Unit 1 It should be banned
I. Preview: Here is a list of some things which are banned in some countries, but are
allowed in others. Discuss whether they are banned in your country and then
compare others in your class:
1. smoking inside public building
4. topless sunbathing
2. smoking marijuana
5. abortion pills
3. parents smacking children
6. selling alcohol on election day
II. Something you could not do in childhood
Brought up in a very traditional family, we were not allowed to do many things.
We couldn’t sit on desks. We even couldn’t wear short pants in front of our
grandparents.
Now listen to the news and tell me what it is about?
II. News for leading: Passive Smoking
A. Vocabulary Build-up
1. management
12. paramount
2. public house 酒館
13. arrest
3. pub landlord 酒館業者
14. sunbathing
4. carbon monoxide 一
15. enforce
氧化碳
16. controversial
5. smoke-free 無菸的
17. forbid
6. have a big impact on
18. nudity
7. pavement
8. peer pressure 同儕壓力
9. as well
10. inevitable
11. publican 酒館老闆
19. unrepentant
20. prohibit
21. appeal
22. regular (n.)
23. Ku Klux Klan
24. beat up
25. rally
26. call for
27. temper
28. flare
29. robe
30. march
31. opposition
32. violence
33. predominantly
34. take to the streets
B. Questions for discussion:
1. How long has smoking been banned at the Arndale Center?
2. What has happened to business at the Center?
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
What kind of environment do many members of the public want?
How many people die of lung cancer because of passive smoking?
Where do smokers get pressure from now?
What do pub landlords think about a future ban on smoking in pubs?
What percentage of British people are non-smokers?
According to the BMA, whose safety should be the most important?
C. Oral interpretation
近年來英國許多辦公室和工作場所已禁菸。很多忍人越來越擔心，在餐廳及購物
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中心等公共場所裡的二手菸所帶來的影響。大家都不想吸進別人所吐的菸，但醫
生及保健工作者說，政府並沒有回應無菸環境的公眾訴求。在很多工作場所已禁
菸，迫使抽菸者到人行道抽菸，但英國醫師協會希望有更嚴格的立法，禁止人們
在類似酒吧和餐廳等公共場所抽菸。
III. Reading
A. Woman arrested on Rio beach
A young woman was arrested yesterday for using only one part of her two-part bikini.
Brazilians are famous for their love of the beach, and wear very small bikinis but
topless sunbathing is still not allowed. Police used to have a ‘look the other way’
policy but local authorities have begun to enforce the controversial law which forbids
nudity. The woman was unrepentant after her arrest: “This is Brazil – not England, not
the US. We believe in freedom and we believe in the right to show our bodies. This is
absolutely ridiculous.
1. Is this law sensible, in your opinion?
2. “We believe in the right to show our bodies.” Do you agree with her?
B. Bar fined for allowing smoking
Popular bar O’Malley’s was fined $1,000 on Friday night for disobeying the new San
Francisco city order which prohibits smoking in any public building. The owner plans
to appeal against the fine before a hearing this afternoon. “I tell you, even if the fine
stays, there’s no way I’m going to make my loyal customers go outside in the cold to
smoke,” he said yesterday. His customers have offered a lot of support.
“Has the world gone mad? This is a bar! It’s a place for vices,” said one regular. “I
can drink without smoking!”
1. What do you think about the law?
2. What was the customer’s justification for smoking in the bar? Do you agree?
C. Ku Klux Klan Rally Vioence
For members of the Ku Klux Klan brotherhood were beaten up at a public rally in
which KKK members were calling for “ a cry for white freedom.” Tempers began to
fare when the Klan members, dressed in traditional white robes, began their march
through a predominantly black neighborhood shouting “White power!” Locals took to
the streets and showed their opposition, some using violence. Four men were arrested
by the police. “We are a peaceful organization with the right to speak our minds,” said
one Klansman. “It’s not our fault these people are animals.”
1. The man from the KKK said they had “the right to speak our minds’. Do you
agree?
2. Should groups like the KKK be banned?
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Unit 2 Marriage – for better or for worse
I. Preview: Discuss the quotations below. What do you think they mean?
1. Love conquers all things –Virgil
2. Love is blind.—English proverb
3. Marriage in haste. Repent at leisure.—English proverb
4. When a girl marries, she exchanges the attention of many men for the inattention of
one –Helen Rowland, American writer
5. Marriages is like a dull meal with the dessert at the beginning.
–Henri, Comte de Toulouse-Lautrec
II. News for leading: Church weddings for divorcees
A. Vocabulary build-up
1. Church of England’s ruling body 英國
國教當權者
2. vicar
3. widespread acceptance law 法規普遍
接受的律例
4. aisle
5. at the end of the day 總之
6. immense pain
7. prospect
8. moral
9. tightrope
10. undermine
11 down the line 在某一環節，時刻
12. look after
13. trapped
14. tension
15. battle
16. split up
17. the easy way out
18. physically
19. mentally
20. abuse
21. idealistic
22. argument
23. disagreement
24. at times 偶而
25. come along 出現
26. make the effort to
27. permanent
28. tread a tightrope 處在一個危險的處境
29. feel trapped 感到牽絆
B. Questions
1. What is it unusual now for someone like Mark to get married in a church?
2. What is the Church of England discussing this week?
3. What wouldn’t the vicar once do?
4. How does the Synod feel about a possible change in Church law?
5. What does Margaret Brown think the Church should do?
C. Oral Interpretation
傳統上根據英國的教會律例，離過婚的人不得在教堂舉辦再婚儀式，他們通常只
能在某註冊處或其他經授權的政府機關結婚。最近對想要再婚的情侶有一些新的
發展。就像墮胎議題一樣，從少數人變成數以百萬人的問題。然而，教會還是必
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須在信仰和道德方面，恪守基督的標準。現在教會正處在一個危險的處境，假如
它對婚姻失敗的人表達更大的體諒，它就冒著破壞最初婚姻誓言意義的危險。
III. Reading
A. Julia Casper—getting divorced for the sake o the children
The only surprising thing about divorce is that it doesn’t happen more often. What
people want from a marriage may be the same when they get married, but, as we all
know, people can change.
What he wants may be very different from what she want five years down the line.
Very often , men have the attitude of, “She looks after me and she is there when I
want her; but I have my own life. “Women, on the other hand, think, “He is my best
friend; I want him to share my interests, my emotions and my life.” One of both of the
partners begins to eel trapped. They start to live separate lives, which results in
tension, arguments and battles, which ten also has a negative effect on the children if
there are any. So, what is the point of staying together? It’s better for children to grow
up in a relaxed, loving environment with one partner than in a tension-filled home
with both partners. Of course it’s better t avoid splitting up—it hurts everyone,
especially the children—but if a marriage is over, it’s best to accept the situation and
move on before more harm is done.
B. Sue Hardcastle—staying together for the sake of children
Too many people see divorce as the easy way out. I admit that in some cases it may be
necessary –for example, if your partner was physically or mentally abusing you.
Getting divorced should be absolutely the last option. It’s not just a lifestyle choice.
Part of the problem is that people seem to have an impossibly idealistic view of
marriage. They expect love, romance and excitement to fill their lives all the time. But
the fact is, married life is not always perfect love and harmony. There will be
arguments and disagreements. It is boring at times and especially when children come
along, it can be hard work! You’ve got to be willing to make the effort which makes
marriage a rich and satisfying experience.
And what example is it to children if you decide t split up? What message does it give?
“When things get difficult, you can just quit.” It’s no surprise that people whose
parents divorce often get divorced themselves. How can they believe in the possibility
of a permanent relationship if the people they most trust couldn’t do it?
Questions
1. Do you think that people expecting too much from marriage get divorced easily?
2. Do you agree that children can experience negative things in a bad marriage?
3. What do you think are suitable reasons for getting divorced?
4. How easy do you think it should be to get divorced?
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Unit 3 Sexual harassment
I. Preview: In a work setting, what body parts of a colleague would it be OK to touch
in your country? Hand, face, back, stomach, arm, shoulder, hair, bottom
II. News for leading: Sexism behind motor show
A. Vocabulary build-up
1. the key to (prep.)
2. out-power
3. advert
4. shamelessly
老掉牙的廢話
14. a number of 一些
24. drive out 驅趕
15. recruitment
16. enthusiast
25. aerodynamics
26. provoke
27. issue
5. exploit
6. throaty roar
7. set off 爆發出
17. minister
18. scantily clad women
穿著暴露的女人
28. sue for
29. superior
30. subordinate
8. appealingly
9. feminine curve
10. sexist stereotype
11. slogan
12. glossy
13. old-fashioned rubbish
19. glamour
20. dress up 打扮
31. specialize in
32. seductively
33. declare
34. bravado
35. macho
36. sexual harassment
21. walk down catwalk
走在伸展台上
22. be bound to
23. accelerate
B. Questions for discussion
1. What are some people angry about?
2. How many science, technology and engineering graduates don’t use their degrees?
3. What percentage of all vehicles are bought by women?
4. What will there be pressure on the motor industry to do?
C. Oral interpretation
在伯明罕每年有一場著名的車展，展示汽車業最新的產品。今年的秀展引起一番
激辯，爭論汽車究竟該如何促銷給大眾。自從引擎馬力超越馬匹以來，賣車的要
訣始終沒有什麼改變，大多數廣告毫無羞恥地利用男性顧客的慾望。然而，現在
許多女人買自己的車，事實上佔一半賣出去的車子，於是如何將任何性別歧視的
暗示逐出汽車業的壓力與日遽增。
III. Reading: French flirt at work
The engineering workshops at a well-known engine-maker based in Paris seem as
clean and innocent as a church these days. The nude photographs and sexy calendars
that used to be on some of the walls have been taken down or thrown away.
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For that, the men in the department mostly have on of their female colleagues to hank.
Brigitte Janie, an aerodynamics engineer, said she started arguing against the
suggestive photographs from the moment she joined the company 13 years ago. “It
was being done just to provoke women,” said Janin, 37. “When I said we didn’t like it,
they laughed at me. “ The company finally changed their policy when they agreed that
the pictures could be a form of sexual harassment. Sexual harassment at work is a
relatively new issue in France. French law now allows women to sue for sexual
harassment, but it is limited to harassment by a superior of a subordinate. Typically,
many cases do not make it to court. “It usually goes this way: the woman complains
about her boss, and then she’s fired,” said one lawyer specializing in workplace
harassment. Then she sues, and money, if awarded, is usually little or sometimes
nothing at all. “Judges will say it’s because the woman is dressed too seductively,” he
added.
“Here we don’t care about sexual harassment,” declared another lawyer who, despite
his bravado, asked that his name not be published. “Being macho is seen as a good
thing in the office. Chatting up beautiful women is natural.”
Questions for Discussion:
1. How far do you agree with Brigitte Janie about the photos? Why?
2. Do you think that a woman who dresses seductively should be prepared for
unwanted sexual advances? Give an example of ‘seductive dress’.
3. Can men sexually harassed by women?
4. Are you a tactile person who touches people a lot? How can you tell when
someone does not want to be touched?
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Unit 4 Torture
I. Preview: In 1996 there were 171 countries in the world. In 124 countries there are
people in prison or police custody suffering torture or ill-treatment. In 46 countries,
some people died as a result of torture or inhuman prison condition.
II. News for Discussion: UK Prison Conditions
A. Vocabulary Build-up
1. cell
16. be overwhelmed with
2. dog (v)
17. chapel
3. exclusive
18. offend
4. go public
19. appalling
5. loo=toilet
20. go down well
31. statistics
32. abuse
33. suspect
34. choke
35. manslaughter
6. access
7. gross
8. release
21. consensus
22. alternative
23. strip
36. expose
37. widespread
38. convict of
9. inmate
10. turn a corner
11. blow away
12. riot
13. constant
14. frustration
15. employable
24. priest
25. dictator
26. imprisonment
27. appropriate
28. fragile
29. pregnant
30. rape
39. criticism
40. obtain
41. supplier
42. cruel
43. convention
B. Questions
1.What is the main problem in British prisons?
2. Which two people are expressing their opinions?
3. What was the prison population at the time of the Strangeways riot?
4. What is the prison population now?
5. What stops the Prison Service from doing its job properly?
6. According to the Director General, what things can work for prisoners?
C. Oral interpretation
位於曼撤斯特的史川吉威監獄，90 年代曾發生大規模的暴動，那裡的狀況現在
稍有改善，但英國整體的監獄系統仍然為嚴重的問題所苦。史川吉威監獄暴動
時，囚犯人數約為四萬人，但現在人數已超過七萬人，幾乎是當時的兩倍。首席
法官說過度擁擠就像侵蝕監獄署功能的癌症，使其功能大受影響。首席法官 Woolf
以開明為著，他的觀點不一定到處被接受，但是有一個日漸形成的共識. 換言
之，我們需要找出一個代替方案，來取代將這麼多人送進牢裡。
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III. Reading
A. Cassidy Attacks Pinochet
In Chile in 1975, Dr. Sheila Cassidy was beaten, stripped and given electric shocks all
over her body, forcing her to give the name of a priest who had asked her for help.
She was later released as a result of protests from Britain. Yesterday she spoke out
following he arrest for General Pinochet, the 84-year-old ex-dictator of Chile. “I think
imprisonment for the rest of his life would be appropriate. I know he is an old man
and he is fragile, but so were the pregnant women who were raped and tortured,” she
said.
B.US Police under Fire
A recent Human Rights Watch report, examining policing in 14 or American’s biggest
cities, contains some shocking statistics. Following 11,000 civil rights complaints
against the police last year, only 29 police officers were punished. Crime in New York
has halved since 1993, but complaints about police abuse are up by 50%. In one case,
a suspect was choked to death when arrested by a police officer in 1994. The officer
was cleared of manslaughter, but the case exposed the police to widespread criticism.
C. France Guilty of Torture
France became the first European country convicted of torture when the European
Court of Human Rights found it guilty of torturing a suspected drug dealer during
questioning. The man was beaten in an effort to obtain more information about his
suppliers. The court described his treatment at the hands of five police officers as
being ‘of particularly cruel and serious nature’ making it ‘torture’ under the European
Convention on Human Rights.
Questions for discussion:
1. What was ‘shocking’ about the Human Rights Watch report?
2. How would you define ‘torture’?
3. Do you think the police in your country torture suspects and known
criminals?
4. In which countries would you expect t find torture happening/
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Unit 5 Designer Babies
I. Preview: Imagine that before you were born your parents had designed you. If you
had been them, what would you have changed?
1. Which one aspect of your appearance would you change?
2. Which one aspect of your personality/character would you change?
3. Are you pleased your parents did not design you or do you wish they had?
II. News for leading: Fertility treatment
A. Vocabulary Build-up
1. crave
9. misleading
17. gender selection
2. give birth
3. put off
4. fertility treatment
10. authority
11. domestic accident
12. legal right
18. campaigner
19. consumer item
20. pro-life
5. clinic
6. compete for
7. IVF=in-vitro
fertilization 試管受精
13. dimension
14. replace
15. psychologist
15. confirm
16. adore
21. oppose to (prep.)
22. lead to
23. disaster
24. legislation
25. guarantee
8. egg donation
B. Questions for discussion
1. How successful is the Bristol clinic?
2. What did Dawn Midden decide to do?
3. How high are the London clinic’s success rates?
4. What types of patients do they treat?
C. Oral Interpretation
當越來越多女性決定晚一點生小孩，生育診所要提供有效治療的壓力也愈來愈
大。因為診所爭取客戶，他們的成功的機率就變得更重要。今天這些數據不是第
一次被公佈，但現在當局才決定找出為什麼成功率會差別那麼大。當越來越多女
人想要延遲生子，她們對統計數字的要求就會越大。
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III. Reading
New laws may allow choice of baby’s sex
Jim and Debbie Jones whose daughter was killed in a tragic domestic accident last
year, plan to use the new British human rights laws to win the legal right to choose the
sex of their baby.
The Jones, who have four sons, say that the “female dimension” has disappeared from
heir family since the death of Jasmine. “Words cannot describe what ir feels like to
lose the little girl we had wanted for so long. We know another girl won’t replace
Jasmine, but we want the chance to try,” said Jim Jones. “What we’re hoping to do
with the use of technology is create the female dimension again. We have
psychologists’ reports and doctors’ reports which confirm that our reasons for wanting
a girl go beyond just wanting to replace her. Our family doesn’t feel complete any
more. I adore our sons but we would like another girl.”
Gender selection is only possible in Britian for medial rather than social,
psychological or physical reasons. Pro-life campaigners say that if the Jones are
allowed o choose the sex of their baby, it could lead to babies becoming consumer
items. A spokesman said: “We are totally opposed to engineering the numbers and
genders of people in society. That leads only to disaster.”
The Jones’ lawyers will be basing their arguments on new human rights legislation.
Article six guarantees everyone a ‘fair hearing’ from public authorities and Article
eight protects the right of everyone to ‘respect for family life’.
Questions for discussion:
1. Do you think the Jones should be allowed to choose t have a baby girl?
2. If there is a history of a fatal disease that affects the nervous system. Do you want
to make sure that your baby is not likely to get this disease before you give birth
to it?
3. Do you think an unborn child has the right to live?
4. What’s your viewpoint about abortion?
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Unit 6 Nobody needs a gun
I. Preview: In Britian it is illegal to have a gun without a license. Following the
Dunblane massacre in Scotland in 1996,when a madman killed almost an entire class
of primary school children and their teacher, the laws on gun possession have become
very strict. The same is not true in the United States, where many more atrocities
involving guns, such as the Columbine incident described below, have taken place.
II. News for leading:
A. Vocabulary build-up
1. massacre
2. gun possession
14. vortex 漩渦
15.
conveyor belt 輸送帶
3. atrocity
4. terrifying
5. go off 響起
16. cocaine
17. heroin
18. addict
6. sporadically
7. in peaks and troughs
在高峰和低谷間
19. mandatory
20. compulsory
8. dramatically
9. chilling
10. firearm offences 槍枝
犯罪案件
21. replica
22. skeptical
23. tighten up
24. tackle
25. inquest
11. handgun
12. alienation
13. Conservatives 保守黨
26. coroner
27. Home secretary 內政
大臣
28. strict
29. lobby
30. amnesty 大赦
31. upset
32. in accordance with
33. under attack
34. civil war
35. resemblance
36. on a regular basis 平常
37. trafficking
非法交易
38. Olympic sport
39. amendment
40. lose one’s head 失去
理智
B. Question for discussion
1. How many firearms offences were there in 2002?
2. How much did firearms offences increase by in 2002?
3. Which is the most common weapon used in crimes?
4. According to the government, what is behind the gun problem?
5. Where does a big part of gun crime come from?
6. What did the government move to ban last night?
7. What does the man from the weapons trade think about the new laws?
8. What is the coroner in the Charlene Ellis case going to do?
C. Oral interpretation
在英國持有槍枝是違法的，而且大多數英國警察通常是不配槍的，但是仍有少數
案件涉及非法武器的使用與交易。 今天槍枝犯罪數字讀來令人怵目驚心，2002
11
年有將近一萬起槍枝犯罪案件，在一年中成長了百分之三十五。在這當中，近六
千起案件使用手槍，比過去高出百分之二十。政府承認情況不佳，並說在此背後
的是毒品犯罪。
III. Reading: The Columbine Massacre
On April 20, 1999, two teenage boys at Columbine High School near Denver,
Colorado, USA, shot over 30 fellow students, killing 12 of them—before taking
their own lives. The following point of view was posted on an interactive website
a few days later by someone from Britain.
What is it going to take for America to get the message? How many more lives are we
going to see wasted? How can the pro-gun lobby in the US still have such a powerful
voice? After the Dunblane massacre here in 1996, gun control laws, which were
already strict, were tightened further. There was a national wide amnesty on handguns.
Many who had guns, for whatever reason, gave them up. They were sick of what
guns were capable of. People even questioned whether shooting should reamin an
Olympic sport. Dunblane shocked the whole nation and the effect remains to this day.
But in the US, politicians are more worried about upsetting the pro-gun groups and
losing votes than protecting innocent people! Ordinary citizens argue that they shold
be free to arm and defend themselves in accordance with the “Second Amendment”.
Defend themselves against who? The country isn’t under attack! The civic war ended
over 200 years ago!
Most people in Britain have never seen or handled a real gun—even our police don’t
carry them—but in America you can buy one on a Saturday afternoon shopping trip.
What has happened to a country that it can carry on with one massacre after another
and do nothing? We’re supposed to be “cousins” but the family resemblance is not
very strong any more. I don’t recognize their culture. A country that can’t ban guns
has lost its head, and its soul.
Questions for discussion:
1. Judging from your own reactions, what do you thing most people like about guns?
2. Do you thing that gun-violence in films has a direct effect on gun-related crime?
3. Is it OK for children to play with toy guns? Would you let your children play with
toy guns?
4. Do guns have any positive roles in society?
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Unit 7 The sale of human organs
I. Preview: Under what circumstances would you allow an organ t be removed from
your body: Choose the ones you agree with:
1. If I need an operation.
4. To donate an organ to a close friend.
2. After death, for general medical
5. To help anyone in need
purpose.
6. To make money.
3. To donate an organ t a close relative.
7. Never.
II. News for leading:
A. Vocabulary build-up
1. dialysis time 洗腎時間
18. go ahead with 毫不
26. idiomatic
2. kidney
3. in sight
6. put simply 簡單地說
猶豫地做
27. aggressive
28. outrage
29. sensitive
7. cremate
8. dismantle
9. transplant
10. be prone to
11. in desperation
12. frustration
13. subsequently
14. contract illness 感染
疾病
15. team up with 與合作
勇地站出來
21. Skih temple 錫克教
寺院
22. high on the agenda 在
重要議程上
16. poke
17. awareness
19. prevalent
20. come forward 自告奮
23. European
Caucasian Society 歐洲
白人社區
30. be reluctant to
31. sacred
32. outnumber
33. resort to
34. criminal
35. charge
36. in an attempt to
24. debt collector
24. come up with 準備
好
37. ruthless
38. cost one an arm and a
leg 非常昂貴
39. sell off 廉價出售
25. belongings
40. complaint
B. Questions for discussion: True or False
1. There aren’t enough Asian Kidney donors.
2. It is cheap and legal to buy kidneys on the black market.
3. Some patients who buy a kidney abroad contract illnesses and die.
4. Hospitals always write to patients who can have a transplant: they never phone.
5. The Asian community is particularly prone to kidney disease.
6. There weren’t enough kidney donors in the past, but now more and more donors are
coming forward.
C. Oral interpretation
Anna Mouakfilrow 的洗腎時間到了，一週四次，幾乎三年了。還是看不到任何捐
贈者。獲許明天會有一人，或許永遠都不會。簡單地說，在周遭並無足夠的亞洲
捐贈者。一般說來，亞洲人需亞洲人才能移植成功。但是亞洲人更容易患腎臟衰
13
竭。絕望之餘，越來越多的病人從黑市買腎臟 。然而有些人客死異鄉，因為感
染疾病，無法返回。
III. Reading: The sale of human organs: Japanese urged to sell eyes to pay debts
The phone calls from the debt collector got increasingly more threatening. First, the
standard pressure: “You have to come up with the money. Sell your house
quickly…sell your clothes and all your belongings if necessary.” But then: “Sell a
kidney. You have two, don’t you? Many of our borrowers only have one You can get
$28,000 for a kidney. You can get $9,500 for an eyeball,” said the debt collector, on
tape recordings of the calls. By this time, the person receiving the calls, Mr. Mamoto,
a retired metalworker, was so frightened that when he heard dogs barking, he thought
it was debt collectors coming after him, his lawyer said.
These “shoko loan” firms lend money to small businesses who are experiencing
financial difficulties and who cannot raise money in other ways. Their methods give a
whole new meaning to the idiomatic expression, “It’ll cost you an arm and a leg!”
Aggressive debt collection has always been an unpleasant aspect of the business
world but this new development has caused outrage. The sale of body organs is
especially sensitive in Japan, where people are often reluctant to even allow the
donation of an organ after death for medical purpose.
“We believe that our bodies are sacred. I would never allow anyone to take anything
away from my body—dead or alive,” said Mr. Hiroshi Yamazaki, a small business
owner in Tokyo and also a recently-threatened borrower. “maybe in the western world
this is different.” And indeed it is. The United States, for example, outnumbers organ
donations in Japan by 20 to 1. Fortunately for Mr. Mamoto, he found the legal help he
needed before having to resort to selling off parts of his body. He filed the first
criminal complaint against one of the largest loan shark companies in Japan, a
company charging interest rates of 30 to 40 per cent. National television has broadcast
the recorded telephone threats repeatedly in an attempt to make Japanese citizens
aware of the ruthless world of debt collections.
Questions for discussion:
1. According to this article, why are there so few organ donors in Japan?
2. Do you think people who object to organ donation are being selfish?
3. Many people carry an organ donor card, which allows doctors to take parts of
their organs if they are killed. Do you carry one? If not, why now?
4. Do you think one day doctors will be shopping for organs on the internet? Is there
anything wrong with selling organs?
5. How do you feel about using animal organs in human beings? How about using a
money’s heart? Would you like the eyes of a pig?
14
Unit 8 Are you happy with your body?
I. Preview: You bump into a woman friend in town. You knew she was thinking of
having breast implants and you can see that she has obviously had the operation.
What do you say to her?
II. News for leading: Body piercing hygiene risks
A. Vocabulary Build-up
16. excessive bleeding 出
1. ballroom
血過量
2. Gothic night
17. nerve damage 神經受
3. be into
損
4. piercing
5. outrageous
6. infected
7. unregulated
8. apart from 除…之外
9. license
10. cowboy 犯罪集團頭
子,奸商
11. infection
12. scar
13. blood poisoning 敗
血症
14. survey
15. complication 併發症
28. facelift
29. undergo
30. breast enlargement
31. dominate
18. poor hygiene
standard 低劣的衛生標
準
32. grow concerned with
33. appearance
34. anonymous
19. sterile pack 消毒無
菌包
20. after-care 事後照料
21. practitioner 執業者
22. stamp out 杜絕
23. malpractice
24.plastic surgery
35. liposuction
36. removal
37. excess fat
38. athletic
39. hair implant
40. breast reduction
41. stud
25. surgeon
26. specialize in
27. obsession
42. rhinoplasty(nose job)
43. varicose vein removal
44. tummy tuck
B. Questions for discussion
1. What is the main problem with body piercing?
2. What is the state of body piercing industry in Britain?
3. How many cases of complications were found in the survey: What type of
complications have there been?
C. Oral interpretation
身體穿洞在過去十年在英國變得更熱門。以前大家只會穿耳洞，但現在也會在身
體其他不同的部位穿洞，向在舌頭或鼻子上。一份針對一個地區的調查發現，身
體穿洞會伴隨著將近五百種的併發症，從出血過量到神經損傷都有。併發症通常
和低劣的衛生標準有關，例如，使用的針頭沒有放在無菌的包裝。而事後的照料
也很差。極少數有執照的業者承認有必要杜絕失職的行為。
15
III .Reading: Younger plastic surgery patients
Surgeons at clinics specializing in plastic surgery are reporting increasingly younger
patients, according to a report released recently by the National Association of Plastic
Surgery in the United States.
“They want to look like the people they see in films or the models they see in
magazines. It’s becoming an obsession,” said one doctor in a beauty clinic in
California. “Last week we had a woman in here who, at 30, said she was looking too
old and wanted a facelift. I told her to come back and see me in 15 years.”
The average age for patients undergoing plastic surgery over the last year was 32,
down from 34 just the year before. In England recently, a 15-year-old girl was in the
news for announcing that her parents were going to pay for breast enlargements as her
16th birthday present.
Her mother said, “If it makes her happy and gives her more chance of success in life,
then what is the problem?” Though women still dominate the plastic surgery scene,
men are growing increasingly concerned with their physical appearance and are doing
something about it. According to the report, men now make up 39% of all surgeries
performed—that’s an increase of nearly 20% from last year.
One may, who wished to remain anonymous, said he got his liposuction—removal of
excess fat—after pressure from his wife. “She’s a very athletic woman and, well, I
enjoyed a good steak.” Liposuction tops the list of plastic surgery performed on men,
followed by hair implants and breast reduction. For women the top order is still breast
enlargement, followed by liposuction and facelifts.
Questions for discussion:
1. Why are younger people turning to plastic surgery?
2. Do you think the number of men who want plastic surgery will eventually equal,
or ever surpass, the number of women?
3. Why is plastic surgery now more popular?
4. Do you think it will be fashionable to be fat some day?
16
Unit 9 Is this news
I. Preview
Look at two people’s opinions on television news. Which person do you most
agree with?
“The public has a right to know what’s happening. I think they should not cut out
anything. People are mature enough to take in the reality of what happens in the world
every day.”
“TV news sometimes seems more like a show. They want a bigger audience so they
show shocking or provocative images. TV news should report the news, not try to
shock people.”
II. News for leading:
A. Vocabulary build-up
1. cut out
8. prime-time
15. boycott
2. provocative
3. official
4. a daily grunt
5. propose
6. interact
7. handicap
9. occur to
10. haunt
11. traumatize
12. sensational
13. graphic
14. no longer
16. news agency
17. encouragement
18. censorship
B. Questions for discussion
1. Who thinks too much television is bad for children?
2. What does the woman think about the research?
3. What is happening to many children at school?
4. Who does the agency aim to help?
C. Oral interpretation
看太多電視有負面影響已是老生常談，但現在有證據顯示看電視過量有損兒童在
家庭和學校中的溝通技能。 太多小孩不說話，在家把時間花在看電視上。教育
官員擔心這樣有害他們的發展。他們聲稱現在有許多父母忙得無法和孩子互動。
對一些人而言，溝通只是比平常多咕嚕兩句。
17
III. Reading: To the producers at channel 8
Dear Sirs:
I must say that I was shocked and outraged by your broadcast of the images of the
Concorde crash last week. Was it really necessary to show the plane acturally going
down? This was prim-time television. Did it not occur to you that there are children
watching at 8 o’clock in the evening? My 7-year-old little girl didn’t sleep for three
nights! The images still haunt me now as they will for a long time, I am sure. How
dare you traumatize people lives like that!
I am a responsible parent who believes that it is the job of news agencies to report the
news without showing unnecessarily sensational or graphic images simply to attract
viewers. The terrible things that happen in the world are not meant to be used as
entertainment nor to increase your ratings.
You can be sure that I will no longer be watching your television news broadcast and I
will be encouraging all my friends and relatives to boycott it too.
Yours faithfully,
Chris Hale
Questions for discussion:
1. Can you think of a recent example of something sensational appearing on the
news?
2. Which factors do you think motivated the parent to write the letter?
3. Do you agree with the parent? Why or why not?
4. Do you think our government should have censorship on the press and television?
18
Unit 10 The right to die
I. Preview: Which of these are crimes?
1. euthanasia: the painless killing of a patient who is suffering from an incurable and
painful disease
2. suicide: the action of killing oneself deliberately
3. manslaughter: the crime of killing a person illegally but not intentionally
4. murder: the illegal, deliberate killing of a human being
II. News for leading:
A. Vocabulary build-up:
1. euthanasia
13. at the request of
25. regain consciousness
14. oxygen
15. charge sb. with sth.
16. as a result
26. tube
27. existence
28. no more than
6. paralyze
7. commit suicide
8. tolerate
9. lethal
10. prosecution
11. abet
17. resuscitate
18. severe
19. brain damage
20. lose consciousness
21. switch off
22. life-support machine
23. object
29. nightmare
30. fluid
31. basic necessity
32. terminal
33. commit a crime
34. so that
35. voluntary
12. stroke
24. irreversible
36. in a long-term coma
2. incurable
3. deliberately
4. manslaughter
5. fighting-fit 硬朗的
B. Questions for discussion: True or False
1. In Britain it is legal to ask someone to help you commit suicide.
2. Assisted suicide is tolerated in Switzerland.
3. Reginald Crew has paid to join an organization called Dignitas.
4. Dignitas is against assisted suicide.
5. Reginald Crew will swallow lethal tablets and die in minutes.
6. Mr. Crew’s wife might be in trouble with the law when she returns to Britain.
C. Oral interpretation
這則新聞報導一件具有爭議性的事情，在英國已經引起大眾的激辯。它是有關於
個人選擇結束自己生命的權力。四年前，Reginald Crew 是一位身體硬朗 70 歲的
人，但現在他頸部以下全部癱瘓，當醫生告訴他，他很快即將失去聲音，他覺得
他已經受夠了，決定要死亡。他無法自殺假如無人協助。可是在英國要求協助自
殺是非法的行為。Reginald Crew 唯一的機會是去瑞士，在那裡協助自殺式是普
遍被容忍的。
III. Reading
19
1. Alan Jones, ages 78, had a second stroke three weeks ago. He ahs severe brain
damage and his condition is getting worse. At the request of his daughter, a nurse
stops giving him oxygen until his heart stops. The nurse then starts giving oxygen
again. People think that Mr. Jones died naturally. Later, Mr. Jones daughter tells a
friend what happened. The friend is married to a police officer. As a result, the
police charge the nurse with murder.
Do you think the nurse has committed a crime? What punishments, if any, should
be given?
2. Eighty-seven-old Alice Weller broke her hip a year ago. She was taken to hospital
where, during an operation to repair her hip, her heart stopped. Although
resuscitated, she had severe brain damage and the doctors felt that she had lost
consciousness totally and permanently. They therefore wished to switch off her
life-support machine. Mrs. Weller’s family, however, objected strongly, saying
that she was extremely religious and felt that only God had the right to take life
away.
What do you think the doctors should do?
3. Antonia James, ages 24, suffered severe, irreversible brain damage in a road
accident six weeks ago and has not regained consciousness. She is breathing on
her own but being fed through a tube. Her parents feel that Antonia’s existence is
no more than a living nightmare. They want the doctor to stop feeding her so that
she will die and they can bury her. The doctor refuses, saying that food and fluids
are not ‘medical treatment’ but the basic necessities of life.
Who should make this decision—Antonia’s parents? The doctors? A court of law?
4. In British law, a person has the right to refuse treatment, provided he or she is
fully competent to make that decision. If a patient is not able to ask for or refuse
treatment (because, for example, they are unconscious) then a doctor can decide
not to give treatment. If a doctor decided t do this, it is good medical practice to
consult the patient’s relatives.
Do you feel these laws are reasonable?
Four types of euthanasia
1. Suicide: killing oneself. In the UK it is illegal to help someone commit suicide.
2. Voluntary euthanasia: When someone asks to die. They may not be able to
commit suicide so they need help or they may not be able to die, but they have
left instructions.
3. Involuntary euthanasia: This is when someone has not actually asked to die.
However, they are killed so that they do not have to suffer any more.
4. Non-voluntary euthanasia: killing someone who is not able to ask to live or die.
For example, they might be in a long-term coma.
20
Unit 11 Anxiety and depression
I. Preview: A recent medical survey in Britain revealed that 25% of the population
saw no hope for the future and one in ten felt that life was not worth living. Many
teenagers were excessively worried about their weight and general appearance.
Approximately 25% claimed they suffer from anxiety and depression.
II. News for leading: Formula for happiness
A. Vocabulary build-up:
1. reveal
11. convince
2. excessively
12. quantify
3. anxiety
13. arsenal
4. depression
5. glum
6. thanks to
7. simple equation 簡單
的公式
8. come up with
9. positive outlook
10. self-esteem
21. vengeance
22. literally
23. shut out
14. premiership
15. miserable
16. vegetate 茫茫然過日
24. irritation
25. pointless
26. on the verge of
子
27. for the better
28. stroke 撫摸
17. blame…on
18. fantasize
19. take days off sick
20. downhill
29. therapeutic
30. priority
B. Questions for discussion: True or False
1. Scientists have carried out some research to discover what makes people fall in
love
2. Scientists discovered that a positive outlook is the only thing people need to make
them happy.
3. The workers think the scientists are right.
4. The first woman doesn’t believe that it’s possible to measure happiness in a
scientific way.
5. According to the scientists, falling in live makes women less happy than men.
C. Oral interpretation
每個人都有不同的事物讓自己快樂，如今新的科學研究員宣稱已發現快樂真正的
秘訣。公式在此：P 加 5 乘 E 加 3 乘 H 就等於快樂。P 代表正面的觀點，E 代表
日常生活需猶如健康和金錢，而 H 代表更高的需求如幽默感和自我價值。
III. Reading:
When I was married I thought I was miserable because of my wife. So, we got
divorced, and then I thought things would change. But I was still depressed somehow.
21
Friends used to invite me out, and though I had nothing else going on, I’d tell them
that I was busy or that I had other plans, but I’d just stay at home and watch TV or
vegetate. So, then I blamed it on my job. I used to fantasize about just leaving the
place. I started taking days off sick. My performance went downhill. But I couldn’t
quit. I was scared. I would wake up in the middle of the night, just lying
there—thinking. Then a job opportunity came up at a different company, and for a
few moths I actually thought I was getting better. But then it came back—with a
vengeance. I started crying—literally crying—for no reason at all, sometimes in the
middle of the day. I started calling myself names like ‘stupid’ and ‘incompetent’. I
shut my friends out and I became generally useless. Sometimes I would go out to do a
bit of shopping and I would see happy couples walking around—and then I would feel
even worse. And so I thought, “That’s it! I’m lonely. I need a girlfriend.” And so I got
on the internet to try and meet people. And I did. And for a few weeks I actually
thought I was getting better. But it got worse. I started thinking about old age and
death. And pretty soon the things that used to make me happy, things like nice
weather and a call from a friend, started to seem more like irritations. Life began
feeling pretty pointless. I think I was on the verge of giving up on it all when I met
Judy. The advice Judy gave me changed my life for the better, and probably forever. I
can’t believe the difference it has made.
HAPPY HABITS
Most people are unhappy because they choose to be. All they have to do is change
their minds and learn some new habits and their lives will change for ever. Here are
ten habits of happy people. Try them and experience the results for yourself.
1. Act happy. A smiling face will get more smiles from others.
2. Enjoy the moment. Happiness is produced by all the little positive things.
3. Take control of your time. Set yourself realistic goals for the day.
4. Take regular exercise.
5. Get enough sleep.
6. Sing. People who sing are happier.
7. Get a pet. Stroking a cat or patting a dog has therapeutic effects.
8. Feed your soul. Actively religious people are happier.
9. Priorities close relationships. Stop isolation and independence.
10. Get out of town. Spend a few hours a week in the countryside.
Questions for discussion:
1. What seemed to be the man’s problem?
2. Do you agree that to be happy you just need to ‘change your mind’?
3. Are you surprised by the statistics of depression in Britain?
4. What is happiness?
22
Unit 12 Begging
I. Preview: Do you give money to beggars? Explain why.
II. News for leading:
A. Vocabulary build-up
1. passer-by
2. tackle
3. scrape out 勉強做到
4. clear out 清除
5. leprosy
6. be plagued by 為…騷
擾；為…所苦
7. leper colony 痲瘋病有
隔離區
8. rupee
9. pester
10. annoying
11. bothering
12. symptom
13. crackdown
14. on the spot
15. a massive task
16. social security net
17. fall through 失敗
18. generosity
19. throw out 趕走
20. roadside
21. do one no good
22. complicated
23. run into
24. filthy
25. urinate
26. doorway
27. numb
28. embarrassment
29. cardboard box
30. be fed up with
31. do-gooder
32. hard-earned cash
B. Questions for discussion: True or False
1. The authorities want to stop the money supply to beggars.
2. The authorities are now focusing on cyclists.
3. The police want to fine the beggars.
4. The authorities have a very big task.
5. There is a social security system in India.
6. Indian beggars have no choice but to depend on others.
C. Oral interpretation
在很多印度的城市裡，許多人會向路過的人乞討。在印度的首都新德里，有關當
局正在處理這個問題。在德里的些街角和市集裡，乞丐依賴別人的同情來維持悲
慘的生存。生活不能再糟糕了，但有關當局正在想辦法把他們趕出印度首都。任
何人被警察看到給路邊的乞丐錢的話，就會當場被罰款。當局正面對一個巨大的
任務。
23
III. Reading: What’s your opinion of beggars?
Edilsson Gomes Teixeira, Brazil
In my city, Sao Paulo, we have lots of children who ask for money on the streets. Of
course, I feel terrible for them, but I think that giving them money does them no good.
Usually they are really begging for an adult—even their mother or father—just so that
they can buy drugs or something like that. I don’t know…it’s complicated.
Ana Martin fong Schmidt, USA
I come from San Francisco, California, where you can’t walk two blocks any more
without running into a homeless person asking you for money. They’re filthy people
who sleep and urinate in my doorway. I used to give money, but not any more. I
suppose I’ve become sort of numb t it all. I mean, what is my 50 cents going to do t
help someone? It’s the Government’s problem, not mine
Atsuko Fujimori, Japan
We have a place in my city, Tokyo, called “Shinjuko Station.” I think this place is an
embarrassment to Japanese society. There are hundreds of homeless people living in
cardboard boxes. The Government doesn’t care about them and neither do many
people in Japan. But I do. I take them food and clothes and sometimes give money.
Many of my friends think I am crazy. I think I’m normal and they are crazy. I cannot
sleep well at night if I know there is someone else who has no place to sleep.
James Foster, UK
I’m fed up with beggars and do-gooders who want to help them. I don’t give money
and nobody should. It only encourages them to beg even more. And these people all
seem to have dogs and smoke. Why should I give my hard-earned cash to feed their
pets and smoking habit? People living on the streets are there because they want to
be!
Questions for discussion:
1. Do you think living on the streets and begging is basically a choice?
2. Would you give money or help in this situation:
a. a rather dirty-looking person asks to ‘borrow’ 20 dollars for the
bus.
b. You are in a restaurant and a little girl comes in with flowers and
asks if you want to buy one (for your girlfriend/boyfriend).
3. What does the statement ‘your charity is shameless’ mean?
4. What can be done by Government to solve the problems of beggars?
24
Unit 13 Legalizing drugs
I.
Preview: What is the law in your country regarding drugs—both possession
drugs and drug dealing?
be addicted 上癮
do drugs 吸毒
hooked on drugs
染上毒癮
overdoes on drugs 用藥過量
be on drugs 吸毒成癮
push drugs 販賣毒品
come off drugs 戒毒
take drugs 吸食毒品
II. News for leading: Risks of ecstasy use
A. Vocabulary build-up
巴胺受體
1. roll a joint
2. get high
3. smoke dope
4. snort cocaine
5. become addicted
6. overdose
7. come off drugs
8. an addict
9. ecstasy
10. rave
16. neuron
17. render
18. susceptible
19. Parkinsonism
20. overstate
21. epidemic
22. panel
23. take into account
24. substance
11. clubber
12. tablet
13. vulnerable
14. brain disorder
15. dopamine receptor 多
25. in prison
26. criminal
27. wander
28. marijuana
29. underworld
30. effectiveness
31. go through
32. chemotherapy
33. conservative
34. opposition
35. senator
36. sympathize with
37. nicotine
38. alcohol
39. heroin
40. tequila
41. prostitute
42. tough
B. Questions for discussion
1. How can ecstasy make people feel?
2. What does the research say ecstasy can do?
3. What do some clubbers think about the research?
C. Oral Interpretation
對夜店人而言搖頭丸是很流行的藥物，新的研究指出，服用搖頭丸可能會在以後
造成健康的問題。新的研究顯示搖頭丸會損壞對行動能力很重要的腦細胞，即所
謂的多巴胺受體。這種損害可能讓服用的人更容易患帕金森氏症。 雖然搖頭丸
是否造成長期的損害仍有不少疑慮，但有越來越多的證據顯示這種藥並非像許多
夜店客相信得那麼安全。
25
III. Reading: Grass (俗稱大麻) is good for you
A panel of doctors economists, parents and police officers in the United States has
decided that drugs should be made legal. Their conclusions took into account factors
of crime, medicine and even prison space.
“We have a prison population of over 10 million in this country. Many of those are in
jail for drug-related crime, such as the sale of possession of illegal substances’, said
an officer of the Chicago Police Force. Because of new, tough laws, currently 3 out of
5 people in prison are there because of drug-related crimes, which means little space
is left for violent criminals, the ones the public would really like o see locked away.
But there were more reasons raised for legalizing drugs. “There are cancer patients
out there who are wandering around dark streets at night trying to buy marijuana for
pain relief,” said one of the doctors on the panel. “They should be able to get what
they need without entering the criminal underworld.”
The effectiveness of marijuana on patients going through chemotherapy has long been
known by the medical profession, but political conservatives still raise opposition.
One senator spoke out against the panel’s conclusions. “I can sympathize with the
patients, but the fact is, marijuana is addictive and harmful and we don’t want that
kind of thing in our communities,” he said. But the panel disagreed. They argued that,
although marijuana was admittedly a potentially additive substance, research has
proved that legal substances such as nicotine and alcohol are far more addictive and
harmful. “Marijuana actually does some good. The same cannot be said of cigarettes
and alcohol.”
On other substances, the panel agreed that drugs such as heroin and cocaine did not
serve the community in the same way marijuana could, but argued that keeping those
substances illegal meant money for criminals. “We don’t have people shooting each
other over tequila or controlling prostitutes with Marlboros,” said a teacher on the
panel. “Keeping drugs illegal allows people to do illegal things.”
The panel will shortly be presenting its findings to the government.
1. If you were on the panel, would you have come to the same conclusion?
2. Do you agree with the opinion that soft drugs lead to hard drugs. Just don’t
even think of starting?
3. What problems have you seen in your community caused by drugs?
4. What would be the effect of legalizing drugs?
26
Unit 14 Turning the other cheek
I. Preview: Do you easily forgive people or do you hold grudges?
II. News for leading: Teenage problems
A. Vocabulary build-up
傳統上
1. anxiety
11. drug abuse
12. hold grudges
13. race riot
14. punch
15. over and over again
22. handicap
23. miraculously
24. attend the trial
25. attacker
26. assailant
27. remorse
6. charity
7. carry out
16. capture
17. in celebration of
18. brutality
28. be sentenced to
29. throughout
30. forgiveness
8. in theory
9. and stuff=and so on
10. Glossary traditionally
19. be rescued by
20. Samaritan
21. physical deformities
31. seizure
32. disability allowance
殘障津貼
2. be identified by
3. bullying
4. fit in 適應
5. when it comes to the
crunch 當到了關鍵時刻
時
B. Questions for discussion
1. What do parents think is the biggest problem for teenagers?
2. What is really the biggest problem for teenagers?
3. What is ‘Get Connected’?
4. What shouldn’t parents be afraid of?
C. Oral Interpretation
青少年通常難以開口告訴父母自己特殊的問題。最近一份針對青少年及父母所做
的調查凸顯了真正困擾年輕人的問題。 這份針對一千位青少年及父母所做的調
查發現，42％的父母以為他們孩子最大的問題是毒品，事實上，只有 19％的青
少年煩惱毒品問題。28％的父母及三分之一的青少年都指出他們最大的焦慮是人
際關係。只有 7％的家長體認到校園霸凌是一個嚴重的問題，殊不知有兩倍（14
％）的青少年深受其苦。
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III. Reading
A hug exchange for a beating
For no apparent reason, Reginald Denny, 33, was pulled from his truck and badly
beaten by at least two men during the 1992 race riots in Los Angeles. The horrible and
violent scene was caught on film by the many television cameras that were there at
the time. Images if Denny being kicked and punched over and over again until his
body lay lifeless on the ground were broadcast live into millions of living rooms all
over the world. The camera even captured the happy dance that one of the men did in
celebration of his act of brutality, while his partner took the opportunity to reach down
and take Denny’s wallet. Luckily, Denny was rescued by some good Samaritans in the
area and promptly taken to a hospital.
Denny was left with permanent physical deformities and handicaps but he did
eventually recover, miraculously, from his injuries and was well enough to attend the
trial of the men who nearly beat him to death. But what was even more amazing than
his relatively quick recovery was his attitude towards his attackers. Denny’s assailants
showed absolutely no remorse during the entire trial and were sentenced to 10 years
each in prison. The light sentences alone would have outraged most victims, and in
fact did outrage many people in the United States at the time, but not Reginald Denny.
Immediately after the sentences were read, Denny, present throughout the trial,
walked over to the mothers of the attackers and hugged them both. He later said,
“Forgiveness is there. It has to be.”
Denny still regularly suffers from severe seizures and headaches and can no longer
drive a truck—his job at the time of the beating. His only income now is the $120 a
week he receives from a disability allowance from the Government. Denny’s attackers
served only four years of their ten-year sentences and have since been arrested for
rape, murder, and the illegal possession of drugs.
Questions for discussion:
1. Why do you think Denny forgave his attackers?
2. Would you forgive the person in the situation above?
3. If you would forgive the people involved in the situations below:
a.
b.
c.
d.
You catch your mother reading your diary.
Your partner slaps you in the face in the heat of a serious argument.
A stranger in a bar spills a cold beer on your new shirt and just laughs.
You find out that a good friend of yours has been revealing your intimate
secrets to others.
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