全新大学英语综合教程第二册课文The Generation Gap.docx

全新大学英语综合教程第二册课文The Generation Gap 导语：代沟是指年轻一代与老一代在各方面存在的心理隔阂，下面是一篇有关代沟的英语课文，欢迎大家来学习 The Generation Gap Part I Pre-Reading Task Listen to the recording two or three times and then think over the following questions: 1. What sort of a song is it? 2. Who should be sitting up and taking notice? Why? 3. What does the singer think of his parents way of doing things? 4. Do you agree with what he says? The following words in the recording may be new to you: roam vi. 漫游 drench vt. 使湿透 prophesize v. 作预言 senator n. 参议员 heed vt. 注意 stall v. 拖延 rage vi. 激烈地进行 Part II Text This comedy centers around a proud fathers attempts to help his children, attempts which somehow or other always end up embarrassing them. For the sake of fun it carries things to extremes, but nearly everyone can recognize something of themselves and their parents in it. FATHER KNOWS BETTER Marsh Cassady CHARACTERS: FATHER; MOTHER; HEIDI, 14; DIANE, 17; SEAN, 16; RESTAURANT MANAGER, 20s; MRS. HIGGINS. SETTING: Various locations including a fast-food restaurant, the Thompson family dining room, and an office at a high school. ATRISE: As the lights come up, HEIDI enters and crosses Down Right to the edge of the stage. SEAN and DIANE enter and cross Down Left to the edge of the stage. They listen as HEIDI addresses the audience. HEIDI: My dads a nice man. Nobody could possibly believe that he isnt. Yet hes... well, hes always doing these stupid things that end up really embarrassing one or more of us kids. One time, see, my brother wanted to buy this guitar. Been saving money for it for a long time. Then he got a job at this fast-food place, OK? Waiting tables. It was Seans first actual job, and he was real happy about it. He figured in two or three months hed have enough money to buy exactly the kind of guitar he wanted. Mom and Dad were proud of him, and well, OK, hes my big brother, and hes always pulling these dumb things on me. But, well, I was proud of him too. You know what happened? I hate to tell you because: SEAN, DIANE and HEIDI: (In unison) Father knows better! (The lights come Up Left on the fast-food restaurant where SEAN works. It consists of a counter and a couple of small tables. The MAN-AGER stands behind the counter. SEAN is busily cleaning the tables when FATHER walks in.) MANAGER: Good evening, sir. May I help you? FATHER: Good evening. SEAN: (To himself) Oh, no! (He squats behind one of the tables trying to hide from FATHER.) FATHER: Im looking for the manager. MANAGER: That would be me, sir. FATHER: Im Sam Thompson. My son works here. MANAGER: Oh, youre Seans father. FATHER: Yes. Its his first job, you know. I just wanted to check that hes doing OK. MANAGER: Oh, fine. No problem. SEAN: (Spreading his hands, palms up, speaking to himself) What did I do to deserve this? Tell me what? FATHER: Hiring him was a good thing then? MANAGER: Well, yeah, I suppose so. SEAN: (Still to himself.) Go home, Dad. Go home. Go home. FATHER: Im sure hes a good worker but a typical teenager, if you know what I mean. MANAGER: (Losing interest) I wouldnt know. FATHER: Hes a good boy. And I assure you that if there are any subjects that need to be addressed, Sean and I will have a man-to-man talk. MANAGER: I dont think that will be necessary... FATHER: Oh, no problem. Im proud of my son. Very, very proud. And I just wanted you to know that Ill do anything I can to help him through lifes dangerous sea. SEAN: (Standing up and screaming) Aaaargh! Aaaargh! Aaaaaaargh! FATHER: Son, I didnt know you were here. SEAN: Its where I work, Dad. FATHER: Of course. I mean, I didnt see you. SEAN: I cant imagine why. FATHER: Your manager and I were just having a nice chat. (DIANE enters Down Left just as HEIDI enters Down Right. They look at SEAN and FATHER.) SEAN, DIANE, HEIDI: (In unison) Father, you know better than that. (The lights quickly fade to black and then come up a second or two later. SEAN stands alone at the Down Right edge of the stage. HEIDI and DIANE cross to Down Left edge of the stage.) SEAN: If that sort of thing happened only once in a while, it wouldnt be so bad. Overall, I wouldnt want to trade my dad for anyone elses. He loves us kids and Mom too. But I think thats sometimes the problem. He wants to do things for us, things he thinks are good. But he needs to give them more thought because: SEAN, HEIDI and DIANE: (In unison) Father knows better! (The lights fade to black and come up on the Center Stage area where FATHER and the three children are seated around the dining room table. MOTHER enters carrying a dish, which she sets on the table. FATHER quickly rises and pulls out her chair. She sits. The family starts eating dinner.。