Topic 37
Student Romance
学生时代的浪漫爱情
You：美国学生谈恋爱的很多吗？
David：Yes, it is pretty common. Many students have boyfriends and girlfriends as early as high school. If they stay together for many years, they are called “ high school sweethearts”. How about here in China? 是呀，很多。很多学生从中学就开始恋爱了。如果恋爱的时间比较长的话，他们还互称为“中学时代的情人”。
You：在中国，通常大学生才找女朋友或男朋友。有些父母对某些学生中学时代就开始谈恋爱感到惴惴不安，因为父母想让孩子一心一意学习。他们认为进大学后交朋友的机会会更多。美国的家长们怎么看这个问题呢？他们在乎孩子们这样做吗？
David：Most do not mind. Of course there are some who think their children in high school are too young. But parents normally have some rules for dating. For example, when a boy and girl go out at night on a date, parents tell their children that they have to be back home at a certain time. It’s called a curfew. It’s different in college because students live together and they are more independent. So their parents don’t necessarily have much to say. 多数都不在乎。当然，也有一些人认为自己上中学的孩子太年轻了。他们自然会给孩子们定下一些规则，尤其是出去约会的时候。比如，男孩和女孩晚上约会，父母会告诉孩子们必须几点回家。这可以称作约束吧。而大学生都住校，相对来讲就要自由得多，父母也不会说太多。
You：美国允许大学生结婚吗？
David：In the US you can marry after you are eighteen years old when you are considered a legal adult. You can make and are accountable for your own life decisions. You don’t have to live by your parent’s guidelines, but you might if you live in their home.在美国，年满18岁的成年人就可以合法结婚。因为你能思想独立，自己可以做出很多决定，不需要按照父母的指令来行事。当然，如果成年之后还和父母住在一起，那可能就要听父母的指令了。
分析
美国学生谈恋爱的很多吗？
常见错误及点评（点击查看）
常见错误：Is it common for foreign students to have a relationship between girls and boys in the United States?
Foreign：foreign一词在这里是多余的。如果加上这个词，整个句子的意思就是“在美国留学的外国学生谈恋爱的很多吗？”。
to have a relationship between girls and boys：“relationship”有两个意思：一是泛指“一物同另一物所有的关系”，另外一个意思是特指两个人之间的恋爱、友谊或是生意关系。用在短语“have a relationship”中泛指的“联系”，而用于短语“in a relationship with somebody”则只表示第二个含义。
参考答案：Is it common for American students to have boyfriends and girlfriends?
■隐藏■
在中国，通常大学生才找女朋友或男朋友。有些父母对某些学生中学时代就开始谈恋爱感到惴惴不安，因为父母想让孩子一心一意学习。他们认为进大学后交朋友的机会会更多。美国的家长们怎么看这个问题呢？他们在乎孩子们这样做吗？
常见错误及点评（点击查看）
常见错误：In China maybe boys and girls start to have a friend when they step into university. And if you want to make friends during high school, your parents maybe very angry and unhappy because they want you to pay all your attention to study and you can have this kind things, friends when you go to college. So parents in United States are not, they do not mind, they don’t mind when their children have boyfriends or girlfriends in high school?
have a friend：“have a friend”和“make friends”这两个短语都表示“有朋友”或“交朋友”，没有任何特殊含义。根据语境，这里要表达的是“男朋友”或“女朋友”。
your parents maybe very angry：这个句子没有谓语并且意思不准确。说话人在这里并不是说一些父母非常生气，而是说他们感到惴惴不安。注意区分angry和upset的内在含义，angry语气要比upset重一些。
attention to study and you can have this kind things：这是中式英语，and后面的部分意思很混乱。同时，“pay attention to”不如“focus on”正式，而且意思也不够贴切。Focus on更突出“专注于……”而pay attention to 只是突出“注意……”，语气不够强烈。另外，由于中国人比较含蓄，讲英语的时候也常用不符合西方文化的委婉语。比如这里的“have this kind of things”（意为“可以有这类事”）实际上就是指have a boyfriend or girlfriend.
So parents in United States are not, they：这也是中式英语。本来作者是想表达疑问而这里却用了肯定句的形式，句意也不准确。因此，应改为疑问句的形式。
参考答案：In China most students have boyfriends and girlfriends in the university. As for students who want to have a boyfriend or girlfriend in high school, some of their parents might be upset because they want them to focus their attention on their studies. They know you will have more opportunities when you go to university. Well, how about American parents? Do they mind?
■隐藏■
作业：翻译对话中划线的句子
美国允许大学生结婚吗？
posted on 2008-03-07 12:22
ice小5 阅读(143)
评论(1) 编辑 收藏 所属分类:
David陪你说口语 
网摘收藏