K: how many people are there in your family?
J: my immediate family is quite small. It’s just my older step-brother, my mom, my step-dad and me. how about you?
K: I have a large family. I have three older sisters, my twin sister, a younger brother, and parents.
J: I didn’t know you were a twin! Are you identical or fraternal?
K: we’re identical. I mean, we look exactly the same, but we are complete opposites when it comes to everything else.
J: interesting. It must be great having a twin sister. Are you best friends, too?
K: we used to be really close, but that all changed once she moved to Shanghai. How about your family? You didn’t mention to your biological father.
J: I don’t know much about him. He died when I was just a baby. Even though I don’t have a blood relationship with my step-father and step-brother, I consider them to be my real family.
K: what about your step-brother’s mother? Does he keep in touch with her?
J: no, she also died when my step-brother was little. My mother and my step-father met each other shortly after my father died and became good friends. They ended up getting married a few years later.
K: sounds like it was meant to be.
你們家有幾口人?
我的直系親屬人數(shù)不多。只有一個(gè)我繼父帶來(lái)的哥哥,我母親,我繼父和我。你呢?
我們家可是個(gè)大家庭。 我有3個(gè)姐姐, 一個(gè)雙胞胎姐姐,一個(gè)弟弟和我父母。
我不知道你是個(gè)雙胞胎。你們是同卵雙生還是異卵雙生?
我們是同卵雙生。
我的意思是說(shuō),盡管我們長(zhǎng)得一摸一樣,但是其它地方毫無(wú)相似之處。
真有意思!有個(gè)雙胞胎的姐妹的感覺一定很棒。你們倆也是最好的朋友吧?
我們?cè)?jīng)親密無(wú)比。但后來(lái)她搬到上海以后,情況就變了。你們家的情況怎么樣?你沒有提過(guò)你的親生父親。
對(duì)于他的事情我知道的不多,我還在襁褓中的時(shí)候他就去世了。即使我跟我的哥哥和繼父沒有血緣關(guān)系,但我還是覺得他們就是我真正的家人。
那你那位哥哥的母親怎么樣?他還跟她有聯(lián)系嗎
沒了。她也是在我哥哥很小的時(shí)候去世的。我父親去世后不久,我媽媽和我繼父就認(rèn)識(shí)了,還成了很好的朋友。幾年之后,他們才結(jié)婚。
這似乎是命中注定。
Surname 姓
Immediate family 直系親屬
Of noble birth 貴族出身
Progeny 后裔
Kinsmen by blood 血親
Legitimate child 婚生子
Bastard 私生子(女)
Half brother 同父異母兄弟,同母異父兄弟
Descendant 后代,晚輩
First name 名
Kinship 血緣關(guān)系
Of humble birth 平民出身
Inherit 繼承
Families with children and families without children feel sorry for each other.
有孩子的家庭對(duì)沒有孩子的家庭表示遺憾,反之也是。
DINK means double incomes no kids.
丁克家庭指雙收入無(wú)子女家庭。
Are you an only child?
你是獨(dú)生子(女)嗎?
When Mr. Brown died, his daughter Jane inherited a large house and garden.
布朗先生去世后,他的女兒珍妮繼承了一所大房子和花園。