[originaltext] M: Hello and welcome to today’s program. I’m James. W: And

M: Hello and welcome to today’s program. I’m James.
   W: And I’m Susan.
   M: Today we are going to talk about family names. Susan, I’ve often wondered why you’ve got a double-barrelled surname. I mean, you are American, and I thought it was only us Brits who went for things like that. Susan Writer Wells, it sounds almost invented, doesn’t it?
   W: Well, you’re actually not far off the mark. You know my mom was a feminist, don’t you?
   M: Really? I never knew that. Well, go on then.
   W: Yeah. Well, her maiden name was Morse. And at that time, I’m talking about the late 1960s, women like my mom were really trying to liberate themselves from male bondage, as they called it. So, some of them began rejecting their father’s surname and decided to invent their own surname instead. And because my mom was a journalist, she decided to call herself Cindy Writer.
   M: Cindy Writer. Well, who would have guessed!
   W: Actually, other feminists name themselves after the town where they were born, like the sculptor Judy Boston. Some even called themselves after a day of the week.
   M: Oh, yes. Wasn’t there someone called Victoria Friday? Or maybe she’s got nothing to do with it. But your mom wasn’t so much of a feminist that she didn’t get married, was she?
   W: No. But the problem then was what to call herself or rather her children. Anyway, a lot of people of her generation simply decided to add their husbands’ name to their own. My dad’s called Paul Wells, so I’m Susan Writer Wells.
   M: So what would happen if you, Susan Writer Wells, meet some guy who’s called Peter Painter Jones, do you then become Susan Writer Wells Painter Jones, bit of a mouthful, isn’t it?
   W: No comment. I think the most sensible thing to do is to do what they do in countries like Italy.
   M: What do you mean?
   W: Well, over there the woman keeps her maiden name pretty much for all purposes, like bank accounts, identity cards, and the man obviously keeps his name.
   M: What about the children then?
   W: Well, they keep their father’s name.
   M: So, we are back to the old problem, aren’t we? The men win out again?
   W: Yeah, but one solution could be for the sons to keep their fathers’ name and the daughter their mothers’.
   M: Well, that might be a good idea.
   W: OK. That’s the end of today’s program. Don’t forget to join us again soon.
   Questions 1 to 5 are based on Conversation One.
   1. What is the woman’s family name?
   2. Why did her mother reject her maiden name?
   3. How did her mother invent a new surname?
   4. What does the man think of the practice in Italy?
   5. What is the program mainly about?