?

M:No,I worked in Canada for two years.It's a good place.

B M:Hello,what's your name?

W:Me?I'm Lois.Lois Pace.

M:Do you live around here?

W:No.I liven in Pine Park.

M:Oh,how nice!I also live in Pine Park.I'm Wayne Smith,by the way.

W:Nice to meet you.

M:What brings you down here,Lois?

W:Lucy's an old friend fo mine.What about you?

M:Oh,you know,different things.But I want to hear about you.

Tell me about yourself,please.

W:Well...

M:Your dress is beautiful.I like it.

W:Thank you.

M:You know.When I saw you from the other side of the room,

I thought“that girl's really got class."

W:Thank you.

M:Eh,Lois,can I get you a drink?

W:No,thanks.Not for the moment.

M:Look.Lois,why don't we go some place quiet and have dinner together?

W:What?But excuse me,sir.Here comes my husband.It's a pleasure meeting you.

C It's never easy to admit you are wrong.

Being human,we all need to know the art of apologizing.

Look back with honesty and think how often you've judged roughly,said unkind things,pushed yourself ahead at the expense of a friend.

Then count the occasions when you indicated clearly and truly that you were sorry.

A bit frightenig,isn't it?

Frightening because some deep wisdom in us knows that when even a small wrong has been committed,some mysterious moral feeling is disturbed;and it stays out of balance until fault is acknowledged and regret expressed.

I remember a doctor friend Clarence Lieb,telling me about a man who came to him with a variety of signs:headaches,insomnia and stomach trouble.No physical cause could be found.

Finally Dr.Lieb said to the man,"unless you tell me what's worrying you,I can't help you."

After some hesitation,the man confessed that,as executor of his father's will,he had been cheating his brother,who lived abroad,of his inheritance.

Then and there the wise old doctor made the man write to his brother asking forgiveness and enclosing a cheque as the first step in restoring their good relation.

He then went with him to the mail box in the corridor.

As the letter disappeared,the man burst into tears.

"Thank you,"he said."I think I'm cured."And he was.

A heartfelt apology can not only heal a damaged ralationship but also make it stronger.

If you can think of someone who deserves an apology from you,someone you have wronged,or judged too roughly,or just neglected,do something about it right now.

Supplementary Reading

Norwegians and the Nature

In the unconscious of a traveler,

Norway evokes a concept of an extreme land,of absolute north.

The extreme north of Europe is known as Lapland,a land that straddles the Norwegian borders to include the northern part of Scandinavia and a small portion of Russia.

The native population is the"Sami"who live traditionally on hunting and fishing,in symbiosis,even if nowadays in a technological versions,with their environment.

The capital of Norway,Oslo,has a population of barely half a million.

The city ensures the necessary administrative and cultural cohesion of people who have a very strong sense of harmony with the nature,born in their distant viking past and proudly cultivated throughout the years.

The Holmenkollen ski-jumping board is one of the most famous symbols of Oslo.

Norwegians'relationship with skis goes very far back in time:indeed it is not improbable that even the vikings traversed Scandinavia on these wooden slats.

The fundamental relationship that Norwegians have with nature makes them open and uninhibited with respect to nudity.

Here,the human body is displayed with spontaneity and directness,like one of the many natural elements that blend in with the landscape.

In front of the square of the City Hall,the quay that overlooks the fjord the Aker Brygge-has been attractively restructured and turned into a walk,a shopping centre and an entertainment area.

But the grand spectacle is still the beating of the waves of the sea and the boats bathed in the golden light of the summer.

Another look at the fortress of Akershus,which once again demonstrates the harmony of the city with nature,is all the more worthwhile.

The itinerary from north to south is a compendium of Nowrwegian nature:thundering water-falls,rushing mountain streams and roads that run along glaciers,after having gone through dense pine forests and coastal lakes and fjord.

The interior of the country is incredibly rugged and almost one third of it is couvered with trees.

Despite its northern latitude,the Norwegian climate is essentially mnaritime and damp,because it is influeced by the mitigating action of the warm Gulf Stream,originating from the Gulf of Mexico,which flows up the coast preventing the formation of sea ice.

Bergen,a port lying in the southeast of the country,is crowede with brightly coloured houses,which belongs to German traders of the powerful Hanseatic League.

Despite sevewral fires,the area maintains the atmosphere of the"old port"and commercial city from the Middle ages.

UNESCO recently declared it a world heritage site and inclueded it on the list of monuments that are to be preserved.

There is a large park in the centre of Bergen which is taken up almost completely by an octagonal lake,around which,lie some of the principal museums in the city.

The Hakonshallen,the most beautiful monument in the city,lies within the walls of Bergen's fortress.

The great 13th century Gothic hall was buitlt for the parties and the rceptinons in the days of the city's control over trade in the North Sea.

You get the best view over Bergen,the fijord and the surrounding pine-covered mountains from the Belvedere.

It's easy to admire Norwegians for their unique way of respecting the nature!

From north to south,from Lapland to Osl and Bergen,

Norwegian people have conviced us,with time,that human beings,as the most advanced yet most vulnerable in the grand family of nature,can live in harmony with all its other members.