节目资讯
刊物:空中英語教室
日期:2012-03-24
难易度:Medium
关键字:agency, acceptance, figure out, rewarding, realization, awesome
(Music).
Hello, friends.
Welcome to Studio Classroom Worldwide.
My name is Steve.
What's it like adopting a child?
Well, just ask Aaron and Jean Heidel.
They should know, after all, they've been through the adoption process not once,
not twice, but four times.
Recently Studio Classroom caught up with Aaron,
and asked him to share with us some of the challenges and rewards he and his
wife experienced when they made someone else's child a legal and permanent part
of their own family.
We'll pick up our interview now with Aaron right over at the top of page 47.
Please join us now as we read.
(Music).
Adopting Children.
What type of process did you go through before you were able to adopt?
First we had to accept the fact that we couldn't have children.
Then we had to convince our families to support us.
We also did a lot of research on adoption agencies.
We filled out lots of paperwork and answered some very personal questions.
Next came parenting and adoption classes and waiting for what seemed like an
eternity.
Picking up the new family member is the fun part.
But even after that, we had a trial period of three to six months before getting
the final acceptance of the adoption.
Hello, everyone.
Thank you for joining us in the studio.
Today we're continuing our conversation with Aaron about adopting.
Now Ryan, we're talking about this family adopting.
Is there any adoption in your family?
Yes, there is.
Actually my grandmother adopted two children when I was younger.
And they have since become a great part of our family.
Oh, wonderful.
Yeah.
That's great.
What about you?
I actually do have an adopted cousin.
She's... I think she's only about three years old, and she is so cute.
She is definitely a part of our family.
We accept her and take her in.
And my aunt and uncle just love her just as much as their... their natural-born
children as well.
And I hope to adopt one day.
Yeah. I've heard actually Kaylah is very interested in adopting children
someday.
And I think that is wonderful.
That's right.
But that comes after you have a family first.
Now this is what we're talking.
We're talking about Aaron and Jean's family.
So they're adding... they were a married couple that could not have kids, so
they started adopting.
And they're up to four kids.
Yes. Now we're going to start with another question from Studio Classroom. And
that is:
What type of process did you go through before you were able to adopt?
This is a good question.
If anybody is interested in adopting, they need to know: Where do you start?
How do you pick an orphanage or an agency?
What do I do if I would like to adopt a child?
Yeah. And how do you make the decision that you want to adopt?
Now Aaron starts off saying: First we had to accept the fact that we couldn't
have children.
Now this is, as I said earlier, an unfortunate problem that a lot of families do
face these days where medically, you just cannot have a kid.
You physically can't.
And that's very hard to accept.
But adoption definitely comes in as a great option.
Yeah. So they needed to accept that fact.
And then he says, "We needed to convince our families to support us." Now what
does it mean if you convince someone?
That means we talk to them about it and encourage them that this is something we
want to do and convince them.
That means we've changed their minds.
They have decided to do something.
OK. So he wanted his family's support as well.
As soon as they knew they couldn't have kids, they also want their families to
support them, to be on their side.
Now what else, Kaylah?
Then they did a lot of research on adoption agencies.
Now this is how most people do adopt is they go through an agency.
Yeah. Now an "agency" is a business that represents or helps someone else do
something.
In this case, an adoption agency helps people find children to adopt.
And it's important to do your research to make sure working with a good agency.
Now they said: We filled out lots of paperwork and answered some very personal
questions.
Yeah. And they will ask "personal questions." That means things that are private
to you if you are interested in adopting a child.
Next came parenting and adoption classes.
So they do want to teach you how to be a parent and teach you how the process of
adoption goes through classes.
And then they started waiting for what seemed like an eternity.
Now Kaylah, I think this is great that people go to classes on parenting before
they adopt children.
Now most people don't grow up just automatically knowing how to raise children
anyway.
So especially if you're interested in adopting someone else's children, it would
be great to learn how to parent, how to raise those children.
That's right. And even when you have your own children, often you can go to
parenting classes and birthing classes.
So just like for birthing, we do need to go to adoption classes as well to know
how the process works.
Well, picking up the new family member is the fun part.
So they do all the hard part, the paperwork, the classes, then finally, they go
get the new family member.
Yes. I can see this being the fun part.
The best part of actually adopting someone is when they finally come home.
Now first, let's go back a little bit.
We saw that next they had parenting and adopting classes.
Now that is part of our Grammar on the Go tip, so let's visit Liz.
Hi, friends.
Welcome to Grammar on the Go.
My name is Liz.
Our article today is an interview with Aaron Heidel on Adopting Children.
In this interview, we see this comment from Aaron Heidel:
Next came parenting and adoption classes and waiting for what seemed like an
eternity.
That's our Grammar Tip sentence.
Another way to say this would be:
Then we had to wait for what seemed like an eternity while we were taking
parenting and adoption classes.
But saying it that way is a lot wordier than the way it is in today's Grammar
Tip sentence.
Normally, when we're talking about sequences of events, we would use sequence
words followed by subject + verb, like:
Next we had to take parenting and adoption classes.
But when we're describing a very long process, we can use this pattern instead:
Sequence word + "came" + subject.
It's like a parade where one event follows another.
First you see this happening.
Then another thing happens.
Next that happens, etc. etc.
By reversing the word order and making the verb "come" appear before the
subject,
it creates this impression in the audience's mind that there is a long line of
things, and that they can't help but wonder what's next.
So next time when you're describing a long process, consider using this pattern:
Sequence word + "came" + subject.
Of course there's nothing wrong using the traditional pattern of sequence word +
subject + verb.
But if you want to create a feeling of how long a certain process was, give this
pattern a try.
That's all the time we have for today.
Be sure to check out today's Grammar Tip section for example sentences.
This is Liz with Grammar on the Go signing off.
Bye-bye.
But even after that long process, he said: We had a trial period of three to six
months before getting the final acceptance of the adoption.
So "they have a trial period" meaning they have to keep... they keep the child
but they're not for sure accepted.
And "accepted" means that's the final decision that everything is OK.
Well, let's take a break and visit the Chat Room.
Hey, Ken. What are you typing?
I've never seen you typed this much before.
Oh. I'm filling out this form for an online English learning magazine.
There's a two-month free trial period.
Wow, two-month free trial period.
So you won't have to pay anything?
Nope.
And I can cancel at any time.
It sounds like a great deal.
Say, Bryan, is a trial period limited to a product?
Can I say a person is going through a trial period?
Sure you can.
When a company hires someone, it may put the person through a 90-day trial
period to see how well he or she performs.
Another term you'll often hear is a probationary period.
So if a new employee shows promise and does well during the probationary period,
he or she will become a regular employee?
Yes. Employers use the probationary period to determine whether an employee is
right for a job.
When someone passes the probationary period, the person may be given a raise or
promotion as well.
OK.
What about a grace period?
Is that the same as a trial period?
No. A grace period refers to something else.
Why don't we go to Doris and see if she can explain "grace period" for us.
OK.
A grace period is a period of time in what someone is late with the payment but
does not have to pay any penalties.
The reason it's called "grace period" is because the word "grace" means mercy
and compassion.
So when you're in a grace period, you're forgiven for not fulfilling a certain
obligation.
OK. I think I get it.
Can you give me an example, Bryan?
Sure.
One example of a grace period is the period between the time a credit card
statement is issued and the date when a balance or minimum payment is due.
Oh, right. During this period, there is no interest.
And if you pay the bill in full, you can avoid all interest fees.
You got it, Ken.
Well, I should get back to filling out this form so I can get my free trial
period.
You do that.