全新版大学英语综合教程,第二册 Unit Three The Generation Gap,Unit Three Text A: Father Knows Better,Cultural Notes Language Points Text Analysis Exercises Assignments,Cultural Notes:,1. Family life Some families are very child-centered. The closest families eat meals at the same time and spend their free time together. Some families, however, only see each other for a short time in the evening, and though the children are still considered important, they have to fit in with the lives of their parents. The average day for many families begins with getting the children up and ready for school.,,There is usually a rush for everyone to use the bathroom, find clean clothes, eat breakfast, and catch the bus. In the meantime the parents have to get ready for work themselves. Early mornings are a scramble for many families. The school day usually ends at about 3 p.m. in the US and 4 p.m. in Britain, and the working day at 5 p.m. or later, so many parents have to make arrangements for their children after school. They may go to an after school center or stay with a neighbor’s children. Older children often do activities like sports or music at their school, or go home and do their homework. Children often also have to do chores.,,In many families, the children eat when they get home and their parents eat later. In the evenings the children play or go and see friends. If everyone is staying in they may watch television together. Many parents make an effort to spend quality time with their children, an hour or so each day when they give them their full attention. American families are often criticized for the way they do things separately, though many people believe that it is good for children to learn to be independent. From an early age children are encouraged to decide what they want to do, eat or wear, and their parents try to respect their opinions.,Cultural Notes:,2. Part-time job Many American teenagers earn a good portion of their college expenses by working during the summer as waiters or waitresses, construction workers, mothers’ helper, gas station attendants, telephone operators or messengers. They are not concerned with status. Being unskilled, they try to find jobs at whatever level they can. They seek not only money, but also experience. They learn work habits, responsibility, the ability to take orders and to get along with a boss and different kinds of people.,Language Points:,embarrass dumb in unison consist of fade overall trade (sth.) for (sth. else) keep/leave (sb.) in suspense interrupt distract hand down at any rate narrow down exhaust come over know better than that/to do sth constant in charge of fill out junior,embarrass:,vt. make (sb.) feel awkward or ashamed eg: I chose my words carefully in order to avoid embarrassing anyone. It embarrassed him that he had to give a talk in front of a lot of people. embarrassed adj. eg. I was really embarrassed when I knocked the cup of tea over my teacher.,dumb:,adj. (infml) 1) foolish eg: He was so dumb that he left his keys at home again. Don’t be so dumb. You can’t get a loan from the bank if you are laid-off. 2) unable to speak eg: Children born deaf and dumb can nowadays be taught to speak and lip-read. Martin was born dumb, but he has still managed to get a good job.,in unison:,acting in the same way at the same time eg: The children find it difficult to play their instruments in unison. The international community is ready to work in unison against terrorism.,consist of:,be made up of eg: The book consists of essays written over the last twenty years. The committee consists of scientists and engineers.,fade:,vi. 1) lose color or brightness eg: All color fades——especially under the impact of direct sunlight. The sunlight gradually faded. 2) disappear slowly eg: Her enthusiasm for early-morning exercises faded as the weather was getting colder and colder. They watched the mountains fade into the darkness.,overall:,1) in general (adv.) eg: The college has few ways to assess the quality of education overall. Overall, I like Marie, despite her faults. 2) including everything; total (only before noun) eg: Cut down your overall amount of extracurricular activities and spend more time on your studying. The overall length is 15 feet.,trade (sth.) for (sth. else):,exchange (sth.) for (sth. else) eg: The farmers traded farm produce for manufactured goods and money. I will trade my stamp collection for your model boat.,keep/leave (sb.) in suspense:,delay telling (sb.) what they are eager to know eg: The audience is kept in suspense to the very end of the play. I won’t keep you in suspense any longer. Here are the results of the mid-term exam.,interrupt:,vt. stop (sb.) from continuing what they are saying or doing eg: My daughter kept interrupting me whenever I spoke. I’m sorry to interrupt, but you’re not really answering my question. Nobody was allowed to interrupt them while the meeting was in p。