节目资讯
刊物:空中英语教室
日期:2012-07-16
难易度:Medium
关键字:syndrome, physical, relieve, grief, chromosome, disability, genetic
OK. I hope you had a great break.
We are talking to Uwe Maurer, who lives in Taipei with his wife MaDonna, son
Marcus and daughters Matthea and Megan.
Matthea has a special medical condition that has left her physically and
mentally disabled.
In this next section of the interview, Uwe will describe what it was like first
learning about his daughter's disability.
We'll be reading on line 17.
(Music).
Caring for a Child With Special Needs.
After about two weeks, doctors did some genetic testing and discovered she was
missing part of a chromosome.
How did you deal with the news?
At first we felt relieved because we had known something was wrong, but not what
it was.
Once we found out, we could finally get medical help.
Then there was a strong sense of grief.
Part of that was from realizing that she would not be able to do the things we
had thought she would do.
The other part was over the dreams we wouldn't be able to live out anymore.
(Music).
OK. So Studio Classroom asked did they know that Matthea had special needs
before she was born.
And they said no.
They didn't find out until she was about ten months old in her first winter when
she got very sick.
And then what did they have to do?
Well, in April, they had to take her to the United States for some testing.
Now we're picking up.
And we see that after about two weeks, doctors did some genetic testing and
discovered that she was missing part of a chromosome.
OK. So they did some genetic testing here.
Now the word "genetic" means it has something to do with your body and the part
of your body that you got from your parents, right?
That's right.
You know, your genes are what you inherit as well as what define what you will
look like, how you will interact.
It really affects the way you look.
Now you can have blue eyes or brown eyes or blond hair or black hair.
Now that is... comes from your genes.
So it's kind of... it determines what you will be like.
And so they did this kind of testing on her, and they discovered the issue.
Right. And they discovered that she was missing a chromosome.
And we learned before the break what that is.
And so that's how they discovered that she had this disability called
cri-du-chat.
That's right.
So they need to discover this chromosome is missing so that then they can start
treating and helping her.
Now what is our next question?
OK. Studio Classroom asks: How did you deal with the news?
And now if you deal with something, that means that you are... how you actually
react to it.
What do you actually do when you find out the news?
Well, this is a good question.
A lot of parents when they find out their child does have special needs or is
suffering from some kind of sickness, they do feel like they have to deal with
it.
It's not something that they were expecting.
Well... what is our response... what's his response here?
OK.
So Uwe and his wife MaDonna said that at first they felt relieved because they
had known that something was wrong but they didn't know what it was.
That's right.
Now when you feel "relieved," you are happy that something unpleasant has not
happened or has ended.
So this has happened.
So this would be referring to a situation that has ended.
Now she's still has the condition, but why would they feel relieved, Ryan?
What about it would have ended?
Right. Well, like they're saying, they said that, well, they... they knew
something was wrong.
They could tell that she was very sick, but they didn't know what the problem
was.
And that could be even more scary.
They said: At least now we know. We feel better because we know what the problem
is.
And maybe now we know how to fix it.
So the relieved part of that, what had ended was the not knowing.
Now they knew what it was, and they can learn how to help her.
Right. And that's what she says next: Once we found out, we could finally get
medical help.
That's right.
There was medical help.
They could get the help that they needed now.
She said then there was a strong sense of grief.
So at first it was relief.
And now it's grief.
How does that work?
Well, the word "grief" means great sadness; you feel very sad.
And so at first they were happy to know what the problem was.
But I think now, Kaylah, they realize that it is still a big problem. They still
feel sad.
That's right.
You could feel grief; or they would have felt grieved like they felt relieved.
Now they felt this grief because they did not expect.
This is not what you really want.
But now they can do something to help.
Right. She... they both say they realize that she would not be able to do the
things that most other kids would.
And that's what they expected.
They wanted her to be able to do that when she was born.
And that is a very understandable grief when you realize that your child won't
be able to do all the other things a child can do or they thought she would do.
Well, that sentence is our Grammar on the Go sentence.
So let's visit Liz.
Hello, friends.
How are you doing today?
My name is Liz.
And it's time for Grammar on the Go.
For today's Grammar Tip, we're looking at two sentences in the article:
Part of that was from realizing that she would not be able to do the things we
had thought she would do.
The other part was over the dreams we wouldn't be able to live out anymore.
Notice the phrases at the beginning of the two sentences:
Part of that was... and The other part was...
Sometimes there's more than just one reason why something happened the way it
did.
In the case of today's sentence, Uwe Maurer is saying that he and his wife felt
the way they did because they realized, number one:
that their child would not be able to do the things they had thought she would
do,
and number two: they would not be able to live out certain dreams they had.
So, if you want to explain something and there are two parts or reasons, give
these two phrases a try.
For example: Nate was in a bad mood yesterday.
Part of that was because he didn't get enough sleep the night before.
The other part was because he had a bad day at work.
Or: Amelia was always in debt. Part of that was from careless credit card
purchases.
The other part was because she could never keep a steady job.
If you want to see some more example sentences, then check out today's Grammar
Tip section in your Studio Classroom magazine.
That's it for today.
This is Liz with Grammar on the Go signing off.
Bye-bye.
Friends, I'm sure that you can imagine that it would be difficult to hear that
your child would not be able to do the things that most other children could do.
But it would also be difficult to realize that their... your dreams would not be
able to be lived out anymore.
That's right. She said... they said part of the grief is for their child,
and part of the grief is that they wouldn't be able to do all that they had
expected to do in life.
But that doesn't change the fact that this is their child, and they're going to
do all they can to help her.
We're going to talk more with this family tomorrow.
But first, let's visit the Chat Room.
Hi, Ken.
How can I help you?
I'd like to return a book.
All right.
By the way, if you like memoirs, I really recommend that one.
Oh, really.
Hmm, Steve Patterson.
Hey, is he the son of that famous baseball player Charles Patterson?
Yes. In fact, Steve is his son.
He writes a lot about his father.
It must be fun having a famous father.
But I guess it would be difficult in some ways; it gives you a lot to live up
to.
Live up to?
I'm not familiar with that phrase.
Can you explain it for me?
Sure. Living up to something means fulfilling an idea or expectation.
So if a student's parents expect him to get a good grade, and he does, he has
lived up to their expectations.
So if someone's mother or father is famous, that person has a lot to live up to
because everyone expects them to be like their parents, right?
Exactly.
Say, did Steve Patterson mention having this problem?
Yes. Everyone expected him to be really good at baseball.
But he didn't really like the sport and wasn't very good at it.
He actually preferred playing music.
Well, what does his father think about that?
Well, he was disappointed at first.
But he eventually supported Steve and encouraged him to do his best.
Well, I'm glad that he encouraged his son to live out his dream.
I think children need their parents' support if they're going to succeed.
Let me guess. Does living out a dream mean making it become real?
Yes, it does.
So what else does Patterson write about?
He said it was hard for his father to go out in public because fans always
wanted to take his picture or having him sign things.
I think that's something that all celebrities have to live with.
I think you're right.
Celebrities have to live with, or tolerate, this problem.
Well, thanks for returning the book, Ken.
I'm glad you enjoyed it.
(Chinese).
Hi, everyone. I'm Michelle.
(Chinese).
And time really flies.
Don't forget to come back tomorrow for more Language Tips.
Thank you, Michelle.
Cri-du-chat was first identified back in 1963 by the same French doctor who
discovered the link between an abnormal chromosome and Down syndrome.
Cri-du-chat occurs about once in every 50,000 births and is impartial to
ethnicity, although it does affect females more than males.
Tomorrow we're going to continue our conversation with Uwe Maurer and his wife
MaDonna about the challenges and rewards he and she face caring for their
special needs daughter.
Now until then, I and everyone here at Studio Classroom hope you have a great
day.