Jingjing: Mark, can I ask you for your opinion on something?

京晶：马克，我可以问问你关于一些事情的看法吗？

Mark: I guess so. I'm only opinionated on a few topics.

马克：行吧。我只对一些事是特别固执己见的。

Jingjing: Well, I bet you will be on this one. A friend of mine is considering having a second child. Do you think it's a good idea?

京晶：我打赌这件事上你也会如此。我有一个朋友正在考虑生二胎。你觉得这是一个好主意吗？

Mark: If there's a family that wants to have another kid, it'd probably be a loving home. Could you tell me more about your friend?

马克：如果有这么一个家庭想再要一个孩子，这将会是个多么温馨的家庭。能跟我多说说你朋友的情况吗？

Jingjing: Sure. She's a lawyer. And her husband is a manager of a state-owned enterprise.

京晶：当然。她是个律师。丈夫是一名国企经理。

Mark: It sounds like they have enough money. What about the kid they have already?

马克：听上去他们家境不错。那他们已有的这个孩子什么情况？

Jingjing: He'll turn three this year.

京晶：他今年就满3岁了。

Mark: That sounds good also. I think, if a family has two kids, there should be a bigger age difference between the siblings.

马克：听上去也很不错啊。我觉得，如果一个家庭里有两个孩子，兄弟姐妹之间应该有较大的年龄差。

Jingjing: Why is that?

京晶：为什么呢？

Mark: That way, the two kids aren't going through the same stuff. You know, those milestones in life, like the college entrance exam, can be really tough on a family.

马克：这样一来，两个孩子就不会经历共同的事情。比如，人生中那些有重要意义的关键时刻，比如高考，否则对一个家庭来说是比较棘手的。

Jingjing: Right, it would be better if one kid has passed it before the next one approaches it.

京晶：对。如果一个孩子考过了之后另一个准备要考了，这样更好。

Mark: Putting a few years between the kids keeps a lot of pressure off the family.

马克：让孩子之间相差个几岁会给家庭减轻许多压力。

Jingjing: But don't you think it's better for them to be almost the same age? They'd have more in common that way.

京晶：但你不觉得对他们而言年纪相仿更好吗？那样的话，他们会有更多的共同之处。

Mark: In a few cases, that's good—like with twins. But, it's good for each kid to develop their own identity, and make more friends in school.

马克：在少数情况下，那样是好的。就像双胞胎那样。但，最好是每个孩子能独立发展个性，在学校里多交朋友。

Jingjing: Anyway, if my friend's first kid is already three, it's too late for his brother or sister to be almost the same age.

京晶：不管怎么说，如果我朋友的第一个孩子已经3岁了，让他的兄弟姐妹跟他同龄也是太晚了。

Mark: And there's that. Ha ha.

马克：那倒是，哈哈。

New words : 习语短语

opinionated 有强烈态度的

having many strong opinions

a loving home 温馨的家庭，让孩子感觉舒适温暖的家庭

a home that provides for a child and makes him/her feel warm

going through 经历

experiencing

milestones 人生中的里程碑事件

events in life that mark a completion of one stage (graduation, a wedding)

Dialogue 2

Jingjing: Mark, were you an only child?

京晶：马克，你是独生子女吗？

Mark: I was. I had a pretty happy childhood. It's hard to imagine what it would have been like with a brother or sister.

马克：是啊。我童年过得十分快乐。很难想象如果有一个哥哥（弟弟）或者姐姐（妹妹）会怎样。

Jingjing: What about friends of yours who had siblings?

京晶：那你的那些有家中有兄弟姐妹的朋友们呢？他们什么情况？

Mark: Well, if he was having a hard time in school or something, his older brother or sister would make him feel like it wasn't a big deal.

马克：嗯，如果他在学校或别的什么经历了一些不顺，他的哥哥或者姐姐会帮助他让他觉得这些都不是事儿。

Jingjing: Oh? And if he had a younger brother or sister, he might want to appear strong.

京晶：噢这样吗？那如果他有弟弟妹妹，他可能会想表现得坚强。

Mark: Yeah, so in both ways, having two kids in a family takes some of the stress out of childhood.

马克：是的呢。所以，两种情况下，家里有两个孩子能分担童年的压力。

Jingjing: Do you think kids get compared against each other?

京晶：你觉得孩子们会被相互之间比较吗？

Mark: That's more the habit of parents. It's really a pity when a kid has to measure up against others all the time.

马克：这就更是家长们的习惯了。很遗憾一个孩子如果随时随地都必须与别人比较。

Jingjing: It motivates them, though.

京晶：这也激励他们啊。

Mark: I agree with that about sports, music, and other hobbies.

马克：我赞同在体育，音乐等一些其他的爱好上可以比比。

Jingjing: But if parents are pointing out how another kid is better in some ways, it's probably a good thing if the other kid is nearby, or even in the same home.

京晶：但是如果父母指出哪个别人家的孩子在其他方面表现更好，最好的情况是那个孩子就在场，或者此刻就在同一个房子里。

Mark: Yeah, a kid could learn a lot from their brother or sister. It must be frustrating to always hear about a mother's colleague's kid.

马克：是的。一个孩子能够从兄弟姐妹那里学习到很多。老是听到妈妈同事的孩子如何如何一定是件令人挫败的事。

Jingjing: Yeah, comparison is pretty natural. Let's hope kids don't feel too much pressure from it.

京晶：是啊。比较是很正常的。让我们希望孩子们不要因此感受到太大压力。

Mark: That reminds me of a great film. It's called Stand by Me. It's a coming-of-age story about four boys who take a camping trip together at the end of summer vacation.

马克：这让我想起了一部很棒的电影：《伴我同行》。一个成长性的故事，讲的是四个男孩在暑假末一起去露营旅行的故事。

Jingjing: What does it have to do with brothers and sisters?

京晶：那与兄弟姐妹有何关系？

Mark: Some of the boys have older brothers, and they get an idea what they will be like when they grow up.

马克：有的男孩有长兄，于是他们能大概知道自己长大以后可能是什么样子。

Jingjing: Hmm. I'll have to try to find it.

京晶：嗯，我得找来看看。

New words : 习语短语

an only child 独生子女

someone who has no brothers and sisters

siblings 兄弟姐妹

brothers or sisters

a coming-of-age story 成长性的故事

a kind of movie with boys/girls who become more mature through the events they experience