Reading Aloud

Read the following sentences aloud, paying special attention to strong and weak forms. Strong forms are indicated by boldfaces, while weak forms by italics.

1. That is what so many couples are very much concerned about and eager to understand.

2. Some think this may leave the child less capable of interacting well with people his or her own

age than one who has been raised with siblings.

3. For some single-child parents, particularly those with busy careers, the pressures of devoting time and energy to a second child can seem too overwhelming, resulting in them electing to have no more children.

4. This often leads to increased self-esteem which, combined with increased independence, can lead to the child being more confident.

5. Unfortunately, there is no simple answer to the question of whether or not to have a second child.

 

Cultural Information

1. Quote

 

     

    Children today are tyrants. They contradict their parent, gobble their food, and tyrannize their teachers.

                                                                             --- Socrates

  

2. Children from One -child Families

     

Some people think that children from one-child families have more merits than shortcomings. Firstly, they value free will and will not accept orders blindly. Secondly, they love trying out new methods and are full of creative ideas. Thirdly, they expect others to treat them as indispensable partners of the team.

However, some people believe that the only children have more shortcomings than merits. For example, many are heavily dependent on parents. And some never learn to do household chores. It is even worse that some tend to be spoiled and self-centered. They are "the little emperors or princess" in families and schools.

What do you think?

 

 

Audiovisual Supplement

 

 

 

Text Analysis

 

1. What is this expositive text concerned with?
     The text deals with the typical advantages and disadvantages of not having a second child in an objective tone.

2. What is the writer’s answer to the question of whether or not to have a second child?
      It is always a difficult decision to each set of parents because of the different circumstances they are under. Once they decide, both of them should be confident.

  

 

Structural Analysis

 

1. Work out the structure of the text by completing the table.

Paragraph(s)	Main idea
1	It puts forward the issue of whether or not _____1_____, and mentions parents’ concern whether _____2_____necessarily means  a lonely child.
2-3	Two common arguments  against _________3_________are presented.
4-5	The author cites specific figures and facts to show that despite ___4________many parents still choose to have only one child, and he  also points out some ____5____of their decision.
6	The author briefly states the _____6_____of having a single  child.
7	It concludes that there is no simple answer to the question of  whether or not to _____7______, and that the important thing, in the end, is to make the decision that __________8___________.

  

2. Some words used at the beginning of a paragraph make it easier forthe reader to understand the coherence of the whole text, such as Another at the beginning of Paragraph 3, Despite of Paragraph 4, and Unfortunately of Paragraph 7. Can you explain how they function?

 The word “Another” used at the beginning of Paragraph 3 implies that at least one argument has been presented earlier.

“Despite these arguments …” prepares readersfor something against their expectations, i.e. many parents still choose to have one child although the disadvantages of doing so have just been clearly presented.

“Unfortunately” tells readers that there follows something disappointing, i.e. the author fails to provide a definite answer to thequestions raised at the beginning of the text.