英语PK台 第771期:“二孩”与多子女家庭(在线收听

 Dialogue 1

Jingjing: Mark, can I ask you for your opinion on something?
京晶:马克,我可以问问你关于一些事情的看法吗?
Mark: I guess so. I'm only opinionated on a few topics.
马克:行吧。我只对一些事是特别固执己见的。
Jingjing: Well, I bet you will be on this one. A friend of mine is considering having a second child. Do you think it's a good idea?
京晶:我打赌这件事上你也会如此。我有一个朋友正在考虑生二胎。你觉得这是一个好主意吗?
Mark: If there's a family that wants to have another kid, it'd probably be a loving home. Could you tell me more about your friend?
马克:如果有这么一个家庭想再要一个孩子,这将会是个多么温馨的家庭。能跟我多说说你朋友的情况吗?
Jingjing: Sure. She's a lawyer. And her husband is a manager of a state-owned enterprise.
京晶:当然。她是个律师。丈夫是一名国企经理。
Mark: It sounds like they have enough money. What about the kid they have already?
马克:听上去他们家境不错。那他们已有的这个孩子什么情况?
Jingjing: He'll turn three this year.
京晶:他今年就满3岁了。
Mark: That sounds good also. I think, if a family has two kids, there should be a bigger age difference between the siblings.
马克:听上去也很不错啊。我觉得,如果一个家庭里有两个孩子,兄弟姐妹之间应该有较大的年龄差。
Jingjing: Why is that?
京晶:为什么呢?
Mark: That way, the two kids aren't going through the same stuff. You know, those milestones in life, like the college entrance exam, can be really tough on a family.
马克:这样一来,两个孩子就不会经历共同的事情。比如,人生中那些有重要意义的关键时刻,比如高考,否则对一个家庭来说是比较棘手的。
Jingjing: Right, it would be better if one kid has passed it before the next one approaches it.
京晶:对。如果一个孩子考过了之后另一个准备要考了,这样更好。
Mark: Putting a few years between the kids keeps a lot of pressure off the family.
马克:让孩子之间相差个几岁会给家庭减轻许多压力。
Jingjing: But don't you think it's better for them to be almost the same age? They'd have more in common that way.
京晶:但你不觉得对他们而言年纪相仿更好吗?那样的话,他们会有更多的共同之处。
Mark: In a few cases, that's good—like with twins. But, it's good for each kid to develop their own identity, and make more friends in school.
马克:在少数情况下,那样是好的。就像双胞胎那样。但,最好是每个孩子能独立发展个性,在学校里多交朋友。
Jingjing: Anyway, if my friend's first kid is already three, it's too late for his brother or sister to be almost the same age.
京晶:不管怎么说,如果我朋友的第一个孩子已经3岁了,让他的兄弟姐妹跟他同龄也是太晚了。
Mark: And there's that. Ha ha.
马克:那倒是,哈哈。
New words : 习语短语
opinionated 有强烈态度的
having many strong opinions
a loving home 温馨的家庭,让孩子感觉舒适温暖的家庭
a home that provides for a child and makes him/her feel warm
going through 经历
experiencing
milestones 人生中的里程碑事件
events in life that mark a completion of one stage (graduation, a wedding)
Dialogue 2
Jingjing: Mark, were you an only child?
京晶:马克,你是独生子女吗?
Mark: I was. I had a pretty happy childhood. It's hard to imagine what it would have been like with a brother or sister.
马克:是啊。我童年过得十分快乐。很难想象如果有一个哥哥(弟弟)或者姐姐(妹妹)会怎样。
Jingjing: What about friends of yours who had siblings?
京晶:那你的那些有家中有兄弟姐妹的朋友们呢?他们什么情况?
Mark: Well, if he was having a hard time in school or something, his older brother or sister would make him feel like it wasn't a big deal.
马克:嗯,如果他在学校或别的什么经历了一些不顺,他的哥哥或者姐姐会帮助他让他觉得这些都不是事儿。
Jingjing: Oh? And if he had a younger brother or sister, he might want to appear strong.
京晶:噢这样吗?那如果他有弟弟妹妹,他可能会想表现得坚强。
Mark: Yeah, so in both ways, having two kids in a family takes some of the stress out of childhood.
马克:是的呢。所以,两种情况下,家里有两个孩子能分担童年的压力。
Jingjing: Do you think kids get compared against each other?
京晶:你觉得孩子们会被相互之间比较吗?
Mark: That's more the habit of parents. It's really a pity when a kid has to measure up against others all the time.
马克:这就更是家长们的习惯了。很遗憾一个孩子如果随时随地都必须与别人比较。
Jingjing: It motivates them, though.
京晶:这也激励他们啊。
Mark: I agree with that about sports, music, and other hobbies.
马克:我赞同在体育,音乐等一些其他的爱好上可以比比。
Jingjing: But if parents are pointing out how another kid is better in some ways, it's probably a good thing if the other kid is nearby, or even in the same home.
京晶:但是如果父母指出哪个别人家的孩子在其他方面表现更好,最好的情况是那个孩子就在场,或者此刻就在同一个房子里。
Mark: Yeah, a kid could learn a lot from their brother or sister. It must be frustrating to always hear about a mother's colleague's kid.
马克:是的。一个孩子能够从兄弟姐妹那里学习到很多。老是听到妈妈同事的孩子如何如何一定是件令人挫败的事。
Jingjing: Yeah, comparison is pretty natural. Let's hope kids don't feel too much pressure from it.
京晶:是啊。比较是很正常的。让我们希望孩子们不要因此感受到太大压力。
Mark: That reminds me of a great film. It's called Stand by Me. It's a coming-of-age story about four boys who take a camping trip together at the end of summer vacation.
马克:这让我想起了一部很棒的电影:《伴我同行》。一个成长性的故事,讲的是四个男孩在暑假末一起去露营旅行的故事。
Jingjing: What does it have to do with brothers and sisters?
京晶:那与兄弟姐妹有何关系?
Mark: Some of the boys have older brothers, and they get an idea what they will be like when they grow up.
马克:有的男孩有长兄,于是他们能大概知道自己长大以后可能是什么样子。
Jingjing: Hmm. I'll have to try to find it.
京晶:嗯,我得找来看看。
New words : 习语短语
an only child 独生子女
someone who has no brothers and sisters
siblings 兄弟姐妹
brothers or sisters
a coming-of-age story 成长性的故事
a kind of movie with boys/girls who become more mature through the events they experience
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