(单词翻译:单击)
听力文本
In the Stewarts' home at night. Grandpa is sitting in the living room. He is balancing his checkbook. Robbie enters and speaks with his grandfather.
Robbie：Where's Mom?
Grandpa：She went to a school-board meeting.
Robbie：I don't know how she does it. She sure keeps busy.
Grandpa：It's important to her. There are lots of places to go, lots of things to do. She can't sit around and do
nothing.Philip works late.
Robbie：I guess you're right. I wish I had her energy.
Philip：[He enters the house.] Anybody home?
Robbie：We're in here,Dad.
Philip：Oh Hi, gang.
Grandpa：Hello, Philip. How was your day?
Philip：My day was just fine. So was my night.It's almost ten o'clock. Mmm, I'm starving.Um where's Mom?
Robbie：She went to a school-board meeting.
Grandpa：There's a note for you on the refrigerator.
Philip：Oh?
[Philip enters the kitchen and reads the note on the refrigerator door. It says,“Honey, will be home late. Sandwiches in the fridge and cookies on the table. See you later Love, Ellen.”]
Philip：[He opens the refrigerator door and takes out a sandwich. He then sits at the kitchen table.] Did you have dinner, Robbie?
Robbie：Yeah Mike and I had a hamburger at the diner. I came home a little while ago. You've been working late almost every night this week, Dad. Aren't you exhausted?
Philip：I don't have time to be exhausted.
Robbie：You and Mom haven't had dinner together with us in almost a full week.
Philip：Yeah, I feel bad about us not having dinner with the family, but our schedules are so different. Either I'm at the
hospital doing paper work, or Mom is at a committee meeting. I frankly don't know what to do about it.
Robbie：I'm worried about you and Mom. You really have been working too hard.
Philip：Well, I think I've had enough of that sandwich. [He leaves the unfinished sandwich on the plate and gets up from the table.]
Robbie：You didn't finish it.
Philip：It's not good to eat before going to bed. A cookie can't hurt, though.[He and Robbie each take a cookie from a plate.]
Philip：Well, I'm heading off for bed and a good night's sleep.
Robbie：Well, good night.
Philip：Good night, Son. [He goes into the living room.] Good niggt, Dad. I'm going to bed.
Grandpa：Good night, Philip.
Philip：Haven't you finished balancing that checkbook?
Grandpa：I found another mistake. I'll be off to bed myself in a minute.
Philip：OK. Good night. [He leaves.]
Robbie：I'm really concerned about them,Grandpa.
Grandpa：Concerned about whom?
Robbie：About Mom and Dad. They hardly ever see each other. Dad often works late, and Mom has all these committees she's on.
Grandpa：What do you propose to do about it? You have that look in your eye.
Robbie：I don't know, but there must be a way of getting them to spend more time together Quality time.
中英对照版
Where's Mom? 妈妈呢?
She went to a school-board meeting. 她去参加联合校董事会会议了。
I don't know how she does it. 我不知道她怎么办到的。
She sure keeps busy. 她真的是忙个不停。
It's important to her. 这对她来说很重要。
There are lots of places to go, 有很多地方要去，
lots of things to do. 许多事情要做。
She can't sit around and do nothing. 她总不能闲坐着无所事事呀。
Philip works late. Philip工作到很晚。
I guess you're right. 我想你说得对。
I wish I had her energy. 我希望我有她那样的精力。
Anybody home? 有人在家吗？
We're in here, Dad. 我们在里面，爸爸。
Oh. Hi, gang. 噢。嗨，你们好。
Hello, Philip. 哈，Philip。
How was your day? 今天好吗？
My day was just fine. 这一天还好。
So was my night. 晚上也还不错。
It's almost ten o'clock. 现在已经快十点钟了。
Mmm. I'm starving. 嗯，我饿坏了。
Um ... where's Mom? 唔……妈妈呢？
She went to a school-board meeting. 她去参加联合校董事会的会议。
There's a note for you on the refrigerator. 冰箱上有她留给你的字条。
Oh? 噢？
Did you have dinner, Robbie? 你吃晚餐了吗， Robbie？
Yeah. 吃了。
Mike and I had a hamburger at the diner. Mike和我在火车厢餐厅那儿吃了汉堡。
I came home a little while ago. 我也是刚刚到家。
You've been working late 你一直工作到很晚
almost every night this week, Dad. 几乎这个星期的每天晚上都如此，爸爸。
Aren't you exhausted? 你不会精疲力尽吗？
I don't have time to be exhausted. 我没有时间去精疲力尽。
You and Mom haven't had dinner together with us 你和妈妈没有和我们一起吃晚饭
in almost a full week. 差不多有一整个星期了。
Yeah, 是啊。
I feel bad 我觉得很不安
about us not having dinner with the family, 对于我们无法与全家人共进晚餐，
but our schedules are so different. 但我们的工作时间实在差太多了。
Either I'm at the hospital doing paperwork, 不是我在医院办公事，
or Mom is at a committee meeting. 就是妈妈参加小组会议。
I frankly don't know what to do about it. 我真不知道该怎么解决。
I'm worried about you and Mom. 我很担心你和妈妈。
You really have been working too hard. 你们确实太忙了。
Well, 好啦，
I think I've had enough of that sandwich. 我想我已经吃够了三明治。
You didn't finish it. 你没有吃完它。
It's not good to eat before going to bed. 在上床前吃太多不好。
A cookie can't hurt, though. 但一片小甜饼不要紧。
Well, 好啦，
I'm heading off for bed 我先去睡觉了
and a good night's sleep. 睡一个好觉。
Well, good night. 好吧，晚安。
Good night, Son. 晚安，儿子。
Good night, Dad. 晚安，爸爸。
I'm going to bed. 我去睡觉了。
Good night, Philip. 晚安，Philip。
Haven't you finished balancing that checkbook? 你还没有核对完支票簿帐目？
I found another mistake. 我又发现一个错误。
I'll be off to bed myself in a minute. 我再过一会也要上床睡觉了。
OK. Good night. 好，晚安。
I'm really concerned about them, 我真的为他们担心，
Grandpa. 爷爷。
Concerned about whom? 为谁担心？
About Mom and Dad. 爸爸和妈妈。
They hardly ever see each other. 他们几乎彼此不碰头。
Dad often works late, 爸爸老是工作到很晚，
and Mom has all these committees she's on. 妈妈又有那么多的小组会议要开。
What do you propose to do about it? 那你建议要怎么办？
You have that look in your eye. 你看起来好像有了主意似的。
I don't know, 我不知道，
but there must be a way 但总该有一个办法
of getting them to spend more time together. 能让他们有更多时间相处。
Quality time. 黄金时光。
口语讲解
本课中出现的口语句型：
1.I don't know how she does it. She sure keeps busy.
She sure keeps busy她真的是忙个不停，这里的sure相当于Indeed。明显看出这一句带有感情色彩，有点埋怨，有点惊讶，又有点佩服。在这种情况下也可以用上always这个词，描述感情色彩：She always keeps busy.她总是那么忙。
2.There are lots of places to go, lots of things to do.
lots of相当于a lot of，后面的to go,to do都是不定式做后置定语，修饰前面的Places，things。
3.You've been working late almost every night this week, Dad. Aren't you exhausted?
You've been working现在完成进行时，表示从过去到现在一直这样。Aren't you exhausted?是反问句，意思非常明显，不需要对方回答。
4.Either I'm at the hospital doing paper work, or Mom is at a committee meeting.
either or表示选择，不是……就是……
5.They hardly ever see each other.
hardly几乎不。
美国文化
美国文化介绍
我们在学英语的过程中，无论是老师还是其他朋友经常告诉我们，学习一种语言，不只要学其语言，还要学其文化。现在就了解一下本文中出现的一些美国特色的文化吧！
有些美国人喜欢把工作日程排得满满的，所以有时一家人很难得有时间相聚在一起。特别是近几年来，职业妇女开始增多，她们与家人孩子相处的时间较少。因而美国开始提倡“Quality Time”，意思是与家人共处是很重要的，它不在于时间长短。
balancing his checkbook：核对支票存款户头。美国的银行，会按月把客户当月所开的支票和收支对账单寄给客户，供其核对正确与否。客户要注意这些支票是不是自己开出的，以及在计算上是否有误。客户做这种核对的工作，称为“balancing one's checkbook”。 checkbook是支票簿。
相关阅读
与家人一起吃饭 预防饮食紊乱
Meals at the family dinner table could be the key to preventing a generation of teenage girls from developing eating disorders.
New research shows girls who regularly have family meals are much less likely to adopt extreme weight control behaviors such as vomiting, using laxatives or diet pills.
A study surveying more than 2500 American high school students found that girls who ate five or more family meals a week had a much healthier relationships with food in later life.
The research, published in international journal Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, polled students aged 13 to 17 in 1999 who were followed up five years later. Regular family meals were found to have a protective effect regardless of the girls' age, weight, socio-economic status, dieting habits or relationship with her family.
Experts say doctors should encourage families to have dinner at the table instead of on the couch in front of the television to protect against serious eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia.
Belinda Dalton, director of eating disorders clinic The Oak House, said eating with family helped "normalise" young people's relationship with food.
"When adolescents are feeling that they're not coping they turn to something that they can control and food is something available and accessible for them to control. Clearly, if they're sitting with their family on a regular basis then their family can be more in control of their eating," Ms Dalton said.
"It's about young people feeling connected with their family and that builds self-esteem and sense of worth and that works very actively against someone developing an eating disorder."
An eating disorders expert, Kirsty Greenwood, said meal times were often difficult for sufferers. "It's typical that they feel very ashamed of their eating habits and often won't eat with other people. Perhaps it's because they haven't experienced the importance of the family meal in their growing up," she said.
与家人一起吃饭对于预防少女患上饮食紊乱症具有重要作用。
最新研究显示，经常与家人一起吃饭的女孩采用极端减肥法的可能性较小，比如：催吐、服用泻药或减肥药。
一项针对2500多名美国中学生的调查发现，每周与家人一起吃饭达到五次或五次以上的女孩日后的饮食习惯要健康得多。
该项在《儿科与青少年医学档案》国际期刊上发表的调查开始于1999年，调查对象为13岁至17岁的中学生，他们接受了为期五年的跟踪调查。调查发现，定期与家人一起吃饭具有“保护”作用，而这与女孩的年龄、体重、社会经济地位、饮食习惯以及与家人的关系都无关。
有关专家称，为了预防厌食和贪食等严重的饮食紊乱症，医生应鼓励人们都到餐桌上吃饭，而不要坐在电视机前吃。
“橡树屋”饮食紊乱诊所主任比琳达•达尔顿说，与家人一起吃饭有助于促进年轻人的饮食“正常化”。
她说：“当青少年遇到烦恼时，他们会去寻求一些他们能控制的东西，食物就是个很好的选择。显然，如果他们能定期与家人一起吃饭，他们的饮食会得到更好的控制。”
“这会让年轻人感到自己与家人紧密相连，有助于他们建立自尊和自我价值感，而这对预防饮食紊乱具有十分重要的作用。”
厌食紊乱专家克斯蒂•格林伍德说，吃饭时间对于饮食紊乱症患者来说总是很痛苦。“他们会为自己不正常的饮食习惯感到十分羞愧，而且很少与别人一起吃饭。这可能是因为他们在成长过程中没体会过与家人一起吃饭的重要性。”
