美语情景对话 第428期:Stay at Home Parents 全职父母

Akane: Ruth, what do you think about stay-at-home parents?

茜：鲁斯，你怎么看全职在家父母？

Ruth: Do you mean like one parent staying at home with a child?

鲁斯：你是说其中一个父母在家带孩子吗？

Akane: Yeah, one parent staying at home and the other one working?

茜：对，其中一个父母在家，另一个人去工作。

Ruth: Ah, I think it's really bad if a child stays at home with one parent actually.

鲁斯：啊，我认为如果一个孩子和一个家长呆在家里那真的是太糟糕了。

Akane: Really, why would you say that?

茜：真的吗？你为什么会这么说？

Ruth: I think children who are brought up like that generally don't know how to socialize with other people except for their parents.

鲁斯：我认为像那样长大的孩子除了他们的父母，不知道如何与其他人交流。

Akane: Oh, well, why would you think that?

茜：哦，你为什么会这么想？

Ruth: Well, they're really not given the opportunity to interact with different people, I mean, they spend pretty much all day, every day, with that one parent, and I think it's a real shame. They don't learn how to share or, you know, how to get along with and talk to different people.

鲁斯：嗯，孩子们实际上没有机会和其他人交流，我是说，他们每天大部分的时间都一个家长呆在一起，我认为那真令人遗憾。他们没有学会如何分享，或者说如何和不同的人相处、谈话。

Akane: Well, I think that the child will actually get more interaction if there's a stay at home parent because the parent will be able to take them to different activities and to other houses to have playmates and at the same time, they'll be able to spend more time with that parent and have socializing time with family members.

茜：嗯，我认为如果有个家长呆在家里的话，那孩子们其实会进行更多地交流，因为那名家长能带他们进行各种活动，可以带他们去其他家庭玩，同时他们还有伙伴一起玩，同时，他们还能有更多的时间和家长在一起，同家庭成员进行社交活动。

Ruth: But I think children could get those same experiences from different people who look after them. It wouldn't necessarily have to be there family who looked after them surely.

鲁斯：可是我认为孩子们也可以从照顾他们的其他人身上获得相同的体验。没有必要一定要是家人照顾他们。

Akane: Well, sure but, I think that it's different when a person who is not related takes care of a child. I'm sure that they do their best but the love is not there. The caretaker would not love the child as much as the parent would and at the same time if there's one person taking care of ten different children at the same time I would wonder about the amount of attention that the child would get,and safety issues as well.

茜：是没错，但是我认为父母对孩子的照顾和没有关系的人的照顾不是一回事。那些没有关系的人肯定也会尽他们的所能去照顾孩子，但是那并不包括爱。护理人员不会像父母那样爱孩子，而且如果一个人同时照顾十个不同的孩子，我不知道一个孩子能得到多少关注，而且还有安全问题上的考量。

Ruth: But I think you've got to look at the practical aspect of this. It's not always practical for people who don't have much money to have one parent staying at home all of the time.

鲁斯：可是我认为你要看到这件事的实际面。对那些没有多少钱的人来说，一直留一个家长在家里照顾孩子并不实际。

Akane: That's true. I really agree about that.

茜：没错。那点我很同意。

Ruth: Oh, good we agree on one thing.

鲁斯：哦，我们在同一件事上意见统一，这太好了。

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重点讲解：
1. stay-at-home
（不去工作或旅行）守在家里的人；
eg. I was a stay-at-home mum until 1980 when my husband lost his job.
1980 年我丈夫失业之前，我一直是个家庭主妇。
eg. And women are happy to see stay-at-home husbands building closer relationships with their children.
妻子们很乐意看到居家丈夫和孩子们建立起更为亲密的关系。
2. bring up
养育；抚养；养大；
eg. Many women still take career breaks to bring up children.
仍然有许多女性为了抚养孩子而离职。
eg. He gave much attention and thought to bring up his children.
他在教育孩子方面花了大量的心血。
3. except for
除了；除…之外；唯有；
eg. He hadn't eaten a thing except for one forkful of salad.
除了一餐叉色拉，他什么都没吃。
eg. Except for an old lady, the bus was empty.
那辆公共汽车上除了一位老妇之外，一个人也没有。
4. interact with
相互交流；相互沟通；
eg. Teachers have a limited amount of time to interact with each child.
教师和每个孩子沟通的时间有限。
eg. The performers dress up as colorful statues and interact with the audience.
表演者打扮成色彩缤纷的雕像和观众互动。
5. get along with
（与…）和睦相处；
eg. He could not get along with anybody.
他跟谁都合不来。
eg. She's easy to get along with.
她很好相处。
6. look after
照料；照顾；照管；
eg. When she finished work she had to hurry home and look after her son.
她下班后就得赶紧回家照顾儿子。
eg. I just can't be bothered to look after the house.
我就是不想费事照看这所房子。
7. take care of
照顾；照看；看护；
eg. Don't worry yourself about me, I can take care of myself.
你别担心我，我能照顾好自己。
eg. She is too flighty to take care of young children.
她太不负责任，不能照顾小孩。
8. do one's best
尽力；竭尽所能；
eg. I'll do my best to find out.
我会尽力查明真相。
eg. It's a Championship fight — do your best.
这是锦标赛——要尽全力。
9. agree on
商定；议定；就…达成协议；
eg. We agree on this count.
在这一点上，我们的意见一致。
eg. They couldn't agree on what color to paint the house.
他们无法就房子漆什么颜色持相同意见。