5.Marriage and Family

（1）Apartment Hunting

Father：What do you think？

Mother：Well，it has just as many bedrooms as the last apartment. And the living room is huge.

Daughter：But the bedrooms are too small. And there isn't enough closet space for my clothes.

Father：And it's not as cheap as the last apartment we saw.

Mother：But that apartment was dark and dingy. And it was in a dangerous neighbourhood.

Father：Let's see if the real estate agent has something else to show us.

（2）Marriage Photo

Jill：You look beautiful in that kimono，Mari. Is this your wedding photo？

Mari：Yes，it is.

Jill：Do most Japanese women wear kimonos when they get married？

Mari：Yes，many of them do. Then after the wedding ceremony，the bride usually changes into a western bridal dress during the reception.

Jill：Oh，I didn't know that.

（3）Big Brother

Tony：Whew. The disco wasn't bad but I'm glad to escape from the noise. Aren't you？

Richard：Umm.

Tony：Richard，I'd forgotten. You've got a letter. Now where did I put it？There it is—under the gas bill.

Richard：Oh，from my brother.

Tony：Good. How many brothers have you got？

Richard：Only one.

Tony：Name？

Richard：Mark.

Tony：Older or younger？

Richard：Much older.

Tony：How much？

Richard：Five years.

Tony：Get on all right？

Richard：Yes，all right.

Tony：Tell me about Mark. You must have a lot in common. Such as problems.

Richard：Well，when I have a real problem I usually discuss it with Mark.

Tony：And what is a real problem？

Richard：Money is one. But Mark never minds helping me out.

Tony：You say money is one problem. I suppose you mean there are others.

Richard：Well，yes. Of course there are. Friends and possessions. He knows who my friends are and I know who his friends are. But when we meet we hardly even speak. His friends aren't interested in talking to my friends. And my friends think his friends are boring and patronising.

Tony：Go on，Richard. You mentioned possessions. What about possessions？

Richard：I can never find my favourite cassettes. Mark and his friends keep borrowing them. I suppose Mark has a point when he says he can't find his calculator. I use it whenever I can find it.

Tony：So... if you were in real trouble，who would you contact with first？

Richard：Mark，of course.