生活英语情景口语100主题 96. Other Issues 其他社会问题

Dialogue1
Erin: Did you know that abortion is still illegal in many states
in the USA?
Drew: Why? I thought Americans were supposed to be
more open than that.
E: Well, for many religious people,
they believe that people who abort their babies are murderers.
D: Do you think most people in America
believe that abortion is wrong?
E: No, I think it's mostly the older generation
who are against abortions.
D: It's no wonder there are so many teenage pregnancies in America.
E: Religious people blame it on pre-marital sex,
not on abortion being illegal.
D: What do you think about abortion?
E: I personally would never want to have one,
but I think that since a pregnancy can affect a woman's entire life,
she should have the right to decide for herself
D: Do you think the fathers should have some kind of say
in the matter?
E: I know this is going to sound sexist,
but I don't think that men should have to give their approval
to the mothers of their children.
D: Why not? It's their children too.
E: That may be true, but when a woman gets pregnant,
it changes her life completely.
Men can still carry on with their lives after the birth
exactly as they did beforehand.
D: That might be true,
but I think men should have some kind of say in the matter.

Dialogue2
D: What do you do when you see a homeless person on the streets
begging for money?
E: I never really give them money because I don't want to contribute to their addictions.
D: Homeless youth can easily become involved with drugs and prostitution. Do you do anything to help them?
E: I usually ask them if they want some food
and then give them something to eat. I figure that if they're homeless,
they're probably hungry.
D; That's a good idea. Do they usually accept the food?
E: Almost always. However, sometimes they get mad at me
for not giving them any cash.
D: It's sad how more and more young people are sleeping on the
streets in London now.
E: The cost of living in London is just too high for most people.
D: It's true. The economy is in a bit of mess at the moment.
E: Did you know that few people can pay the rent on minimum wage,
let alone pay for food and other living costs?
D: There just isn't enough affordable housing to go around.
If only the housing cost would drop, fewer people would be in
financial trouble.
E: Added to that is the high unemployment rate right now.
D: Something's got to change-and it's got to happen soon.
E:Politicians like to ignore the problems of the working class.
They like to focus on making life easier for the upper class.
D:I can only hope that one day that will change.