Daily Life
Версия от 10:47, 30 ноября 2017; Msu04 (обсуждение | вклад)
Daily Routine
Domestic Chores
Do women sweep the floor and clean the bathroom more often than men? Should men be more tidy? Alice and Neil discuss the topic and teach you a tidy amount of vocabulary.
Vocabulary
chore - a boring job that needs doing
threshold - the point at which you begin to feel something
aversion - strong dislike
minimum - least amount needed
no bad thing - a good thing
gendered - specific to one sex
pinny or pinafore - apron
give and take - compromise
earning capacity - ability to earn money
Domestic Chores Transcript to help you understand the audio text better .
Alice
Hello and welcome to 6 Minute English. I'm Alice…
Neil
And I'm Neil.
Alice
Neil, how often do you do the washing up at home?
Neil
Oh, you know, on special occasions – like after a Christmas lunch!
Alice
That's terrible, Neil!
Neil
Well, domestic chores are the subject of today's show. And you know what? I'm not very
good at them.
Alice
Domestic means to do with the family or home and a chore is a boring job that needs
doing. Not being good at chores sounds like a bad excuse for avoiding housework, Neil.
Neil
I suppose you're right. But I wasn't surprised to learn that on average women spend several
more hours a day doing chores at home than men. Maybe men have a higher threshold for
dirt and untidiness.
Alice
Do you have a high threshold, Neil?
Neil
Yes. And threshold means the point at which you begin to feel something. It takes a lot of
dirt and untidiness to make me feel I need to start clearing up.
Alice
OK, so my question for you today, Neil, is: What percentage of men take responsibility for
giving the house a weekly clean, according to a recent online survey by the UK organization,
Mumsnet? Is it…
a) 1%?
b) 5%?
Or c) 10%?
Neil
Hm. Those figures all sound low. But I'll assume that not all men are like me, and say c) 10%.
Alice
Well, we'll see if you're being optimistic with your answer later on in the show. So now let's
listen to a conversation between BBC reporter Geoff Byrd and his wife Sarah. In an
interview to a BBC presenter they discuss Sarah’s aversion to – or strong dislike of