美語情景對話 第428期:Stay at Home Parents 全職父母
Akane: Ruth, what do you think about stay-at-home parents?
茜：魯斯，你怎麼看全職在家父母？Ruth: Do you mean like one parent staying at home with a child?
魯斯：你是說其中一個父母在家帶孩子嗎？Akane: Yeah, one parent staying at home and the other one working?
茜：對，其中一個父母在家，另一個人去工作。
Ruth: Ah, I think it's really bad if a child stays at home with one parent actually.
魯斯：啊，我認爲如果一個孩子和一個家長呆在家裏那真的是太糟糕了。Akane: Really, why would you say that?
茜：真的嗎？你爲什麼會這麼說？Ruth: I think children who are brought up like that generally don't know how to socialize with other people except for their parents.
魯斯：我認爲像那樣長大的孩子除了他們的父母，不知道如何與其他人交流。Akane: Oh, well, why would you think that?
茜：哦，你爲什麼會這麼想？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.
魯斯：嗯，孩子們實際上沒有機會和其他人交流，我是說，他們每天大部分的時間都一個家長呆在一起，我認爲那真令人遺憾。他們沒有學會如何分享，或者說如何和不同的人相處、談話。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，我認爲如果有個家長呆在家裏的話，那孩子們其實會進行更多地交流，因爲那名家長能帶他們進行各種活動，可以帶他們去其他家庭玩，同時他們還有夥伴一起玩，同時，他們還能有更多的時間和家長在一起，同家庭成員進行社交活動。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.
魯斯：可是我認爲孩子們也可以從照顧他們的其他人身上獲得相同的體驗。沒有必要一定要是家人照顧他們。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：是沒錯，但是我認爲父母對孩子的照顧和沒有關係的人的照顧不是一回事。那些沒有關係的人肯定也會盡他們的所能去照顧孩子，但是那並不包括愛。護理人員不會像父母那樣愛孩子，而且如果一個人同時照顧十個不同的孩子，我不知道一個孩子能得到多少關注，而且還有安全問題上的考量。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.
魯斯：可是我認爲你要看到這件事的實際面。對那些沒有多少錢的人來說，一直留一個家長在家裏照顧孩子並不實際。Akane: That's true. I really agree about that.
茜：沒錯。那點我很同意。Ruth: Oh, good we agree on one thing.
魯斯：哦，我們在同一件事上意見統一，這太好了。
譯文屬僅供學習交流使用，未經許可請勿轉載
重點講解：
1. stay-at-home
（不去工作或旅行）守在家裏的人；
eg. I was a stay-at-home mum until 1980 when my husband lost his job.
1980 年我丈夫失業之前，我一直是個家庭主婦。
eg. And women are happy to see stay-at-home husbands building closer relationships with their children.
妻子們很樂意看到居家丈夫和孩子們建立起更爲親密的關係。
2. bring up
養育；撫養；養大；
eg. Many women still take career breaks to bring up children.
仍然有許多女性爲了撫養孩子而離職。
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，他什麼都沒吃。
eg. Except for an old lady, the bus was empty.
那輛公共汽車上除了一位老婦之外，一個人也沒有。
4. interact with
相互交流；相互溝通；
eg. Teachers have a limited amount of time to interact with each child.
教師和每個孩子溝通的時間有限。
eg. The performers dress up as colorful statues and interact with the audience.
表演者打扮成色彩繽紛的雕像和觀衆互動。
5. get along with
（與…）和睦相處；
eg. He could not get along with anybody.
他跟誰都合不來。
eg. She's easy to get along with.
她很好相處。
6. look after
照料；照顧；照管；
eg. When she finished work she had to hurry home and look after her son.
她下班後就得趕緊回家照顧兒子。
eg. I just can't be bothered to look after the house.
我就是不想費事照看這所房子。
7. take care of
照顧；照看；看護；
eg. Don't worry yourself about me, I can take care of myself.
你別擔心我，我能照顧好自己。
eg. She is too flighty to take care of young children.
她太不負責任，不能照顧小孩。
8. do one's best
盡力；竭盡所能；
eg. I'll do my best to find out.
我會盡力查明真相。
eg. It's a Championship fight — do your best.
這是錦標賽——要盡全力。
9. agree on
商定；議定；就…達成協議；
eg. We agree on this count.
在這一點上，我們的意見一致。
eg. They couldn't agree on what color to paint the house.
他們無法就房子漆什麼顏色持相同意見。
