美国国家公共电台 NPR--A mother and her adopted daughter reflect on their closeness

A mother and her adopted daughter reflect on their closeness

Transcript¹

Twenty-two years ago a woman traveled to China to adopt a baby girl. She recently sat down with her daughter at StoryCorps to talk about the adoption² during the era of China's one-child policy.

LEILA FADEL, HOST:

Time now for StoryCorps - 22 years ago, Jami Miyamoto traveled to China to adopt a baby girl. Recently, Jami and her daughter, Daily, sat down at StoryCorps to talk about her adoption during the era of China's one child policy.

DAILY MIYAMOTO: What was it like to see me and hold me for the first time?

JAMI MIYAMOTO: Oh, it's so weird³. They said to stay in your hotel room, and they were going to knock on the door and bring you the babies.

D MIYAMOTO: Oh, wow.

J MIYAMOTO: Yeah. It's like Uber Eats delivery.

D MIYAMOTO: (Laughter).

J MIYAMOTO: They just deliver a kid to you. It's like, OK. And you were so sad, just sobbing⁴, and I just felt so bad. And you came in this little yellow Hello Kitty outfit⁵.

D MIYAMOTO: You still have it. It's so cute.

J MIYAMOTO: But it was so cute. And then as soon as they put you in my arms, you peed all over me.

D MIYAMOTO: (Laughter) I don't think either of us remember when you first told me I was adopted. It's just - I've always known my whole life. Yeah. I don't know in what conditions they had to give me up in, but I just hope it wasn't a super traumatizing thing for them to go through.

J MIYAMOTO: You know, I think I told you why you were probably adopted as a girl. You sort of just accepted it all...

D MIYAMOTO: Yeah.

J MIYAMOTO: ...And then moved on.

D MIYAMOTO: And I understood because I remember even a long, long time ago, I always thought, oh, I hope they don't think I'm mad at them. I hope they know that I'm OK, you know? So one of the main things I want to meet them for is just to let them know that I lived a good life and so that they can rest easy because I know a lot of birth parents who give up their child for adoption just never know. And they're just left to wonder.

J MIYAMOTO: Yeah.

D MIYAMOTO: Do you think someday that technology will allow us to find my birth parents?

J MIYAMOTO: Oh, God, I hope so. I really want to meet them, and I feel so bad for them that they never got to meet you.

D MIYAMOTO: Oh, wow, Mom, you never cry.

J MIYAMOTO: I know I never cry, but I really feel bad for them.

D MIYAMOTO: I don't know, growing up just you and me, it's made our - I think our relationship is really strong. I remember when I was a kid, I'd have nightmares⁶ about you getting married. Was there ever a time where you really wanted to start dating?

J MIYAMOTO: I think the first, God, 10 years or whatever, I was so exhausted⁷. Of course, you know, it was the best thing in the world. Now that you're in college, I feel like, yeah, I could date, but now I'm, like, 62.

D MIYAMOTO: (Laughter).

J MIYAMOTO: It's like...

D MIYAMOTO: Sixty-two years old.

J MIYAMOTO: It's very different than if I was 40. But that's OK because, you know, what better to dedicate⁸ your life to than your child, right?

D MIYAMOTO: Oh, that's really nice.

J MIYAMOTO: Yeah. I mean, I don't think I would change one thing.

D MIYAMOTO: Really?

J MIYAMOTO: Yeah, not one thing - I think it's all worked out pretty well.

D MIYAMOTO: Thank you for everything. I mean...

J MIYAMOTO: Thank you.

D MIYAMOTO: For what?

J MIYAMOTO: Bringing so much joy to my life.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

FADEL: That was Jami Miyamoto and her daughter, Daily, in Santa Monica, Calif. Their conversation has been archived at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress.

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 adoption   

n.采用，采纳，通过；收养

参考例句：

• An adoption agency had sent the boys to two different families.一个收养机构把他们送给两个不同的家庭。
• The adoption of this policy would relieve them of a tremendous burden.采取这一政策会给他们解除一个巨大的负担。

3 weird   

adj.古怪的，离奇的；怪诞的，神秘而可怕的

参考例句：

• From his weird behaviour,he seems a bit of an oddity.从他不寻常的行为看来，他好像有点怪。
• His weird clothes really gas me.他的怪衣裳简直笑死人。

4 sobbing   

<主方>Ⅰ adj.湿透的

参考例句：

• I heard a child sobbing loudly. 我听见有个孩子在呜呜地哭。
• Her eyes were red with recent sobbing. 她的眼睛因刚哭过而发红。

5 outfit   

n.（为特殊用途的）全套装备，全套服装

参考例句：

• Jenney bought a new outfit for her daughter's wedding.珍妮为参加女儿的婚礼买了一套新装。
• His father bought a ski outfit for him on his birthday.他父亲在他生日那天给他买了一套滑雪用具。

6 nightmares   

n.噩梦( nightmare的名词复数 )；可怕的事情，无法摆脱的恐惧

参考例句：

• He still has nightmares about the accident. 他仍然做噩梦梦见这场事故。
• Art thou not afraid of nightmares and hideous dreams?\" 你难道不怕睡魇和凶梦吗？” 来自英汉文学 - 红字

7 exhausted   

adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的

参考例句：

• It was a long haul home and we arrived exhausted.搬运回家的这段路程特别长，到家时我们已筋疲力尽。
• Jenny was exhausted by the hustle of city life.珍妮被城市生活的忙乱弄得筋疲力尽。

8 dedicate   

vt.献身，致力于，把（时间、精力等）用于

参考例句：

• She vowed to herself that she would dedicate her life to scientific studies.她默默地发誓要献身于科学研究。
• To my father I dedicate this volume in token of affection and gratitude.我谨以此书献给我的父亲，以表示对他的爱戴和感激之情。