零距离美语会话[家庭]Lesson3:Whydidyourparentshaveso&n

Three    Why did your parents have so many?
为什么你父母要这么多孩子？

 1     Introduction    
A     Many American couples that can not have a baby come to Asia to adopt babies.
许多不能生育的美国夫妻来亚洲领养小孩。
B    Some Americans think abortion is very cruel and against humanity.  Most American women use contraceptive methods such as the birth control pill.
一些美国人认为堕胎是很残忍的，没有人道。大多数美国妇女采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.
现代家庭有一种倾向：那就是在他们三十多岁或者二十好几的年龄生育。让夫妻担心的是这种责任。
D     In America, about half of workingwomen return to work within a year of having a baby.  American women with children usually work.
在美国，大约一半的妇女劳动者生完小孩一年之内就返回工作。美国妇女通常有小孩的情况下也工作。

 2    Sample Sentences
1.   Tell me about your brother and sister.
     跟我说说你的哥哥、妹妹。
2.   She has only a single parent.
     她只有一个单身父（母）亲。
3.   My daughter was attending a meeting and asked me to baby-sit my 3-year old granddaughter.
     我的女儿要去参加一个会议，所以要我照顾我三岁的小孙女。
4.  The teacher of my 4-year old daughter, a very attractive single woman in her mid twenties, told me the following story.
    我四岁女儿的老师，一位很迷人的二十多岁的单身女人，告诉了我以下的故事。
5.  Hans is his first child, so it’s understandable that he pampers him so much.
    汉斯是他的第一个小孩，所以他过分宠爱他是可以理解的。  
6.  Some friends of ours, who have a son our daughter's age, are getting divorced.
    我们的朋友要离婚了，他们有一个像我女儿这么大的儿子。
7.  My wife was explaining to my seven-year old daughter why they had decided to get divorced.
    我的妻子对我七岁的女儿解释为什么他们决定了离婚。
8.  My elder son remarried.
    我年长的那个儿子重婚了。
9.  We are expecting a child and will be getting married very shortly.
    我们在等着小孩的出生，并且不久我们就会结婚。
10.  Do you two plan to have a baby sometime soon? 
     你们两个打算不久的将来生一个小孩吗？

 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.
【译文】
——克里斯，我听说你来自一个大家庭。有多少人？
——一共9人。7个孩子和我父母。
——7个孩子？那很多喔。为什么你父母要这么多孩子？
——嗯，我母亲来自一个大家庭，因而想要一个自己的大家庭。我父亲是独子，因而确实不想要一个大家庭，但我母亲说服了他。
——唉呀，7个孩子。那一定有很多问题。我家有4个孩子，我祖父母从未叫对过我们的名字。
——确实很难，你必须做出某些牺牲。
——什么样的？我想是没有隐私。
——那是一个。另外一个是没有个人财产。你所有的东西，从玩具到衣服，都被你的兄弟和姐妹用过。特别是衣服。我衣柜里四分之三的衣服都是传过来的。
——再者代沟也很恼人。我弟弟和我相差十岁。我们没有任何共同之处。
——这里也是同样的问题。在我家最大的和最小的相差18岁。最小的出生时正好最大的要上大学。
——嗯，至少上大学不会太难。既然你父母亲都是大学教授，大学肯定会给你减少学费。
——他们会，但不会有太大的帮助。有7个孩子意味着我家的经济状况总是很紧张。