unit 4研究生英语课件.ppt

Unit 4The No-child Family: Going Against 100,000 Years of Biology Background Information Introduction to the author Rita Kramer grew up in the Midwest. After graduation with honors from The University of Chicago she studied English literature at Columbia University and began a career as a free-lance editor for several New York publishing firms. Her writing career has combined topical journalism with books on subjects ranging from the crisis in America’s schools to the drama of resistance in the Second World War. Her articles have appeared in the New York Times Magazine, the Wall Street Journal, Newsday, the International Herald Tribune, American Heritage, Commentary, The Public Interest, City Journal and other newspapers and magazines in the U.S. and abroad. She has also published short stories in various literary magazines.  Picture of Rita Kramer Introduction to the Text With the continued advancement of society, many traditional ideas which have been taken for granted are being challenged now. Just three or four decades ago, it was never heard of that married couples would not have a child, unless they could not. Things are totally different now. More and more married couples tend to remain childless. “What lies behind this decision which seems to fly in the face of biology and society?” The reasons are various. In this text, the author has elaborated some reasons given by a number of specialists in the field of human behavior. Generally, they fall into two categories. One is that some women are aware of the dangers of overpopulation, crowding, pollution and nuclear war, which makes them feel reluctant to bear children. The other is that those who want to remain childless are narcissistic—they have been used to being cared for. They are more concerned about their own future and don’t want to worry about the future of children in a world full of problems. To conclude, the author thinks that it does not matter whether one chooses to have childre