2014年ESL之就医和人际交往 10 Marrying Young

 

Marrying Young 

Irene: Damon and his girlfriend just got engaged. They’re planning on getting married this summer. 

Ken¹: They’re too young! Marrying young poses all kinds of problems. 

Irene: Such as? 

Ken: Such as the two of them lacking maturity². They may think it’s fun to play house right now, but they’re not prepared to face the realities and responsibilities of matrimony. 

Irene: I think you’re selling them short. They’ve been dating for two years and there’s no ideal age for marriage. 

Ken: Yes, but we all know that marrying young will doom³ them to a life of regrets. 

Irene: That’s a bit harsh, don’t you think? A lot of people who marry young have successful marriages. I like the idea of growing old with your spouse⁴. You can reach many of life’s milestones⁵ together. 

Ken: Like reaching the legal drinking age? 

Irene: Don’t be facetious⁶. Getting married will give them stability and someone to lean on. I think they’ll be great as a married couple. 

Ken: Well, I hope they beat the odds⁷...or at least learn a lot for their second marriages. 

 

Script by Dr. Lucy Tse 

1 ken   

n.视野，知识领域

参考例句：

• Such things are beyond my ken.我可不懂这些事。
• Abstract words are beyond the ken of children.抽象的言辞超出小孩所理解的范围.

2 maturity   

n.成熟；完成；(支票、债券等)到期

参考例句：

• These plants ought to reach maturity after five years.这些植物五年后就该长成了。
• This is the period at which the body attains maturity.这是身体发育成熟的时期。

3 doom   

n.厄运，劫数；v.注定，命定

参考例句：

• The report on our economic situation is full of doom and gloom.这份关于我们经济状况的报告充满了令人绝望和沮丧的调子。
• The dictator met his doom after ten years of rule.独裁者统治了十年终于完蛋了。

4 spouse   

n.配偶(指夫或妻)

参考例句：

• Her spouse will come to see her on Sunday.她的丈夫星期天要来看她。
• What is the best way to keep your spouse happy in the marriage?在婚姻中保持配偶幸福的最好方法是什么？

5 milestones   

n.重要事件( milestone的名词复数 )；重要阶段；转折点；里程碑

参考例句：

• Several important milestones in foreign policy have been passed by this Congress and they can be chalked up as major accomplishments. 这次代表大会通过了对外政策中几起划时代的事件，并且它们可作为主要成就记录下来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Dale: I really envy your milestones over the last few years, Don. 我真的很羡慕你在过去几年中所建立的丰功伟绩。 来自互联网

6 facetious   

adj.轻浮的，好开玩笑的

参考例句：

• He was so facetious that he turned everything into a joke.他好开玩笑，把一切都变成了戏谑。
• I became angry with the little boy at his facetious remarks.我对这个小男孩过分的玩笑变得发火了。

7 odds   

n.让步，机率，可能性，比率；胜败优劣之别

参考例句：

• The odds are 5 to 1 that she will win.她获胜的机会是五比一。
• Do you know the odds of winning the lottery once?你知道赢得一次彩票的几率多大吗？