Lesson 9

                        Why Is the World So Tough to Her?

             Text A

David:   What's the matter?
Sue:   Oh , I don't know.
David:   Oh, come on.. . it's something. What is it?
Sue:   It's just life. . . it's so boring.
David:   Oh , it's not so bad. . . you've got Daniel !
Sue:   But he's only a baby! It's all right for you. You'll leave the house
   in five minutes. I'll be here all day. When'll you come home? You
   won't come home till seven!
David:   One of us must go to work, dear.
Sue:   Yes, but your day'll be interesting. My day'll be the same as every day.
David:   My work isn't always interesting.
Sue:   I know, but you travel around, you meet different people and you
   do different things. Who'll I meet today? What'll I do? Eh? I'll
   wash up, feed the baby, do the washing, clean the house, bath
   the baby, take the dog for a walk. . .
David:   But. . . but. . . dear.
Sue:   Then I'll go to the supermarket, prepare dinner, meet you at the
   station, have dinner, wash up again...
David:   But. . . but. . . dear.
Sue:   Then I'll feed the baby again, put the baby to bed ... What a life!
   Today, tomorrow, this week, next week, this month, next
   month, next year. . . for ever!
David:   It's just Monday , dear. .. you'll be O.K. latet.
Sue:   Will I?
 

              Text B

    Today my cousin paid us a visit. She is a technician working in an electronics factory. She has been very unhappy recently because of a quarrel with her boss. It all started when she was denied a chance to go abroad for a training course.

By qualification she was the ideal choice - a college degree, a working knowledge of English and generally acknowledged as very good in her field. But the final choice fell on a young man inferior to her in every respect. Naturally she was very upset and wanted to know why. Her boss who in fact quite liked her told her quite candidly.

 "We did think of sending you but decided against it because you are a girl. " The answer infuriated her all the more and she accused him of sex discrimination. The best explanation she could get out of him was that it would not be "convenient" for a girl to be on her own in a foreign country as there was only one vacancv.Not convenicnt for whom? For herself? She didn't mind. For her fellow trainees? That's sheer nonsense. For her boss? How and in what way?

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