《綜合英語教程》課件第8章

PartOne：Listening

PartTwo：SpeakingPartThree：ReadingPartFour：Grammar動(dòng)詞不定式PartFive：PracticalWritingHowtoWriteaResignation(如何寫辭職信)PartSix：TranslationSkills增譯法ReadingforPleasure

Proverbs&SayingsUnitEight

Wealth

PartOne：Listening

Directions：Thispartistotestyourlisteningability.Itconsistsof3sections.

SectionA

Directions:Thissectionistotestyourabilitytogiveproperresponses.Thereare5recordedquestionsinit.Aftereachquestion,thereisapause.Thequestionwillbespokentwotimes.Whenyouhearaquestion,youshoulddecideonthecorrectanswerfromthe4choicesmarkedA,B,CandDgiveninyourtestpaper.ThenyoushouldmarkthecorrespondingletterontheAnswerSheetwithasinglelinethroughthecenter.

Example:Youwillhear:Mr.Smithisnotin.Couldyoupleasegivehimamessage?

Youwillread:

A．I’mnotsure.

B．You’reright.

C．Yes,certainly.

D．That’sinteresting.

Fromthequestionwelearnthatthespeakerisaskingthelistenertoleaveamessage.Therefore,C“Yes,certainly.”isthecorrectanswer.YoushouldmarkContheAnswerSheetwithasinglelinethroughthecentre.

[A][B]?[D]1．A.It’saniceday.

B.Nicetomeetyou,too.

C.I’mgladtohearthat.

D.HappyNewYear!

B.Nicetomeetyou,too.Hello,Jane.Nicetomeetyou!2．A.Itsoundstoogoodtobesure.

B.It’suptoyou.

C.Forgetit.

D.Well,I’mnotsure.What’syourfeelingatthenews?A.Itsoundstoogoodtobesure.3．A.It’ssmallbutbeautiful.

B.Ilikeit.

C.Idon’tlikeit.

D.Iliketeachersthere.

Whatdoesyouruniversitylooklike?A.It’ssmallbutbeautiful.4．

A.Sorry,Idon’tknow.

B.Thankyou.

C.It’sOK.

D.Ilikeit.

B.Thankyou.Thehatsuitsyouverywell.5．A.Yes,Iwon’tdothatagain.

B.No,Iwon’t.

C.Yes,Idid.

D.Yes,Ididso.Tom,yousaidyouweregoingtofixthecomputerforme,didn’tyou?C.Yes,Idid.

SectionB

Directions:Thissectionistotestyourabilitytounderstandshortdialogues.Thereare5recordedconversationsinit.Aftereachdialogue,thereisarecordedquestion.Boththedialoguesandquestionswillbespokentwice.Whenyouhearaquestion,youshoulddecideonthecorrectanswerfromthe4choicesmarkedA,B,CandDgiveninyourtestpaper.ThenyoushouldmarkthecorrespondingletterontheAnswerSheetwithasinglelinethroughthecenter.

6．A.Inastreet.

B.Inaclassroom.

C.Athome.

D.Atastation.

M:Excuseme,canyoutellmehowtogettotherailwaystation?W:Goalongthisroadandtakethesecondturningontheleft.Q:Wheredidtheconversationprobablytakeplace?A.Inastreet.

7．A.2years.

B.20years.

C.12years.

D.22years.

W:DoesToddworkinthisuniversity?M:Yes,hehasworkedherefortwelveyears.Q:HowlonghasToddworkedinthisuniversity?C.12years.8．A.Themanshouldbuythebluetie.

B.Themanshouldbuytheblacktie.

C.Themanshouldbuythenoties.

D.Themanshouldbuythebothties.

M:Ireallylikethisbluetie.W:ButIthinktheblackonewilllookmuchnicerwithyoursuit.Q:Whatcolordoesthewomansuggest?B.Themanshouldbuytheblacktie.

9．A.Johnwasseriouslyill.

B.Hissisterlikedtophonehim.

C.Johndidn’tlikehissister.

D.Johngotsomebadnewsfromhissister.

W:Youlooksad,John.M:Mysisterphonedmejustnow.Q:Whatcanwelearnfromtheconversation?D.Johngotsomebadnewsfromhissister.

10.A.It’snotherofficehour.

B.Shedoesn’thavetimenow.

C.Sheisonlyfreeintheafternoon.

D.Sheistootiredafterclass.

M:Excuseme,ProfessorZhang.MayIaskyouseveralquestions?W:Yes,ofcourse.ButI’msorryIhaveaclassat9:30.Youcancallmelater.Q:Whycan’tProfessorZhanganswerthequestionsnow?B．Shedoesn’thavetimenow.

SectionC

Directions:Inthissectionyouwillheararecordedshortpassage.Thepassageisprintedinthetestpaper,butwithsomewordsorphrasesmissing.Thepassagewillbereadthreetimes.Duringthesecondreading,youarerequiredtoputthemissingwordsorphrasesontheAnswerSheetinorderofthenumberedblanksaccordingtowhatyouhear.Thethirdreadingisforyoutocheckyourwriting.Nowthepassagewillbegin.

Passingexamsiseverystudent’sdream.

11

themistheirnightmare.Sotorealizetheirdreams,manystudentstryanything.Theyevengotofortunetellers,buyluckycharmsandfollow

12

.InKorea,manystudentsburysomething

13

intheuniversitytheywanttoenter.Theybelievethatthesethingswillactasmagnetsand“pull”themintotheuniversity.Whetherit

14

ornot,nobodyreallyknows.AtleastitdoeseaseFailingoldcustomspersonalworksthestudents’mindsaboutpassingexams.Remember,though,youcan’talways

15

luck.Thereisnosubstituteforhardwork.relyon

Part

Two：Speaking

Thispartistotrainyourspeakingability.Readthesamplesandfinishthetaskstogetherwithyourgroupmembersorpartner(s).

Sample1

A:Ifyouwanttoreceivehighereducation,whichwaywouldyouliketochoose?

B:IthinkIwouldchoosetheadultschoolsorself-taughtprograms.

A:Why?

B:BecauseIwanttoworkfirst.Icomefromamountainousarea.Myfamilyisverypoor.Myparentsdon’thaveenoughmoneytosupportme.SoIneedtoearnmoneyfirst.

A:Oh,Isee.Thenyoumustworkhardandlearnhard.Lifemaybemoredifficultforyou.

B:Yes,Iknow,butI’mnotafraidofit.I’llfaceit,howaboutyou?

A:I’dliketogotofamousuniversities.MyparentssaythatIshouldreceivemoreeducationbeforeIgotowork.Theycanhelpmetofindabetterjobinthefuture.

B:Youarelucky.Ienvyyou.

A:Butremember:ifyouhaveanythingIcanhelp,pleasedon’thesitatetotellme.MaybeIcanhelpyoutoborrowsomespecialbooksfromtheuniversitylibrary.Pleasekeepintouchwithme.Wecanhelpeachotherandlearnfromeachother.

B:Thankyou.It’sverykindofyou.

A:Youarewelcome.參考譯文

Task1

ReadSample1again,andworkinpairsorgroupstotalkaboutthecountryeducationinmountainousareainChina.Youcantellsometruestoriesyouknowtoyourclassmates.

Sample2

A:Howdoyouthinkofgoingabroadtoreceivehighereducation?

B:Well,Ithinkmostpeoplewouldliketogoabroadtostudyiftheyhaveenoughmoney.Haveyounoticedthatasourlifeisbecomingbetterandbetter,moreandmoreparentsaresendingtheirchildrentogoabroadtostudyeventheyarejustmiddleschoolstudents.

A:Yes,Iknow,butdoyouthinkitisworthdoingso?Itcostsone200,000YuantostudyandliveinEnglandforjustoneyear.Itwillbealtogether1,000,000Yuan.Inmyview,hewouldenjoyaveryhappyandeasylifeinChinaforawholelifeifhehassomuchmoney.Whyshouldhetroubletogoabroadtostudyandspendthatsumofmoneyinonlyfiveyears?

B:Well,youdon’trealizetheimportanceofeducationinvestment.Fiveyearseducationabroadmayrewardonemanytimesoftheexpensehespendsinhisstudy.Andbesides,theremustbesomeotherbenefits,suchaslifeexperience,characterdevelopment,andsoon.

A:Iagreewithyouinsomeway,butIwon’tchoosetostudyabroadifIhavesomuchmoney.IwouldgotoafamousuniversityinChinaandsetupacompanyafterIgraduate.I’llspendthemoneyinChinaandenjoyarathercomfortablelife.

B:That’snosurprise,differentpeoplehavedifferentideas.Itisdifficulttosaywhichisbetter.Let’sjustdowhatweliketodo.參考譯文

Task2

Readtheabovesampleagain,andworkinpairsorgroupstotalkabouttherichpeople’slifeinChina.Tellyourpartneryourattitudetowardrichpeople’slife.

PartThree：Reading

BeforeYouRead

Workingroupsanddiscussthefollowingquestionsbeforeyouread.

Ⅰ.Whatisyourunderstandingof“wealthgap”?Canyougivesomeexamplestoproveit?Youmayrefertothefollowingpictures.

Ⅱ.Ifyouareawealthyperson,whatwouldyouliketodowithyourmoney?

Text

A

WealthGapWidensonCampus

Asthegapbetweentherichandpoorwidensinsociety,classdifferencesarespreadingoncampus.TheChinaYouthDailytookacloserlookatthisissuethatclassdifferenceappearstobeaffectingstudents’interpersonalcommunication,employmentandlove.

WangQiangwasprudentinchoosingagirlfriend,ashecomesfromthecountrysideandhaslittlemoney.HemetBeijinggirlJuanonthebus.Afterexchangingafewwords,theycametolikeeachotherandlaterfellinlove.

Everythingseemedtobenormalatfirst,beforeWangnoticedJuanhadanelegantChanelnecklaceworthmorethan30,000Yuan.JuanbeganshowingannoyancewithWang’sbehaviorsuchasmakingnoiseswhilesuckingsoup,andlackofskillwheneatingwestern-stylefood.

WangalsofeltfinancialpressurefromJuan,ashehadtopayhundredsofYuanfortheircandlelightdinners.Once,hedidnothaveenoughmoneytobuyanecklaceforJuan’sbirthday,whichembarrassedherinfrontofherfriends.Shesaidhewastoopoortobeherboyfriend,andendedtherelationship.

Thesekindsofstoriesarebecomingmorecommononcampus,accordingtotheChinaYouthDaily.

Inaninvestigationintocollegestudents’ideasaboutclassandwealth,BeijingNormalUniversityProfessorLifoundtheproblemwasgettingworse.

Thesurveyshowsthatpoorandrichstudentstendtodislikeeachother,especiallyduringthebeginningoftheiruniversitystudies.

Studentswithlowerfamilyincomesdescribedrichstudentsasgenerousinlife,butselfishtoothers.Fashionableinappearance,luxurious,arrogant,rich,butcruel

andscornfultopoorstudentsonthesurveysheet.

Ontheotherhand,wealthystudentsthoughtthepoorunconfident,introverted,antisocial,andbelievedtheirreasonsforstudyingwerevulgarandlow.

Regardlessofwealth,allstudentsthinkhighlyoftheirownpersonalities.Impoverishedstudentsbelievetheyarediligent,surefootedandeconomical,whileothersarehappytobeoptimisticandenergetic.參考譯文

NewWords

spread

/spred/ vi.傳播；伸展

vt.傳播，散布；展開；伸展

n.傳播；伸展

adj.伸展的

interpersonal/int?'p?:s?nl/

adj.人際的；人與人之間的

employment/im'pl?im?nt/n.使用；職業(yè)；雇用

prudent/'pru:d?nt/ adj.謹(jǐn)慎的；精明的；節(jié)儉的

elegant/'elig?nt/ adj.高雅的，優(yōu)雅的；講究的

annoyance

/?'n?i?ns/

n.煩惱；可厭之事；打擾

embarrass/im'b?r?s/vt.使局促不安；使困窘；阻礙

generous/'d?en?r?s/

adj.慷慨的，大方的；寬宏大量的

appearance/?'pi?r?ns/n.外貌，外觀；出現(xiàn)，露面

luxurious/l?g'zu?ri?s/adj.奢侈的；豐富的；放縱的

arrogant/'?r?g?nt/adj.自大的，傲慢的

cruel/'kru:?l/adj.殘酷的，殘忍的；使人痛苦的

scornful/'sk?:nful/adj.輕蔑的

unconfident/??n'k?nfid?nt/

adj.缺乏信心的；

猶豫的；不確信的

introverted

/intr?u'v?:tid/

adj.內(nèi)向的

antisocial/?nti's?u?(?)l/

n.違背社會(huì)公德的人；

反社會(huì)者

adj.反社會(huì)的；不愛交際的

vulgar/'v?lɡ?/ adj.粗俗的；通俗的；本土的

regardless/ri'ɡ

:dlis/ adj.不管；不顧；不注意

personality/p?:s?'n?l?ti/ n.個(gè)性；品格；名人

diligent/'dilid?(?)nt/

adj.勤勉的；用功的，費(fèi)盡心血的

surefooted/'?u?'futid

/adj.腳踏實(shí)地的，穩(wěn)當(dāng)?shù)?；無差錯(cuò)的

optimistic/??pti'mistik/adj.樂觀的；樂觀主義的

Phrases&Expressions

regardlessof不顧，不惜

tendto

傾向于(有助于，易于，引起)

appearto看起來像是，看起來似乎

ProperNames

ChinaYouthDaily

中國青年報(bào)

Chanel

(法國著名時(shí)裝化妝品品牌)香奈兒

BeijingNormalUniversity

北京師范大學(xué)

ComprehensionoftheText

Ⅰ.Workingroupsanddiscussthefollowingquestionsrelatedtothetext.

1.Howistheproblemofwealthgapandclassdifferenceinyourcollege？

2.Howdoyouthinkoftheconflictbetweentherichandthepoorstudentsinthetext?

Theconflictbetweentherichandthepoorstudentsinthetextisveryserious.Thesituationmightnothavebeenlikethisifthetwosidescanunderstandeachotherinabetterway.3.Whatisyourattitudetowardtherich/thepoorstudentsinyourcollege?

Ⅱ．Choosethebestanswerforeachofthefollowing.

Idon’tthinkthereshouldbewealthgapandclassdifferenceoncampus.Thestudentsfromrichfamilyshouldnotshowofftheirrichness,becausethemoneytheyspendisgivenbytheirparentsandnotearnedbythemselves.Thestudentsfromthepoorfamilyshouldtreatrichstudentswithacommoneyesightwithoutanyfeelingofbeinginferiortotherichones.1.WhatisthesituationofthewealthgaponcampusaccordingtotheChinaYouthDaily?

A.Thewealthequivalenceisbeinggraduallyachievedamongcollegestudents.

B.Therearemorerichstudentsthanpoorstudentsoncampus.

C.Thepoorstudentsoncampusgreatlyaspireorenvytherichstudents.

D.Thewealthdifferenceoncampusisbecomingmoreandmoreserious.

D.Thewealthdifferenceoncampusisbecomingmoreandmoreserious.2.WhichofthefollowingsentencesiscorrecttodescribeWangQiang?

A.Heisveryearnesttochooseagirlfriendduringhiscollegelife.

B.Heandhisgirlfriendmeteachotherinabirthdayparty.

C.Heisverycarefultochooseagirlfriend,becauseheisnotrichenough.

D.Heisnotcourageousenoughtomakeagirlfriend,becauseheisveryshy.

C.Heisverycarefultochooseagirlfriend,becauseheisnotrichenough.3.WhathappenedbetweenWangQiangandhisgirlfriendJuan?

A.Theymeteachotheronasubwayandfellinlovewitheachotherrightaway.

B.Theylovedeachothergreatlyandfinallyplannedtogetmarriedaftergraduation.

C.WangQiangboughtJuanaChanelnecklaceworthmorethan30,000Yuanasherbirthdaypresent.

D.JuangraduallyfeltannoyedwithWangQiang’sinelegancyandpoverty.

D.JuangraduallyfeltannoyedwithWangQiang’sinelegancyandpoverty.4.WhatdoesProfessorLifindinhisinvestigation?

A.Poorstudentstendtostudyforaluxuriouslifeinthefuture.

B.Thereisaseriousconflictbetweenthepoorandtherichstudents.

C.Richstudentsareinfavortohelpthepooronesfinancially.

D.Richstudentswouldliketogoabroadforfurtherstudiesaftergraduation.

B.Thereisaseriousconflictbetweenthepoorandtherichstudents.5.Whatistheauthor’sattitudetowardthewealthgaponcampus?

A.Theauthorshowshissatireagainstthisphenomenon.

B.Theauthorisagainstthisphenomenon.

C.Theauthorisneutralforthewealthgaponcampus.

D.Theauthorstronglysupportsthereshouldbewealthgaponcampus.C.Theauthorisneutralforthewealthgaponcampus.

Ⅲ.Fillintheblankswithoutreferringtotheoriginaltext.Thencheckyouranswersagainsttheoriginal.Afterthat,readthepassagealouduntilyoucansayitfrommemory.

Studentswithlowerfamilyincomes

1

richstudentsas

2

inlife,but

3

toothers.fashionablein

4,luxurious,

5,richbutcruel,scornfultopoorstudentsonthe

6

sheet.describedgenerousselfishappearancearrogant

survey

VocabularyandStructure

Ⅰ.Fillintheblankswiththewordsorexpressionsgivenbelow.Changetheformwherenecessary.

surefooted

embarrasswideelegant

spread employfinancearrogant

1.Withthe

ofthegapbetweentherichandthepoor,classdifferencesbecomeaseriousproblem.widening

2.ThenewsthathegottheGoldenmedalinthecompetition

quicklyoncampus.

3.Theserioussituationofcollegestudents’

arousestheattentionofthesociety.

4.Hewasina

troubleandcannotaffordtheuniversitytuitionbecauseofthefailureofhisfather’sbusiness.

5.Juanfelt

infrontofherfriends,spreadsunemploymentfinancialembarrassedbecauseWangcouldnotbuyheranecklaceasabirthdaypresent.

6.Oneshouldneverbe

evenwhenheisathisbest.

7.Inmyopinion,

growingisthebestwaywhichIwanted.

8.Weallwonderhowyoualwayslooksoyoungandbeautifuland

!arrogantsurefootedelegant

Ⅱ.Choosetherightwordorphrasetocompletethefollowingsentences.

1.AprofessorfromBeijingNormalUniversitydidan_____tostudythisissue.

A.investigation

B.job

C.work

D.report

A．investigation

2.Shefeltvery_____overothersbecauseshewasfromaverywealthyfamily.

A.humble B.arrogant

C.sad D.generous

3.Shouldstudentusesomevery______productssuchaslaptop,cellphone,etc.?

A.cheap B.interesting

C.delightful D.luxurious

B．a(chǎn)rrogantD.luxurious

4.Oneofthe_____ofworkinghereisthedifficultyofparkingneartheoffice.

A.happiness B.annoyances

C.pleasance D.satisfaction

5.Itwas_____ofyoutoshareyourfoodwithme.

A.stingy B.wonderful

C.generous D.remarkable

B．a(chǎn)nnoyances

C.generous6.Shewasalways

,evenwhenthingswereattheirworst.

A.pessimistic B.optimistic

C.disappointed D.surprised

7.Theydecoratedthehouse

ofcost.

A.regardas B.regardful

C.regardless D.regard

B.optimisticC.regardless8.Itis

toleavelitterinpublicplaces.

A.social

B.society

C.unsocial

D.antisocialD.antisocial

Ⅲ.Choosetherightwordfromthefollowinggroupsofwordstofillineachblank.Changetheformifnecessary.Someofthewordscanbeusedtwice.

1.crueltycruelcruellycrude

A.Inauniversitysuch_____astoforcestudentstobuyuselessbooksisunforgivable.

B.Don’tbe____toanimal.

C.Iwas_____deceived.

D.Hispaintingsarerather____,notskillfuldone.

crueltycruelcruellycrude2.economyeconomicaleconomiceconomics

A.Hewasavery_________studentinhisclass,becausehehadtosupporthimself.

B.Mybrothermajoredin________.

C.Thatisthegovernment’s________police.

D.It’san________tobuygoodshoes;theycostmore,buttheylastmuchlongerthancheapones.

economicaleconomicseconomiceconomy3.personalpersonalitypersonallypersonify

A.Shehasaverystrong________.

B.Shepresentedtheprizes________.

C.Hemadea______donationtothefund.

D.Thesunandthemoonareoften_________inpoetry.

personalitypersonallypersonal

personified

4.confidentunconfidentconfidenceconfide

A.Don’tputtoomuch________inwhatthepaperssay.

B.Wealthystudentsthoughtthepoor_________andintroverted.

C.Heis_______ofvictory.

D.She_______hertroubletoafriend.

confidenceunconfidentconfidentconfided5.socialantisocialsocializesociable

A.Shewantstodo____workwhenshefinishescollege.

B.Theyarerecentimmigrantstothecountrywhoarenotfully________.

C.Hehasneverreallybeenthe______type.

D.Itis_______toleaveone’slitterinpublicplaces.socialsocializedsociableantisocial

Ⅳ.MatchthefollowingChinesetermswiththeirequivalentsinEnglish.

A.sleepingcar B.ticketoffice

C.waitingroom D.diningcar

E.inquiryoffice F.railwaytimetable

G?.halffareticket H.platformtunnel

I.baggage-claimarea J.informationdesk

1.(

)臥鋪車廂

2.(

)餐廳3.(

)售票處

4.()候車室

5.(

)問訊處

6.()信息臺(tái)

7.(

)鐵路時(shí)刻表

8.()行李認(rèn)領(lǐng)區(qū)

9.()月臺(tái)隧道

10.(

)半價(jià)票A.sleepingcarD.diningcarB.ticketofficeC.waitingroomE.inquiryofficeJ.informationdeskF.railwaytimetableI.baggage-claimareaH.platformtunnelG?.halffareticket

Ⅴ.Cloze

Readthefollowingpassageandfillineachblankwiththeappropriatewordorphrasegivenbelow.Eachwordorphrasecanonlybeusedonce.

spread wide suck birthday

arrogantinvestigatecountrysidein

addition finally introverted

Classdifferences

1

inuniversitiesandcollegesasthegapbetweentherichandpoor2

,

arespreadingwidenstheChinaYouthDailydidaresearch

3thisissue.WangQiang,auniversitystudent,camefromapoor4andfellinlovewithaBeijinggirl,Juan.ButlaterJuanlefthimbecauseofhisbehaviorsuchasmakingnoisesin5soupandotherimpropereatingstyles.

6,WangQiangdidnothaveenoughmoneytobuyJuana7present.They8

lefteachother.AprofessorfromBejingNormaltoinvestigatesuckingcountrysideInadditionbirthdayfinallyUniversitysaidthatthiskindofdislikebetweenrichandpoorstudentswasbecomingmoreandmoreseriousoncampus.Studentsfrompoorfamiliesthoughtthericheswereluxurious,cruel,and9,whilestudentsfromrichfamiliesthoughtthepoorswereunconfident,10andantisocial.arrogantintroverted

Translation

I．TranslatethefollowingsentencesintoEnglish.

1.貧富差距的進(jìn)一步拉大使政府部門感到憂慮不安。(spread)

2.調(diào)查顯示大學(xué)生的就業(yè)情況一年不如一年。(employment)

Therapidspreadofthedifferencebetweentherichandthepoorworriedthegovernment.Theinvestigationshowsthattheemploymentofcollegegraduatesisgettingworse.3.這筆生意的投資非常大，你一定要小心謹(jǐn)慎。(prudent)

4.沒有什么比一個(gè)貧窮的學(xué)生在宴會(huì)上端著盤子侍候自己富有的同班同學(xué)更加讓人感到尷尬的了。(embarrassing)

Youmustbeveryprudentsinceitisalargeinvestment.Itisnomoreembarrassingthanapoorstudenttoservehisrichclassmateswithplateataparty.

Ⅱ.TranslatethefollowingintoChinese.

1.Itwasgenerousofhertocontributesuchalargesum.

2.Shewasalwaysoptimistic,evenwhenherbusinessistheworst.

她很大方，捐助了這么大一筆錢。她即使在生意最糟糕的時(shí)候也總是非常樂觀。3.Asthegapbetweentherichandpoorwidensinsociety,classdifferencesarespreadingoncampus.

4.Wellashedoesinstudy,heisnotarrogant.隨著社會(huì)上貧富差距的擴(kuò)大，階級(jí)差異也擴(kuò)展到了校園里。他雖然學(xué)習(xí)很好，但從不驕傲。

TextB

Ihadtwogoodfriends,AnnetteandBarbara,whohadnevermeteachother.Theywerecloseinageandbothdivorced.Onehadoneteenagerandtheotherhadthree.Theysharedmanyinterests.Ithoughttheywouldloveeachother.

WealthandPoverty:GratitudeIsanOpenDoorAtapartyatmyhomeIintroducedmyfriendstoeachother.Annettewasatalkativetype.Rightaway,shebegantotellBarbaraaboutherlife.

“It’ssotoughbeingdivorced.”Annettesaid.“Ihadtogetfinancialhelpfrommyfatherformy270,000dollarsnewhouse.ButIhatetoaskeventhoughhejustendowedachairatamajoruniversity.Idon’tfeelthatIshouldrelyonthealimonyfromBill,myex.ThehousethatBillandIbuiltwith900,000dollarsjustwon’tsell.”

“Itdoesn’tmattersomuchtoBillsincehe’sthevicepresidentofabigbank.ButI’mreallystrugglingforbeingamusicteacherwithnotmuchincome.Idon’tknowhowtocomeupwiththemoney.Butit’satremendousinvestmentinthelongrun.I’mgoingtorentitout,sothenI’llhavetherenteverymonthtoaddtomyincome.”

MyfriendBarbarasatsilentlywithasmilefixedfirmlyonherface.IhadnevereverheardBarbarasayanythingunkindaboutanyone.Sheneversaidaworda