Unit 9 Section A Premarital Agreements

1. Unit 9 Section A Premarital Agreements 制作人：李衍茹

2. Lead In Text Understanding Summary Exercises Homework

3. Lead In I. Question Answering II. Making suggestions

4. I. Question Answering To get his grandfather’s 100 million dollars inheritance, Jimmie has to get married in 24 hours. Let’s see what happened … Watch two movie clips and answer some questions. Movie 1:

5. Marry in 24 hours

6. Q : How can he avoid marrying a girl just for his 100 million dollars ?

7. Movie 2: The grandfather was such a wise man that he set some conditions for the inheritance. Watch the movie clip, and answer what they are.

8. The conditions

9. Q :What are the conditions? ①To _________ before his 30th birthday; get married ②The couple can only be apart ________ a month; one night ③ The marriage has to last for ______ ; 10 years ④ The couple should __________ within 5 years. have a child

10. II. Making suggestions How can Jimmie ensure that his future wife will meet all these requirements ? Can you make some suggestions for him ? Jimmie can choose to make a premaritalagreement based on the conditions.

11. Q: What are Premarital Agreements? A: Premarital agreements or prenuptial agreements are binding legal contracts between two people who intend to marry each other. Text

12. Text Understanding I. Structure Analysis II. Language Points

13. Main Idea 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.

14. Structure Analysis WHAT? Who? prenups How? Evaluation

15. (Paras.1-4) 1. What areprenups? ① Prenupsare designed to address the problems of the division of_________________ if a couple divorces. financial assets

16. ② Prenupsare negotiated by ________ and signed by _________________________ _______ a marriage ceremony. lawyers the prospective spouses before

17. (Paras.5-8) 2. Who needs to have prenups?

18. ① For those who may have ___________________________ in a divorce and who want to _______. great economic consequences ② For those who want to _____________ to be _____________ their children and grand children. remarry shield assets passed on to

19. ③ For those who has/ is in line for _______________________ or __________________, while the future partner has little or nothing at all. great inherited wealth a family business

20. (Paras.9-13) 3. How to deal with problems regarding prenups?

21. Proper guidelines ① _________________ are necessary. ② _________ is required to write the document. ③ Don’t use _______________ as your future spouse does. A lawyer the same lawyer

22. Advice from the lawyers ① Don’t sign prenups _____________. under pressure ② Watch out while your spouse living abroad with ________________. different passport

23. (Paras.14-16) 4. Evaluation of prenups.

24. business agreements ① Prenups are_____________________. ② Sometimes it may help _______ ________________________________. ③ Sometimes it proves to ________ _______________________________. save a couple from a terrible marriage be of no use to some happy marriages

25. & Text language points Premarital Agreements Paras. 1-2 A future husband wanted to be sure that if his marriage didn’t work out, he could keep his treasured ice-cream collection safely stored awayin a freezer. A woman insisted on verifying who would walk the dog. One man wanted the right to get a divorce if his bride-to-be gained more than 15 pounds once she became his wife. These are some of the crazier clauses of prenuptial agreements. But make no mistake aboutit, what most of them are about is money—and how financial assets will be divided up if a couple divorces. And divorce with its accompanying money problems is common in the United States.

26. Para. 3 Prenuptial agreements—or “prenups” - are designed to address these problems as they arise. Prenups are negotiated by lawyers for the prospective spouses, and signed before a minister binds them in marriage. They have been gaining inacceptance in the United States since the early 1980s, when more states began passing laws that affected the division of financial assets in a divorce. The laws are based either on “community property” (split evenly) or on “reasonable distribution” (whatever a judge thinks is “fair”). 上一页 下一页

27. Paras. 4-5 The prenups of the famous make the headlines: lawyers for Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis contested the prenuptial agreementbetween her and Aristotle Onassis after his death, reportedly winning $26 million in an out-of-court settlement. But prenuptial agreements are also for the lesser known, although wealthy folks. “It’s because divorce has such great economic consequences, and successive marriages have become so common,” said a family law lawyer. 上一页 下一页

28. Para. 6 A typical candidate for a prenuptial agreement is a man who has accumulated considerable wealth, (and) has already been stung once, and wants to reduce his exposureto future problems.“They want to make their own arrangements, rather than let a court decide,” said the president of the New York chapter of the American Academy of Marriage Lawyers. 上一页 下一页

29. Para. 7 Protecting children from a previous marriage is a strong reason for prenuptial contracts. “Someone may have an estate of $1 billion and he may not want a second spouse to get a payment of half a billion. He may want more for his children,” said a lawyer. The effort to shield assets to be passed on to children and grandchildren is making prenups more common among retired people in their 60s and 70s who are remarrying after a spouse has died. 上一页 下一页

30. Paras. 8-9 Another situation that calls for premarital agreements occurs when a potential spouse has, or is in line for, great inherited wealth or a family business, especially if the future partner has little or nothing at all. But even when both parties have signed such an agreement, it can be impossible to enforce it in court if proper guidelines have not been followed. A lawyer is required to write the document, for mistakes in language—even a misplaced preposition—can be disastrous. But never, ever, warn marriage law consultants, should you use the same lawyer as your future spouse does. 上一页 下一页

31. Para. 10 Another problem is a prenuptial agreement signed under pressure. To avoid this, some lawyers will not draw upan agreement once a wedding date has been set. “I figure there’s a sword hanging over their head, and that’s pressure,” they said. Such lawyers counsel their clients never to send out wedding invitations until both signatures are on an agreement. 上一页 下一页

32. Para. 11 But not everyone takes this advice. A classic example is cited by lawyers: “An agreement is stuck under somebody’s noseon the day of the wedding—and it’s usually a‘she’—and she signs, but doesn’t even read it.” Another lawyer recalled one awkward episode where the two sides were still editing the contract, arguing over what to keep and delete, as 150 wedding guests were arriving for the wedding. When an agreement could not be forged, the wedding was canceled. 上一页 下一页

33. Para. 12 A dispute can also break outover prenuptial agreements if a couple decides to divorce while living abroad, or when they have different passports. A lawyer in a London law firm that often handles divorces for British- American couples noted that in Britain, prenuptial agreements were “just about ignored” by the courts because English law says that circumstances of a marriage aren't static, and therefore a judge should decide how financial assets will be divided. 上一页 下一页

34. Para. 13 That can lead to “court-shopping”, since what matters is the law of the country where the couple is getting divorced. He gave the following example: “A wealthy Mr. Ed Smith gets married to Mrs. Smith, and they enter into a New York prenuptial contract. They live in England, and then decide to get divorced. English lawyers will say to Mrs. Smith, ‘No, that contract is not valid,’ while Mr. Smith will want it to be an American case. The issue of where it will be held can greatly multiply the amount of time required to reach a settlement.” 上一页 下一页

35. Paras. 14-16 Romantic love has no bearing onthis process, say these lawyers, who consider prenups to be business agreements. Their justification: some 50 percent of all marriages in the United States end upon the trash heap. Moreover, the discussions for a prenuptial agreement, which involve laying bareall one’s finances, sometimes save a couple from a terrible marriage. “It sheds light onissues which could later widen and result in divorce,” said a lawyer. But there is still hope. “Many people sign an agreement, put it in a drawer and never look at it again,” the lawyer added. 上一页

36. Words & Expressions 1.to work out (发展很好，证明是成功的) develop well, prove successful Translation 由于科学家们的缜密准备, 此次航天计划很成功。 Key Due to the scientists’ careful preparation, the space program has worked out quite well.

37. Words & Expressions 2.to store away / up(收起来，储存，储备) collect and keep sth for future use Translation 大学生的首要任务是为未来社会的挑战储备足够的知识。 Key The primary task for the college students is to store up enough knowledge for the challenges of the future society.

38. Words & Expressions 3.make no mistake about…(别弄错了, 毫无疑问) do not have the slightest doubt ; be quite sure Translation 弄清楚你上学的首要任务；你应该把精力集中在学习上而不是整天游山玩水。 Key Make no mistake about your priority at school. You should concentrate on your study instead of traveling from one scenic spot to another.

39. Words & Expressions 4.to gain in…(得到更多的······) get more of a particular quality Translation 越来越多的物质财富不一定表明你得到了更多的幸福。 Key More and more material possessions do not suggest that you gain in more happiness.

40. Words & Expressions 5.to make / hit the headlines (成为头条新闻) Become important news Translation 空难、地震和地区流血冲突等灾难常常成为我们生活中头条新闻。 Key Such disasters as air crashes, earthquakes and regional blood-shed conflicts often make the headlines in our life.

41. Words & Expressions 6.be in line for sth (即将获得，很可能得到) be likely to get Translation 由于科学家们的不懈努力，我国即将在杂交水稻育种方面取得重大突破。 Key As a result of our scientists’ untiring efforts, our country is in line for a major breakthrough in cross-breeding of rice.

42. Words & Expressions 7.to draw up (写出，制定，草拟；停住) write out ; (of a vehicle) arrive at a certain place Translation 我们有必要在开始工作或学习前拟定一份日程表/计划书。 Key It is necessary that we draw up a schedule before we begin our work or study.

43. Words & Expressions 8.under one’s nose (就在……面前) just in front of sb. Translation 当大笔的金钱放到面前时，这位记者乱了方寸。 Key This journalist lost his bearings when large sums of money were stuck under his nose.

44. Words & Expressions 9.to break out over…(就/由于······ 爆发，产生) start suddenly Translation 两国间由于能源问题爆发了战争。 Key A war between the two countries broke out over the energy problem.

45. Words & Expressions 10.to have no / little / some / much bearing on…(与······无 / 几乎没有 / 有一些 / 有很大关系) Translation 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。 Key It is true that one’s success has some bearing on his intelligence; but diligence counts more to it.

46. Words & Expressions 11.to end up (结束，告终) finish in a particular place or way Translation 我们热爱和平，因为任何战争都会以生命的大量消亡和经济的严重倒退而告终。 Key We love peace because any war ends up with great losses of human lives and serious economic recession.

47. Words & Expressions 12.to lay bare (揭示，说出) expose or make known sth. hidden Translation 卫星发回的图片揭示了宇宙深处的奥秘。 Key The pictures from the satellite lay bare the mysteries of deep space.

48. Words & Expressions 13.to shed / throw / cast light on (使更容易理解 / 使人了解 ) Translation 一位好老师应有能力使抽象复杂的问题简单明了，从而使学生能很容易地理解。 Key A good teacher should have the ability to shed light on the abstract and complex problems so that students can easily understand them.

49. Summary I. Blank Filling

50. Summary Prenuptial agreements, or prenups are designed to address ________ problems as they arise in a marriage. They are negotiated by lawyers for the ___________ spouses, and signed before a minister binds them in marriage. A typical _________ for a prenuptial agreement is a man who has ___________ considerable wealth, has already been _____ once, and wants to reduce his ________ to future problems. Retired people in their 60s and 70s who are remarrying after a spouse has died need prenups as well in order to ______ financial prospective candidate accumulated stung exposure shield 下一页