节目资讯
刊物:空中英语教室
日期:2012-11-07
难易度:Medium
关键字:contemplate, impulse, passionate, cooperation, commitment
Hi, friends.
Thanks for joining us here today at Studio Classroom Worldwide.
My name is Steve.
Now this month's VIEWPOINTS lesson we ask the question: Should we get married?
Now it's a good question that needs to be asked.
You know, in the United States, the sad statistic is that about half of all
marriages end up in divorce.
And the divorce rate in most other countries isn't too far behind.
So before saying "I do" to your sweetheart, set yourselves up for success by
asking and answering tough questions.
Get sound advice and become aware of the challenges married couples face.
In today's lesson, we meet Kelly, a young woman who is very eager to get
married.
Let's get started now on page 20.
Should We Get Married?
Think twice before you say "I do".
Michelle, I need your advice.
OK. What's the question?
Tim and I are contemplating marriage.
But my parents think we're too young for such a big step.
Your parents have a point.
You're both only 24; you should think twice before making such a major
commitment.
Are you sure you're not just deciding on impulse?
We've thought about it a lot.
We've dated for three years.
I can't imagine a future without him.
Hi, friends.
Thank you for joining us.
My name is Ryan.
And my name is Kaylah.
And today we're talking about our VIEWPOINTS article.
And this VIEWPOINTS article, Ryan, is probably something a lot of us start
debating when we're, you know, into college.
It becomes an important topic.
We're talking about marriage.
That's right, friends.
You often think when you're growing up that when you get older, you're going to
date someone, have a boyfriend or girlfriend.
And then eventually, get married.
Well, right now we're asking the question either should you get married or when,
if so, should you get married.
Friends, you should think twice before you say: I do.
Now "Should We Get Married?" is the title of our article, but we're not talking
about just never getting married.
We're talking about now, is it the right time in life for you to get married?
So think twice before you say: I do.
That phrase "think twice" means before you make a very important decision, you
need to think about it a lot and talk to people.
Get some advice before you say the big "I do".
Yeah. Now the phrase "I do," Kaylah, is what people say when they get married
when they're giving their vows.
And the person who is helping them get married will ask them: Do you take this
person to be your spouse?
So you say: I do.
OK. Well, we're joining two ladies having a conversation.
Kelly is going to be talking to Michelle.
Now Michelle is married, and Kelly is looking at possibly getting married soon.
So let's join their conversation.
OK. So Kelly says: Michelle, I really need your advice.
Of course, advice is information that helps her.
That's right, information, but more than just that.
It's maybe some life experience, something she knows something about.
You only get advice from people you trust.
Be careful who you ask for advice.
Yeah. Don't just get advice from people you don't know or even from movies or
people on the Internet.
Get advice from people you know and trust.
Absolutely.
So Michelle says: OK. What's the question?
Well, Kelly drops it here, she says: Tim and I are contemplating marriage.
All right.
Now many of you might be dating someone, and eventually or even now, you might
be contemplating getting married.
If you "contemplate" something, that means you are thinking seriously about
doing it.
That's right.
To contemplate means you're spending a lot of time thinking about it.
It's something extremely important.
And contemplating doesn't just mean it's... it just doesn't mean just important.
It's really more about how long you're thinking about it.
It's a very long time.
You don't contemplate for just a minute.
Yes. And you contemplate very seriously.
You spend a long time thinking deeply about what you're going to do in the
future.
And marriage is definitely a good one to contemplate.
She says: But... but my parents think we're too young for such a big step.
Quite often this is an argument parents do have.
That's right, friends.
Age is actually really important for when you should get married.
But even more important than age is maturity.
Now maturity is how old you seem or behave.
And you become more mature the older you get.
OK. So Michelle says her parents have a point.
She says: Your parents have a point.
Well, we have a point about this.
This is our Grammar on the Go.
So let's visit Liz.
Hello, friends. Welcome to Grammar on the Go.
My name is Liz.
I'm in front of a wedding chapel today.
Now in our VIEWPOINTS article, we're talking about whether people should get
married as soon as they can or whether they should wait.
And here's our Grammar Tip sentence.
Your parents have a point.
Our focus today is on the word: point.
Normally we use the word "point" as a verb like:
It's rude to point at people.
We also use it as a noun to mean an exact place like: This is the half-way
point.
But in the case of today's sentence, "point" means a significant idea, argument
or suggestion.
So what Michelle is saying is that Kelly's parents do have a good reason to be
against the idea of Kelly getting married.
This use of "point" like this is often found in informal conversations.
We use this when we want to comment on someone's idea or reasoning.
For example, let's say you're at a company meeting, and Trent gives a very good
reason why the company should not be quick on making a certain decision.
So you can say:
Trent mentioned a very good point about why we should wait on making the
decision.
Or, let's say a group of politicians are in a debate regarding the new law, and
one politician gave a very weak argument.
So we can say:
The politician's point was very weak.
If you'd like to see some more example sentences, they're available in today's
Grammar Tip section in your magazine.
That's it for today.
This is Liz with Grammar on the Go signing off.
Bye-bye.
Thank you very much, Liz.
Well, we know Kelly is thinking about getting married, but her mom thinks she's
too young.
Michelle is telling her that she's only 24 years old, and she should really
think twice before making such a major decision.
So they're both 24, so both Tim and Kelly are 24.
And their parents just think they're a little too young, so they need to think
twice - there's that phrase again - for making such a major decision.
That's right.
And this is a big decision because it's a big commitment.
If you're making a "commitment," that means that you are deciding and will do
something.
You are basically promising that you are going to do something.
And marriage is definitely a large commitment.
It is probably the biggest commitment you make right away in the second being
children because it's something you're in for life.
It's not something you can just get out of quickly.
So, you know, Michelle's going to ask her the question here.
She says: Are you sure you're not just deciding on impulse?
Ooh, OK.
An "impulse" is a sudden wish to do something.
It happens very quickly.
Like I might have the impulse to get ice cream, so I'll run out and get some ice
cream.
Or I might have an impulse to take a nap, so I'll take a nap.
But these kinds of decisions need... important commitment decisions.
Do not make them on impulse.
Think twice.
Exactly.
This is something you should spend a lot of time thinking about, especially with
marriage because it's supposed to last for the rest of your life.
Kelly says: We've thought about it a lot.
You know, we've dated for three years.
I can't imagine a future without him.
Now quite often that's a... that's a good point.
A lot of my friends that got married, that was their reason was: I just don't
see my life without him, so why not start with him now.
Yeah. And besides, Kaylah, they did have some history.
They dated for three years, so they knew they could spend a lot of time with
each other.
OK. Well, we're going to look more at the arguments to both sides of this
"Should-we-get-married-or-not" question after we visit the Chat Room.
So Ken, do you have any plans this afternoon?
Yeah. I'm going to go hiking.
Oh, wow! You might want to think twice about that, though.
I hear there's a big thunderstorm coming.
Hmm, that could make hiking difficult.
But why did you tell me to think twice?
Why should I think about it more than once?
No.
"Think twice" doesn't mean to think about the issue exactly two times.
It means to consider changing your mind about something you've decided.
Oh. So you're saying I should rethink my decision.
Yes. To rethink something means to think about it again and possibly come to a
different conclusion.
You should consider hiking tomorrow instead of today so you can avoid getting
caught in the rain.
On the second thought, maybe I should wait and see what the weather is like
before I decide to go.
That's a good idea, Ken.
But the idiom is "on second thought," not on "the" second thought.
Oh, on second thought.
It means that I'm changing my mind about the decision I made earlier, right?
Yes, it does.
You could also say that you're having second thoughts about going hiking today.
That means you're changing your mind about something.
So how is it different from "on second thought"?
They have the same meaning but they are used differently.
For example, someone might have second thoughts about going to a party.
If he does, he might say: On second thought, I think I'll stay home.
OK. That makes sense.
Thanks for the English lesson.
You're welcome, Ken.
And if you decide to go hiking on a different day, let me know because I'd like
to join you.
Sure. I'll let you know.