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effects of those changes
may help us improve family life.
上面描述的家庭可以说在美国曾一度相当典型。如今你仍能见到这样的家庭――不过得在电视里。
只要看一看那些重播的情景剧老片子。例如《交给比弗吧》一剧中妈妈带着珍珠项链、穿着高跟鞋做家
务。爸爸整个周末都穿着西装戴着领带。但像比弗?克立弗那样的家庭越来越少了。那样的家庭正在消
失因为我们生活中的三个部分发生了变化我们的工作方式餐饮方式以及娱乐方式。了解这些变化所
带来的影响也许有助于我们改善家庭生活。
7 Let's look first at the changes in the way we work. Today the words \home!\
spoken by dear old Dad. Dear old Mom is just as likely to be saying them. A generation ago, most households
could get along on one paycheck -- Dad's. Mom stayed home, at least until the children started school. But today,
over half the mothers with young children go to work. An even greater percentage of mothers of older children are
in the workforce. And the number of single-parent homes has mushroomed in the last thirty years.
我们先来看一下我们工作方式的变化。今天“嗨",亲爱的我回家了”这句话可能不是出自亲爱 的老爸之口。亲爱的老妈也同样可能说这句话。在上一代大多数家庭可以靠一份工资――爸爸的工资―― 维持。妈妈呆在家里至少在孩子上学前是如此。但今天一半以上有幼儿的母亲外出工作。在职人员中
有大孩子的母亲的比例更高。而单亲家庭的数量在过去30 年中急剧增长。
8 These changes in work have affected children as well as parents. When only Dad went out to work, children
came home from school to Mom. (In TV situation comedies, they came home to Mom and home-baked cookies)
Today, we'll find them at an after-school program or a neighbor's house. Or they may come home to no one at all.
In every community, children are caring for themselves until their parents return from work. Are these children
missing out on an important part of childhood? Or are they developing a healthy sense of self-reliance? These are
questions that Mrs. Cleaver never had to deal with. 工作方面的这些变化影响着家长以及孩子。当父亲一人外出上班时",孩子们放学回家有妈妈在。在
情景电视剧里他们回家有妈妈在还有家里做的饼干如今我们会在晚托班或邻居家里见到他们。要