Unit 7 Family affairs

Inside view

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Conversation 1

Janet What time are your parents arriving?

Kate Eleven. Oh no, it's 10.30! I must clean up my?room, it's a mess.

Janet Would you like me to give you a hand?

Kate Oh, yes, that would be great!

Janet So, what are they like, your parents?

Kate They're great. They're very different. Mum's pretty sociable - she's real funny. Dad isn't as sociable - he's kind of quiet - he reads a lot and he likes spending time alone. He's a let more chilled than Mum.

Janet They do sound quite different.

Kate Yes. Mum - she tends to worry a lot, whereas Dad's quite ... easygoing. He's good at listening, you can tell him anything. Um ... could you put those over there?

Janet Sure. So who are you most like?

Kate You tell me!

Janet Hmm, you've got a bit of both of them, I?think.

Kate Yes, I think so, too. I'm sociable, like Mum –

Janet You're very sociable!

Kate Yes, but I like to spend time alone.

Janet I don't think you worry a lot, do you?

Kate No, I'm like Dad in that way.

Kate Oh, look at the time, I must go. I'm meeting?them outside the Lodge.

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Conversation 2

Julia This is great. It's just like I pictured it. Look?at that, isn't it beautiful?

Rob Wow, Kate, honey! I love your school! Kate No, Dad, I'm not at Law School, I'm at?university!

Rob OK, honey. It's Oxford, England -I?know!

Rob Listen, honey, Granddad had a fall just before?we left.

Kate Oh, no!

Rob It's OK. He broke his arm but they don't?think it's serious.

Julia I don't know, when old people break?something, it can be very serious.

Rob I think he'll be fine!

Kate Tell me all about it. What exactly happened?

Rob He fell down the steps in the backyard.

Kate Oh, poor Granddad! So go on!

Rob He was taken to the hospital by ambulance ...?they kept him there for several hours, didn't?they, Julia? But they let him go home.

Julia I feel awful that we can't be with him.

Rob Julia, I spoke to Granddad as soon as we?landed and he said the doctors aren't worried.

Kate What else did he say?

Rob He said his arm doesn't hurt him.

Kate Oh, good! So he'll be OK, right? There's no?real concern?

Rob No, I told you, honey, there's no need to?worry. ... Just look at that! What a great?place!

Kate Yes, isn't it wonderful?

Rob Come on, let's go and eat. Isn't there a pub?nearby? I seem to remember passing one. I'd?love to eat in an English pub.

Kate OK, let's do that.

Rob There's no need to worry, honey.

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Outside view

Voice-over Welcome to Changing Lifestyles. Today we'll take a look at the changing role of fathers. In the 1950s and the 1960s, most fathers went to work every day and most mothers stayed at home to take care of the children. However, since the late 60s and the early 70s, family life has been changing dramatically. Instead of accepting the rigid roles imposed by society, many couples have been deciding to change their work-life balance. More mothers have been pursuing careers, while at the same time fathers have been devoting more time to caring for children and doing household chores. This is David Noll. David is 33 years old, husband and father of two girls. David is a modern father. He and his wife both pursue careers and share in raising the children and doing housework.

Diane OK, well then are you going to go to the?playground?

Children 1 Right. Right, Mama.

Diane Right. I love you.

Children 2 Bububa.

Diane Bye-bye.

Children 1 Bye.

Diane Bye-bye.

Voice-over David's father Bob Noll was also a loving father, but David's role as a father was different. During the early part of his career, Bob went to work every day while his wife Shirley stayed home. Bob worked for 38 years at Westinghouse as an electrical engineer. Bob worked on some of the first computers ever produced. Bob had always been an involved father. But in 1970 Shirley decided to go back to work. That was when Bob's role as a father changed.

Bob When Shirley went back to work, I had to?change my, uh, role and start to do more cooking, um, driving the children here and there. When our children were growing up I took a lot of interest in them, what they were doing.

David I think in many ways I, I was probably?better prepared for the changing roles that I've had to take on by, by my father.

Bob We did many things together and I tried to?get them involved in other areas that they seemed to show interest in, such as theatre and magic.

David He did a great deal more than I think many?fathers, I mean I, I can think of childhood friends whose fathers, you know, were running businesses who, who participated almost at, not, not at all in their, in their, in their development. Um, and I think I had, I think I had a role model.

Bob I remember David was interested in, he got?very interested in magic and, and juggling, and he was an avid reader.

Voice-over As a young man, David loved magic.?But he pursued a career as a biochemist. Before having children, David spent 40 hours per week studying cellular DNA in a research lab. And his wife Diane spent 40 hours a week working as a lawyer in Washington DC. After the girls were born, David and Diane both cut back on their hours in order to take care of their daughters. As a research scientist, David's schedule was more flexible. So he took on more responsibility for the children's day-to-day care.

David Well, I have been able, uh, to adjust my?schedule so that I can be home at 5 o'clock, um, for the kids and if the children are sick, being able to come home, um, take them to the doctors. We go for a walk, we take the dogs up the street, go to the park, hang out at the park. And then we head back, uh, to the house and, and begin preparing dinner.

Voice-over Since Bob retired ten years ago, he has been enjoying his role as a grandfather. He's been travelling with his wife, Shirley, and he's been playing tennis. Meanwhile, David is just beginning his journey as a father in a new era.

David It can be difficult, especially when, you?know, you're, you're taking on new roles for the first time. And it can be, it can be disconcerting and it can be more comfortable?to take on those traditional roles. Um, I have, I think I have many more responsibilities than, than even most fathers do today, um, and certainly more, I, I think than when my father was, was raising his children. Um, but the, the difference is not the sort of classic role reversal. I'm, I'm not a stay-at-home Dad. We have an excellent babysitter who, that, who has allowed us, um, allowed both my wife and I the opportunities to continue pursuing our career.

Voice-over While there are many differences in how David and Bob have raised their children, there are many important similarities相似點(diǎn).

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Listening in

Passage?1

Host There's a question that's been argued about for a long time. Which is more important, your family environment or your genes? Well, a story has come up in the news about identical twins, separated at birth. They've just been reunited - and guess what - there are some amazing coincidences in their life stories.

Here's the story - two American girls called Tamara and Adriana were separated at birth and adopted by two different sets of parents. And this is where the coincidences begin. Both families ended up living 25 miles apart. Both girls decided to study psychology at universities that are only a mile apart from each other. Isn't that strange?

And this girl, who's a friend of both of them, insists they meet. Just before they meet, Adriana's mother tells her that she has a twin sister. Can you imagine how that must feel when you're 20 years old to learn you have a twin? And when the girls meet, it's like looking in a mirror - they're identical! Now get this! Both Tamara and Adriana's adoptive fathers died when the girls were children. Both girls fell through glass doors at the age of five - that's hard to believe, isn't it? Their boyfriends look alike and have?similar names - Alex and Adam. And this is the best part - both of them have the same recurring dream. Isn't that incredible - they have the same dream!

I think it's an amazing story. So, for all those of you out there who have comments, and I'm sure you do, the lines are open. OK, we've got Josh on the line. Hi Josh!

Josh Hi.

Host So, what do you make of this story?

Josh It's a great story but it doesn't surprise me at all. I'm an identical twin.

Host You are?

Josh Yeah, my brother's called Toby, and we're 22, and we're going out with two sisters ... and we're having a double wedding next June.

Host Congratulations! So-what do you think-is it our genes that decide who we are? These kind of stories seem to suggest it.

Josh Well, I'm not a scientist, but I think so.

Host Research tells us that it's about fifty-fifty.

Josh?I, I?disagree.

Host Thanks Josh. OK, our next caller is ...

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Passage?2

Part?1

Voice-over Kidney transplants are of two kinds -transplants from dead people and living transplants, transplants from people who are alive. Mostly the donor, the person who gives the kidney, is a relative - a parent, brother or sister. We all recognize that it's one of the most selfless things a person can do, to give a kidney to someone, but as the operation becomes safer and safer, more and more people are doing it. We talked to two sisters who have had the experience -Henrietta Longmore, a journalist aged 40, married with one son, and her sister, Teresa Parker, aged 38, married with two children. They come from a family with four children. Here's their story.

Teresa Henrietta and I were close as children. She was the big sister and she was -just like a mother to us younger kids. Our parents were both doctors and our mum was very busy.

We were close right through our teenage years. And then we shared a flat and had a lot of the same friends. It was great.

Henrietta Yes, we've always been close. I felt?very protective of my brother and sisters because, like Teresa says, our parents were always so busy. But I also felt a bit jealous of Teresa - she was my dad's favourite -but it didn't affect our relationship.

Teresa Henrietta got kidney failure five years?ago, but for several years she was fine and seemed quite healthy.

Henrietta Yes, I never thought of asking my family for a kidney. The hospital was brilliant and I really did feel fine, most of the time.

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Part 2

Teresa But then a year ago she became very ill and almost died. I was terrified. I knew if she died, I'd blame myself. You know, why I hadn't done more to help her. So I decided to find out more about giving her a kidney.

Henrietta Yes, I did almost die. It was awful. I, I was never going to ask Teresa for a kidney but I kind of knew that she would offer. To be honest, I felt I would have done the same.

Teresa Yes. At first I was a bit scared. But we went for a three-hour talk at the hospital and it was very reassuring. My whole family came. And they felt OK about it too, which was very important.

Henrietta People don't know that you only need ten per cent of one kidney to be completely healthy, and kidney donors often live longer than other people.

Teresa Yes, you have to be very healthy to give a kidney. The hospital makes sure of that. Anyway, after the operation I got better very fast - probably because you know you've done something worthwhile and it does make you feel very good.

Henrietta I can't describe how grateful I feel to?Teresa. It's such an amazing thing to do. What can I say? Her courage was, was extraordinary. She just didn't seem afraid at all.

Teresa You do get a lot of praise for doing something like this. I'd like to do something that no one knows about.