J: have you ever thought about having children, Kaitlyn?
K: my husband and I have thought about it, but we’ve decided not to have any. They are just too expensive. Besides, with all the news about global warming on the news lately, who knows what kind of world we’ll have in the future. What about you?
J: well, I’ve always wanted to have lots of children. Growing up with only one brother, I always felt a bit lonely. What do you think about families with only one child?
K: for me, growing up in a big family always made me yearn for attention. I always wanted to be an only child so that I could always do what I wanted and so that I wouldn’t ever have to share.
J: don’t you think you would miss having other people around?
K: no way! I spent 20 years of my life with relatives around me 24-7. you know, I don’t think I’ve ever actually spent any time by myself in my parents’ home. What do you think of the one-child policy in China?
J: if China didn’t have such a policy, can you imagine how many people there would be in China now?
K: that’s true. But as a woman, I’m glad that even though I don’t want any children, I at least have a choice in how many children I have. On the other hand, I can’t imagine what China would be like if there weren’t a one-child policy!
J: do you think most families with many children envy or feel sorry for other families with only one child?
K: I don’t know what other people think, but I, for one, envy only children!
凱特林,你有沒有考慮過生孩子?
我丈夫和我想過這件事,但我們決定還是不要了。生個孩子實在是太貴了。而且,最近所有的新聞消息都在說全球變暖的事情,誰知道未來我們的世界會變成什么樣子。你呢?
嗯,我一直想要很多孩子。從小到大我都只有一個哥哥,所以一直覺得有點孤單。你對一個家庭只有一個孩子的情況有什么看法?
對于我來說,在一個大家庭中成長總是渴望能得到更多的關(guān)注。我一直希望自己是獨生子女,這樣我就能得到自己想要的東西。,而且用不著跟別人分享。
如果是那樣的話,難道你不會想身邊的親人嗎?
才不會呢!我20年來都無時無刻不和這些人生活在一起,每天24小時,每周7天。你知道嗎,我從來都沒有在家里單獨待過,你怎么看待中國的獨身子女政策?
假如中國沒有實行這個政策,你能想象現(xiàn)在中國會有多少人口嗎?
這倒是事實。但是作為一個女人,即使我不想要孩子,至少有對自己能要幾個孩子有選擇的權(quán)利,我也會感到滿足。另一方面,如果沒有獨生子女政策,我也的確無法想象中國會是怎樣一幅景象。
你覺得大部分有好幾個孩子的家庭會對那些只有一個孩子的家庭抱著羨慕或者同情的態(tài)度嗎?
我不知道其他人是怎么想的,但是就我個人而言,非常羨慕獨生子女!
When Americans say ”family”, they mean a nuclear family of Mom, Dad, and the kids.
當(dāng)美國人談到家庭一詞,通常是指只由爸爸媽媽和子女組成的核心家庭。
Mike is my Mom’s son from her first marriage. He’s my half-brother.
麥克是我媽媽第一次婚姻是生的孩子,他是我同父異母的哥哥。
Alice and I look very similar, because we are identical twins.
愛麗絲和我長得很像,因為我們是同卵雙生的雙胞胎。
You can choose your friends, but not your family.
你能選擇朋友,卻不能選擇父母。