Oh, Come All Ye Unfaithful

Ask Penelope

Infidelity

ROLE GAME

Imagine that you are dealing with marital problems. You are talking to a marriage counselor about them. In pairs, act out dialogues, using the prompts: financial hardship, emotional instability, problems with relatives, addictions, lack of quality time, poor communication.

LISTENING COMPREHENSION

1) Listen to the article “The Hows and Whys of Cheating” about infidelity and answer the questions

1. Why do women usually cheat on their husbands?

2. Why do men usually cheat?

3. How are things changing? Why?

4. Why do people who are not married often have problems with cheating?

5. Can a marriage work after an affair?

2) Read the following texts and find the English equivalents for the following:

oбманывать, обман, обманщик, невинный, не вмешиваться, убеждать кого-л что-л сделать, отменить, вымышленный, выписка по кредитной карте, запросы клиентов, девиз.

Dear Penelope,

Janet and I have been best friends for ten years. She has been dating Brad for a year. They're engaged and they're going to get married in two months. Janet is excited and happily planning her wedding, I like Brad, so I was happy at first, too. The problem is last weekend I saw Brad in the park with his old girlfriend. The meeting was not innocent. They were holding hands and kissing. He didn't see me, so he doesn't know that I saw him. Now I don't know what to do. My husband says to stay out of it. But how can I just stand by and watch my best friend get married to a cheater? What do you think? Should 1 tell her?

Confused in California

Dear Confused,

This is definitely a difficult problem. If you tell Janet, she'll be angry with Brad, but she may also be upset with you. If you don't tell her and she finds out later, she'll be furious with both of you. Either way, it may end your friendship. Since you like Brad, you probably have a good relationship with him, I think that you should talk to him. Tell him you saw him and ask him what is going on. Urge him to call off the wedding if he is unsure about his feelings for Janet. When he knows that you know his secret, he'll probably tell her himself.

Two British companies, the Alibi Agency and Ace Alibi, want to help you deceive your partner. They offer customers an alibi for any occasion. Just choose the level of deception you want and these companies will deliver it. For a fee of just $25 to $75 at The Alibi Agency, or a 35-dollar annual membership fee at Ace Alibi, the companies will send you a phony emergency beeper message ("Oh no, It's the boss.1") or an invitation to speak at a fictional conference. ("What an honor!") They'll even answer the telephone if your partner gets suspicious and calls the hotel ("Ms. Graham isn't in. Would you like to leave a message?"). And you won't have to worry that the charges will show up on your credit card statement. Neither company uses its real name on bills.

So far, these alibi services are doing well. In the Alibi Agency's first year of business, the company received over 10,000 customer inquiries. Ace Alibi has signed up more than 1,200 members in less than seven months.

You might be surprised who these clients are. Almost one-fourth are not married and 40 percent are women, "The individuals who are using these services probably don't have very good relationships to begin with," says Elaine Blackwell, a sociology professor at Columbia University. "They're probably just using this as a way to get out of a situation they don't want to face."

Strangely, $1.50 from each Ace Alibi annual membership goes to help children of divorce. And though the company's work is lying, its motto is "Provide. Protect. Preserve." Ronnie Brock, the founder of the Alibi Agency, doesn't feel bad about his business. He says his service saves marriages. "We are protecting the public," Brock offers. "When people ask me how I sleep at night, I tell them, 'Just fine.' "

3) Fill in the gaps with the correct prepositions:

Stay …. of sth, be angry/ upset/ furious … sb, get … … a situation, call …, sign …, show … … one’s credit bill, be unsure … sth, stand ….

4) Discuss the questions:

1) Do you agree with Dr. Glass on the reasons why men and women cheat?

2) In your culture, is a sexual relationship before marriage usually exclusive?

3) What do you think Confused in California should do?

4) Do you think the two businesses in text 2 are immoral? Why or why not?

LISTENING COMPREHENSION

1) Listen to one more article by Dr. Glass “Why Good Marriages Go Bad” and answer the questions.

1) How does Dr. Glass define a committed relationship?

2) How does she define a love affair?

3) When does friendship turn into infidelity?

2) Listen again and translate the words: неверность, бессознательно, доступность, желанный, встреча выпускников, связь, внебрачный, общаться, граница, секретность.

Дата добавления: 2014-12-29