Classroom Content
- International Women's Day in China is March 8. The ladies had chocolate, and in Class A we discussed some of the expectations and gender stereotypes women in China face today. Women "should":
- Get married: before 30 (35 is too old)
- Have a baby
- Wear makeup: lipstick, fake eyelashes, nail polish
- Have maternal love
- Do housework
- Wear expensive clothes, jewelry, high heels, skirt
- Look after their husbands
- Keep clean (men don't have to?)
- Cook nice meals: "feed everyone until they die!"
- Make money, save money, manage money
- Play mahjong
- NOT smoke, fight, drink, or chew WordNet:betel nut
- NOT be rude
- Keep silent
- Be gentle
- Sing and dance
- Paint
- NOT complain, always smile
- Share her feelings with her husband
- Respect her husband
- Often give Clark sweet kisses
- Chat with her girlfriends
- Have a wonderful body
- Be beautiful, spend time in front of the mirror
- Go shopping
- Have long hair
- Learn to care for the home: [The Cult of Domesticity]
- Wear a bra, high heels
- Learn about her own body
- Protect herself, especially when out at night
- Be a good wife: listen, and not fight/disagree with husband
- Have a warm heart, be tender
- Be a little stupid, so men can cheat them
- Have a good relationship with husband's parents
- NOT be seen naked
- NOT be limited by her husband: she should be independent, support herself financially
- NOT be jealous of others
- Always be ready to help others in suffering
- "Drop things", make sacrifices for the sake of the family
- Receive lower pay
- NOT become a leader
- When you perform a role play, pay attention to the following things:
- React to what your partners say and do. You don't read off a script in real life - you listen to what other people say and you say something in response. That means that in the event your partner says something totally unexpected, you should still be able to continue the conversation in a believable and sensible way. If someone says something shocking, I should see a surprised expression on your face and hear surprise in your tone of voice. If you apologize to someone, you should look apologetic, and your partners should look forgiving!
- Know what you say. You should never say something you don't understand. I should be able to ask you about anything you say, and you should be able to tell me exactly what you mean. Moreover, I should be able to ask you about anything any of your partners say.
- Ask for correction. Beg for correction. This is where the teacher (I) can help: if you aren't sure how to say something, you should ask me, and I can tell you the correct way. Having had time to prepare for a role play, there is no excure for making any blatant grammar errors. Those should have been corrected when you were preparing. Also, preparation time is for you to think clearly about what you want to say and how.
- How do we describe the clothing we wear?
- Color
- Material
- Design
- Size
- Style
- Comfort
- Brand
- The name brand sweater costs twice as much as the no-name one, but the quality is comparable. No thanks.
Phrases And Sentence Patterns
- compliment ... on | about ...
- Your fashion advice is incredible; thanks to you, 6 people complimented me on the dress last night!
- I paid him a much deserved compliment on all the long nights he spent working on the project.
- He received an unexpected compliment on his cooking.
- I must compliment you on your decorating skills; the setup of this house immediately puts me at ease.
- ... funny
- Something smells funny. Did you take out the garbage last night?
- This song sounds a little funny. Maybe there's something wrong with the tape. (WordNet:cassette)
- This tastes funny. Did you forget to add salt?
- My back feels funny today. Maybe I overstretched it playing basketball yesterday.
- get away with ... (See "get caught ...")
- Everyone believes he got away with murder.
- I got away with many things as a child because I was a boy, and boys were expected to be naughtier than girls.
- How can the boss let his employees get away with stealing company property? (Well, he does the same thing himself, unfortunately.)
- Don't think you can get away with cheating on my exams! You won't!
- get caught ... (See "get away with ...")
- She slipped the candybar in her pocket, and was genuinely surprised when she didn't get caught.
- I feel like I'm going to die!
- It's my mistake (Common Mistake: "it's my wrong")
- "me" | "you"
- Is this "me"?
- Do you think this jacket is "me"?
- I don't think this style is "you".
- quit ...
- (You're fired!) You can't fire me! I quit!
- Sooner or later you've got to quit smoking.
- Quit tapping your pen; it's annoying!
- You look great/sexy in ...
- Let me tell you, you look great in that dress!
- Wow, you look great in black!
- wear underneath | one the inside | on top | on the outside
Pronunciation
- collar vs. color
- hear vs. heel
- quit vs. quite
- quite vs. quote
- quote vs. quit
- vest vs. west
Usage
- condition vs. requirement
- She said she'd take Cythera's exam for her, on one condition: that she be paid $100 US.
- I'll go with you to the dance, one one condition: that you don't try to make any moves on me.
- He surrendered on two conditions: one, that none of his captured men be harmed, and two, that his own family would be spared.
- What are the course requirements for a [Computer Science major at Swarthmore]?
- You can give me a list of your key requirements, and I'll see which ones we feel we can accommodate you on.
- We should provide handicapped access to public libraries to those with special requirements.
Vocabulary
- baggy (adj) == 松垂的
- I like wearing baggy pants simply because they're more comfortable, and they're easier to move around in.
- button (n, v) (Antonym: unbutton)
- compliment (n, v) == 赞扬
- I received many compliments on my appearance last night.
- curly hair (np) == 鬈发
- Her hair is naturally curly, and she likes it that way.
- embroider (v) == 刺绣
- There is a flower embroidered on the blouse.
- insult (v, n) == 侮辱
- I can't believe he insulted me in front of the class like that!
- Don't insult my intelligence with your uninformed rants. (WordNet:rant)
- She felt so insulted by her boss' abrasive attitude that she threw a
- I didn't want to press the issue with the storekeeper, but my friend was so insulted that she demanded an apology.
- It's normal for her to hurl insults at everyone she meets, so don't pay her any attention.
- I didn't mean it as an insult; it was just a joke.
- Adding insult to injury, he didn't even acknowledge her when they passed each other on the street.
- khakis (n); khaki (adj) == 卡其色
- loose (adj) == 松 (See tight)
- ribbed (adj)
- Bino has worn his favorite black ribbed sweater for three days straight!
- silver (adj, n) == 银
- He was aiming for the gold medal, but was quite satisfied with winning the silver.
- telemarketer (n); telemarket (v) == 电信经营
- tight (adj) == 紧 (See loose)