結交「媽媽友」 ⏲️ 6分鐘英語：英語精讀講義

6 Minute English from bbclearningenglish.com.

來自 bbclearningenglish.com 的 6 Minute English。

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

大家好，這裡是 BBC 英語教學的 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?

你還記得你第一天上學的情景嗎，Neil？

Mm, yes, I do.

嗯，是的，我記得。

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

我小時候轉學很頻繁，

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

所以我有很多個「第一天」，而且都挺難熬的。

How about you, Beth?

妳呢，Beth？

Well,

嗯，

my mum always tells the story about how

我媽媽總愛講這個故事：

I was crying a lot on my first day,

我第一天上學時哭得可厲害了，

but apparently as soon as she left, 文法

但顯然她一走，

I was quite happy.

我就很高興了。

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

所以，我媽媽那一整天都有點，嗯，傷心，

and I was completely fine.

而我卻完全沒事。

Well, yes,

是的，

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

對於很多孩子來說，開始上學和交新朋友是件難事，

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

但覺得難的不只是孩子們。

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

對於那些早上送孩子到學校門口，

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

放學後再去接他們的父母來說，

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

和其他媽媽交朋友同樣不容易。

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

接下來，BBC 主持人 Nuala McGovern 使用「mum friends」（媽媽朋友）這個詞來討論這個問題。

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

那麼，如果你這週要接送孩子，

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

你對於和其他「媽媽朋友」一起閒聊感覺如何呢？

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

我覺得這個詞也挺有意思的。

Mum friends, they never call friends,

媽媽朋友，她們從不稱之為朋友，

they call mum friends.

她們叫「媽媽朋友」。

Do you struggle to make those relationships 文法

你是很難建立這種關係，

or do you thrive on them? 用詞

還是在其中如魚得水？

Are you perfectly happy without them?

又或者沒有她們你也完全開心？

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

「媽媽朋友」通常指你孩子班上其他同學的媽媽。

They might go for coffee together, 片語搭配

她們可能會一起喝咖啡，

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

互相幫忙照看孩子，或者聊聊當媽媽的感受。

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

但是，結交新的媽媽朋友真的像通常描述的那樣是種積極體驗，

or an additional stress for already overworked mothers? 用詞

還是給已經勞累過度的媽媽們增加了額外的壓力？

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

這就是我們要在本期節目中討論的內容，

along with some useful new vocabulary.

我們還會學習一些有用的新詞彙。

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

如果「媽媽朋友」這個概念對你來說很陌生，

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

為什麼不在聽之前花一分鐘閱讀一下詞彙表呢。

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

你可以在我們的網站 bbclearningenglish.com 上輕鬆找到它。

Now, Beth, I have a question for you.

好了，Beth，我有一個問題要問妳。

Another term often associated with mum friends is playdate, 講解

另一個經常與媽媽朋友聯繫在一起的詞是 playdate（遊玩約會），

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

這是父母為孩子們安排在一起玩耍的時間。

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

但是，根據《牛津英語詞典》，

where does the term playdate come from? 片語搭配

playdate 這個詞起源於哪裡？

Is the origin in A, Australia,

它起源於 A，澳洲，

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

B，紐西蘭，還是 C，美利堅合眾國？

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

嗯，我猜是美國，C。

Okay. Feeling confident?

好的。有信心嗎？

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

是的。那我們在節目最後揭曉。

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

對一些媽媽來說，送孩子上學讓她們想起了自己小時候，

and under pressure to make friends. 片語搭配

也有交朋友的壓力。

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

請聽媽媽 Jane Cherrington-Cook 在 BBC 廣播四台節目 Woman's Hour 中描述這些感受。

The school gates take you back to being back at school. 慣用語

學校大門讓你回到了在學校的日子。

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

就像你說的，像高中的小圈子。

It's

就是

you've got the sporty mums over there,

那邊有運動型媽媽，

you've got the glam mums over there,

那邊有魅力型媽媽，

you've got, you know,

還有，你知道的，

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

如果你不融入其中一個，

it's really, really difficult to navigate. 用詞

真的，真的很難應付。

Um,

嗯，

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

然而你們之所以都在那裡，僅僅因為你們的孩子是同一年出生的。

It's a really weird thing.

這真是件非常奇怪的事。

Jane says that mums often form cliques, 片語搭配

Jane 說，媽媽們經常形成 cliques（小圈子），

small groups of people who like spending time together

指的是喜歡待在一起的一小群人，

and seem unfriendly towards others.

而且似乎對其他人不太友好。

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

例如，在 Jane 女兒的學校裡，

there's a clique of sporty mums

有一個運動型媽媽的小圈子，

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

還有一個化著妝、打扮入時的魅力型媽媽的小圈子。

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

Jane 用的形容詞 glam 是 glamour 這個詞的縮寫，

meaning attractive and exciting.

意思是迷人的和令人興奮的。

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

當有人無法融入某個小圈子時，問題就來了。

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,

你會覺得自己屬於他們並被接納，

probably because you are similar to them.

可能是因為你和他們很相似。

So, some mums feel rejected from cliques 用詞

所以，有些媽媽覺得自己被小圈子排斥，

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

並擔心她們的孩子會被排除在遊玩約會之外。

But, other mums don't mind.

但是，其他媽媽並不介意。

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

如果人們想做朋友，那很好。

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

如果他們不想，那也沒關係。

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

當媽媽已經夠難了，沒必要再增加壓力。

Jane definitely belongs to this group,

Jane 顯然屬於這一類，

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

正如她在 BBC 廣播四台的 Woman's Hour 節目中所解釋的那樣。

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

我想我以前在嬰兒群組有過一些非常糟糕的經歷，

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

在那裡你要試圖讓你四個月大的孩子做瑜伽或畫畫，

and trying to bond with these other women 片語搭配

還要試圖與這些其他女人建立聯繫，

and I just thought this is ridiculous 語氣意圖

我只覺得這太荒唐了，

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

然後我幾乎立刻意識到，這完全只能碰運氣，

if I met somebody that I clicked with. 慣用語

看我能不能遇到一個跟我一見如故的人。

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

Jane 說她能否交到媽媽朋友全憑運氣。

If you say something is down to luck,

如果你說某件事是 down to luck（碰運氣），

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

你的意思是它取決於機會，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, 文法

但是，你總有可能遇到一個人並跟他們 click（一見如故），

become friends as soon as you start talking.

也就是一聊起來就成了朋友。

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

好了，Neil，我知道有一件事不是憑運氣，

the answer to your question.

那就是你問題的答案。

Ah, yes.

啊，是的。

I asked you about the origin of the term playdate.

我問了你 playdate 這個詞的起源。

Which country does it come from?

它來自哪個國家？

I think it's the USA.

我認為它來自美國。

Well, Beth, you are right.

嗯，Beth，妳答對了。

Yay!

耶！

So, well done.

那麼，做得好。

According to the Oxford English Dictionary,

根據《牛津英語詞典》，

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

playdate 最早見於內布拉斯加州的《林肯每日星報》，

USA in 1915.

在 1915 年的美國。

Okay.

好的。

Let's recap the vocabulary we've learned,

讓我們回顧一下今天學過的詞彙，

starting with playdate,

首先是 playdate，

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

指的是父母為年幼的孩子安排在一起玩耍的約定。

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時間在一起的人，

and may seem unfriendly towards other people.

而且可能對其他人顯得不友好。

Glam is short for glamorous, 片語搭配

Glam 是 glamorous 的縮寫，

meaning visually attractive and exciting.

意思是視覺上迷人且令人興奮的。

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.

你就屬於他們並感到被他們接納，因為你和他們很相似。

If you say something is down to luck,

如果你說某件事是 down to luck（碰運氣），

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

你的意思是它取決於偶然或運氣，而不是你付出的技巧或努力。

And finally, if you click with someone,

最後，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.

你在第一次見到他們時就會感到一種友好和積極的聯繫。

Once again, our time is up.

我們的時間又到了。

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

為什麼不去 BBC 英語教學網站看看，

to find a quiz and worksheet for this program

找找這期節目的測驗和學習單，

when it's still fresh in your mind. 慣用語

趁著你記憶猶新的時候。

See you again soon.

期待很快再見。

Goodbye for now.

暫時再見了。

Bye.

再見。

6 Minute English from bbclearningenglish.com.

來自 bbclearningenglish.com 的 6 Minute English。