PETS-2語法講解 (342)

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I have strong family ties.
    外國家庭的孩子長大以后多會搬出來過獨立生活,相反中國人的家庭觀念比較重,子女即使長大,父母也希望一起居住,保持緊密的家庭關(guān)系,英文可以說:I have strong family ties.(我的家族關(guān)系很密切) 。一個團(tuán)結(jié)的家庭可叫做a close-knit family,若自己以家庭為重,則可說:I put family first.(我放家庭為第一位),關(guān)心家庭的男人則叫family man。
    對 話來源:考試大網(wǎng)
    Brian: Let's take these ladies out for dinner?
    Brandon: Sorry, no can do. I have to get home to my family.
    Brian: Oh, come on. They won't mind. Live a little.
    Brandon: I have strong family ties. See this rope here. They won't let me go anywhere. I feel like a steer at the rodeo.(Someone pulls rope around neck) Coming mom!
    布萊恩: 一起和這幾位女士出去吃晚飯好嗎?
    布賴頓: 對不起,不行,我要回家。來源:www.examda.com
    布萊恩: 來吧,他們不會介意的,來享受一下吧。
    布賴頓: 我的家族關(guān)系很密切??纯催@條繩,他們不讓我到處去,我覺得自己好像是牛仔競技會里的一頭牛。(有人拉著他頸上的繩)媽媽我來了!
    布賴頓說:I have strong family ties.(我的家族關(guān)系十分密切)。Family、tie二字都值得談?wù)?。Tie是‘束縛’,引申解作‘關(guān)系’,通常用復(fù)數(shù)形式,例如blood ties(血緣關(guān)系)、personal ties(個人關(guān)系)、commercial ties(商業(yè)關(guān)系)等。There are many economic ties between China and the US是說‘中國和美國經(jīng)濟(jì)關(guān)系不少’,Do you know that a tie of kinship exists between you and your girlfriend?是說‘你知道你和女朋友有血緣關(guān)系嗎?’
    Family ties即‘家族關(guān)系’,例如:Family ties helped him get his first job.(他靠著家族關(guān)系獲得第一份工作)。讀者都會知道family是‘家庭’的意思,然則a large / big family和a small family是什么意思呢?
    假如你以為是傳統(tǒng)中國數(shù)代同堂的‘大家庭’和只有父母、兒女的‘小家庭’,那就錯了。Family除了指‘家庭’,還可指‘兒女’,a big family就是‘兒女眾多’,a small family等于‘兒女不多’,例如:They have a big family: five sons and five daughters(他們兒女甚多,有五個兒子、五個女兒)。所以,已婚男女不要奇怪人家問他們Do you have any family?那不是懷疑他們無家可歸,而是說‘你們有孩子嗎?’
    三代同堂或比鄰而居的‘大家庭’,英文叫extended family;只有父母、兒女的‘小家庭’,則叫nuclear family(核心家庭),例如:There is a marked trend away from extended families in China.(‘大家庭’在中國社會明顯漸趨式微)。