CRI English Unit 28:About Family II 家庭（下）

Part 6 Start A Family 成家立业 

关于婚姻和家庭的观念，每个人都有不同的看法，下面就来听听Linda 和Bob之间的一段对话。

Dialogue Script   对话原文

Linda: My daughter is 30. I don't understand what goes on in her mind.
Bob: Is she acting strange?
Linda: She plans to quit her present job and wants to find another. She says she wants to get a better job with higher pay.
Bob: It seems quite nomp3al to me. It is pretty much what I want to do.
Linda: But what about settling down to start a family? Doesn't anyone want to get married any more?
Bob: It's different now. The world is becoming colorful. Some of my friends don't feel the same pressure to marry. We all want to wait for the right moment.
Linda: What time is the right moment?
Bob: Let the universe find us instead of forcing love. We prefer natural love. The most important thing is to be happy. Love will find us later. That is what we say.
Linda: You know, when I was young our parents taught us that if you have a little bit of love for someone it's okay to marry.
Bob: How does that work? How could you spend your whole life with someone that you don't love?
Linda: As each day grows, so will your love.

讲解：

1. 对话中Linda和Bob在讨论成家立业的问题。Linda的女儿都已经30岁了，可是还是没有考虑结婚的事情，只是想把精力放在事业上。但是Linda却认为这很怪。what goes on in one's mind或者what's going on in one's mind表示“某人正在想什么”，或者更简单地说成“What's on your mind?”。当你觉得某人的行为很怪异的时候，就可以用这个表达方法了。

2. 我们来看Bob是怎么说的，Is she acting strange? 她行为反常吗？act strange就表示“行为怪异，反常”。strange这里是一个副词，来修饰act“行为，行动”这个动词。Linda的女儿想辞掉现在的工作，再找一个更好的薪水更高的职位。quit one's job，“辞职”。quit这个词可以表示“从某处离开，离去”，例如：He got his present job when he quit the amp3y. 他退伍之后得到了现在的这份工作。quit doing something 表示“停止做某事”，比如 “我已经戒烟了。”我们就可以说I've already quit smoking. 这里顺便说一下，在美式英语当中，quit的过去式和过去分词形式都是quit，但是在英式英语中是quitted，双写t加-ed。

3. Bob觉得想换一个好一点的工作挺正常的，他自己也正想换工作呢。Linda却觉得稳定下来，成个家也不能忽视。settle down这个词组表示“过安定平静的生活；习惯于新的工作方式或生活”，When are you going to get married and settle down? 你什么时候才能结婚过上安定的生活？再举个例子，She's settling down well in her new job. 她很能适应这份新工作。settle down 还可以表示“舒适地坐着或者躺着”，He settled down in the amp3chair to read her book. 她舒适地坐在扶手椅上看书。

4. to start a family，表示“成家，组建家庭”。Linda觉得很奇怪，难道现在的人都不想结婚了吗？Bob告诉她，现在时代不同了，人们对婚姻的观念发生了很大的变化，大家都觉得并不是非要结婚不可，当合适的人出现，就会在合适的时间结婚。

5. Linda 就问，什么时候才是合适的时间呢？Bob说，Let the universe find us instead of forcing love. 让老天来安排而不要强求去爱，这很像我们说的“缘分天注定”，意思就是“一切随缘，不要强求”。最重要的事情就是大家都开心，爱情会找上门来的。

6. Linda说她们年轻的时候，父母告诉他们只要对某个人有点好感，就可以结婚了。It's okay to do something，表示“可以做某事”。okay这个词的用法很丰富，我们最熟悉的就是okay作为感叹词，表示“好的，是，行”，常写成OK，注意字母O, K要大写。例如：OK, children, we'll clean up the room now. 好的，孩子们，现在我们来打扫房间。 

7. okay 还可以作为形容词，表示“好的，不错的”，比如：I hope you're OK with that. 我希望你对那件事没有意见。还可以作为副词，I think you did OK in the exam. 我觉得你考得不错。We'll talk about that tomorrow, OK? 我们明天再谈，好吗？

8. okay还可以作动词，表示“同意，认可”，例如：He okayed/OK'd my idea. 她同意我的想法。这个用法可能大家不太熟悉。最后，okay还可以作为名词，是“同意，允许”的意思，例如：Have they given you their okay? 他们同意了吗？

9. Bob对Linda父母的想法持怀疑态度，觉得怎么能和一个自己不爱的人共度一生呢？Linda有自己的理由，她说：As each day grows, so will your love. 日久生情，这个俗语大家可以直接记住。

Part 7 Family Relationships 家庭关系 

    年轻人通常对家有一种非常复杂的感情。有时候孩子觉得父母不应该插手她们的事情，他们自己会做得很好；而有时候经常感到自己做事没有把握，缺乏经验，会不知所措，这时候他们希望父母能告诉他们怎么做。

    许多孩子和父母之间的矛盾来自社会关系方面。青少年通常热切地想找到属于自己年龄的群体，他们在交友和约会时，会不加选择和不用理智去判断。这时，父母不得不介入，帮助他们控制社交活动，尤其当涉及安全和健康问题时，父母更应该如此。

Dialogue Script 1    对话原文 1

Jake: Hi, Annie.
Annie: Hi.
Jake: Gee, what's the matter?
Annie: I have a problem with my mom.
Jake: Do you want to talk about it?
Annie: My mother said I can't go to Sam's birthday party on Thursday night.
Jake: How come?
Annie: Because it's a school night and exams are next week. She wants me to stay at home and study. But I really want to go. I don't know what to do.
Jake: Why don't you talk with your mom about it and promise to come home early?

讲解：

1. 对话中Annie在向Jake抱怨她的妈妈不允许她参加Sam的生日会。gee，是一个感叹语，表示“ 惊奇、赞赏”等意思。例如：Gee, you've really got a great car! 嘿，你的车真棒！

2. Annie跟她的妈妈闹矛盾了，她是这么说的，I have a problem with my mom. have a problem with someone or something，表示“某人/某事难对付，难处理”，例如：We have a problem with the car---it won't start! 我们的车出故障了，发动不起来！

3. Jake关心地问，你想跟我说说你的问题吗？Do you want to talk about it？原来是因为Annie的妈妈不让她去参加周四晚上Sam的生日派对。How come? 表示“为什么？”，跟why的用法差不多。因为晚上要学习，下周就要考试了。妈妈想让Annie待在家里复习。

4. 妈妈的做法也是有道理的，不过Annie真的很想去，她不知道该怎么办了。Jake建议她好好跟妈妈谈谈，并且保证一定会早点回家。也许这是一个可行的办法。

Dialogue Script 2  对话原文 2

Sam: I'm really mad at Mom and Dad.
Mona: Why? What did they do?
Sam: I asked them for a leather jacket for my birthday, and they just got me this stupid raincoat.
Mona: Oh, come on! It's a beautiful raincoat.
Sam: I don't care! I want leather jacket. I tried on Bill's, and I look great in it.
Mona: You know leather is expensive. Maybe they didn't have enough money.
Sam: I want to return it and get leather! All my friends have leather jackets.
Mona: They don't all have leather jackets, Sam.
Sam: Anyway, on your birthday Mom and Dad gave you what you asked for!
Mona: That's true, but all I asked for was a new pair of jeans.
Sam: I hate this raincoat.
Mona: All right, how much is a leather jacket?
Sam: If I return this raincoat, I only need another $50.
Mona: I'll lend you the $50, but you have to pay me back.
Sam: Great. Way to go, Sis!

讲解：

1. 对话中Sam在跟Mona抱怨爸爸妈妈没有给他买他喜欢的生日礼物。be mad at someone，生某人的气，跟be angry with someone表达的意义是一样的。Sam很生爸爸、妈妈的气，Mona问为什么，这里也可以用how come，我们刚刚说过。

2. 为什么Sam会跟父母生气呢？原来他过生日的时候想要一件皮衣，但是父母却只给他买了一件破雨衣。ask someone for something，向某人要某种东西。Mona很不以为然，说，Oh, come on, It's a beautiful raincoat. 喂，别这样说，那件雨衣很漂亮。come on 这里带有“劝解”的意味。

3. Sam说：“我才不在乎呢，我就是想要一件皮衣，我试过Bill的皮衣，我穿着很好看。”看来Sam真的是很任性。Mona劝他说，皮衣很昂贵，可能父母没有那么多的钱。Sam想把这件雨衣退了，再换一件皮衣。I want to return it and get leather! 在美国，如果你买了或收到了自己不喜欢的东西，可以把它拿到商店退掉，商店会将原款返还。 

4. 不过即使把雨衣退掉，返回的钱还是不够买一件皮衣。但是看Sam这么不喜欢这件雨衣，Mona只好答应借他钱去买皮衣。如果把雨衣退掉，Sam还需要50美金去买一件皮衣。这里把50美元看成了一个整体，所以用了another这个限定词。

5. Mona可以借Sam50美金，但是一定要还的，pay someone back something，表示“偿还、报答”，例如：I'll pay you back next week. 我下周会还你钱。但是pay someone back for something，就表示“报复、惩罚某人”了，要区分开，比如：I'll pay him back for the trick he played on me. 他对我使坏，我要报复他。

6. Sam听Mona说可以借钱给他，非常高兴。Way to go，在这里表示“没问题，我一定会还你的” 。看来，有时候孩子们还真的要多多理解父母，不能太任性。