Two   About society. 
    關于社會

 1   Introduction
A    Some people find it’s very meaningful to be kind to the young and care for the old.  America is a wealthy nation, but it has many problems like poverty and loneliness.  So, many people volunteer their time to help teach poor children, or they visit elderly people who are lonely.
一些人覺得尊老愛幼很有意義。美國是個富強的GJ，但是也有很多貧窮和孤獨這些問題。所以，許多人自愿給出時間來幫助教育貧窮的孩子，或者去探望年邁孤寂的老人。
B    In many western nations, people are concerned about others who drink or smoke too much.  And drugs are a problem that people openly discuss.
在西方許多GJ，人們關注那些酗酒或抽煙太多的人。毒品問題就是人們公開談論的一個話題。
C    Pregnancy can be an issue that causes arguments in America.  Pregnancy, abortion, and birth control, are topics that people do not agree on.
在美國，懷孕是一個可以引起爭執(zhí)的話題。關于懷孕、墮胎以及節(jié)育這些問題，人們都持有不同意見。
D    It is a common tradition for some Westerners to donate money to charities that help to solve problems such as poverty, disease, and intolerance.
捐錢給慈善機構去幫助解決像貧窮、疾病和無法容忍這樣的問題，這是一些西方人所共有的一個傳統(tǒng)。
E    The suburbs are popular because people enjoy more space for their homes and the crime rate is usually lower. 
郊區(qū)很受歡迎，因為人們可以享受更大的住房空間，犯罪率通常也要低一些。

 2    Sample Sentences
1.   Do you prefer the city or the country?
     你喜歡城市還是鄉(xiāng)下？
2.   Watch your diet.
注意節(jié)食。
3.   You have lost some weight. / You have come off some weight.
     你瘦了一些。
4.   At an early age, I found that positive relationships with elderly, infirmed, and disabled people, were personally fulfilling.
    早年，我就發(fā)現和年老的、體弱者，還有殘疾人積極地相處很令人充實。
5.   I have the power to change my body and my health, yet I can’t seem to get the job done. 
     我有能力改變我的身體狀況和健康，但是我似乎就是不能把這事搞定。
6.   I think that once you become accustomed to life in a place like New York State, New England, or Minnesota, you would be happy to live there.
    我想一旦你習慣了在像紐約州、新英格蘭（美國東北部六州的總稱）或者明尼蘇達州這樣的地方生活，你會很高興住在那兒的。
7.   Carl was very supportive of your right to be an individual.
     Carl 很支持你作為個人的權力。
8.   He seems very respectful of people of different backgrounds.
     他看起來很尊重來自不同出生背景的人。
9.   How would you react if your friend wanted an abortion?
如果你的朋友要求流產的話，你會有什么反應？
10.  I haven't had a personal experience with abortion other than knowing someone who had one.
     除了認識一個人有過此經歷外，我個人還從未經歷過流產。

 3   Conversations
1.  Dieting.
George:  Do you hear what happened to Sally?
Joanne:  No, what?
George:  She had to go to the hospital. 
Joanne:  Why?
George:  She passed out1 in class.  Seems she hadn't eaten anything in days.
Joanne:  Why on earth would she do that? You mean that she intentionally2 did not eat any food for days?  That's crazy!
George:  Yeah, but that's what she did. 
Joanne:  I can't believe that there are girls who are willing to do that to their bodies.  And all for a certain look.
George:  Well, it's not just the girl’s fault.  It's also society's fault - magazines and ads that show wafer3 - thin models all saying “It's in to be thin”.  It's hard for them not to listen. 
Joanne:  True, but there are limits.  Being thin is one thing; starving oneself to death is another.  No one forces them to do this.
George:  I know that, but sometimes it's hard to make the right decision.  And besides, anorexia4 is a psychological5 problem as well.  Anorexics never think that they are thin enough, and they keep pushing themselves.
Joanne:  Well, they should do more to tone down6 those messages and try to promote a healthier body image. It really hurts girls if they grow up thinking they're always too fat.
George:  I agree.
【譯文】
——你聽說莎利出什么事了嗎？
——沒有，什么事？
——她必須去醫(yī)院。
——為什么？
——她在課堂上昏倒了。好像她幾天沒有吃東西了。
——她究竟為什么要那樣做？你是說她故意幾天不吃東西？那真是瘋狂！
——是的，但她是那么做的。
——我不相信有女孩子愿意對她的身體那樣做，況且僅僅是為了某些方面好看。
——唔，這不只是這個女孩子的過錯。也是社會的過錯——那些登著最瘦模特的雜志和廣告都說“減肥很流行”。對她們來說，不聽是很難的。
——是這樣，但也要有限度。減肥是一回事，把自己餓死是另外一回事。沒有人強迫她們這樣做。
——我知道，但有時做出正確的決策是很難的。而且此外，厭食癥也是一個心理問題。厭食者從不認為她們已經夠瘦了，而不停地壓制她們自己。
——唔，她們應該努力減弱這些信息的影響，盡量提倡一個更健康的身體形象。如果女孩子長大時總認為她們太胖了，這確實是在傷害她們自己。
——我同意。

《零距離美語會話[社會問題]Lesson2:Aboutsociety》永久閱讀地址: http://www.jiazhineng.cn/yingyu/2247/