Public concern about the family remains high for many reasons. High rates of teen-age pregnancy and births to unmarried mothers force many young women to leave school or abandon career plans. Children from such families often grow up in poverty and are more likely to turn to crime. Drug and alcohol use and domestic violence also plague many families and lead to developmental disorders in children.
With both mothers and fathers in many families working, parents struggle to find enough time to spend with their children. Working parents who can afford to may send their children to day care, but such parents often feel guilty that they do not spend enough time with their children. Those who cannot afford to or do not choose to use day care often have to leave their jobs or take cuts in pay. The resulting loss of income makes it harder for them to keep up their standard of living. For poorer parents, such a cut in earnings can be devastating.
Although not a new problem, divorce remains an important challenge for families to overcome. Most men and women who seek a divorce do so because they cannot solve certain problems in their marriage. Such problems may include differences in goals or financial difficulty. If such problems remain unsolved, the marriage often breaks down. Divorce can affect every member of the family deeply. Children, for example, may grow up in a fatherless or motherless home. If one or both of the parents remarry, the children may not develop loving relationships with their new stepparents.
Despite the challenges of today’s society, however, the family is not a dying institution. In many respects, family life today is stronger than it was in the past. Most people marry and have children. While divorce rates are higher than in the past, most individuals who do divorce eventually remarry. Because of declining death rates, more couples now grow into old age together, and more children have living grandparents. These relatives generally live much farther away from each other than they did in the past. However, e-mail and other communications technology may promote greater contact between separated family members.
Meanwhile, parents now make greater emotional and economic investment in their children. Lower birth rates mean that parents can devote more attention and greater financial resources to each child. Fathers especially have become more involved in child rearing.
More than ever before, families in trouble can receive help from a variety of outside sources, such as a family counselor, a social worker, or a psychologist. Such specialists often meet with the entire family to help its members work out problems together. Public welfare agencies and other groups provide economic aid to poor families and assistance to abused spouses or children.
In the future, families will continue to face many challenges, especially the need to balance the demands of work and family life. Working parents must not only care for their young children, but, because of increasing life spans, tend to aging parents as well.
(Steven Mintz, Ph.D., Associate Professor of History, University of Houston)
Questions
1. What are the main reasons of public concern about the family? 2. Why do parents spend less time with their children? 3. What are some of the reasons for divorce according to the author of the article? What other reasons can you add? 4. How can you prove that in spite of all modern challenges family is not a dying institution? 5. What does the author mean when he speaks about greater emotional and economic investment of parents in their children? 6. What are the sources of outside help to the families in trouble?
Topics for essays
1. Challenges and opportunities of a modern family.
2. The role and functions of the family in one’s life.
3. Your family and the relationships you are having with them.
Module 2. MARRIAGE. MARRIED LIFE
Exercise1. Read and translate the following text.Retell the text.
Engagement and Marriage
InIndia and many other countries, most marriages are arranged by parents, deciding whom their children will marry. But in European countries, including the United States and Canada, nearly everyone makes his or her own decision about whom and when to marry. Before people marry, they date members of the opposite sex. A man and woman who date each other spend a great deal of time together learning to know the other person. After they have dated over time, they may find that they love each other and decide to become engaged.
At the age of 21 in England or at the age of 18 in some other countries, persons of both sexes come of age. Boys and girls are permitted to become “engaged” or betrothed, when still in their “teens”. A boy can, with his parents’ consent, propose to a girl and then marry her before he is twenty-one years of age. As a pledge of good faith he presents his bride-elect with an engagement ring, which is worn on the third finger of the left hand. The use of a ring as an engagement token comes from the ancient custom of using a ring to seal an important agreement. In ordinary speech, a man who is engaged, but not yet married to a lady, when speaking about her, will say: “My intended ”, or “My fiancée ”. The young lady, on a same occasion, will say the same. Generally, modern girls receive no marriage portion (wedding-dower) on marrying, as a man is obliged to maintain his wife and children himself.
Most wedding ceremonies involve two requirements. First, the man and woman must say that they want to become husband and wife. Second, the ceremony must have witnesses, including the official who marries the couple. If the couple have a religious ceremony, it is conducted by a member of the clergy, such as a minister, priest, or rabbi. If a couple are married in a civil (nonreligious) ceremony, a judge or some other authorized official performs it. During the days of long sea voyages, the captain of a ship is authorized to conduct a marriage ceremony while the ship is at sea. Many couples prefer a traditional religious ceremony, though some people depart from custom. Some even write their own wedding service.
A traditional marriage ceremony in Britain or the USA begins with the bridesmaids and ushers with the best man walking slowly down a center aisle to the altar. They stand on each side of the altar throughout the ceremony. The groom enters and waits for the bride at the altar. The bride then walks down the aisle with her father, another male relative, or a family friend. She wears a white dress and veil and carries a bouquet. At the altar, the bride and groom exchange marriage vows and accept each other as husband and wife. The groom puts a wedding ring on the ring finger of the bride’s left hand, and the bride may also give the groom a ring. This ring she wears for the rest of her life. After the ceremony, the bride and groom kiss and then leave down the main aisle. When the ceremony is over, all go back to the house, where the lady has been living, to the wedding party. The prominent feature of the wedding party is the highly-decorated wedding-cake, whose richness symbolizes fertility, just as it has done since Roman times. Today, the first slice is cut by the bride to ensure a fruitful marriage. After the guests have drunk the bride’s and bridegroom’s health, the happy newly-married couple take leave and depart on their honeymoon or to their new home.
Questions:
1. Are marriages in your country arranged by the parents, or do the young people decide themselves whom to marry? 2. How do you understand the expression “to come of age”? When do young people in your country come of age? 3. Are boys and girls in England permitted to become engaged when still in their teens? 4. Starting with what age is it officially permitted to get married in your country? 5. What does an engagement ring mean and on what finger is it worn? 6. In what way do the engaged persons speak about each other? 7. Do modern girls receive marriage portions? Why? 8. Describe the wedding ceremony in English speaking countries. 9. Does the wedding ceremony in your country go in the same way? 10. What is a prominent feature of the wedding party? Why is the wedding cake so richly decorated?
Exercise 2. Explain the difference between the following words:
1. Marriage and wedding 2. Fiancée and bride
3.Fiancé and groom 4. Married and engaged
5. Usher and best man 6. Hen party and stag party
Exercise 3. Read through the paragraphs and complete them with the correct missing words. Read the whole paragraph once, then read it again while trying to choose the right vocabulary.
Jack and Diane met at university. It was a case of love at first (1) …. It was a whirlwind romance; they (2) … for just 3 months before getting engaged. Although Diane’s parents were surprised that Diane had decided to tie the (3) … so soon (and at such a young age), they trusted her to make the right decision. Jack was nervous meeting them for the first time, but that’s natural, meeting your future (4) … can be a nerve-wracking experience. Diane’s parents took an instant shine to Jack and they were touched to hear that he had gotten down on one knee when he (5) … to her. Six months after their first date, Diane and Jack (6) …. They didn’t have a large wedding (7) …, instead they got married at the local (8) … and had a small (9) …, for family and close fiends, in the local pub. Because they were both still busy with university, they didn’t have the time or money for a big (10) …. They made do with a weekend in the countryside.
Twenty years, and three children later, Jack and Diane today celebrate their 20th wedding (11) …. The happy couple say there is no secret to their successful marriage, they just both feel lucky to have found each other.
A – knot E – ceremony I – dated
B – anniversary F – reception J – registry office
C – in-laws G – honeymoon K – sight
D – proposed H – married
| Listening |
Exercise 4. You are going to listen to the interview with Sarita and Ranjit Sharma, whose marriage was arranged. Before you listen answer the following questions.
What is an “arranged marriage’?
In which countries or cultures is this type of marriage common?
Do you know anyone who has had an arranged marriage?
Imagine that your parents arranging a marriage for you. What questions would you like them to ask about your future husband/wife?
Why do you think Sarita’s and Ranjit’s parents like the system of arranged marriges?
Do you think an arranged marriage is a good idea?
Listen to the interview. Write T (true), F (false) or? (don’t know) in the boxes next to these statements.
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2. Satita’s mother liked Ranjit a lot. ☐
3. The first time SaritaansRanjit met, their families were present. ☐
4. They were very physically attracted to each other when they met. ☐
5. Sarita and Ranjit agreed to get married after knowing each other for just two weeks. ☐
6. They fell in love with each other about two years after their
marriage. ☐
Listen again and fill in the gaps in the sentences below.
1.Sarita was … in …when her family found her a fiancé, who lived in ….
2. They made some … and decided that Ranjit was a …….
3. According to Sarita, when they first met there was not a great … of ….Ranjit also acknowledges that there wasn’t that … you get if you see someone you … at the party. It was more a … attraction.
4.Sarita says that she couldn’t … an exact moment when they fell in love with each other; just about … years into the relationship.
5.Ranjit characterises their love as …, deep and ….
Roleplay the conversation between Satita and Ranjit when they go out for a drink on their own the first time they met.
Exercise 5. Supply the terms for marriage types to complete the definitions. Consult the vocabulary at the end on the Section 1.
1 … is a marriage that is at some level settled by someone other than those being married.
2 … is a marriage with a person of inferior social status.
3 … is a marriage with one spouse exclusively for life or for a period of time.
4 … is a marriage between people belonging to different religions, tribes, nationalities or ethnic backgrounds.
5 … is a term used by social conservatives to describe only monogamous opposite sex marriages.
6 … is a marriage in which one or more of the parties is married without his/her consent or against his/her will.
7 … is a form of marriage in which the husband has several wives.
8 … is a form of marriage where the basis for the marriage is love.
9 … is a marriage contracted for reasons other than the reasons of relationship, family, or love. Instead, such a marriage is orchestrated for personal gain or some other sort of strategic purpose, such as political marriage.
10 … is a form of marriage in which the wife has several husbands.
11 … is a speedy marriage between couples.
12 … is a marriage between two people who are of the same sex.
Exercise 6. Choose the word/phrase that suits the sentence. Explain why the other variant doesn’t fit. Consult the dictionary if necessary.
1. The girl that you are engaged to is your (fiancée/financier).
2. An informal way of saying "they got married" is "they tied the" (rope/knot).
3. He's not a good husband. He (dates/cheats) on his wife with other women.
4. When they got engaged, he gave her a beautiful (wedding/engagement) ring.
5. "Head over " (heels/shoes/toes) means "very much in love".
6. I thought it was love, but it was only an (infatuation/inflammation) that lasted for three months.
7. She had a (crush/crash) on him the moment he caught a sight of him.
8. Ann’s friends threw a wonderful (stag party/bridal shower) for her the night before the wedding.
9. The (fiancée/bride) looks gorgeous in her designer wedding dress.
10.She asked Samantha to be her (matron of honour/best man) as they had been friends since childhood.
11. After the wedding they went (for/to/on) their honeymoon to the Caribbean.
12. My Grandma has been married (to/with) my Granddad for 50 years and they still love each other.
13. After marrying her he got a huge (dowry/maintenance) so he can afford enjoying himself.
14. Peter is 50 and unmarried and his friends call him ‘an eligible (bachelor/independent/single).
15. The bridegroom was handed the ring by the (assistant groom/ best man/god father).
Exercise 7. What is the best way to meet members of the opposite sex? Look at these suggestions. Tick (✓) those you think are good, put a cross (✗) beside those you think are bad. Give reasons.
ü at university or college
ü at church
ü at a political club
ü through a shared interest, for example a sport
ü through mutual friends
ü at parties or dances
ü through introduction by members of one’s family
ü at work
ü on holiday
Exercise 8. Imagine you have now met someone you like. What is the best way of getting to know him/her better? Should you:
ü persuade a friend to help?
ü ask your parents to arrange a meeting?
ü just hope that you meet him/her somewhere?
ü write a letter arranging a meeting or a date?
ü find a way to meet the person again making it look ‘accidental’?
Exercise 9. The following extract is from a novel written in 1968. In the extract, Sammy gets to see Beatrice, the girl he has fallen in love with.
Read the extract below and on the next page without pausing at unknown words.
| They were coming out of the training college already, I could see them, fair heads and mousy ones, giggling and laughing in flocks, tinkling their good-byes and waving, so girlish and free, the thin ones, tall ones, dumpy ones, humpy ones, inky ones, slinky ones, gamesy ones and stern ones with glasses on. I was in the gutter, sitting on my bike, willing them to die, be raped, bombed or otherwise obliterated because this demanded split-second timing. And, of course, she might not come out at all – might be – what the hell did you do in the girls’ training college at half-past four on an autumn afternoon? The crowd was thinning out. If she saw me first so obviously sitting my saddle in the gutter and waiting, the game would be up. Had to accident, I had to be riding when she saw me; so I pushed off and balanced along with circus slowness, half hoping now that the crisis was at hand that she would not come out and my misbehaving heart would be able to settle again, wobble wobble heart and bike and she appeared with two others turned and walked away without seeing me. But I had rehearsed this too often in my bed for my heart and swelling hands to let me down. The whole thing was mechanical, fruit of terrible concentrated thought and repetition. I rode casually, one hand in my pocket and the other on my hip. Look, no hands, swaying this way and that. She was past and behind me. Startled I looked back, grabbed the handle-bars, braked and skidded to a stop by the pavement, looked back brazenly as she approached, grinned brazenly in immense surprise – ‘ Why, if it isn’t Beatrice Ifor’! …… |
What do you think happens next?
ü Beatrice pretends not to know Sammy?
ü It’s not Beatrice after all?
ü Beatrice talks briefly but then makes an excuse to leave?
ü Beatrice is persuaded by Sammy to stay and talk with him for a while?
Read the rest of the text.
| … So they stopped all three while my rehearsed prattle left her no chance of moving on without being rude; and those other two moved on almost immediately, waving back and giggling. – was just cycling past – never dreamed – so this is the training college, isn’t it? I come along this road a lot or shall do it in the future. Yes, a course. I prefer cycling between the other place and the other place – no buses for me. Can’t stand ’em. Coarse in lithography. Were you going back to your digs? No. I’ll walk. Can I carry? Are you enjoying it here? Is the work hard? You seem to be thriving on – yes. Look. I was going to have a cup of tea before I ride the rest – how – oh, but you must! One doesn’t meet – and after all these months, too! There was a small round table of imitation marble on three iron legs. She was sitting on the other side. I had her now for whole minutes, islanded out of all the complexities of living. By sheer hard work and calculation I had brought this above. from Free Fall by William Golding, 1968 |
Exercise 10. Match each of the verb phrases in the box with an appropriate picture (a-b).
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| chat smb up ☐ | fancy smb☐ | have a row☐ | move in together☐ |
Put the stages of a relationship in a logical order (1-12). Add or take away stages if you think it’s necessary.
a) You get married. ☐ g) You meet the parents. ☐
b) You chat somebody up ☐ h) You go out together. ☐
c) You ring somebody up. ☐ i) You have a row. ☐
d) You fancy somebody. ☐ j) You kiss. ☐
e) You move in together. ☐ k) You split up. ☐
f) You have children. ☐ l) You fall in love. ☐
Exercise 11. Put the infinitives in brackets in the Present Simple, Present Perfect or Past Simple, Past Continuous Tense.
In earlier centuries, young adults … (to be expected) to court with the intention of finding a marriage partner, rather than for social reasons. However, by the Jazz Age of the 1920s, dating for fun … (to become) an expectation, and by the 1930s, it … (to be assumed) that any popular young person would have lots of dates. This form of dating, though, … (to be) usually more chaste than … (to be seen) today, since pre-marital sex … (to be not considered) the norm.
After the sexual revolution of the 1960s and 1970s, this "old-fashioned" form of dating … (to wane) in popularity. Couples … (to become) more likely to "hook up" or "hang out" with large groups than to go on an old-fashioned date, and frequently … (go) from "hanging out" to an exclusive relationship without engaging in what their parents or grandparents might have called dating.
In recent years, a number of college newspapers … (to feature) editorials where students … (to decry) the lack of "dating" on their campuses. This may be a result of a highly-publicized 2001 study and campaign sponsored by the conservative American women's group Independent Women's Forum, which … (to promote) "traditional" dating.
Also, in recent years traditional dating … (to evolve and to take) on the metamorphic properties necessary to sustain itself in today's world. This can be seen in the rise in internet dating, speed dating or gradual exclusivity dating. Some … (to theorize) that courtship as it … (to be known) to prior generations … (to see) its last days and the next closest thing is gradual exclusivity, where the partners … (to respect) and (to value) each others' individual lives but still … (to maintain) the ultimate goal of being together even if time or space … (not to permit) it now.
Those who … (to find) their dating skills lacking may hire dating coaches. While traditional dating advice … (to be given) from ancient times on, the Internet … (to make) it possible for individuals (mostly men, as their social role in Western cultures … (to require) more proactivity) to share their experience worldwide and form the seduction community.
| Listening |
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| When did they first meet? When did they get married to each other? |
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Write Fred, Edna or They in these sentences about their story.
1. … first met in Blackpool and went out together for three months.
2. … moved to different places and lost touch with each other.
3. … was married to another person for forty-eight years.
4. … got divorced after thirty years of marriage.
5. … went to Blackpool with the grandson and visited all the old places.
6. … thought about the other person and wanted to find this person.
7. … wrote a letter to the local newspaper.
8. … had a cousin in Blackpool who mentioned the letter.
9. … met soon after that and moved in together.
10. … got married –fifty years after they first met.
Exercise 13. Fill in the gaps with the correct form of the word listed.
| best | go | in | honeymoon | meet |
| anniversary | engage | to | stranger | get |
| marriage | christen | know | fall | wedding |
LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT
Last August, Tony and Julie were complete (1) …. They hadn’t even heard of each other. They first (2) … at Michael’s twenty-first birthday party and they tool (3) … each other immediately. As they got to (4) … each other, they realised they had many things (5) … common. After the party they began (6) … out together. Before long, they had (7) … in love. They decided to get (8) … and then if all went well (9) … married a year later. Julie said she didn’t believe (10) … was a good idea before they had both found good jobs. In the end, the (11) … took place in August, on the first (12) … of their meeting at Michael’s party. It was held in St Martin’s Church, which was where Anthony had been (13) … as a baby. Their (14) … man was Michael, who had invited them to his party a year before. For their (15) … they went on a two week cruise of the Aegean islands.
(Grammar and Vocabulary for First Certificate)
Exercise 14. Translate into English.
Яищусебежену. Какой она должна быть? Я не требую от нее интересной внешности. Пусть у нее будет только стройная фигура и красивое лицо.
Она должна быть веселой, когда я шучу. И шутить, когда я прихожу домой навеселе. Меня не интересует ее жилплощадь. Главное – чтобы она была большая.
Меня не интересует ее зарплата. Лишь бы она была больше моей. А вот расходы на свадьбу – поровну; половину внесет она, а другую – ее родители.
Я уверен: когда мы поженимся, у нас появятся общие интересы. Если, например, она не захочет идти со мной на футбол, то мы останемся дома и будем смотреть по телевизору хоккей. Я буду заботиться о ее здоровье. Чтобы к ней не попадало спиртное, табачное, мучное и сладкое, я буду все это уничтожать сам.
Она будет у меня одеваться как богиня: просто и недорого. Я возьму на себя часть ее работы, если, конечно, она возьмет на себя всю мою. Мне не важно, как она будет готовить. Лишь бы это было вкусно. И необязательно, чтобы это была только русская кухня. Здесь у нее полная свобода: сегодня кухня грузинская, а завтра – венгерская утром и китайская вечером.
Я ищу себе жену. Я готов отдать ей полжизни, если она отдаст мне свою целиком. Если ее не будут удовлетворять мои требования, пусть ищет себе нового мужа. Вот уже много лет я ищу себе жену.
(из “Литературной газеты”)
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What do you know about wedding traditions in these countries?
What wedding traditions are there in your country?
Exercise 16. Read the following short passage and compare the wedding traditions in Great Britain. Say what is different and what they have in common.
Wedding Superstitions
In England the wedding preparations, ceremony and fest have all become loaded with ritual practices to ward off evil and bless the marriage with fortune and fertility.
The choice of date is important. May is traditionally unlucky for weddings. The tradition that the bride’s parents should pay for the wedding dates from two or three centuries ago, when wealthy families would pay an eligible bachelor to take an unmarried daughter off their hands in exchange for a large dowry. At most formal weddings, brides still get married in virginal white – many other colours are considered unlucky. A bride will also ensure that her wedding outfit includes “something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue”. “Old” maintains her link with the past; “new” symbolizes the future; “borrowed” gives her a link with the present; and “blue” symbolizes her purity. Even a modern bride will observe the taboos about wearing her dress before the ceremony. The groom mustn’t see her in it until she enters the church. The veil should be put on for the first time as she lives for the church.
It’s a lucky omen if the bride should see a chimney sweep on her way to church. Sometimes a sweep is paid to attend the ceremony and kiss the bride – a relic of the idea that soot and ashes are symbols of fertility.
After the ceremony, the couple are showered with confetti. At many weddings, the guests throw rice at the bride and groom as a wish for children and good fortune. Rice was once a symbol of fertility, happiness, and long life. One old custom was for the bride and sometimes the groom to negotiate some obstacles as they left the church – guests would impede them with ropes of flowers, for example, or with sticks that had to be jumped over.
The bride may toss her bouquet to the unmarried female guests. The woman who catches the flowers will supposedly be the next to marry. The bride may also throw her garter to the unmarried men. The man who catches it will supposedly be the next male to marry.
(https://lingualeo.com)
Agree or disagree with the following statements:
1 The husband should be more intelligent than the wife.
2 Spouses should be alike.
3 Money often keeps people together.
4 Marriage should be compulsory for everyone.
5 The idea of getting engaged is old-fashioned.
6 Divorce is nearly as popular as marriage in some countries but not others.
Use:
| For disagreement: Yes, that’s quite true, but… I’m not sure I quite agree… Perhaps, but don’t you think that… Well, you have a point there, but… I see what you mean, but… |
| For agreement: I couldn’t agree more… That’s just what I was thinking… You know, that’s exactly what I think… I agree entirely… That’s a good point… |
| For more categorical and informal disagreement: I can’t agree with you here. You can’t be serious! Come off it! Don’t be silly! |
Exercise 17. Read these descriptions of wedding rituals. Are any of them common in your country?
1. The bride and groom cut the wedding cake together.
2. The bride and groom exchange gold coins during the church ceremony.
3. The bride has her hands and feet decorated in henna design.
4. Guests pin money on the bridegroom’s suit during the reception.
5. Guests throw rice over the bride and groom as they leave the church.
6. An older person holds a black umbrella over the bride’s head as she leaves her home to go to the groom’s house.
7. The bride throws her bouquet of flowers over her shoulder into the crowd of guests.
8. The father of the bride, the groom and the best man make speeches at the reception.
| Listening |
Listen to four people talking about wedding rituals. Match a ritual ( a-h ) from the list above with a person ( 1-4 ). What is the meaning of each ritual?
Jorge (Spain) Sandra (Thailand) Ilhan (Turkey) Laila (Morocco)
| Report |
The preparation to the wedding.
Bride’s and groom’s outfits.
The wedding gifts.
The wedding ceremony and reception.
After-wedding traditions
Exercise 18. Use each verb in the Present Simple or the Present Continuous to complete the sentences. Explain the choice of tenses.
Have
1. Don’t even think of asking her out. She … a fiancé and he is ridiculously jealous.
2. Jack … his stag party at Barty Bar tomorrow at seven.
Think
1. What … you … of her new boy-friend? He seems fine, doesn’t he?
2. You are day-dreaming. What … you … about?
Expect
1. We … his offer very soon. I heard he’s bought a ring already.
2. I … they’ll get married at St. James church.
Appear
1. His in-laws-to-be … to put up with their daughter’s choice, but he is still uncertain about whether they like him or not.
2. Her fiancé, Roy, … at Her Majesty’s Theatre in the role of King Lear.
Smell
1. The church … lilies and freesia, the bride’s favourite flowers.
2. Why … you … the wedding cake? Do you think something is wrong with it?
See
1. I … what you mean, but I’m still sure their marriage is a love-match.
2. I … the solicitor about our marriage contract.
Look
1. It … the best man is still being late. They do not start the ceremony without him.
2. What are you doing on your hands and knees? … you … for something? ~ The ring. I’ve dropped it.
Feel
1. You must be too nervous about the wedding, that’s why you … ill.
2. I … she’ll answer “no” to my offer.
Guess
1. That isn’t the answer! You …! Think before you speak!
2. I … you are wondering who will be my maid of honour.
Exercise19. Read the letters above about different weddings and put the missing words into the crossword.
| Dear Bill I am glad you got the [8 across] to my brother’s wedding and will take place in the garden of the bride’s family. The wedding [10 down] will begin with the groom arriving there on aa horse. The [11 across] starts with the couple bowing to each other and to the [6 across]. You will have to be patient as there are no chairs! The bride and groom with both wear colourful, traditional clothes and all my relatives will probably wear traditional clothes too but the other [5 down]just dress smartly. However, don’t dress too informally or wear black. After the wedding we will go to a restaurant to have a traditional lunch. You can give the couple any kind of [9 across] but we usually give money. If you want to take [6 down] of the couple, you can but you shouldn’t go too close. | Dear Satya I’m so pleased you’re coming to my sister’s wedding in our village. She’s getting married on the same day as my parents’ silver wedding [4 down] – they’ve been married for 25 years. So first of all everybody will go to the Town Hall for a civil [11 across] and then we’ll go to the village church where the bride and groom will exchange gold [2 down]. In the church the bride’s family sit on one side and the groom’s on the other. My sister is going to wear a long white [10 across] and the groom will wear a [7 down]. Most people dress formally and some women wear hats. On the way out of the church everyone throws rice or flower petals over the couple for good luck. Then we’ll go to the [1 down] which will be in a hotel nearby. There’ll be lots to eat and drink and a [3 across] which is cut by the bride and groom. If you want to bring a [9 across], most people buy something for the couple’s new home. |
(Vocabulary for First Certificate English)
| R1 | R2 | |||||||||||||
| C3 | A4 | G5 | P6 | S7 | ||||||||||
| I8 | ||||||||||||||
| P9 | D10 | |||||||||||||
| C11 | ||||||||||||||
Exercise20. Read and translate the following text.
When I was seventeen, my life changed forever.
As I walk the streets of Beaufort forty years later, thinking back on that year of my life, I remember everything as clearly as if it were all still unfolding before my very eyes. I remember Jamie saying yes to my breathless question and how we both began to cry together. I remember talking to both Hegbert and my parents, explaining to them what I needed to do. They thought I was doing it only for Jamie, and all three of them tried to talk me out of it, especially when they realised that Jamie had said yes. What they didn’t understand, and I had to make clear to them, was that I needed to do it for me. I was in love with her, so deeply in love that I didn’t care if she was sick. I didn’t care that we wouldn’t have long together. None of those things mattered to me. All I cared about was doing something that my heart had told me was the right thing to do. In my mind it was the first time God had ever spoken directly to me, and I knew with certainty that I wasn’t going to disobey.
I know that some of you may wonder if I was doing it out of pity. Some of the more cynical may even wonder if I did it because she'd be gone soon anyway and I wasn’t committing much. The answer to both questions is no. I would have married Jamie Sullivan no matter what happened in the future. I would have married Jamie Sullivan if the miracle I was praying for had suddenly come true. I knew it at the moment I asked her, and I still know it today. Jamie was more than just the woman I loved. In that year Jamie helped me become the man I am today. With her steady hand she showed me how important it was to help others; with her patience and kindness she showed me what life is really all about. Her cheerfulness and optimism, even in times of sickness, was the most amazing thing I have ever witnessed.
We were married by Hegbert in the Baptist church, my father standing beside me as the best man. That was another thing she did. In the South it's a tradition to have your father beside you, but for me it's a tradition that wouldn’t have had much meaning before Jamie came into my life. Jamie had brought my father and me together again; somehow she'd also managed to heal some of the wounds between our two families. After what he’d done for me and for Jamie, I knew in the end that my father was someone I could always count on, and as the years passed our relationship grew steadily stronger until his death. Jamie also taught me the value of forgiveness and the transforming power that it offers. I realized this the day that Eric and Margaret had come to her house. Jamie held no grudges. Jamie led her life the way the Bible taught. Jamie was not only the angel who saved Tom Thornton, she was the angel who saved us all.
Just as she'd wanted, the church was bursting with people. Over two hundred guests were inside, and more than that waited outside the doors as we were married on March 12, 1959. Because we were married on such short notice, there wasn’t time to make many arrangements, and people came out of the woodwork to make the day as special as they could, simply by showing up to support us. I saw everyone I knew Miss Garber, Eric, Margaret, Eddie, Sally, Carey, Angela, and even Lew and his grandmother and there wasn’t a dry eye in the house when the entrance music began.
Although Jamie was weak and hadn’t moved from her bed in two weeks, she insisted on walking down the aisle so that her father could give her away. It's very important to me, Landon, she’d said. It's part of my dream, remember? Though I assumed it would be impossible, I simply nodded. I couldn’t help but wonder at her faith. I knew she planned on wearing the dress she'd worn in the Playhouse the night of the play. It was the only white dress that was available on such short notice, though I knew it would hang more loosely than it had before.
While I was wondering how Jamie would look in the dress, my father laid his hand on my shoulder as we stood before the congregation. I’m proud of you, son. I nodded. I’m proud of you, too, Dad. It was the first time I'd ever said those words to him. My mom was in the front row, dabbing her eyes with her handkerchief when the Wedding March began. The doors opened and I saw Jamie, seated in her wheelchair, a nurse by her side. With all the strength she had left, Jamie stood shakily as her father supported her. Then Jamie and Hegbert slowly made their way down the aisle, while everyone in the church sat silently in wonder. Halfway down the aisle, Jamie suddenly seemed to tire, and they stopped while she caught her breath. Her eyes closed, and for a moment I didn’t think she could go on. I know that no more than ten or twelve seconds elapsed, but it seemed much longer, and finally she nodded slightly. With that, Jamie and Hegbert started moving again, and I felt my heart surge with pride. It was, I remembered thinking, the most difficult walk anyone ever had to make. In every way, a walk to remember.
The nurse had rolled the wheelchair up front as Jamie and her father made their way toward me. When she finally reached my side, there were gasps of joy and everyone spontaneously began to clap. The nurse rolled the wheelchair into position, and Jamie sat down again, spent. With a smile I lowered myself to my knees so that I would be level with her. My father then did the same. Hegbert, after kissing Jamie on the cheek, retrieved his Bible in order to begin the ceremony. All business now, he seemed to have abandoned his role as Jamie’s father to something more distant, where he could keep his emotions in check. Yet I could see him struggling as he stood before us. He perched his glasses on his nose and opened the Bible, then looked at Jamie and me. Hegbert towered over us, and I could tell that he hadn’t anticipated our being so much lower. For a moment he stood before us, almost confused, then surprisingly decided to kneel as well. Jamie smiled and reached for his free hand, then reached for mine, linking us together.
Hegbert began the ceremony in the traditional way, then read the passage in the Bible that Jamie had once pointed out to me. Knowing how weak she was, I thought he would have us recite the vows right away, but once more Hegbert surprised me. He looked at Jamie and me, then out to the congregation, then back to us again, as if searching for the right words. He cleared his throat, and his voice rose so that everyone could hear it. This is what he said: As a father, I’m supposed to give away my daughter, but I’m not sure that I’m able to do this. The congregation went silent, and Hegbert nodded at me, willing me to be patient. Jamie squeezed my hand in support. I can no more give Jamie away than I can give away my heart. But what I can do is to let another share in the joy that she has always given me. May Gods blessings be with you both. It was then that he set aside the Bible. He reached out, offering his hand to mine, and I took it, completing the circle. With that he led us through our vows. My father handed me the ring my mother had helped me pick out, and Jamie gave me one as well. We slipped them on our fingers. Hegbert watched us as we did so, and when we were finally ready, he pronounced us husband and wife. I kissed Jamie softly as my mother began to cry, then held Jamie’s hand in mine. In front of God and everyone else, I’d promised my love and devotion, in sickness and in health, and I’d never felt so good about anything.
It was, I remember, the most wonderful moment of my life. It is now forty years later, and I can still remember everything from that day. I may be older and wiser, I may have lived another life since then, but I know that when my time eventually comes, the memories of that day will be the final images that float through my mind. I still love her, you see, and I’ve never removed my ring. In all these years I’ve never felt the desire to do so. I breathe deeply, taking in the fresh spring air. Though Beaufort has changed and I have changed, the air itself has not. It’s still the air of my childhood, the air of my seventeenth year, and when I finally exhale, I’m fifty-seven once more. But this is okay. I smile slightly, looking toward the sky, knowing there’s one thing I still haven’t told you: I now believe, by the way, that miracles can happen.
(A Walk to Remember by Nicholas Sparks)
Comprehension Questions
1 What are the names of the main characters of the text?
2 How old is the narrator? How old was he when the events he describes happened and what life-turning point did he experience?
3 Did his parents support the narrator as long as they knew about his decision? Why? Why not?
4 Why did the narrator want to marry a sick girl? Was he acting more to fulfil Jamie's wish than for himself?
5 Would he have married Jamie if she hadn't been sick? Why?
6 Were the relationship between Landon and his father before his decision to marry friendly and tender? Why do you think so?
7 How did Landon's attitude to his father change? Prove you point.
8 How many people came to the church? All of them were invited, weren't they?
9 Was it easy for Jamie to walk down the aisle? How did she manage? What was the reaction of the people in the church.
10 Did Jamie have much strength left to stand during the ceremony? What did Landon, his father and Hegbert do to show their support and affection?
11 Did Hegbert hurry to end up the ceremony due to Jamie's being weak? What did he say to Landon and congregation? How did Landon react?
12 What happened after they were pronounced husband and wife?
13 Why did the narrator never remove the wedding ring though forty years had passed?
14 What is the most valuable thing the narrator obtained after what had happened to him at the age of seventeen?
Discussion Points
1 Jamie Sullivan is dying of leukaemia. How does the Landon's decision to marry her characterise him? How does Jamie's accepting his proposal characterise her?
2 The narrator calls Jamie's walk down the aisle 'a walk to remember'. What did he mean by that? Besides, this is the name of the novel. Can you explain it in a wider sense?
3 The direct speech in the text is not highlighted with quotation marks. Why?
4 The text is the last chapter of the novel and its ending is purposely ambiguous. What did it mean to you and why? Should the ending have been spelled out more clearly? Do you believe Jamie lived? Or did she die? Has Landon had a happy life after his wedding?
Exercise21. Find in the text words similar in meaning to the following:
Nouns
happiness and optimism; warmheartedness; tolerance; illness; principles; wish; loyalty; passageway; belief; a group of people assembled for a religious worship.
Verbs
to be important; to go against smb's will; to be curious about smth; to accomplish or do; to view or see; to produce; to suppose or reckon; to bow one's head; to make a connection; to let smb have smth or give smth to smb; to observe.
Exercise 22. Explain in other words the following phrases:
breathless question; to bustle with people; to catch one's breath; to surge with pride; gasps of joy; with a steady hand; all business now; to come out of the woodwork; to make one's way; to make smth clear to smb.
Exercise 23. Find in the text the equivalents of the following Russian words and phrases:
разворачиватьсяпередглазами; изжалости; затаивдыхание; циничный; уйтиизжизни; сделатьбольшоедело; молитьсяочуде; быть свидетелем; иметь значение для к-л.; заживлять рану; полагаться на к-л.; сразу, без предварительной подготовки; вести приготовления; идти по проходу; платье болталось на к-л.; промокнуть глаза платком; рядом с к-л.; перевести дыхание; время пролетело; пронзило чувство гордости; положить руку на плечо; опуститься на колени (2); стоять с к-л. на одном уровне; отбросить роль отца; контролировать эмоции; надеть очки на нос; возвышаться над к-л.; быть в растерянности; тотчас же произнести клятвы; объявлять мужем и женой; к конце концов; воспоминания заполнили мои мысли; вдохнуть свежий воздух; в чем смысл жизни; затаить обиду; появиться ниоткуда; выдохнуть; сжать руку, надеть кольцо на палец, в поддержку.
Exercise 24. Study the following pairs of synonyms and explain the difference between them. Then fill in the gaps in the sentences with a suitable word (several variants are also possible).