美国家庭生活American Family Life.ppt

* look out for 留心, 期待, 物色 umbilical cord n.脐带 apron string n.围裙带,支配,控制 * Autonomy n.自治 * Allowance n.津贴, 补助, 宽容, 允许 * nest [ nest ] n.巢, 窝, 休息所, 隐匿处, 舒适的地方 vi.筑巢, 找鸟巢 * Assert v.断言, 声称; 维护，坚持（权力等） The elderly ? 60 million Americans live with pets ? 35 million senior citizens – 13% of the population ? 5% of senior citizens live in nursing homes Millions of middle-aged Americans—members of the “sandwich generation”—take care of both their children and parents. The financial support of the elderly is often provided by social security or welfare systems which decrease dependence on their family. Older people may seek their own friends rather than become too emotionally dependent on their children. Marriage Traditionally, marriage is a social institution that includes legal, economic, emotional, sexual, and political factors. In 1997 the U. S. Congress passed the Defense of Marriage Act, changing the role of the federal government in defining marriage as a legal union between one man and one woman as husband and wife — usually a right reserved for states. This Act prohibits the legalization of same-sex marriage and allows states to ignore a same-sex marriage from another state. Defense of Marriage Act was ruled unconstitutional by a federal district court judge in July 2010. This decision was appealed in October 2010. On February 23, 2011, Attorney General Eric Holder announced that the Justice Department would cease legal defense of the Acts Section 3 at the direction of President Barack Obama, who had reached a conclusion that Section 3 was unconstitutional. 2008年美国总统大选，同性恋婚姻的合法化就是美国两个政党，民主党和共和党争论的敏感问题。 2009年6月6日，美国总统奥巴马宣布6月为“美国同性恋月 ” ”(Homosexuality on the United States)，亦在为支持同性恋者的权利。 Divorce Divorce is a legal issue and has been subject to laws and courtroom proceedings in the United States since Colonial days. The 1970s marked an important transition in divorce laws. Before 1970: divorce laws had been based on the concept of f