结交“妈妈友” ⏲️ 6分钟英语：英语精读讲义

6 Minute English from bbclearningenglish.com.

来自 bbclearningenglish.com 的 6 Minute English。

Hello, this is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning Englis.

大家好，这里是 BBC 英语教学的 6 Minute English。

I'm Neil.

我是 Neil。

And I'm Beth.

我是 Beth。

Do you remember your first day at school, Neil?

你还记得你第一天上学的情景吗，Neil？

Mm, yes, I do.

嗯，是的，我记得。

I changed schools quite a lot when I was a kid, 短語搭配

我小时候转学很频繁，

so I had lots of first days and they were never easy.

所以我有很多个“第一天”，而且都挺难熬的。

How about you, Beth?

你呢，Beth？

Well,

嗯，

my mum always tells the story about how

我妈妈总爱讲这个故事：

I was crying a lot on my first day,

我第一天上学时哭得可厉害了，

but apparently as soon as she left, 語法

但显然她一走，

I was quite happy.

我就很高兴了。

So, my mum spent the day um being a bit sad

所以，我妈妈那一整天都有点，嗯，伤心，

and I was completely fine.

而我却完全没事。

Well, yes,

是的，

starting school and making new friends is difficult for many children,

对于很多孩子来说，开始上学和交新朋友是件难事，

but it's not just the kids who find it challenging. 語法

但觉得难的不只是孩子们。

For mums and dads who drop their kids off at the school gates in the morning 短語動詞

对于那些早上送孩子到学校门口，

and pick them up again at the end of the school day, 短語動詞

放学后再去接他们的父母来说，

making friends with other mums can be just as hard. 語法

和其他妈妈交朋友同样不容易。

Here, BBC presenter Nuala McGovern discusses this problem using the term mum friends. 文化背景

接下来，BBC 主持人 Nuala McGovern 使用“mum friends”（妈妈朋友）这个词来讨论这个问题。

So, if you are a mum dropping off or picking up the kids this week,

那么，如果你这周要接送孩子，

how do you feel about hanging out with other mum friends? 短語動詞

你对于和其他“妈妈朋友”一起闲聊感觉如何呢？

I find that term kind of interesting as well. 短語搭配

我觉得这个词也挺有意思的。

Mum friends, they never call friends,

妈妈朋友，她们从不称之为朋友，

they call mum friends.

她们叫“妈妈朋友”。

Do you struggle to make those relationships 語法

你是很难建立这种关系，

or do you thrive on them? 用詞

还是在其中如鱼得水？

Are you perfectly happy without them?

又或者没有她们你也完全开心？

Mum friends are usually the mums of other children in your child's class at school.

“妈妈朋友”通常指你孩子班上其他同学的妈妈。

They might go for coffee together, 短語搭配

她们可能会一起喝咖啡，

help out with babysitting or chat about being a mother. 短語動詞

互相帮忙照看孩子，或者聊聊当妈妈的感受。

But, is making new mum friends really the positive experience it's often described as 短語搭配

但是，结交新的妈妈朋友真的像通常描述的那样是种积极体验，

or an additional stress for already overworked mothers? 用詞

还是给已经劳累过度的妈妈们增加了额外的压力？

That's what we'll be discussing in this program, 表達脈絡

这就是我们要在本期节目中讨论的内容，

along with some useful new vocabulary.

我们还会学习一些有用的新词汇。

And if the idea of mum friends is new to you,

如果“妈妈朋友”这个概念对你来说很陌生，

why not take a minute to read through the list of vocabulary before you listen. 講解

为什么不在听之前花一分钟阅读一下词汇表呢。

It's easy to find on our website bbclearningenglish.com.

你可以在我们的网站 bbclearningenglish.com 上轻松找到它。

Now, Beth, I have a question for you.

好了，Beth，我有一个问题要问你。

Another term often associated with mum friends is playdate, 講解

另一个经常与妈妈朋友联系在一起的词是 playdate（游玩约会），

a time that parents arrange for their children to play together.

这是父母为孩子们安排在一起玩耍的时间。

But, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, 短語搭配

但是，根据《牛津英语词典》，

where does the term playdate come from? 短語搭配

playdate 这个词起源于哪里？

Is the origin in A, Australia,

它起源于 A，澳大利亚，

B, New Zealand or C, the United States of America?

B，新西兰，还是 C，美利坚合众国？

Mm, I'm going to guess the USA, C. 語氣意圖

嗯，我猜是美国，C。

Okay. Feeling confident?

好的。有信心吗？

Yes. Well, we'll see at the end of the program. 表達脈絡

是的。那我们在节目最后揭晓。

For some mums, dropping their kids off at school reminds them of when they themselves were little 短語搭配

对一些妈妈来说，送孩子上学让她们想起了自己小时候，

and under pressure to make friends. 短語搭配

也有交朋友的压力。

Listen as mum Jane Cherrington-Cook describes these feelings to BBC Radio 4 program Woman's Hour.

请听妈妈 Jane Cherrington-Cook 在 BBC 广播四台节目 Woman's Hour 中描述这些感受。

The school gates take you back to being back at school. 習語

学校大门让你回到了在学校的日子。

It is like you said, a high school clique. 用詞

就像你说的，像高中的小圈子。

It's

就是

you've got the sporty mums over there,

那边有运动型妈妈，

you've got the glam mums over there,

那边有魅力型妈妈，

you've got, you know,

还有，你知道的，

and if you don't fit into one of those, 短語搭配

如果你不融入其中一个，

it's really, really difficult to navigate. 用詞

真的，真的很难应付。

Um,

嗯，

and yet you're all there just because your children were born in the same year. 表達脈絡

然而你们之所以都在那里，仅仅因为你们的孩子是同一年出生的。

It's a really weird thing.

这真是件非常奇怪的事。

Jane says that mums often form cliques, 短語搭配

Jane 说，妈妈们经常形成 cliques（小圈子），

small groups of people who like spending time together

指的是喜欢待在一起的一小群人，

and seem unfriendly towards others.

而且似乎对其他人不太友好。

For example, at Jane's daughter's school,

例如，在 Jane 女儿的学校里，

there's a clique of sporty mums

有一个运动型妈妈的小圈子，

and a clique of glam mums who put on makeup and dress up. 講解

还有一个化着妆、打扮入时的魅力型妈妈的小圈子。

Jane uses the adjective glam as a shortened form of the word glamour, 用詞

Jane 用的形容词 glam 是 glamour 这个词的缩写，

meaning attractive and exciting.

意思是迷人的和令人兴奋的。

Problems start when someone doesn't fit into one of the cliques.

当有人无法融入某个小圈子时，问题就来了。

If you fit into a group of people,

如果你 fit into（融入）一群人，

you feel you belong and are accepted,

你会觉得自己属于他们并被接纳，

probably because you are similar to them.

可能是因为你和他们很相似。

So, some mums feel rejected from cliques 用詞

所以，有些妈妈觉得自己被小圈子排斥，

and worry about their children being left out of playdates. 短語動詞

并担心她们的孩子会被排除在游玩约会之外。

But, other mums don't mind.

但是，其他妈妈并不介意。

If people want to be friends, that's fine.

如果人们想做朋友，那很好。

And if they don't, that's fine too. 語氣意圖

如果他们不想，那也没关系。

Being a mum is hard enough without adding more stress. 語法

当妈妈已经够难了，没必要再增加压力。

Jane definitely belongs to this group,

Jane 显然属于这一类，

as she explains to BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour.

正如她在 BBC 广播四台的 Woman's Hour 节目中所解释的那样。

I think I'd had um some really bad experiences at baby groups 文化背景

我想我以前在婴儿群组有过一些非常糟糕的经历，

where you're trying to make your child do yoga or paint when they're four months old 語法

在那里你要试图让你四个月大的孩子做瑜伽或画画，

and trying to bond with these other women 短語搭配

还要试图与这些其他女人建立联系，

and I just thought this is ridiculous 語氣意圖

我只觉得这太荒唐了，

and I pretty much straight away realized it was going to be just down to luck 講解

然后我几乎立刻意识到，这完全只能碰运气，

if I met somebody that I clicked with. 習語

看我能不能遇到一个跟我一见如故的人。

Jane says it's down to luck if she makes mum friends.

Jane 说她能否交到妈妈朋友全凭运气。

If you say something is down to luck,

如果你说某件事是 down to luck（碰运气），

you mean it depends on chance rather than any skill or effort you make. 表達脈絡

你的意思是它取决于机会，而不是你付出的任何技巧或努力。

But, there's always the possibility you'll meet someone and click with them, 語法

但是，你总有可能遇到一个人并跟他们 click（一见如故），

become friends as soon as you start talking.

也就是一聊起来就成了朋友。

Well, I know something that isn't down to luck, Neil,

好了，Neil，我知道有一件事不是凭运气，

the answer to your question.

那就是你问题的答案。

Ah, yes.

啊，是的。

I asked you about the origin of the term playdate.

我问了你 playdate 这个词的起源。

Which country does it come from?

它来自哪个国家？

I think it's the USA.

我认为它来自美国。

Well, Beth, you are right.

嗯，Beth，你答对了。

Yay!

耶！

So, well done.

那么，做得好。

According to the Oxford English Dictionary,

根据《牛津英语词典》，

playdate was first used in the Lincoln Daily Star newspaper in Nebraska, 語法

playdate 最早见于内布拉斯加州的《林肯每日星报》，

USA in 1915.

在 1915 年的美国。

Okay.

好的。

Let's recap the vocabulary we've learned,

让我们回顾一下今天学过的词汇，

starting with playdate,

首先是 playdate，

an arrangement that parents make for their young children to play together.

指的是父母为年幼的孩子安排在一起玩耍的约定。

A clique is a small group of people who spend a lot of time together

A clique（小圈子）指的是一小群花很多时间在一起的人，

and may seem unfriendly towards other people.

而且可能对其他人显得不友好。

Glam is short for glamorous, 短語搭配

Glam 是 glamorous 的缩写，

meaning visually attractive and exciting.

意思是视觉上迷人且令人兴奋的。

If you fit into a group of people,

如果你 fit into（融入）一群人，

you belong and feel accepted by them because you are similar to them.

你就属于他们并感到被他们接纳，因为你和他们很相似。

If you say something is down to luck,

如果你说某件事是 down to luck（碰运气），

you mean that it depends on chance or luck rather than any skill or effort you make.

你的意思是它取决于偶然或运气，而不是你付出的技巧或努力。

And finally, if you click with someone,

最后，如果你和某人 click（一拍即合），

you feel a friendly and positive connection when you meet them for the first time.

你在第一次见到他们时就会感到一种友好和积极的联系。

Once again, our time is up.

我们的时间又到了。

Why not head over to the BBC Learning English website 短語動詞

为什么不去 BBC 英语教学网站看看，

to find a quiz and worksheet for this program

找找这期节目的测验和练习表，

when it's still fresh in your mind. 習語

趁着你记忆犹新的时候。

See you again soon.

期待很快再见。

Goodbye for now.

暂时再见了。

Bye.

再见。

6 Minute English from bbclearningenglish.com.

来自 bbclearningenglish.com 的 6 Minute English。