26.However, more is taking place than a mere transfer of information about ingredients and mixing instructions.
27.Magic moments are created between child and elder.
28.It becomes an opportunity for a parent to teach family values while passing the sugar and beating the eggs.
29.Confidences can be exchanged along with the natural flow of conversation.
Passage 10 Struggling in America
2..The United States of America is often seen as a nation 3..in which the pursuit of happiness is not a dream but a reality. 4..The sad truth is that although portrayed as an unusually easy life, 5..life in America is as much of a struggle as in any other nation. 6..For example, higher level education for Americans does not come easy.
7..Although there are scholarships, grants and loans available, 8..if the student fails to meet the criteria he is left with only personal resources to draw from.
9..This takes him into a life with not only a school schedule to follow but perhaps,
10..also, a work schedule and family life.
11..These are often the difficulties that are not portrayed through the TV and movies.
12..These are also the difficulties which many believe 13..they will not encounter by attending an American college. 14..In the second place, there is financial security.
15..Many times what is portrayed of life in America is a life where “money is no object”. 16..The fallacy in this is that,
17..Each person has their own personal struggle 18..and money is an object for the majority of the people. 19..in spite of the comparatively higher wages available, 20..the cost of living is also higher.
21..Even though it may seem like one is making more money, 22..just as much is spent in surviving.
23..Thirdly is the belief that in the American way of life everyone has a good job.
24..With the increasing advancements in technology,
25.a well-paying job for those currently in the work force is getting harder to find.
26.Those who have not been exposed to computers
27..and other new methods of communication are finding this to be true. 28.As it stands now,
29.the job market is requiring at least a two-year degree from college, 30..in order to make enough to live comfortably.
31..Even then well-paid jobs are not easy to find,
32..as it is sometimes believed because of the portrayal of life in America.
Passage11 Comments on the American Dream
The phrase\dream\generally refers to the hopes has for his own well-being in America.It is not necessarily a selfish notion, because achieving the dream is assumed to make America strong.Because the dream is held by individuals, there can be as many different dreams as there are people to have them.A new immigrant may dream of mastering the language, holding a steady job, and having his own apartment.A successful industrialist may dream of acquiring more companies.
In the past, the most typical components of the American dream for ordinary are as follows. The first component is a piece of land where one can sustain himself and raise a family.Having the land has to go beyond mere subsistence.It must also provide for a profit and expansion.Most importantly, it must help to give your children better opportunties than you had.A final component is freedom of movement within your geographic area.In our agriculrural age, freedom of movement came with horse and wagon.
We remain emotionally tied to our agricultural past.We replace the
working farm of the American dream with a suburban house and an urban job.The horse that took our ancestors to town once a month for supplies is replaced by a couple of cars that take us several places everyday.
The essence of the American dream seems to me to be geographic space and physical freedom.One's efforts allow one to succeed independently while providing an improved future for one's children and making a contribution to the world that one can be proud of.
The dream has its constants,but is ever-changing with the people and with the times.For young students today, the dream might include a very high-paying technology job from which one could retire at an early ageand devote oneself to helping others.For middle-aged people today, the dream may include voluntary simplicity--a planned reduction in consump-tion with a potentially more satisfying lifestyle.
Passage 12 Medicine for a Broken Heart
2.Within my group of friends,
3.when one of us is struggling with a recent breakup 4.after a long-term relationship, 5.the castaway will be sad and depressed.
6.The response to sadness takes one of two courses — 7.either appetite fails totally,
8.or we eat excessively to quell our yearnings over lost loves. 9.If one of the girls in my dorm
10.wants to indulge her appetite for food after a breakup, 11.we all join in.
12.We all eat terrible food in terrible quantities.
13.For instance, ice cream, cakes, cookies and potato chips 14.all become comfort foods that we consume in excess. 15.I think this happens for a variety of reasons. 16.To begin with, at my age — nineteen —
17.we are all very concerned with our physical appearance. 18.We want to be attractive,
19.to have the kind of body image our society values. 20.To that end, we moderate what kinds of foods we eat,
21.how much, and how often;22.and we often overexert ourselves at the gym trying to burn off extra calories.
23.We maintain good habits to keep up good appearance 24.and thereby maintain a good relationship.
25.However, when anyone experiences something as stressful 26.and emotionally draining as a broken heart, 27.he or she tends to disregard healthy habits
28.and takes some pleasure in consuming those formerly forbidden foods. 29.Of course, it is all a vicious circle.
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