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Recording Three
录音三
Ronald and Lois, married for two decades, consider themselves a happy couple.
罗纳德和洛伊丝结婚二十年，是一对幸福的夫妻
But in the early years of their marriage, both were distilled by persistent arguments that seem to fade away without ever being truly resolved.
但在刚结婚的几年里，他们总是不停地争吵，每次争吵都会过去，但问题却总是没有真正地解决。
They uncovered clues to what was going wrong by researching a fascinating subject：
他们通过一个研究课题，发现了问题所在：
how birth order affects not only your personality, but also how compatible you are with your mate.
出生顺序不仅会影响你的个性，还会影响你和伴侣的融洽程度。
Ronald and Lois are only children, and "onlies" grow up accustomed to being the apple of their parents' eyes.
罗纳德和露易丝是家里的独生子女，都是家里人掌心上的宝。
Match two "onlies" and you have partners who subconsciously expect each other to continue fulfilling this expectation,
两个独生子女组成一个家庭，双方的潜意识里期待继续被对方宠着。
while neither has much experience in the "giving" end.
然而，两人都没有多少“付出”的经验。
Here's a list of common birth-order characteristics—and some thoughts on the best and worst marital matches for each.
以下是出生顺序的一些常见特征，以及一些关于最佳和最差婚姻匹配的观点。
The oldest tends to be self-assured, responsible, a high achiever, and relatively serious and reserved.
老大往往自信、负责、成绩优异、比较严肃、保守。
He may be slow to make friends, perhaps content with only one companion.
他交朋友的速度可能很慢，也许只和一个同伴相处就够了。
The best matches are with a youngest, an "only", or a mate raised in a large family.
最适合的伴侣是年龄最小的“独生子女”或在大家庭中长大。
The worst match is with another oldest, since the two will be too sovereign to share a household comfortably.
最不适合的伴侣是家里的老大，因为两人太有主见，而无法幸福地组成一个家庭。
The youngest child of the family thrives on attention and tends to be outgoing, adventurous, optimistic, creative and less ambitious than others in the family.
老幺精力充沛，往往比较外向、冒险、乐观、有创造力、而且没有家里其他孩子那么雄心勃勃，
He may lack self-discipline and have difficulty making decisions on his own.
但可能自律性不够，很难自己做决定。
A youngest brother of brothers, often unpredictable and romantic, will match best with an oldest sister of brothers.
兄弟中最小的往往捉摸不定，比较浪漫，最适合兄弟姐妹里的姐姐。
The youngest sister of brothers is best matched with an oldest brother of sisters, who will happily indulge these traits.
兄弟姐妹中，年纪最小的妹妹适合年纪最大的哥哥，男方会包容女方。
The middle child is influenced by many variables;
老二比较多变；
however, middles are less likely to take initiative and more anxious and self-critical than others.
然而，老二不太主动，他们会比其他人更焦虑，更加自我苛责。
Middles often successfully marry other middles, since both are strong on tact, not so strong on the aggressiveness and tend to crave affection.
老二通常也会选择老二结婚，因为他们都很老练，不那么咄咄逼人，喜欢追求爱情。
The only child is often most comfortable when alone.
独生子女通常自己一个人的时候比较舒服自在，
But since an "only" tends to be a well-adjusted individual, she'll eventually learn to relate to any chosen spouse.
但独生子女的适应能力一般都比较强，因此他们最终能适应自己的伴侣。
The male only child expects his wife to make life easier without getting much in return.
独生子希望他的妻子能让生活更加舒适而不要求太多回报。
He is sometimes best matched with a younger sister of brothers.
最适合兄弟姐妹里的妹妹。
The female only child, who tends to be slightly more flexible, is well matched with an older man,who will indulge her tendency to test his love.
独生女往往稍微活泼一点，适合年长的男性，这样的男人会纵容她的一些的小脾气，给她无尽的宠爱。
Her worst match? Another "only", of course.
洛伊丝的情况比较糟糕，她嫁的也是独生子。
Questions 22 to 25 are based on the recording you have just heard.
根据你刚才听到的录音，回答22-25题。
22.What does the speaker say about Ronald and Lois’s early years of married life?
问题22：关于罗纳德和露易丝早年的婚姻生活，说话者说了些什么?
23.What do we learn about Ronald and Lois?
问题23：关于罗纳德和露易丝我们了解到了什么?
24.What does the speaker say about the oldest child in a family?
问题24：关于家里最大的孩子，说话者说了些什么?
25.What does the speaker say about the only children?
问题25：关于独生子女，说话者说了什么?
