Listening
You will hear an interview with two writers who have each written books about marriage. Listen to the recording. For questions 1-9, complete the sentences with a word or short phrase.
Evelyn's first 1 investigation did not reveal why so many modern marriages fail. Evelyn found her daughter's attitude to one of the 2 marriage vows very significant. Paul agrees that not many couples believe that marriage is a 3 lifetime commitment. Paul accepts that people shouldn't 4 persevere with very bad marriages. Evelyn believes that 5 unrealistic expectations are only part of the problem. Evelyn thinks that people no longer 6 communicate with each other. Paul refers to two modern 7 alternatives to getting married. The previous generation would have found these arrangements 8 unacceptable. Evelyn feels that deep down, people are still 9 romantics (at heart).
Reading For questions 1-6. read the following text and then choose, from the list A-J given below, the best phrase to fill each of the spaces. There are three phrases you will not need. There is an example (0). Dads: Equalising the Family Equation
When my child was small, we used to read 0)..J...,which was about the Bumsteads, a typical suburban family. The funniest episodes always seemed to involve the times when Dagwood, 1) the father and breadwinner, had to baby-sit the children. The first thing he'd do as parent-in-residence was put on his wife Blondie's apron. It was as if, by wearing something that belonged to her, he was symbolically becoming her. For the Bumsteads, as for most Western couples during the 1950s, 60s, and 70s, being 2) F the female meant being at home. Today we know better. Studies have shown the importance of gender roles in shaping our consciousnesses, and we are now aware of the critical role fathers play throughout 3) A the stages in a child's development. Because he is male and because he is the other parent, the father expands the child's range of experience and clarifies 4) G the ideas they have about masculinity. Despite all the changes that have taken place in the last few decades, two facts remain: First, mothers are still the primary caretakers of preschool children and, second, most day-care providers are women. This means that young children are still raised in an environment that is almost exclusively female. It may also mean that the father is the only male 5) С the child has contact with on a regular basis. The problem with this is that it gives a child an incomplete notion of what 6) В the world is about. The male parent, with his different ways of relating and playing, rounds out a child's sense of the different sexes. He demonstrates that human society is made up of two genders, each with distinct styles of dress, thought, and behaviour.
3 A the stages in a child's development 6 В the world is about 5 С the child has contact with on a regular basis D the opinions they have on childcare 1 E the father and breadwinner 2 F the female meant being at home 4 G the ideas they have about masculinity H the parent meant being the mother I the father's responsibilities are
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