A Man's Life
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Nick
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Cheryl
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Katia | Paul |
Paul: What's difficult about being a man? Well, I think... the hardest thing I think is working. The man is under a lot of pressure to go to work and to earn money for the family.
Katia: But I thought men like to work.
Paul: Yeah, men do like to work of course. Like most men want to have a career but along with the work, there's a lot of pressure. They have pressure from their wife, from their kids, from their family, from the bank manager.
Katia: Yeah, I guess so. That can be stressful. What else? What else are one of the bad thing of being a man?
Paul: Well, I guess, if a man's... has a good job or a job that's taking up a lot of his time, this can sometimes lead to problems with his relationship, especially with his his kids, I think. For example, if the kids are spending a lot of time with their mother, usually they form a closer relationship with their mom, so the father, I think, misses out on his kids growing up sometimes.
Katia: Yeah, that is true and now I can that clearly unfortunately it seems that it's a lot of bad things with the job, but I am sure they're very good things about being a man.
Paul: For sure, there are a lot of advantages I think. For example, appearance. I think, for a man, he doesn't really... when he's not working, he doesn't really need to worry about his appearance. He can wear whatever clothes he wants to wear. He doesn't brush is hair or he can wear scruffy shoes for example.
Katia: Mmm, are you sure about that one?
Paul: Would you disagree? Yeah, I think usually that appearance is not so important for a man.
Katia: Possibly.I guess women spend more time in appearances but there must be more things than this about good things about being a man.
Paul: Good things? I think men usually can have more fun than women. Like in their free time, they get to play sport and do a lot more fun things I think than women.
Katia: Well, Paul, I'm gonna have to disagree with that one, but tell me why. Why do you think men can have more fun than women?
Paul: Maybe I'm just thinking from a man's point of view, but to me shopping sounds very boring.
Katia: OK, well, I do agree with that one, but still you haven't answered my question.
Paul: What was your question again?
Katia: Why do you think men can have more fun than women?
Paul: Just I think that men have a lot more freedom to do fun things and travel. For example, safety and traveling alone. A man can just go traveling by himself, where a woman, she has to think, where am I going, is it safe. For example, this kind of think.
Katia: OK. I can understand a little bit. You were getting a little bit nervous, Paul.
under a lot of pressure
The man is under a lot of pressure to earn money.
To be 'under a lot of pressure' means we have a lot of serious responsibility. Notice the following:
- As Prime Minister, he's under a lot of pressure from many groups.
- My new job pays better, but I'm under a lot of pressure.
lead to problems
This can sometimes lead to problems.
The phrase 'lead to' is similar in meaning to 'cause'. Notice the following:
- Cigarette smoking can lead to health problems.
- Good English skills can often lead to a better job.
form a closer relationship
Kids usually form a closer relationship with their mom.
People in a 'close relationship' talk a lot and share their feelings. Notice the following:
- Despite many differences, China and the US are trying to form a closer relationship.
- As a kid, she never formed a close relationship with her dad.
misses out on
The father misses out on his kids growing up.
To 'miss out on' something means we don't get a chance to participate in something we'd like to. Notice the following:
- If you leave early, you'll miss out on dessert.
- Don't be late or you'll miss out!
scruffy shoes
He wears scruffy shoes.
We use the word 'scruffy' to talk about someone or something that is old, dirty, or worn. Notice the following:
- After a month of training, my new sport shoes looked old and scruffy.
- His best friend is a scruffy old dog.
point of view
I'm just thinking from a man's point of view
The phrase 'point of view' is similar in meaning to 'opinion'. Notice the following:
- From my point of view, it was a mistake.
- What's your point of view?
Vocabulary Quiz
missed out • scruffy • point of view
Paul and Katia debate the merits of giving money to charity.
