Unit 9

Premarital Agreements

Premarital Agreements: Also called prenuptial agreem

ents or ante-nuptial agreements, are binding legal contracts between two people who intend to marry each other.

Backgroud Information:

Years ago, marriage contracts were mainly for the rich and famous. Today, however, premarital agreements are used by couples who are neither rich nor famous to clarify issues of money, property, and prior financial commitments.

BackBack

Background Information: Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis

Born on July 28, 1929, Jacqueline Bouvie

r Kennedy was first lady of the United States during the administration (1961-1963) of her first husband, John F. Kennedy. She had been a newspaper reporter and photographer before their marriagein 1953. She was riding beside President Kennedy when he was assassinated in Dallas, Texas, on Nov. 22, 1963. In 1968 she married the Greek shipping millionaire Aristotle Onassis.

Background Information:

Aristotle Onassis

Born on January 20, 1906, Aristotle Onassis was a Greek shipping millionaire who accumulated a fortune of morethan $500 million.

Born of Greek parents in Turkey, he went to Buenos Aires in 1923 and became a telephone operator there. Soon Onassis established a tobacco import business, and by 1930s he bought unused freighters at low prices and by the end of World War II had amassed great wealth in shipping. After the war he increased his shipping fleet by purchasing surplus wartime freighters.

Background information:some famous sayings about marriage:

Marriage is the final destination of two lovers. Marriage should be a duet—when one sings, the oth

er claps. Marriage is a palace that must be rebuilt every day. Marriage is a lottery in which men stake their libert

y and women their happiness. Marriage is like an encircled fortress; those who are

outside want to get in, and those inside want to get out.

Marriage is the tomb of love.

Background information:ways to maintain a happy marriage:

Maintaining attraction for and trust with each other; Development of free communication and mutual unde

rstanding of the marital happiness; Cherishing personal as well as sexual values; Readiness to give each other sentimental care; Help for personality development; Performance of accepted duties and fulfillment of ex

pected responsibilities; Respect for each other’s privacy; Fulfillment of social obligations to maintain the marit

al status.

Some useful phrases:

community property 夫妻共同财产 clauses of prenuptial agreement 婚前协议条款 the division of financial assets: 财产分割 reasonable distribution: 公平分配 Out-of-court settlement: 庭外解决 The American Academy of Marriage Lawyers 美国婚姻法律师协会

Text Structure Analysis

The passage can be divided into 4 parts: Part I (Para. 1-4): A general introduction of prenups: What are prenu

ps and how they are forged?

Part II (Para. 5-8): This part is about who needs prenups.

Part III (Para. 9-14): This part deals with what points should be taken

care of when one goes into a premarital agreement.

Part IV (Para. 15-16):

This part is about possible evaluations of prenups.

Who? What points? evaluationsprenups

summary:

The author gives the reader a detailed exposition of what prenups are, who needs prenups, what points to be taken care of before signing prenups, and how people evaluate prenups.

Words and Expressions store away/up make no mistake about arise bind gain in exposure shield sb from … pass on to be in line for sth; be in line to do sth draw up a sword hanging over one’s head under sb’s nose have no /little /some /much bearing on lay bare

work out: develop well; prove successful (L1)

Things have worked out quite well for us. 对我们来说，一切都很顺利。

At first we didn’t think we’d ever move into our new house, but it all worked out in the end.

起初我们觉得搬新家无望。不过 , 最终事随人愿 .

store away/up: collect or keep …for future use (L2)

The farmer hoped that all his crops was safely stored up.

农场主希望所有的粮食都能安全地储藏起来。

You can store coffee beanscoffee beans away in the freezer to keep them fresh.

你可以把咖啡豆存放在冰箱里保鲜。

It won’t make any difference to us; make no mistake about it.

不要弄错了，那对我们是无关紧要的。

Make no mistake about it, you’re risking others’ lives by doing that.

毫无疑问，你那么做会危及他人的生命。

make no mistake about …: don’t have the slightest doubt about; be quite sure (L5)

arise: occur (L10)

Smoke arose from the chimney. 烟从烟筒冒出来。

A new difficulty has arisen. 出现了新的困难。

Accidents arise from carelessness. 疏忽大意往往会引起事故的发生。

Compare: rise

rise: move from a lower position to a higher position; ascend

His voice rose in excitement. 他激动得声音提高了。

The flood has risen two feet. 洪水上涨两英尺。

bind: (L11)

1) hold (people/ things) together; unite

Her patriotism has bound her to her motherland. 她的爱国心是使她和她的祖国紧密联系在一起。

Hence the study of primitive culture is intimately bound up with that of prinitive religion.

因此，原始文化研究与原始宗教研究密切相关。

2) tie tightly

They bound the prisoner’s hands behind his back.

他们把囚犯的双手捆在背后。

3) force sb to obey by a law or a promise

They bound him to remain silent. 他们要他答应一定要保持沉默。

The agreement binds her to repay the debt in full within six months.

协议规定她必须在六个月内还清全部债务。

gain in: get more of a particular quality 在 ... 方面有所增加 / 增长 / 收获 (L11)

More and more material possessions do not suggest that you gain more in happiness.

越来越多的物质财富不一定表明你得到了更多的幸福。

Ill-gotten gains never prosper. 不义之财发不了家。

Sometimes the best gain is to lose. 有时吃亏就是占便宜。

reduce one’s exposure to future problems: 减少自己日后的麻烦 (L26)

exposure: exposing or being exposed

You should limit your exposure to the sun. 你应该减少晒太阳。

Even a brief exposure to radiation is dangerous. 哪怕是受到短暂的辐射也是很危险的。

The exposure of sb’s love affair 绯闻的暴光

expose: deprive of shelter or protection 使暴露 / 使失去掩蔽或保护

expose students to good art and music 使学生接触美好的艺术和音乐

expose sb to risks 使冒险

He exposed the plan to the newspapers. 他向几家报纸透露了这个计划。

shield sb from …: protect from harm 保护······（免于······）使能够······ (L32)

Put your hands over your eyes to shield them from the sun.

用手放在眼睛上，遮挡太阳光。

Let me shield you from the wind. 让我为你避风挡雨吧！

pass on to: hand /give sth to … esp. after receiving and using it oneself (L32)

Please pass the message on to Helen. 把消息转达给海伦。

A father who has genetic defect usually passes it on to his children.

有基因缺陷的父亲往往会将有缺陷的基因传给孩子。

be in line for sth; be in line to do sth: be likely to get or do sth (L35)

John is in line for the presidency of the club next year.

… 明年有望成为俱乐部主席。

Mary is in line for promotion. 有望升职

Prince Harry is the fourth in line to succeed to the throne.

… 是第四皇位继承人。

Translation for Para 8:译：另一种要求签定婚前协议的情况是：未来的丈夫或妻译：另一种要求签定婚前协议的情况是：未来的丈夫或妻子已经或即将继承巨额遗产或家庭产业，尤其是在未来子已经或即将继承巨额遗产或家庭产业，尤其是在未来伴侣家资不多或一贫如洗的情况下。伴侣家资不多或一贫如洗的情况下。

draw up: (L43)

1) write out

The lawyer drew up a contract for the sale of the property.

律师拟定了一份有关财产转让的合同。

He had his will drawn up so that each of his children would receive part of his money when he died.

他订下遗嘱好让每个孩子在他过世后都能得到一份遗产。

2) (of a vehicle) arrive at a certain point and stop

A taxi drew up in front of the hotel. 一辆出租车驶近饭店并停在门口。

A police car drew up just before the robbers left the bank.

正当抢劫犯离开银行时，警车到了。

the sword of Damocles 随时可能发生的危险 , 潜在的威胁

The newspaper reported that the army was very discontent and that was a sword of Damocles hanging over the government.

报纸上报道说军队有不满情绪，因此这是一把悬在政府头上的达摩克里斯剑。

Examinations are like huge rocks hanging over some students’ heads. They feel overwhelmed with the invisible pressure.

考试就好像悬在一些学生头上的巨石。他们被这无形的压力压得喘不过气来。

a sword hanging over one’s head: a dangerous thing to one (L44)

under sb’s nose: just in front of sb (L47)

The thief walked out of the museum with the painting right under the guards’ nose.

小偷正是在警卫的眼皮底下拿着那幅油画走出了博物馆。

There is a box of matches right under your nose.

This journalist lost his bearings when large sums of money were stuck under his nose.

当大笔的金钱放到面前时，这位记者乱了方寸。

have no /little /some /much bearing on…: 与······无 / 几乎没有 / 有一些 / 有很大关系 ( L. 65)

He might have information that has a bearing on the case.

他也许掌握着与本案有关的情况。

It is true that one’s success has some bearing on his intelligence; but diligence counts more to it.

　一个人的成功固然与他的智慧有关 ; 但勤奋对成功更为重要。

lay bare: expose or make known sth hidden (L68)

All the facts are laid bare in this special report.　在这份特殊的报告里，所有的事实都披露出来了。

The committee’s report lays bare corruption on a massive scale.

　　揭露了大量的腐败事实

The woman laid bare the whole story of her life.　　讲叙了她的整个人生故事。

shed/throw/ cast light on: make … easier to understand (L45)

These clues shed new light on the mystery. 这些线索使这个疑案明朗化 (变得清晰些 ) 了。

New light has been shed on the behavior of Black Holes, as a result of this discovery.

这次发现使得人们对黑洞的活动有了新的了解。

Shed: produce (tears, light or blood) get rid of (sth not needed or wanted) The army overthrew the government without sh

edding any blood. 军队已把政府推翻了，但没有造成流血事件。

Firms in this area have shed thousands of jobs in the past years.

削减数千个职位

Questions for discussion:

1. Will Prenuptial Agreements become a Trend in China? Why?

2. What’s your view on marriage?3. How to prevent a terrible marriage?

The examples should be:

typical and persuasivetightly related to the topicwell representative and supportive

Model: Example 1Topic Sentence + Example 2 + Restatement Example 3

Writing: A General Idea supported by Examples

Sample Modern literature in most countries deals with social

issues. For example, many contemporary novels of Africa depict the lives of ordinary people struggling against adversity. Furthermore, poetry from America speaks out against social and economic oppression. In still another instance, modern European drama enacts the fate of the working man in his drab confrontation with life. Even films, popular songs, and folk dramas from all around the world, tell the story of the little man and his battle against the giants of impersonal corporations, remote governments, or aggressive neighboring nations. It’s clear from these limited examples that contemporary literature in many parts of the world deals with the social issues of the day.

The endThank you!

BackBack General-specific exposition ( 总分法 )

Who want prenups?(Paras. 5 - 8)

Who want prenups?(Paras. 5 - 8)

GeneralStatement

Detail 1: Those who will be involved in great economic consequences in a divorce and those who want to remarry. (Para. 5)

Detail 1: Those who will be involved in great economic consequences in a divorce and those who want to remarry. (Para. 5)Detail 2: Those who have accumulated considerable wealth, have already been stung once, and want to reduce their exposure to future problems. (Para. 6)

Detail 2: Those who have accumulated considerable wealth, have already been stung once, and want to reduce their exposure to future problems. (Para. 6)

Detail 3: Those who want to shield assets to be passed on to children and grandchildren and plan to remarry after a spouse has died. (Para. 7)

Detail 3: Those who want to shield assets to be passed on to children and grandchildren and plan to remarry after a spouse has died. (Para. 7)

Detail 4: Those who have, or are in line for, great inherited wealth or family businesses, especially if the future partners have little or nothing at all. (Para. 8)

Detail 4: Those who have, or are in line for, great inherited wealth or family businesses, especially if the future partners have little or nothing at all. (Para. 8)

BackBack General-specific exposition ( 总分法 )

What points to be taken care of before signing prenups?(Paras. 9-14)

What points to be taken care of before signing prenups?(Paras. 9-14)

Detail 1: Proper guidelines are necessary; a lawyer is required to write the document; and do not use the same lawyer as your future spouse does. (Para. 9)

Detail 1: Proper guidelines are necessary; a lawyer is required to write the document; and do not use the same lawyer as your future spouse does. (Para. 9)

Detail 2: Do not sign a prenup under pressure. (Para. 10)Detail 2: Do not sign a prenup under pressure. (Para. 10)Detail 3: Watch out that a dispute of carrying out prenups could happen if a couple decides to divorce while living abroad with different passports. (Para. 12)

Detail 3: Watch out that a dispute of carrying out prenups could happen if a couple decides to divorce while living abroad with different passports. (Para. 12)

Detail 4: Have a correct understanding of the nature of prenups: they are business agreements. (Para. 14)

Detail 4: Have a correct understanding of the nature of prenups: they are business agreements. (Para. 14)

GeneralStatement

BackBack

General-specific exposition ( 总分法 )

Evaluations of prenups (Paras. 15 - 16)

Evaluations of prenups (Paras. 15 - 16)

Detail 1: Prenups sometimes may help save a couple from a terrible marriage. (Para. 15)Detail 1: Prenups sometimes may help save a couple from a terrible marriage. (Para. 15)

Detail 2: Prenups sometimes prove to be of no use to some happy marriages. (Para. 16)Detail 2: Prenups sometimes prove to be of no use to some happy marriages. (Para. 16)