Unexplained Parallels
One of the best-known collections of parallels is between the careers of Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy. Both were shot on a Friday, in the presence of their wives; both were succeeded by a Southerner named Johnson; both their killers were themselves killed before they could be brought to justice. Lincoln had a secretary called Kennedy; Kennedy a secretary called Lincoln. Lincoln was killed in the Ford Theater; Kennedy met his death while riding in a Lincoln convertible made by the Ford Motor Company -- and so on.
Similar coincidences often occur between twins. A news story from Finland reported of two 70-year-old twin brothers dying two hours apart in separate accidents, with both being hit by trucks while crossing the same road on bicycles. According to the police, the second victim could not have known about his brother's death, as officers had only managed to identify the first victim minutes before the second accident.
Connections are also found between identical twins who have been separated at birth. Dorothy Lowe and Bridget Harrison were separated in 1945, and did not meet until 1979, when they were flown over from Britain for an investigation by a psychologist at the University of Minnesota. They found that when they met they were both wearing seven rings on their hands, two bracelets on one wrist, a watch and a bracelet on the other. They married on the same day, had worn identical wedding dresses and carried the same flowers. Dorothy had named her son Richard Andrew and her daughter Catherine Louise; Bridget had named her son Andrew Richard and her daughter Karen Louise. In fact, she had wanted to call her Catherine. Both had a cat called Tiger. They also had a string of similar mannerisms when they were nervous.
How can we explain the above similarities?
Statements:
1. Both Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy were killed by a Southerner.
2. John F. Kennedy's secretary was named after Abraham Lincoln.
3. The news story told about the traffic accidents that killed two twin brothers.
4. It can be inferred from the passage that more parallel phenomena are studied in the United States than in any other country.
5. Coincidences occurring in three nations are described in the passage.
6. Some psychologists' interest is the research on coincidences between twins.
7. According to the speaker, coincidences occur much more often between twins than between people who are not related.
8. The speaker does not mention his/her own opinion on whether these parallels can be explained.
重点单词及词组
Part B
coincidence 一致，巧合
real estate 房地产
appointment 约会
be supposed to 应该，被指望
intrigue 激起…的兴趣
receipt slip 收款便条
tuition 学费
Part C
immigrate 移来，移居
whereabouts 下落，行踪
lost touch with 和某人失去联系
Part D
unexplained 不清楚的
tuition persuade acquire decorate signature mystified parallels 学费 劝说 获得，学会 装饰 签名 迷惑 导轨 in the presence of 在面前 justice 正义，合理
convertible 可改变的 victim 受害人，牺牲者
identify 识别，鉴别 investigation 调查，研究
psychologist 心理学者 bracelet 手镯
string 一串，一行 mannerism 特殊习惯，怪僻
Unit 3
Part B
Text 1
A Marriage Agreement (Part One)
(Tom and Linda have signed a marriage agreement. Both agree not to break the rules outlined in the agreement. John, a reporter, is talking to them about the agreement.)
John: Tom, Linda, first I'd like to ask you why you decided to write this unusual agreement.
Tom: We found that many problems are caused when a person has different expectations from his or her spouse. We wanted to talk about everything openly and honestly before we started living together.
Linda: Also we both know how important it is to respect each other's pet peeves. Like, I can get very annoyed if others leave stuff -- clothing, papers, everything! -- lying around on the floor. It really bugged me, so we put that in the agreement.
John: This is mentioned in Article 1: Cleaning Up, isn't it? It says, \overnight. Everything must be cleaned up and put away before going to bed.\
Tom: Then I'll know clearly what Linda's expectations are.
John: I see. What about Article 2: Sleeping? It says, \6:30 a.m. except on weekends.\isn't very romantic.
Tom: Well, we disagree. We think it's very romantic. This agreement shows that we sat down and talked, and really tried to understand the other person. A lot of problems occur in a marriage when people don't talk about what they want.
Linda: That's right. When we disagreed about something, we worked out a solution that was good for both of us. I would much rather have Tom really listen to me and understand my needs than give me a bunch of flowers or a box of candy.
Questions:
1. Which statement best summarizes the marriage agreement between Tom and Linda?
2. According to Tom, what will give rise to problems in a marriage?
3. What can be inferred about Linda from the conversation?
Text 2
A Marriage Agreement (Part Two)
John: Linda, do you spend a lot of time checking to see if the other person is following the rules? Arguing?
Linda: No, not at all.
Tom: A lot of couples argue because they don't understand each other's expectations. I think we spend less time arguing than most couples because we both know what the other person expects.
John: What happens if one of you breaks a rule?
Tom: Well, that's in Article 13 of our agreement.
John: Is it? Oh yes, Article 13: Breaking Rules. \something nice for the other person to make it up.\
Linda: Yeah, like last time Tom broke the rule of driving.
John: What's the rule?
Linda: The rule is we must ask for directions if we are driving and get lost for more than five