Brits think marriage can wait 3

Tips:

 

Living the "odyssey years" on screen

 

Knocked up (2007)

 

The film portays a male "20-something" (Ben) who has to face the unplanned responsibility of fatherhood. Renting an apartment with four friends, he is only interested in his job as a website-designer. So when a one-night stand (Alison) informs him she is pregnant, he is forced into an adult world and to abandon his "odyssey years".

 

Friens (1994)

 

A commedy series about six young Americans living in Manhattan, New York. They share apartments, date one another and change jobs regularly, all in their bid to find their direction in life.

 

What exactly is an adult?

 

Before a person can be considered an adult, what must be achieved? The following figures are from a survey targeted at young Britons.

 

Top 4 items:

 

Accept responsibility for the consequences of your actions 93%

 

Choose personal beliefs and values independently 81%

 

Develop greater consideration for others 81%

 

Achieve financial independence from parents 74%

 

Botom 4 items:

 

Enter full-time employment 26%

 

Get married 15%

 

Finish education 15%

 

Have at least one child 14%

 

(Source: Jeffery Arnett, Emerging Adulthood 2004)

 

 

 

短语学习

 

unplanned responsibility 没有预料到的责任

 

responsibility of fatherhood 做父亲的责任

 

rent an apartment 租一间公寓

 

website-designer 网站设计师

 

one-night stand 一夜情

 

be forced into an adult 被迫成为一个成年人

 

abandon "odyssey years" 放弃漂泊

 

comedy series 系列喜剧片

 

date one another 约会了一个又一个

 

change jobs regularly 经常换工作

 

find direction in life 找到生活的方向

 

a survey targeted at ... 一项针对……的调查

 

accept responsibility 接受责任

 

consequences of your actions 你行为（导致）的结果

 

choose independently 独立地做选择

 

personal beliefs and values 个人信仰和价值观

 

achieve financial independence 达到经济独立

 

enter full-time employment 找到全职的工作

 

finish education 完成学业

 

 

单词学习

 

consideration n. 考虑；体贴

 

employment n. 就业

 

independence n. 独立

 

odyssey n. 长期的漂泊；漫长历程

 

unplanned adj. 未经过计划的

 

bid n. 企图；努力

 

target v. 把……作为目标

 

apartment n. 公寓

 

financial adj. 金融的，财政的

rent v. 租用

 

designer n. 设计者

 

bottom adj. 最低的；最后的

 

direction n. 方向

 

abandon v. 放弃，遗弃

 

figure n. 数字

 

comedy n. 喜剧

 

survey n. 调查，民意测验

 

series n. 连续，系列

 

male adj. 男性的

 

regularly adv. 经常地，习惯性地

 

portay v. 描绘，描写

 

pregnant adj. 怀孕的

 

consequence n. 结果

 

value n. 价值；价值观

 

belief n. 信仰；信念

 

website n. 网站

 

responsibility n. 责任

 

tip n. 小贴士，提示

 

fatherhood n. 父亲的身份

 

Manhattan n. 曼哈顿

 

adult n. 成年人，成人

 

independently adv 独立地