Ex. 7. Translate the following sentences into English.

1. Свадьба Джона и Сью была великолепна. Жених и невеста выглядели очень счастливыми, так как это был брак по любви. А после бракосочетания они отправились в свадебное путешествие.

2. Все родственники думали, что это брак по расчету, потому что невеста была не первой молодости.

3. Когда Стив и Лиза объявили о свадьбе, все были удивлены. Ему было более 40 лет, а ей не было и 18. Неравный брак не обрадовал ни его, ни её родственников.

4. Он был старым вдовцом, но в один счастливый день он встретил красивую 20-летнюю девушку и влюбился в неё с первого взгляда.

5. Все думали, что она вышла замуж по расчету, но на самом деле это был брак по любви.

6. Джек женился в 23 года, хотя в 21 говорил всем, что останется холостяком.

7. Мои бабушка и дедушка со стороны отца скоро отметят золотую свадьбу.

8. Алекс и Елен встречались полгода, потом поженились и сейчас ждут своего первенца.

9. Обручальные кольца напоминают о священном союзе, который жених и невеста заключили во время церемонии.

10. Неизвестно, сколько раз мультимиллионер Генри Мадд был женат. Его последней женой была некая Ванесса, сейчас она – его вдова.

 

 

Text: “Forms of Marriage and Family Organization”

By forms of marriage we mean the number of marriage partners that an individual is permitted to have.

The marriage of one man to one woman is called monogamy. Monogamy is the most common form of marriage and is found all over the world. It generally prevails in societies in which the number of men and women is nearly equal.

Some societies, however, permit polygamy, or marriage to more than one partner at the same time. Polygamy can take the form either of polygyny or polyandry.

Polygyny is the marriage form in which a man is permitted to have more than one wife. This form sometimes occurs in societies that have a predominance of women, or where women play an important role in the family economy, although it may occur for prestige reasons, also. For example, in some pastoral tribes in Africa the status of the man is related to the number of wives and children he has; therefore he is encouraged to have as many wives as he can afford. Polygyny is practiced today among the peoples of Africa, Asia and the Arab world. The Moslem religion, for instance, allows a man to have up to four wives if he can support them.

The other form of polygamy is polyandry, which occurs when one woman has more than one husband. Although this form of marriage has never been very common, it has always existed in a few societies. Today it is practiced by some of the Arctic Eskimos and some societies in central Asia, India and the Marquesas Islands. Polyandry is generally found in societies that have a heavy preponderance of males.

During the past twenty years a number of Americans have been experimenting with non-traditional forms of marriage. Sometimes a young couple live together but do not marry legally. Usually they do not have children, and often this non-traditional marriage is temporary.

In addition to monogamy, polygyny and polyandry, there is a fourth form of marriage usually called group marriage, in which there is more than one partner of each sex. This arrangement of plural wives and husbands is rare. Sometimes people in a group marriage do have children. This is also not a legal marriage and is often temporary.

The most unusual form of marriage today is homosexual marriage. In a homosexual marriage two men or two women marry each other. Organizations working for civil rights of homosexuals are trying to legalize this form of non-traditional marriage.

The size of the family unit may vary greatly from culture to culture. The nuclearfamily is the basic unit of family organization in practically every society. It is generally defined as a married couple and their children (including adopted and fostered children, as well as the couple’s natural children). Members of the nuclear family share the same dwelling place, usually a single house or apartment.

The one-parent family is a common variant of the nuclear family. This form consists of one parent and his or her children. One-parent families may be formed through widowhood, divorce, or separation. They may also be formed when an unmarried person, usually a woman, raises children on her own.

The compound family is the form of family which consists of a central figure, his or her spouses, and their children. It is common in many traditional African societies, as well as elsewhere in the world, and is found especially where polygamy is permitted.

The type of family organization, in which several generations of blood relatives live together, is called an extended family. Members of the extended family live together and share resources. The joint family is the form of family when a group of brothers and their wives and children all live together in the same household.

There is no exact distinction between the joint family and the extended family. But the extended family is larger and has less control over its members than the joint family.

 

Ex. 1. Read and translate the text.

 

Ex. 2. Answer the questions.

1. What forms of marriage do you know?

2. What form of marriage is permitted in Russia?

3. What are the forms of polygamy?

4. What are the main forms of family organization?

5. What is the difference between the joint family and the extended family?

6. What form of family organization prevails in our country?

7. What form of family organization is the most favourable for children’s upbringing?

8. Do you think grandparents should take an active part in bringing up their grandchildren?

9. Who do you think is usually more dominating: parents or grandparents?

10. How can you characterize your family according to this classification?

11. Are you content with your own form of family organization?

12. What form of family organization would you choose as a sample for your future family? What family would you prefer to live in: nuclear or extended?

13. All of these non-traditional forms of marriage are very controversial in the United States today. What do you think about them? Why?

14. Are there any non-traditional forms of marriage in your native country? What are they? Tell the group about them.

15. What do the Catholic and Orthodox Churches think of these forms of marriage? Do you agree with their position?

 

Text: “Getting Married in the USA”

 

Every state in the United States has its own legal requirements for marriage. All states require a marriage license, which costs a few dollars. A blood test is also required in 45 states (all but Maryland, Minnesota, Nevada, South Carolina, and Washington). There is a minimum age for marrying in all 50 states. (With parental consent: females, 14 years; males, 16 in some states, higher in most states. Without parental consent: females, 18; males, 21 in most states.)

In the United States a couple may be married in either a religious or a civil ceremony. Nowadays young people decide by themselves whether to get married or not. They do not usually ask their parents for permission if they are over the legal age. Sometimes they do not tell their parents until after they are already married.

Some people have very simple weddings. They take their vows before a judge or a justice-of-the-peace, with two other people as legal witnesses.

It is customary for a wife to wear a wedding ring on her left hand. Some husbands also wear wedding rings if they want to. A widow usually wears a wedding ring, but a divorcee does not.

 

Ex. 1. Read and translate the text.

 

Ex. 2. Answer the questions.

1. Do young people in your native country ask their parents for permission to marry?

2. Is a religious ceremony legal in your native country? Is a civil ceremony legal there?

3. Who marries couples in a civil ceremony in your native country?

4. What are the usual steps that precede marriage?

5. Have you ever witnessed a wedding ceremony? Describe it naming all the participants and their activities.

6. Who wears a wedding ring in your native country? What finger do people wear a wedding ring on?

7. In your native country where does a young couple usually live after they get married? alone? with the husband’s family? with the wife’s family?

8. What does the choice of the future place of living depend on?

9. In your native country at what age do young women customarily marry? At what age do young men customarily marry?

10. In the United States it is illegal to be married to two people at the same time. A man with two wives or a woman with two husbands is called a bigamist. Is it legal to be married to more than one person at a time in your native country?

 

Text: “Early Marriage”

 

When my best friend told me she was going to get married, I was really surprised. “Marriage at 19?” – I asked myself, and I was very doubtful that a thing like this could have serious reasons. Explaining such an important act in her life, my friend just said: “Well, I just want to try out what marriage can be – it’s interesting for me”. And, to my surprise, everything turned out to be not so bad, and now they are doing well, I suppose.

So I decided to analyse everything that comes to mind when hearing of “early marriages”.

What makes a young couple decide to get married? Unfortunately, it mostly happens because the girl is pregnant – this is the quickest and the most frequent way of making an early marriage, but here everything is absolutely clear and banal. I’d like to search for other, more reliable reasons.

I think some young people, like my friend, just want to see what it is like to be married. They little imagine what awaits them, that’s why they are less cautious than those who have already had such an experience. And of course, youthful exuberance plays a role. The young are often more sure of their forces and possibilities than someone older. It is amazing that it is not a useless risk. Young married couples discover that they are on the same “wave length”. The major danger in this situation is their egoism. They may loose this “wave length” and their marriage may begin to sink.

Another problem, in my view, is having too little money. Early marriages almost always involve financial dependence on parents. Parents don’t often spoil them. Such couples cannot afford to constantly go to the cinema, buy new clothes, relax at Nice, for example. And they begin to wonder whether they really love each other or not. Or would they rather have a great number of comfortable things. But if (here there can be some exceptions) parents spoil their married children with money, it is a pity, for they doom themselves to do it all their life.

I think that what is the most typical for early married couples is that everyone tries to teach them how to do this or that. This usually causes serious conflicts, but on the other hand it stimulates a young couple to become more independent.

The most important and the most dangerous thing, which may happen to our young heroes, is their disappointment in each other. Very rarely it is possible for them to find the strength to fight against it and forgive the mistakes of their partner, it is also easier for a young couple to divorce because... hmm... because they are young. There’s nothing to explain. Anyway, early marriages show if you really need your partner and how much you can suffer for him/her.

Surely it’s impossible to mention all the problems which arise in early marriage. I think it’s useless to criticise those who decided to get married at the age of 16 – 19. Everything depends on the couple. Of course some become adults earlier than others. A system of values can be formed surprisingly early in some people and they can potentially be ready for an early marriage.

It’s also important to remember that some young people just don’t have enough courage to stand alone and be independent. Living with a partner stimulates them to become sure of themselves, to achieve self-realisation. But if they find the courage to get married, it is no small thing. It’s important that they have enough courage to sustain the relationship. It can be very hard, so only the strongest and the most patient can do it.

As for me, I believe in destiny for everyone, and that it will present us with what has to be, and an early marriage is just one of the possibilities, which checks people’s feelings; the first feelings and their ability not to turn off from the chosen way, the first way.

By Maria Yaylenko

 

Ex. 1. Read and translate the text.

 

Ex. 2. Answer the questions.

1. Do you agree with the author’s reasons as to what makes a young couple decide to get married?

2. What other reasons for early marriage would you add?

3. Would you marry under 20? Why/ Why not?

4. Are there any good features in an early marriage (under 20)?

5. What are common opinions about early marriage in our country and in Europe?

6. What disadvantages does early marriage have in terms of education?

7. What can cause disappointment in marriage and each other?

8. What might be the difficulties of a young married couple who have their first child while they are still studying?

9. How often do early marriages fall apart?

10. What advice would you give to a young married couple?

Discussion

 

Ex. 1. Answer the questions.

1. Do you think people should get to know each other well before getting married?

2. Do you believe in love at first sight?

3. Do you believe that marriages of convenience can be successful (happy)?

4. What are the reasons for getting married?

5. What is the best age for getting married?

6. Why do young people in urbanized countries postpone marriage these days?

7. Do you approve of concubinage (cohabitation)?

8. What should people take into consideration before getting married?

9. Are these good reasons for getting married?

· Two young people are very much in love.

· Two people have been close friends for years, although they don’t love each other.

· The girl is pregnant.

· The woman is rich and the man needs money.

· The man (aged 50) wants a young wife, and the woman (aged 25) wants a home and children.

· Two people are old and lonely. They are not in love but they both need company.

10. Are there special difficulties in our country for men and women to meet each other?

11. Are these important factors in a happy marriage?

· being mature

· caring about each other’s feelings

· always telling the truth

· not being always together

· having the same interests

· understanding each other.

12. Are people who marry late (over 40) more likely to be happy together than people who marry young? What difficulties might such people have? Does it make a difference to a child if his parents are young or old?