《英语流行话题阅读:语境识词3500》Unit 11 世界上最大的家庭

　　Unit 11
The World's Biggest Family
Mr. and Mrs. Albina don't know where all their grown-up children are living now. They aren't sure how old all their children are either. Ask them, for example, "How old is your daughter Susanna?" and they say, "We're not sure." They might even ask, "Which Susanna?" But it is understandable that the Albinas can't keep track of their children's addresses and ages. After all, they have 53 kids. Mr. and Mrs. Albina, with 53 kids, have the world's largest family. Not one of their children are adopted.
"How is it possible? How can one woman give birth to 53 kids in her lifetime?" The answer is simple: Every time Mrs. Albina gave birth, she had twins or triplets. She was a triplet herself.
The Albinas married when Mrs. Albina was 12 years old and Mr. Albina was 30, and they spent the early years of their marriage in Argentina. Then they decided¹ to move to Chile. To travel from Argentina to Chile, they had to cross the Andes Mountains. They and their 20 sons made the difficult two-week journey on mules². One night there was a terrible snowstorm³ in the mountains. During the storm, Mrs. Albina gave birth to triplets, a boy and two girls.
Mrs. Albina now has 16 more girls, including the twins who are 15 months old. The oldest Albina children are in their 30s and 40s. They're on their own now, but 18 of the kids still live with their parents in a two-room hut. The ut has electricity but no toilet or running water. Obviously⁴ the Albinas don't have enough money and food for the big family. Why, then, do they continue to have children?
The Albinas do not use birth control because it is against their religion. They could let other people take care of their kids, but Mrs. Albina doesn't allow it. "When my two brothers and I were babies," she says, "our mother left us at an orphanage⁵ and never returned. Then a couple adopted my brothers, and I was left behind. I was heartbroken. I promised myself that when I became a mother I would never give my children away."
So the Albina family continues to grow. They have so many kids that they run out of names for them all and had to give some children the same name. There are three Susannas, three Miriams, two Estrellas, and two Soledades.
Will the family stop at 53 kids, or will there be more? Mr. Albina is 77 years old, and Mrs. Albina is 59. "I'm getting old," she says with a smile. "I would like God to think of me and consider my age. But if God sends more children to me, yes, there will be more."

1 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

2 mules   

骡( mule的名词复数 )； 拖鞋； 顽固的人； 越境运毒者

参考例句：

• The cart was pulled by two mules. 两匹骡子拉这辆大车。
• She wore tight trousers and high-heeled mules. 她穿紧身裤和拖鞋式高跟鞋。

3 snowstorm   

n.雪暴，暴风雪

参考例句：

• After several weeks of travel,snowstorm hit us first.我们旅行了几个星期，初次碰上了暴风雪。
• A severe snowstorm blocked up railroads.一场暴风雪使铁路中断。

4 obviously   

adv.显然；明白地

参考例句：

• Obviously they were putting him to a severe test.显然他们是在给他以严峻的考验。
• Obviously he was lying.显然他是在撒谎。

5 orphanage   

n.孤儿院

参考例句：

• They dispensed new clothes to the children in the orphanage.他们把新衣服发给孤儿院的小孩们。
• They gave the proceeds of the sale to the orphanage.他们把销售的收入给了这家孤儿院。