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　　Test Seven

　　SECTION A MINI-LECTURE

　　In this section, you will hear a mini-lecture. You will hear the lecture ONCE ONLY. While listening, take notes on the important points. Your notes will not be marked, but you will need them to complete a gap-filling task after the mini-lecture. When the lecture is over, you'll be given two minutes to check your notes, and another 10 minutes to complete the gap-filling task. Now listen to the mini-lecture.

　　In today's lecture, I'll talk about the American families from the following five aspects: family structures, the emphasis on individual freedoms, the role of the child, equality in the family, and family values.

　　First, family structures. What is the typical American family like? If Americans are asked to name the members of their families, family structure becomes clear. Married American adults will name their husband or wife and their children, if they have any, as their "immediate family". If they mention their father, mother, sisters, or brothers, they will define them as separate units, usually living in separate households. Aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents are considered "extended family." Traditionally, the American family has been a nuclear family, consisting of a husband, wife and their children, and living in a house or apartment. Grandparents rarely live in the same home with their married sons or daughters, and uncles and aunts almost never do.

　　Second, the emphasis on individual freedom. Americans view the family as a group whose primary purpose is to advance the happiness of individual members. The result is that the needs of each individual take priority in the life of the family. In contrast to that of many other cultures, the primary responsibility of the American family member is not to advance the family as a group, either socially or economically, nor is it to bring honor to the family name. This is partly because the United States is not an aristocratic society. Family name and honor are less important than in aristocratic societies, since equality of opportunity regardless of birth is considered a basic American value. Moreover, there is less emphasis on the family as an economic unit because the American family is rarely self-supporting. Relatively few families maintain self-supporting family farms or businesses for more than one generation. A farmer's son, for example, is very likely to go on to a college, leave the family farm, and take an entirely different job in a different location. The American desire for freedom from outside control clearly extends to the family. Americans do not like to have controls placed on them by other family members. They want to make independent decisions and not be told what to do by grandparents or uncles or aunts. For example, both American men and women expect to decide what job is best for them as individuals. Indeed, young Americans are encouraged by their families to make such independent career decisions. What would be best for the family is not considered to be as important as what would be best for the individual.

　　Third, the role of the child. The American emphasis on the individual, rather than the group, affects children in a contradictory way. On the one hand, it may cause them to get more attention and even have more power than they should. On the other hand, because most children have mothers who are working outside the home, they may not get enough attention from either parent. Worse yet, parents who feel guilty for not having enough time with their children may give them more material things to compensate for the lack of attention. Studies show that both parents are now spending less time with their children, due to work habits and a busy lifestyle. In general, American families tend to place more emphasis on the needs and desires of the child and less on the child's social and family responsibilities. In the years after World War Two, so much stress has been placed on the psychological needs of children that the number of experts in this field has increased enormously. Some Americans believe that the emphasis on the psychological needs of the individual child have been carried too far by parents and experts alike. Although Americans may not agree on how best to nurture and discipline their children they still hold the basic belief that the major purpose of the family is the development and welfare of each of its members as individuals.

　　The next point I'd like to talk about is equality in the family. Along with the American emphasis on individual freedom, the belief in equality has had a strong effect on the family. There is much more social equality between parents and children than in most aristocratic societies or societies ruled by centuries of tradition. This can be witnessed in arguments between parents and their children, and in the considerable independence granted to teenagers. Children are given a lot of freedom and equality in the family so that they will grow up to be independent, self-reliant adults.

　　Last, the family values. Daniel Yankelovich, based on a survey, reports that there are 11 points that a majority of Americans agree on "family values". He classifies six of them as "clearly traditional". They are respecting one's parents, being responsible for one's actions, having faith in God, respecting authority, married to the same person for life, and leaving the world in better shape. The other five are "a blend of traditional and newer, more expressive values". They are giving emotional support to other members of the family, respecting people for themselves, developing greater skill in communicating one's feelings, respecting one's children, and living up to one's potential as an individual. The ideal of the American family is group cooperation to help achieve the fulfillment of each individual member, and shared affection to renew each member's emotional strength. Families can be viewed as similar to churches in this regard. Both are seen by Americans as places where the human spirit can find refuge from the highly competitive world outside and renewed resources to continue the effort.

　　By this, we are now coming to the end of today's lecture. Thank you for your attention.

　　Section B CONVERSATION

　　In this section you will hear everything ONCE ONLY. Listen carefully and then answer the questions that follow. Questions 1 to 5 are based on a conversation. At the end of the conversation, you will be given 10 seconds to answer each of the following 5 questions. Now listen to the conversation.

　　Mary (W): Hello, may I come in?

　　John Smith (M): Oh, yes, come in. how can I help you?

　　W: I was looking for the Economics office. I've been all over the Arts Faculty building looking for it but I could only find the School of Accounting and Economic History. Is this the right place?

　　M: Yes, this is the School of Economics.

　　W: Oh, good. My name is Mary. I am a new student and I was wondering if someone could give me some information.

　　M: Nice to meet you, Mary. I think I might be able to help. I am John Smith. I lecture on that program. What do you need to know?

　　W: Quite a few things. Firstly,how many lectures a week do I have to attend?

　　M: Ah, well, the Economics course is a double unit so there are two lectures a week and one tutorial. The lectures are scheduled for Tuesday and Thursday.

　　W: What time?

　　M: Let me see…you know this information is all in the handout which you should have received yesterday at the orientation meeting.

　　W: Oh, was there a meeting yesterday? I didn't know about that.

　　M: Yes, there was. But never mind. New lectures are at four in the afternoon.

　　W: Four's a bit late. I've got a part time job that starts at four thirty.

　　M: Well, you can't be in two places at once. And attendance at lectures is necessary. We expect at least 90% attendance at this university, you know.

　　W: 90%? That's high. Maybe I have to omit this one, too. Do they enforce that rule?

　　M: Yes, we do. We're pretty strict about it actually.

　　W: And what times have been set down for the tutorials?

　　M: That's a very well attended course so there are a number of tutorial times. Monday, Wednesday and Friday, all at 9 o'clock. Yours will be allocated at the first lecture.

　　W: Can't I choose the time?

　　M: Maybe, maybe not. You'll have to talk to the lecturer on the course. Dr. Roberts is his name.

　　W: Oh, when can I find him?

　　M: Well, he will arrive here at three o'clock. He will supervise his master students then. But you may have to wait for another forty minutes. Or you can deal with something else first. He won't leave until maybe five o'clock.

　　W: What a pity! I have to do my part time job. Is it possible that I leave a message and call on him later?

　　M: Well, of course. Just a minute! Why don't you wait until tomorrow? He will attend a meeting at Room 302 this building from a quarter to nine.

　　W: That's more reasonable. Thank you for your suggestion. Is it Room 302?

　　M: Yes. Anything else I can help with while you're here?

　　W: Well, yes. Do you know what the course requirements are? I mean, how much work is expected for this course?

　　M: Well, you have to complete a tutorial paper.

　　W: What does that involve?

　　M: Well, it's a piece of work on a given topic based on some set of reading texts. You'll have to give a small talk to your tutorial group.

　　W: How long does that have to be?

　　M: Oh, about 25 minutes usually.

　　W: I have to talk for 25 minutes?

　　M: Yes, that's right. And then you have to write up your piece of work and give it to the lecturer to be marked.

　　W: Right. And is that all?

　　M: No. You also have to complete a 3,000-word essay on a topic.

　　W: Can I choose the topic?

　　M: Yes, usually you can.

　　W: Right. That shouldn't be too bad.

　　M: And in addition to that there is an exam.

　　W: An exam! What sort of exam?

　　M: Well, it's an open book exam.

　　W: Does that mean I can have the textbook with me during the exam?

　　M: Yes, that's right.

　　W: And can you give me any idea about the content of the first year of Economics so that I can get into some reading?

　　M: Well, you'll be getting the reading list next week when lectures start. All the books are in the library.

　　W: Yes, but won't everyone else take them out as soon as they get the reading list too?

　　M: Yes, they might. But most of the important ones are held in Closed Reserve. That's part of the library where you can go to read books but you can't take them out of the building. However, we do recommend that you buy the core books. You'll find them useful and you'll need them for the exam.

　　W: Yes, I will. Well thanks for all your help.

　　M: That's fine.

　　Section C NEWS BROADCAST

　　In this section, you will hear everything ONCE ONLY. Listen carefully and then answer the questions that follow. Questions 6 to 7 are based on the following news. At the end of the news item, you will be given 10 seconds to answer each of the two questions. Now listen to the news.

　　European Union foreign ministers are putting pressure on Turkey to recognize Cyprus if Ankara expects to ever join the 25-nation bloc. Turkey is to begin negotiations on October 3 that could eventually lead to EU membership for the predominately Muslim nation of 70 million people. But Ankara's refusal to recognize the government of Cyprus — an EU member — has cast a shadow over the process.

　　Further complicating matters are recent referendums in France and the Netherlands, in which voters rejected an EU constitution, partly out of concern about Turkey joining the Union.

　　One suggestion is to offer Turkey something less than full EU membership, a proposal tacitly backed by Austrian Foreign Minister Ursula Plassnik. However, Turkey rejects anything but full EU membership.

　　Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul says the idea of a so-called privileged partnership with the EU, is in his words, "illegitimate and immoral."

　　Question 8 is based on the following news. At the end of the news item, you will be given 10 seconds to answer the question. Now listen to the news.

　　A team of three American high school students has won the National Geographic World Championship in Budapest, Hungary Thursday. The team from Russia came in second and Canada was third. They received their gold medals after a nerve-wracking hour, which included burning questions on the capital of Slovakia, an egg-laying mammal, and questionable election practices in Zimbabwe.

　　14-year old Jesse Weinberg from Coral Gables in Florida said he could not believe his team managed to win the championship. Like his two teammates, Jesse wants to start a career in geography, perhaps in politics.

　　It is the fifth time the U.S. has won the National Geographic World contest, despite a recent survey showing that American youngsters know less about geography than most of their foreign counterparts.

　　Questions 9 and 10 are based on the following news. At the end of the news item, you will be given 10 seconds to answer each of the two questions. Now listen to the news.

　　A new form of treating grief following the death of a loved one has been found to be more successful than conventional psychotherapy in some patients.

　　Complicated grief includes intense feelings that last six months or longer, according to psychiatrist Katherine Shear of the University of Pittsburgh.

　　Experts say people suffering from complicated grief do not respond well to traditional psychotherapy. So, Dr. Shear and colleagues developed a new form of treatment designed to get those with complicated grief to both accept their loss and focus on their personal life goals.

　　The therapy includes "revisiting" — tape recording the patient telling the story of the loved one's death — and having the patient listen to the story daily, to help them lessen the intensity of emotion. The patient also tells the loved one things they didn't get to hear in life.

　　In a study comparing the two types of therapy, 51 percent of people with complicated grief were helped compared to 28 percent of people receiving traditional psychotherapy.

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