第一页：片段欣赏
第二页：巧学口语
第三页：小小翻译家
第四页：文化一瞥

精彩对白

Emilia: Hello.

Carolyn: Yes.

Emilia: Carolyn, I don't know if you remember me.

Carolyn: I know who you are. Is Jack inside?

Emilia: Yeah, he'll be down in a minute.

Carolyn: All right. This is all your fault. Will has been so distracted and tense and emotional. I'm sure they sensed that in the interviews.

Emilia: What?

Carolyn: You just won't be happy until you've ruined everything. I don't know what the hell happened to you to make you so destructive. Jack. He didn't get in.

Jack: He didn't get in?

Carolyn: No, uh-uh. Not Collegiate, not even wait-listed.

Jack: All right, just calm down, Carolyn.

Carolyn: Oh, I'm calm. Would you like me to not care? Should I be more like you?

Jack: Well, he can always stay here. I mean, it's not the end of the world.

Carolyn: No, it's certainly not the end of your world. You don't give a shit. But it's a disaster for Will. He didn't get in anywhere. Not Collegiate, not Dalton, not Trinity.

Jack: You know what? This is not the time.

Carolyn: Not the U.N. international school. Do you know where he got in? Do you know who took him? West Side Prep.

Jack: That's a great school. Will, that's great, really.

Carolyn: It's his safety school, Jack. Do you know what a safety school is?

Jack: Yeah, I do.

Emilia: Jack, I'm gonna take William home. We'll meet you there. Should I go to the theater?

Jack: No. Home. I'll meet you at home. Don't worry, Will, okay?

Emilia: You're really too old for The Lion King, anyway. I mean, it's pretty unscientific. Talking lions? Talking lion puppets, actually. You dodged a bullet, my friend. You want something to drink? Hey, easy. We're walking through the park. Your mom hates the bathrooms there.

William: I can pee on a tree. I have a penis. You're the one who should be worried. You don't have one.

Emilia: Thank you for clearing that up. I can stop looking now. Hey, um, do you skate?

William: It's just wrong. We should rent helmets. Rollerbladers need helmets, and ice is just as hard as asphalt. Harder.

Emilia: Ice is not as hard as asphalt.

William: Yes, it is. Much harder. Actually, asphalt is quite soft. That's why my mom runs in the street and not the sidewalk. She knows that kind of thing. She's a doctor.

Emilia: Does she run with a helmet? You should mention that to her.

William: My pediatrician's office has a safety wall in it. It has a picture of children on their rollerblades. My picture is there too. I'm on my tricycle wearing my blue helmet. I also have a red helmet. If we really want to do this, we can go home and get one of my helmets.

Emilia: Oy, with the helmets.

William: It looks bigger than 33,000 square feet.

Emilia: How do you know how big Wollman Rink is?

William: It's in that book you gave me, you know, the Central Park book?

Emilia: Oh. I didn't know you read it. Pretty cool, huh? Come on. Hat.

Child: Watch out!

William: See?

Emilia: At the speed he's going, he needs one.

William: This is very scary.

Emilia: No, it's not.

William: Yes, it is. You can't say what's scary to me. Only I can. You're not scared, because you know how to skate. And that boy's not scared, because his mother brought his helmet.

Emilia: Which probably means he's scared of her. Here, give me your hand. Good. This isn't so awful, is it?

William: I just want to go back to the wall. That was much better.

Emilia: You just need to get used to it.

William: No, you just go skate. I do better if no one is watching.

Emilia: Okay, I'm gonna go around once, and you try and balance, okay?

William: Go on.

Emilia: Okay. William! William, just stay right there. I'll help you get up, okay?

William: I'm good.

Emilia: Shit. If you say "helmet," I'm gonna leave you here.

William: Wrist pad.

Emilia: Come on. Okay, let's go. Are you kidding me?

William: It's just, Collegiate was the best school.

Emilia: No, it isn't. It's snooty. Plus, Collegiate is all boys. Who wants to go to an all-boys school?

William: Well, if you go to Collegiate, you can go to Harvard.

Emilia: A: not guaranteed. B: West Side Prep sends tons of boys to Harvard. And C: you're eight. You don't have to think about Harvard. Harvard sucks.

William: You went to Harvard.

Emilia: Exactly.

William: Well, that's true. But still, I thought I'd get in.

Emilia: Dude, it doesn't matter. It really doesn't matter.

William: My mom is mad at me.

Emilia: She's mad, but not at you. She's mad at me and at your dad and everything, but it only feels like she's mad at you.

William: You don't understand. You don't understand about Collegiate or anything. You're from New Rochelle. You not sophisticated like me and my mom are.

Emilia: You're feeling better, huh? You know what we're gonna do? We're gonna stop at Fairway on the way home, and I'm going to make you a homemade stir-fry and Tofutti sundaes, and we're gonna watch a movie that will shrivel your young brain. How's that sound?

William: Only if I can let go of the wall down there.

Emilia: You don't have to.

William: Only if I can let go of the wall.

Emilia: Right on. One more try.

[page]

第一页：片段欣赏
第二页：巧学口语
第三页：小小翻译家
第四页：文化一瞥

 

1. what the hell: 用以加强语气或咒骂，究竟，到底。

例如：What the hell did you hear?（你究竟听到了什么？）

2. wait-list: 待批名单，候选名单。

3. the end of the world: 世界末日

4. safety school: 安全学校，这些学校的入学条件低于学生的条件，应该是稳进的，所以用来当“保底”。

5. dodge a bullet: 躲过一劫

6. rollerblade: 滚轮冰刀鞋，直排轮鞋

7. asphalt: 沥青

8. pediatrician: 儿科医生

9. wrist pad: 护腕

10.all-boys school：全男生的学校，男校

11.stir-fry: 翻炒；炒；煸

12.shrivel: （使）枯萎，干枯，皱缩，也可以表示使束手无策。

例如：As house prices plunge and savings shrivel, divorcing couples are fighting over a shrinking cake.（随着房价跳水，积蓄萎缩，离婚夫妇现在争夺的蛋糕正在变小。）

13.let go of：放开，释放

例如：Let go of me, you vicious monster!（放开我，你这可恶的家伙！）

[page]

第一页：片段欣赏
第二页：巧学口语
第三页：小小翻译家
第四页：文化一瞥

1. 我意思是，这也没什么大不了的，又不是世界末日。
____________________________________
2. 老兄，你刚躲过一劫诶。
____________________________________
3. 你没有我和我老妈见得世面多。
____________________________________
4. 这将会使你脑子放松一下。

____________________________________

[page]

第一页：片段欣赏
第二页：巧学口语
第三页：小小翻译家
第四页：文化一瞥

卡罗琳因为儿子没能进入好学校大发脾气，这和我国的孩子考不进重点学校时家长的表现如出一辙。但美国的升学真有这么紧张吗？来看看下面这位家长的亲身体验吧。

看看美国的“小升初”

女儿今年暑假结束就要升入初中了。从小学二年级下学期移民美国，她开始入读美国公立小学到今天，我亲眼见证了女儿的成长和进步。她从刚来时候26个 英文字母都不会背诵，到今天英文听、说、读、写能力在加利福尼亚州同年级测试中都位于非常高的水平。她的老师给我们的概念是，她的成绩属于整个加州10% 尖子生的范围内。

女儿的学习自觉性非常高，在学习方面我很少操心，只是老公盯的很紧。可以说，女儿能有今天的成绩，他功不可没。

美国有的小学是六年制K-6，而有的是五年制K-5。K是指Kindergarten（幼儿园），美国的幼儿园也纳入了正规的教育轨道。六年制的小 学升入初中，初中是两年，五年制的小学生要读三年初中，高中都是四年。女儿现在所在的班级是我们通常说的资优班GATE（Gifted and Talented Education），7年级开设英文/历史和数学Honor Class，是否符合条件还是要进行测试，以及结合平时的成绩决定的。8年级增设科学Honor Class。

美国的公立小学、初中、高中都是免费入读的。所谓的“免费”是指不需要交学费，但学校的经费都是从学生家庭所交的房地产税中获得，所以小学就读的学 校根据学区确定，如果跨区需要填写申请表格，每个学校每年会有限定的名额可以接收跨区的学生。小学升入初中也是根据学区对口升入的，同样有选择的权利和机 会。

我们在今年初的时候就收到了学校的择校信，除了女儿自动升入的初中外，还有另外四个学校可供选择。我和老公在网络上反复查看比较了，其他四所学校离 我们家都比较远，它们的评分跟女儿直接升入的这所没有太大区别，而有的学校7年级没有开设Honor class（优等班课程），我们听说女儿直接升入的这所学校的Honor class非常好，而且我们对女儿能够被纳入Honor class也很有信心，所以就放弃了择校权。

这是女儿即将升入的初中课程计划，7、8年级的主要课程有：英文、数学、社会科学（历史）科学/探索、体育以及选修课。

今天放学女儿带回来很多单子，上面有课程选择。他们的初中除了必修的几门课外，还设立了选修课，根据自己的爱好兴趣进行选择子。

初中总共两年，每学年分三个学期（trimester），7年级在开学前有一次选择机会，到8年级还有一次重新选择的机会。从每一个大类的三项里面 最多选择两项，选择的课程有：Technology:电脑认知、网页设计、多媒体、Practical Arts:木工、美食、服装、Performing/Fine Art:戏剧、公开演讲和美术。

昨天在女儿给我们看这些单子的时候，已经信心满满的告诉我们，她已经选择好了。老公说我们要跟她一起看看这些单子，她这么大的孩子做出的选择很可能都是凭兴趣的，或许不是聪明的选择，我们要帮助她做出正确的选择。

从候选的九项里面学生可以选择六个课目，按喜爱程度高低用数字表示，第一选择当然是最优先考虑的。每个人一年可以选择三堂课。但为了防止有的课程选 择的人数太多，或者跟其他课程时间表冲突，还有另外三个选择，所以总共六个选择。女儿告诉我们她的第一选择是美术，第二选择是多媒体，第三选择是戏剧，第 四选择是美食，第五选择是服装，第六选择是网页设计。

当我听到她罗列出自己的这些选择的时候，我非常失望。我对女儿说：你现在有这样的选择机会，不能一切都从fun(好玩，有意思，有趣)的角度来考 虑，美国的小学已经有太多的fun了，你要是看看中国现在升初中的孩子都在学什么，会吓死你的。看你倒好，要上初中了，还是什么都要fun。女儿听我这么 说很不高兴，说她选择这些课以后每天都要上，当然一定是要她自己喜欢的，她不要拿中国的标准来比较。

老公在仔细阅读女儿拿回来的所有课程介绍，告诉我们不要争论了，再争的话第三次世界大战就要爆发了。他不紧不慢的让女儿挨个说说她选择这些课程的理 由。一边听着女儿的理由，我一边用手指着单子上的Computer Awareness(电脑认知）给老公看，然后伸出一根手指，老公心领神会的点点头，我们的共同目标就是说服女儿把“电脑认知”作为她的第一选择。

看看电脑认知课程的教授内容，正是女儿现在最亟需学习的。课堂上教授怎样快速准确的使用键盘，怎样使用PowerPoint、Word、Excel，怎样利用互联网进行搜索等等。听着真让人心动。

女儿听爹地说的很有道理，想了想，把电脑认知的这张单子放到了最前面，然后说：“那我的第二选择是美术！”老公说我注意到你的六个选择里面也没有 “公开演讲”，为什么呢？女儿说她不喜欢在公众面前演讲，让她很紧张。老公说这堂课就是给你创造这样的机会来锻炼自己，让你有足够的信心和能力站在大家面 前演讲。你不是很感兴趣想在八年级的时候参加“早安××”吗？如果你7年级的时候有机会锻炼一下，到时候你不知会表现的多出色呢！

最后经过老公的一番游说，女儿全盘推翻了她最初的选择，顺理成章的按照我们的想法做出了选择：第一选择是电脑认知；第二选择是公开演讲；第三选择是网页设计；第四选择是美食；第五选择是美术；第六选择是服装。

我很佩服老公能这么成功的说服女儿，说他是一个优秀的persuader（说客）。结果女儿反驳道：不是爹地说服我的，是我自己改变主意的。我私下 里对老公说：“我真是太崇拜你了，说服了别人还让对方认为是自己改变了主意！”老公很得意，他说其实他也很担心要费些力气说服女儿改变主意，但没想到是女儿这么信任他。（来源：新浪博客）