零距離美語會話[家庭]Lesson 3:Why did your parents have so&n

Three Why did your parents have so many?
爲什麼你父母要這麼多孩子？

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1 Introduction
A Many American couples that can not have a baby come to Asia to adopt babies.
許多不能生育的美國夫妻來亞洲領養小孩。
B Some Americans think abortion is very cruel and against humanity. Most American women use contraceptive methods such as the birth control pill.
一些美國人認爲墮胎是很殘忍的，沒有人道。大多數美國婦女採用避孕措施如避孕丸。
C Modern families have a tendency of bearing children in their thirties or late twenties. It’s the responsibilities that couples are worried about.
現代家庭有一種傾向：那就是在他們三十多歲或者二十好幾的年齡生育。讓夫妻擔心的是這種責任。
D In America, about half of workingwomen return to work within a year of having a baby. American women with children usually work.
在美國，大約一半的婦女勞動者生完小孩一年之內就返回工作。美國婦女通常有小孩的情況下也工作。

2 Sample Sentences
1. Tell me about your brother and sister.
跟我說說你的哥哥、妹妹。
2. She has only a single parent.
她只有一個單身父（母）親。
3. My daughter was attending a meeting and asked me to baby-sit my 3-year old granddaughter.
我的女兒要去參加一個會議，所以要我照顧我三歲的小孫女。
4. The teacher of my 4-year old daughter, a very attractive single woman in her mid twenties, told me the following story.
我四歲女兒的老師，一位很迷人的二十多歲的單身女人，告訴了我以下的故事。
5. Hans is his first child, so it’s understandable that he pampers him so much.
漢斯是他的第一個小孩，所以他過分寵愛他是可以理解的。
6. Some friends of ours, who have a son our daughter's age, are getting divorced.
我們的朋友要離婚了，他們有一個像我女兒這麼大的兒子。
7. My wife was explaining to my seven-year old daughter why they had decided to get divorced.
我的妻子對我七歲的女兒解釋爲什麼他們決定了離婚。
8. My elder son remarried.
我年長的那個兒子重婚了。
9. We are expecting a child and will be getting married very shortly.
我們在等着小孩的出生，並且不久我們就會結婚。
10. Do you two plan to have a baby sometime soon?
你們兩個打算不久的將來生一個小孩嗎？

3 Conversations
1. A big family.
Terry: So Chris, I've heard that you're from a big family. How many people?
Chris: Nine total. Seven children and my parents.
Terry: Seven children? That's a lot. Why did your parents have so many?
Chris: Well, my mother came from a big family, and wanted to have one of her own. My father was an only child, and didn't really care about having a large family, but my mother talked him into it.
Terry: Jeez, seven children. That must have a lot of problems. We have four children in my family and my grandparents can never get our names right.
Chris: It can be hard, and there are certain sacrifices1 you have to make.
Terry: Like what? I assume that there's no privacy.
Chris: That's one. Another is the lack of personal property2. Everything you have, from toys to clothes, is used by your brothers and sisters. Especially clothes. Three quarters of my wardrobe3 are hand-me-downs.
Terry: And the age gap4 is also annoying. There's a ten-year difference between my younger brother and me. We have nothing in common.
Chris: Same problem here. There's an 18-year gap between the oldest and youngest child in my family. The last child was born just as the oldest was going to college.
Terry: Well, at least going to college won't be too bad. Since both of your parents are college professors, they must give you reduced tuition5 at the college.
Chris: They do, but it doesn't help too much. Having seven children means that the money situation in my home is always pretty tight.
【譯文】
——克里斯，我聽說你來自一個大家庭。有多少人？
——一共9人。7個孩子和我父母。
——7個孩子？那很多喔。爲什麼你父母要這麼多孩子？
——嗯，我母親來自一個大家庭，因而想要一個自己的大家庭。我父親是獨子，因而確實不想要一個大家庭，但我母親說服了他。
——唉呀，7個孩子。那一定有很多問題。我家有4個孩子，我祖父母從未叫對過我們的名字。
——確實很難，你必須做出某些犧牲。
——什麼樣的？我想是沒有隱私。
——那是一個。另外一個是沒有個人財產。你所有的東西，從玩具到衣服，都被你的兄弟和姐妹用過。特別是衣服。我衣櫃裏四分之三的衣服都是傳過來的。
——再者代溝也很惱人。我弟弟和我相差十歲。我們沒有任何共同之處。
——這裏也是同樣的問題。在我家最大的和最小的相差18歲。最小的出生時正好最大的要上大學。
——嗯，至少上大學不會太難。既然你父母親都是大學教授，大學肯定會給你減少學費。
——他們會，但不會有太大的幫助。有7個孩子意味着我家的經濟狀況總是很緊張。

2. A troublemaker.
Mrs. Brown: I just got a call from Mrs. Fitzgerald. See what your Willie has just done.
Mr. Brown: My Willie? Why has he suddenly become my Willie?
Mrs. Brown: Because he takes after6 you, he's got into trouble7 again.
Mr. Brown: What did he do this time? I remember last time he was painting her fence to repay her for breaking it, and he accidentally8 painted her cat.
Mrs. Brown: That was last time. This time it's worse.
Mr. Brown: Ok, tell me.
Mrs. Brown: Well, he was playing baseball with some friends…
Mr. Brown: And the ball went through her window? That's not as bad as last time.
Mrs. Brown: True, but that's not all. The ball went through the window and hit the vase she has in her front window……
Mr. Brown: Ok, that's probably expensive, but not that bad.
Mrs. Brown: And then, ricocheted9 off her fish bowl. Mrs. Fitzgerald at the last minute10 dived and saved her fish.
Mr. Brown: At least the fish were saved. If that's the end of the damages, then everything isn't that bad.
Mrs. Brown: Stop interrupting me. Finally, the ball flew through the air and knocked out11 Willie's school principal12, who was having a cup of coffee with Mrs. Fitzgerald.
Mr. Brown: Hmm, that is bad.
【譯文】
——我剛接到菲茨格爾德太太的電話。看看你的威利剛剛做了些什麼。
——我的威利？怎麼又突然變成了我的威利？
——因爲他像你，他又有麻煩了。
——這次他幹了什麼？我記得上次他破壞了她的柵欄，在給她的柵欄上油漆時，卻也附帶地給她的小貓塗了顏色。
——那是上一次。這次更糟。
——好吧，告訴我什麼事。
——唔，他正在和幾個朋友打棒球……
——球飛進了她的窗戶？那沒有上次糟糕。
——對，但還沒完。球飛進窗戶，打在她前窗的花瓶上……
——還好，那個花瓶可能很貴，但那沒那麼糟糕。
——然後球跳飛過她的魚缸。最後關頭菲茨格爾德太太跳下了水，救起了她的魚。
——至少魚得救了。如果最後的損失就是這樣的話，那麼一切都不是太糟糕。
——不要打斷我。最後，球飛到空中，把正和菲茨格爾德太太一起喝咖啡的威利學校的校長打暈了。
——嗯，那糟了。

3. A Chinese woman is talking to an American woman about raising kids.
Chinese: Do you have much experience with kids?
American: Yes. I have three sons. Actually I also have a grandson.
Chinese: To tell you the truth, sometimes I regret having a baby so early. I have been making so many sacrifices just because my husband insisted on keeping the baby.
American: I understand. I was in your position before. At that time I couldn’t depend on anyone taking care of the children for me. My husband seldom stayed at home.
Chinese: What about your mother? Did she help you?
American: Yes, she did a little. But you see, Americans are different from Chinese. You can’t depend on your own mother to be a full-time babysitter. She could baby-sit only once or twice a week. That’s it. I had to care for them most of the time.
Chinese: I see. So if my little family goes to America, I would end up taking care of my child all the time. My husband would have to make the bread for us. I just don’t know how I would get some education and be able to get a job some day.
American: Don’t worry. You can take night classes. I did that when I had kids. And soon your child will be old enough to attend kindergarten13. Then you could find a job and work.
Chinese: Sounds not so easy to me. When that happens, I will be too old to learn.
American: No. You see, I went back to school to get my Master’s Degree14 when I was in my thirties. You won’t be older than that.
【譯文】
——你對小孩有經驗嗎？
——有。我有三個兒子。實際上我還有一個孫子。
——說老實話，有時候我後悔這麼早有個小孩。我做了這麼多犧牲就是因爲我老公堅持要生下這個小孩。
——我可以理解。我以前跟你一樣。那時候我不能指望誰幫我照看小孩。我的丈夫很少在家。
——你的媽媽呢？她有沒有幫你？
——有，她幫過我一點點。但是你知道的，美國人不同於中國人。你不能指望你自己的媽媽做一個全職保姆。她只能一週照看一兩次。就這樣。大部分時間我還得自己照料。
——我明白了。所以如果我們去了美國，我就會終日帶着我的小孩。我老公得去爲我們生計。我只是不知道我怎樣纔會受教育，然後有天能夠找份工作。
——不要擔心。你可以上夜校。我有小孩的時候，我就是這麼做的。而且不久你的小孩就會夠年齡上幼兒園。那麼你就可以找份工作上班了。
——聽起來不這麼簡單。當那一天到來時，我都會老得學不了了。
——不會的。你知道嗎，我重回學校拿到碩士文憑時都三十多歲了。你不會超過那個年齡的。

4. Expecting a baby.
A: Darling, I have news for you. Bobby and his wife, Evelyn, are going to have a baby soon.
B: Really? I thought his wife couldn’t have a baby.
A: Actually they’re expecting the baby to come on my birthday.
B: Oh, what a coincidence15! I bet Bobby must be very happy about it. He likes children and always wants a child of his own.
A: In fact, they’re both very excited about the coming baby. Evelyn imagines what their baby would be look like, since one parent is American and the other one is Chinese.
B: Oh, right. Now I know why they would want to see our boy. It’s hard to imagine the wonder! Are they expecting a boy or a girl?
A: It’s still a mystery. Because Evelyn is only three-month pregnant16. But she begins to take her maternity leave17 now.
B: Oh! You mean she doesn’t have to work now? It’s hard for young parents not to overreact18, isn’t it?
【譯文】
——親愛的，我有個小消息告訴你。波比和他的妻子伊芙琳就要生孩子了。
——真的嗎？我原以爲他的妻子不能生小孩。
——他們的小孩預計竟然會在我生日的那天出生。
——噢，這麼巧！我猜波比肯定很高興。他喜歡小孩，而且一直都想有個自己的小孩。
——實際上，對於即將要出生的小孩，他們兩個都很興奮。既然一個父母是美國人，另一個又是中國人，伊芙琳想象着他們的小孩將會是個什麼樣子。
——噢，是啊。現在我知道他們爲什麼會想看到我們的小孩了。這種奇蹟是很難想象的！他們的小孩會是個男孩還是女孩？
——還是個謎呢。因爲伊芙琳還只懷孕三個月呢。但是她現在就開始休產假了。
——哦！你是說她現在不用上班了嗎？很少有年青父母不過度反應，對不對？

4 Words and Expressions
1. sacrifice 犧牲; 獻出
2. personal property (個人) 動產
3. wardrobe 衣櫥, 衣櫃
4. gap 分歧,隔閡; 差距
5. reduced tuition 降低的學費
6. take after 像; 與...相似
7. get into trouble 使自己或他人陷入(困擾之境)
8. accidentally 偶然地; 附帶地
9. ricochet 使跳飛; 用跳彈射擊
10. last minute 最後關頭，最後時刻
11. knock out 使失去知覺
12. principal 校長
13. kindergarten 幼兒園
14. Master’s Degree 碩士學位
15. coincidence 巧合; 巧事
16. pregnant 懷孕的, 懷胎的
17. maternity leave 產假
18. overreact 反應過度