Childless Couple
CHILDLESS COUPLE
Practice English with your teacher
Warm-up
Talk about these questions with your teacher.
선생님과 이야기해 보세요.
- What aspect of today's topic challenges your existing assumptions the most?
- If you could change one thing about how society approaches this issue, what would it be?
Vocabulary
Listen and repeat after your teacher.
선생님을 따라 읽어보세요.
Reading
Read the passage with your teacher.
선생님과 함께 지문을 읽어보세요.
There is nothing sadder than a childless couple. It breaks one’s heart to see them stretched out, relaxing around a swimming pool in Florida or California, suntanned and miserable on the deck of a boat, trotting off to enjoy Europe like lonesome fools-with money to spend, time to enjoy themselves and nothing to worry about. Childless couples become so selfish and wrapped up in their own concerns, one can’t help but feel sorry for them.Everyone should have children. No one should be allowed to escape the wonderful experiences attached to each stage in the development of the young. The happy memories of those early years: saturated mattresses, waiting for sitters who don’t show up, midnight asthma attacks, rushing to the hospital emergency room to get the kid’s head stitched up.Children are worth every moment of anxiety, every sacrifice. You knew it the first time you took your sun hunting. He didn’t mean to shoot you in the leg. Remember how he cried? How sorry he was? How disappointed you weren’t a deer? These are the memories a man treasures forever.Think back to that night of romantic adventure when your budding beautiful daughter eloped with the village idiot. What childless couple can ever share in such a wonderful growing experience? Could a woman without children have the strength and heroism of your wife when she tried to fling herself out of the bedroom window? Only a father could have the courage to standby, ready to jump after her.
Dialogue Practice
Practice the dialogue with your teacher.
선생님과 대화를 연습해 보세요.
- What does the writer think about childless couples? Is he being serious or ironic?
- Why does the writer think childless couples are selfish?
- What are some of the wonderful experiences in bringing up children?
- What do childless couples do to fill up their loneliness?
- If people have kids, how do they physically change as time goes by?
Korean Trap! / 한국인 실수 교정
Common mistakes Korean speakers make.
한국인이 자주 하는 실수를 알아봅시다.
'one of the + 복수명사' 패턴입니다. 'person'의 복수형은 'people'입니다.
Discussion
Share your thoughts with your teacher.
선생님과 의견을 나눠보세요.
- stretch out: lie down, usually in order to sleep or rest
- suntanned: being dark as a result of exposure to the sun
- trot off: go at a quick, steady pace; move briskly; hurry
- saturated: thoroughly wet
- sitter: (somebody) who cares for children when the parents are not home
- asthma: lung disease that causes tightness of the chest, coughing, and difficulty breathing
- emergency room: section of a hospital intended to provide rapid treatment for victims of sudden illness or trauma.
- stitch: sew
- treasure: value highly; cherish
- budding: beginning to develop
- elope: run away with a lover to get married, without parental consent or knowledge
- fling: throw
- stand by: be ready or available to act
- boyish: looking or behaving like a boy
- unlined: not wrinkled
- well-groomed: looking clean, neat and carefully dressed
- haggard: appearing worn and exhaustedWhat does it mean?
- Wrapped up in their own concerns?
- No one should be allowed to escape the wonderful experiences attached to each stage in the development of the young.
- Children are worth every moment of anxiety, every sacrifice.
- These are the memories a man treasures forever.
- when your budding, beautiful daughter eloped with the village idiot
- Childless couples live in a vacuum
- The emptiness of life with out children is indescribable
- She is slim, well-groomed and youthful
Extra Practice
- Why do so many people want children?
- Talk about the reasons some people don’t want children.
- How many children do you want to have?
- If you had some difficulty in having babies, would you want to adopt?
- We have an old saying “Being childless is the best option.” What do you think is the real meaning of this?
- What does having a boy mean to you?
- What does having a girl mean to you?
- Is there any difference in bringing up boys and girls?
- Is there any difference in attitude between childless adults and those with children?
Lesson Summary / 수업 요약
Today's Topic: CHILDLESS COUPLE
Level: High Advanced (H.A)
Review this lesson before your next class! / 다음 수업 전에 복습하세요!