Monogamy, polygamy, and serial monogamy

There are two major types of marriages: monogamy and polygamy. In monogamy, one wife and one husband have an exclusive sexual relationship. In polygamy, a person has more than one spouse, (usually the husband has more than one wife). Monogamy is the only legal type of marriage in the United States and most other nations. Polygamy isstill legal in some parts of the world, especially Africa and the Middle East, although it is declining in both regions.

Some people have only one husband or wife at a time, but marry, divorce, and remarry a number of times. This is sometimes called serial monogamy. The famous actress, Elizabeth Taylor, who has had seven husbands, is an example of a serial monogamist.

 

Task 4. Re-read the introduction to the text (par. 1) and then check the statement that best describes how the introduction relates to the text.

a) It gives an example of something explained in the text.

b) It links the reader's own experiences to the text.

c) It asks questions that will be answered by the text.

d) It tells you how the text will be organized.

 

Task 5. One way to figure out the meaning of an unknown word is to look for its relationship with other words in the same word family. Even if you cannot figure out the exact meaning, your understanding can be enough to allow you to read on. For example, in paragraph 2 of the text, you can get an idea of the meaning of the word sector by recog­nizing that it is related to the word section.

Look at the phrases from the text below. Write down at least one other word you know that is related to the underlined word and try to figure out the meanings of the underlined words. Use your dictionary to check your answers.

in order to be independent	depend
formal wedding ceremony
there are two important sociological reasons
share similar ideals
of mainstream society
sometimes called serial monogamy

Task 6. One of the best ways to achieve a better understanding of a text is to make up some questions and discuss them. Questions of the following three types are most common:

· Type 1: questions about the data (that is, the information and ideas in the text) - who, what, when, where, and how questions.

· Type 2: questions that ask you to look more closely at the data – to find relationships between different parts of the data, to compare and contrast, to analyze, and so on.

· Type 3: questions that ask you to think critically about what you have read – to evaluate or assess the data, and to justify your answer.

A. Here are examples of the three types of questions about the "Living together" subsection of the text. Answer them:

1. What is the meaning of cohabitation?
2. Why are more people living together these days without marrying?
3. Do you think that marriage will soon be a thing of the past? Why or why not?

B. With your partner, write 3 questions of the three types about the rest of the text.

C. Join another pair of students and discuss your and their questions of Types 1 and 2. Then discuss questions of Type 3 with the whole group.

 

Task 7. Complete the gaps with words from the text:

1. Only about one in three couples who _____________ end up getting married.
2. We’ve always got _____________ well with my sister.
3. The current _____________ in the area of computing is towards part-time employment.
4. The accident has left George _____________ disabled. He’ll never be able to walk.
5. There’s been a huge increase _____________ phone charges.
6. Because of damage to their homes, many people had to stay in _____________ accommodation for few months.
7. _____________ medicine can cure many problems, but not diseases like cancer.
8. Thanks to your energy and _____________, the fundraising was a great success.
9. The _____________ political parties are losing support to smaller, more radical organizations.
10. In many developed countries, there’s a lack of effective _____________ between industry and higher education.

 

Task 8. Paraphrase the underlined vocabulary units in the text in the written form. Make up 5 fresh-context sentences with the word combinations you like most.

 

Task 9. Translate into English:

В эпоху Возрождения было дикостью жить вместе, не вступая в брак. Но что же было делать тем парам, которые были уверены, что всегда будут вместе, но откладывали брак по тем или иным причинам? Некоторые пары, как, например, Ромео и Джульетта, не могли обвенчаться из-за вражды семей, но решились на отважный шаг и приняли решение о венчании без согласия родителей.

В наши дни взгляды общества на вступление в брак стали более либеральными. Общественно приемлемым явлением стало сожительство как временная мера перед вступлением в брак. Все понимают, что брак накладывает на человека большие обязательства и ответственность, поэтому до вступления в брак стараются понять, этот ли человек им нужен. Более того, некоторые считают брак и вовсе необязательным и выбирают один из альтернативных способов совместного проживания, например, отдельное проживание или проживание в коммунах. В последние годы наблюдается значительный рост числа таких людей. Всегда найдутся те, кто захочет отличаться от остальных.

 

Task 10. Write a summary of the text “Alternative Lifestyles”.

 

— SPEAKING

Task 11. What is a lifestyle of the future? Will marriages still exist? Or will people prefer to stay single? Or will they live in communes? Express your point of view and give reasons for it.

REVISION

? WRITING

Task 1. Write an essay. Describe the family unit in Russia and compare it with the family unit in the USA following the questions below. Remember to use your active vocabulary.

Ø What is the traditional image of the average Russian family? Has it evolved over the recent years? Why (not)?

Ø Have any new forms of the family unit become common in the last decade? Describe them. Provide some statistics if you can. Why did those forms appear?

Ø Are there any alternative lifestyles in Russia? Are they socially acceptable?

Ø What are the major problems that Russian families of today face? Are any of those problems portrayed on TV screens or in films? Are these problems being solved?

Ø Will the family unit undergo any considerable changes in the near future? Elaborate.