Part 3 At a Baby Shower 在新生儿派对上

Dialogue Script 1 对话原文 1

Tina: Hello, ladies! This is the first time for some of us to meet...
Sam: ...so we though we'd start the shower off with a few get-to-know-you games.
Tina: For the first one, we need the baby picture of yourself that we asked you to bring.
Sam: The goal is to guess as many people from their photos as possible, so make a list!
Tina: Since Sam is our token man today, everyone is sure to get at least one right!
Sam: The prize is a free manicure at the salon where Tina works!

讲解：

1. baby shower开始了。Tina说首先要大家玩一个get-to-know-you的游戏，就是一个认识彼此的游戏，在baby shower上都会玩这类可以拉近宾客距离的小游戏。

2. start off 这个词组表示“开始进行某事”，比如说，It's impossible to stop him talking once he starts off. 他一打开话匣子就停不了。Don't start her off on one of her boring stories. 不要惹她说她那些无聊的故事。

3. Tina他们的玩法是每个人拿出一张自己婴儿时期的照片，然后大家从这些照片里猜出本人，越多越好，这倒是跟baby shower的主题很契合。Tina开玩笑地说，既然今天Sam是男性的出席代表，所以大家至少可以猜对一位。

4. token 的意思是“象征性的，仅有一点点的”，比如说，a token payment，就是指“象征性的支付”，Our troops encountered only token resistance. 我们的部队只受到表面上的抵抗。如果谁赢得的这个游戏，还有奖品，就是在Linda工作的美容院免费修指甲一次。manicure就是指“修指甲，美甲”。

Dialogue Script 2 对话原文 2

Kelly: Linda, how is the pregnancy coming along? Is the little one kicking?
Linda: Boy, is he! This is week thirty-seven. I am so ready to give birth!
Kelly: I hear the last month's the hardest, girl. He's a boy? Congratulations!
Linda: Thanks! I keep having Braxton Hicks, so constantly I think I'm going into labor.
Kelly: No, seriously, do you have any stretch marks?
Linda: Not yet, knock on wood.

讲解：

1. 对话中Kelly和Linda在聊怀孕以来的状况，pregnancy就是指“怀孕，怀孕的状态”，比如说，These drugs should not be taken during pregnancy. 这些药物在孕期内不能服用。She's had three pregnancies in four years. 她在四年中怀孕三次。

2. 形容词是pregnant，我们可以说，She's six months pregnant. 她那时已经怀有六个月的身孕了。还有一个习语大家也应该记住，就是a pregnant pause or a pregnant silence，表示“耐人寻味或者意味深长的停顿或沉默”。比如说，There was a pregnant pause before she answered my question. 她耐人寻味地停顿了一下才回答我的问题。

3. Kelly问Linda肚子里的小孩子有没有踢她，Linda说踢的可厉害呢，Boy, is he! 这里boy是一个感叹词，而倒装句is he就是起强调作用，正常的语序应该是Boy, he IS kicking！Linda已经怀孕37周了，就快临产了。give birth to sb表示“生孩子”，比如说，She gave birth to a healthy baby last night. 她昨天晚上生了一个健康的婴儿。

4. Kelly说怀孕的最后一个月是最困难的。她知道了Linda怀的是一个男孩，就对她表示祝贺。Linda一直有产前子宫收缩的症状，很频繁以至于她认为自己快要生了，labor在这里表示“分娩是的阵痛，阵痛期”，我们可以说，She began labor.她开始了阵痛期。She went into labor.她进入阵痛期。或者She was in labor. 她处于阵痛期。还有She had a difficult labor. 她难产。

5. Kelly又问Linda的肚子上有没有因为怀孕而撑出来的难看的纹路，Linda说还没有，不过她不想言之过早，就说knock on wood，敲敲木头。这是美国人的一种习惯，他们认为敲敲木头能避免不好的事情的发生，比如说Peter的电脑坏了，而你说，还好我的电脑没有坏过。不过，为了防止以后发生类似的事情，你这时就要说knock on wood而且一定要真的敲敲身边任何木制的东西。

Dialogue Script 3 对话原文 3

Linda: These baby booties are lovely. Ooh, contraction. (hears Sam scream) What was that?
Kelly: Sam probably hit his head on something in the kitchen. Open this one.
Linda: OK, it's from Tina - a stroller!
Kelly: Oh, that one will last for all your babies.
Linda: Kelly! We're only going to have ONE child!
Kelly: You'll change your mind, trust me. There's more. Open these.
Linda: Oh, I love it all.
Kelly: Here. This one's from Peter, Sam and me.
Linda: A baby sleep monitor system! I was holding off on buying this until after the shower.
Kelly: Well, now you can spend that money on something else. This is from Lisa.
Linda: Oh, she shouldn't have. Whoa...strong contraction!

讲解：

1. 对话中，baby shower已经进行到最后阶段了，开始拆礼物。这时Linda突然感到阵痛了，就是contraction，分娩时阵发性的子宫收缩。不过还好，不是很严重。Linda拆开的第一份礼物是baby booties，婴儿的毛线袜子。

2. 还有Tina送的一个婴儿车，stroller，真是很实用啊。而Kelly, Peter和Sam合送的是一台婴儿睡眠控制系统，属于一款高科技的产品吧，而Linda正想买这么一个东西，这个礼物真是及时雨啊。hold off sth/doing sth这个词组表示“推迟某事物，推迟做某事”，比如说，Could you hold off making your decision until next week? 你能推迟到下周再做决定吗？

3. 现在Linda就不用买了，她可以把钱花在另外的必需品上面了。Linda正要拆开Lisa的礼物，突然感觉到强烈的阵痛，看来这次是真的了。

Part 4 Linda's Having a Baby Linda临产了

Dialogue Script 1 对话原文 1

Sam: Please write some motherly advice in our mother's book, ladies!
Linda: Sam, thank you so much for organizing this all for me.
Sam: Well, it's not like we could let you do it yourself.
Linda: I know, but you guys made me feel so special. You even got candy diaper pin favors.
Sam: They fit our diaper theme - something you'll be expert on soon.
Linda: Whoa...maybe sooner than we think! Start timing!

讲解：

1. 话中，baby shower不得不结束了，因为Linda临产了。Sam最后请大家在派对留言簿上留言，motherly，表示“母性的，母爱的”，比如说，motherly love, motherly affection，motherly care就都可以表示“母亲的疼爱，关怀”。

2. 在等救护车的空当，Linda感谢Sam花心思为她准备了这个baby shower，这些好朋友让Linda感到自己特别的幸福。他们还特意准备了尿布别针形的糖块，因为很切合这次baby shower的主题，而且生了孩子之后，Linda就会成为这方面的专家了，an expert on sth，表示“是某个方面的专家”。

3. 这时Linda的阵痛更强烈了，时间紧迫。timing的意思是“时间的选择或安排，时机的掌握”，比如说，He's not playing his shots well - his timing is faulty. 他没有打好，时间掌握不当。The timing of the announcement was rather unexpected. 选择那个时间公布结果真是出乎意料。

Dialogue Script 2 对话原文 2

Sam: What an end to a baby shower!
Tina: Tell me about it. Sending the mother-to-be off to the hospital in labor!
Sam: We really should have the shower a little earlier next time.
Tina: Um...next time? Who else do we know that's having a baby?
Sam: No one. But who knows, in a year or so, maybe you...
Tina: ...will have a baby? Ah! I feel a thirtieth birthday crisis coming on!

讲解：

1. baby shower 就这样结束了，Sam还有点意犹未尽的意思，Tina也是一样，她说，Tell me about it. 意思是“说的是啊。”跟You can say that again. 差不多。把准妈妈送到医院去生孩子，真够惊险的。

2. Sam说，下次记得要早一点举行这个baby shower，不要再出现类似的状况了。说到下一次，Tina不知道他们还有哪些朋友是要生孩子的。have a baby 也表示生孩子的意思。今天我们说到了三种表示“生孩子”的表达方式，可以说give birth to a baby，还有be in labor，还有 就是刚才说的have a baby。大家要注意总结。

3. 虽然现在还没有其他人要生孩子，不过也许再过个一两年，Tina就会有baby了，Tina一听到这个，就觉得好像自己30岁的生日就快到了似的，岁月催人老啊。