An American Family Portrait

一个婚礼的宾客看到一个可爱的男孩在房里跑来跑去

他的名字叫做班杰明

他是新郎和之前婚姻所生的儿子

班杰明穿的很正式的西装跟领带

他有直亮深咖啡色的头发

他的肤色是琥珀蜂蜜色

然而

这个宾客是被班杰明两颊的酒窝所吸引

当这个男孩一笑酒窝就跑出来

这个宾客走向他

她弯下腰说

"我的天啊!你这迷人的酒窝从哪来的啊?"




从她后面传来一阵声音

"当然是从他奶奶来的"

小男来转过身

抱住一个皮肤非常白金发的女人

班杰明用德文说

"来自我奶奶"

接着他用英文说

"那德文的意思是来自我奶奶"

他跑走去跟其他的小孩玩




奶奶笑了

她也有酒窝

她非常的娇小, 有着明亮蓝色的眼睛

这个宾客觉得很不好意思

她试着解释

她脸红说着

"对不起阿~ 他这么黑而妳这么白"





奶奶笑了

她回说"没关系啦"

"这就是新的美国家庭的样子"

她说她的名字是Inge

宾客问Inge关于她家族的故事





Inge说她是在德国出生的

她嫁给一个在她家乡工作的美国士兵理查

他是来自维吉尼亚州的非裔美国人

她说他很帅有着非常黑的肤色

之后

他们搬回了维吉尼亚州

Inge和她的先生有两个小孩

Inge说他们出生时都是金黄色的皮肤和绿色的眼睛

Inge直向她长大的儿子,就是新郎

他的肤色就跟班杰明一模一样

但是他有着咖啡色的卷发

她笑着说"当他小时候,他是金色的卷发!"

然后

Inge介绍另一位年长女性给这位宾客

她穿着日本礼服

她向她们鞠躬

她是日本人

她是新娘的妈妈






之后整个家族为了摄影师聚集在一起

他们要来拍团体照

每个人笑着聊个不停

混合了不同的种族说着很多语言

摄影说"请不要动啰"

然后瞬间拍了照片




很久以前这可能是不常见的美国家庭样貌

但是现在不是了

自从1600年早期

人们从其他国家来到美国

他们被称为移民者

几年前

人们习惯问 "你从哪来的"

那时候大部份的美国人除了美国原住民外

都是从某个地方来的


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LESSON 2

An American Family Portrait

A guest at a wedding saw a cute little boy across the room.

His name was Benjamin.

He was the groom's son frim a previous marriage.

Benjamin was dressed up, wearing a smart suit and tie.

He had straight, shiny, dark brown hair.

His skin was the color of amber honey.

However, the guest was fascinated by Benjamin's dimples on both cheeks.

When the boy laughed, his dimples would show.

The guest came up to him.

She bent down and said, "My goodness, where did you get those charming dimples?"

一個婚禮的賓客看到一個可愛的男孩在房裡跑來跑去

他的名字叫做班傑明

他是新郎和之前婚姻所生的兒子

班傑明穿的很正式的西裝跟領帶

他有直亮深咖啡色的頭髮

他的膚色是琥珀蜂蜜色

然而

這個賓客是被班傑明兩頰的酒窩所吸引

當這個男孩一笑酒窩就跑出來

這個賓客走向他

她彎下腰說

"我的天啊!你這迷人的酒窩從哪來的啊?"



She heard a voice behind her.

"From his grandmother, of course!"

The little boy turned around.

He gave a very pale-skinned, blonde lady a hug.

Then Benjamin said in German,

"Ya, meinuma!"

He spoke English next.

"That means from my grandmother!"

He ran off to play with the other children.

從她後面傳來一陣聲音

"當然是從他奶奶來的"

小男來轉過身

抱住一個皮膚非常白金髮的女人

班傑明用德文說

"來自我奶奶"

接著他用英文說

"那德文的意思是來自我奶奶"

他跑走去跟其他的小孩玩



The grandmother smiled!

She had dimples too.

She was very tiny, and had bright blue eyes.

The guest was embarrassed.

She tried to explain.

"I am sorry, he's so ... so dark, and you're so ... so light!" she said with a red face.

奶奶笑了

她也有酒窩

她非常的嬌小, 有著明亮藍色的眼睛

這個賓客覺得很不好意思

她試著解釋

她臉紅說著

"對不起阿~ 他這麼黑而妳這麼白"



The grandmother laughed.

"That's okay," she replied.

"This is how the new American family really looks."

Her name was Inge, she said.

The guest asked Inge to tell her family story.

奶奶笑了

她回說"沒關係啦"

"這就是新的美國家庭的樣子"

她說她的名字是Inge

賓客問Inge關於她家族的故事



Inge said she was born in Germany.

She married Richard, a U.S. soldier working in her German hometown.

He was an African American from Virginia.

He was handsome with very dark skin, she said.

Later, they moved back to Virginia.

Inge and her husband had two children.

Inge said they were born with golden sin and green eyes.

Inge pointed to her grow-up son, the groom.

His skin was the same color as Benjamin's, but he had brown curly hair.

"When he was a child, he had curly blonde hair!" she laughed.

Then, Inge introduced the guest to another older lady.

She wore a traditional satin, Japanese gown.

She bowed.

She was Japanese, and she was the mother of the bride.

Inge說她是在德國出生的

她嫁給一個在她家鄉工作的美國士兵理查

他是來自維吉尼亞州的非裔美國人

她說他很帥有著非常黑的膚色

之後

他們搬回了維吉尼亞州

Inge和她的先生有兩個小孩

Inge說他們出生時都是金黃色的皮膚和綠色的眼睛

Inge直向她長大的兒子,就是新郎

他的膚色就跟班傑明一模一樣

但是他有著咖啡色的捲髮

她笑著說"當他小時候,他是金色的捲髮!"

然後

Inge介紹另一位年長女性給這位賓客

她穿著日本禮服

她向她們鞠躬

她是日本人

她是新娘的媽媽



Later the family gathered for the photographer.

They were going to take a group picture,

Everyone was laughing and chattering.

It was a medley of people of different colors speaking many languages.

"Please hold still," the photographer said.

Then, she snapped the picture.



之後整個家族為了攝影師聚集在一起

他們要來拍團體照

每個人笑著聊個不停

混合了不同的種族說著很多語言

攝影說"請不要動囉"

然後瞬間拍了照片



Long ago this might have been an unusual American family portrait.

But not these days.

Ever since the early 1600s, people from other countries have been coming here.

They are called immigrants.

Years ago, people used to ask," Where are you from?"

Back then, most Americans, other than Native Americans, were from somewhere else.

很久以前這可能是不常見的美國家庭樣貌

但是現在不是了

自從1600年早期

人們從其他國家來到美國

他們被稱為移民者

幾年前

人們習慣問 "你從哪來的"

那時候大部份的美國人除了美國原住民外

都是從某個地方來的