课文原文（双语对话） Ellen: I don’t believe it! / 我简直难以相信！ Philip: What’s wrong? / 怎么了？ Ellen: Carter Boswell! / Carter Boswell！ Philip: Who’s Carter Boswell? / 谁是Carter Boswell？ Ellen: He’s running for the school board. The election’s next month. / 他正在竞选联合校董会董事。选举就在下个月。 Philip: What’s wrong with wanting to be on the school board? / 想进入联合校董会有什么错？ Ellen: Nothing. But he wants to cut the school budget! / 没有什么。但他想削减学校的预算！ Philip: Maybe it needs cutting. / 也许真需要削减呢。 ...

课文原文（双语对话） Harry: It looks wrong. / 看起来不对劲。 Richard: Hmmm. It is wrong. / 嗯嗯。是不对劲。 Harry: Are they always that difficult to make? / 领结这样难系吗？ Richard: The truth is … yes. / 老实说……是很难。 Harry: I’ll try again. / 我再试一次。 Richard: At this rate, the wedding will take place tomorrow. / 照这种速度，婚礼只有明天举行了。 Harry: Not to worry. / 别担心。 Richard: OK. Here we go. / 好吧。我们重来。 Philip: I’m worried, Philip. What if we can’t tie the tie? / 我很担心，Philip。如果我们系不好领结怎么办？ ...

课文原文 Excuse me. My name is Richard Stewart. I’m a photographer. May I take a picture of you and your little boy? 对不起，我叫Richard Stewart，我是一位摄影师。我可以替你和你的小男孩拍一张照吗？ What’s it for? 是做什么用的？ It’s for a book. It’s a book of pictures. I call it Family Album, U.S.A. 是为一本书拍的。这是一本摄影集。我称之为「美国写真」。 Oh, that’s a nice idea. Well, it’s fine if you take our picture. 噢，这想法不错。你想拍我们的照，就请吧。 I’m Martha Vann. 我叫Martha Vann。 Thank you. I appreciate your help. 谢谢，很感谢你的帮助。 ...

课文原文（双语对话） Robbie: Where’s Mom? / 妈妈呢？ Grandpa: She went to a school-board meeting. / 她去参加联合校董会会议了。 Robbie: I don’t know how she does it. She sure keeps busy. / 我不知道她怎么办到的。她真的是忙个不停。 Grandpa: It’s important to her. There are lots of places to go, lots of things to do. She can’t sit around and do nothing. / 这对她来说很重要。有很多地方要去，许多事情要做。她总不能闲坐着无所事事呀。 Robbie: Philip works late. I guess you’re right. I wish I had her energy. / Philip工作到很晚。我想你说得对。我希望我有她那样的精力。 ...

课文原文（Bilingual Dialogue） 场景： Susan和Harry一家面临是否搬到洛杉矶的重大决定。 Susan: I really like this one, Susan. Do you? Susan: 我真的很喜欢这一件，你呢？ Michelle: Turn around, Michelle. Let me see the back of it. Michelle: 转过去一下，Michelle。让我看看它的背面。 Susan: I like it a lot. It fits well. Susan: 我非常喜欢。它很合身。 Harry: It doesn’t need any alterations. We must’ve bought the right size. Harry: 不需作任何修改。我们一定是买对了尺寸。 Susan: I like the color. She looks good in blue. Susan: 我喜欢这颜色。她穿蓝色的很好看。 Michelle: I like blue, too, Daddy. Michelle: 我也喜欢蓝色的，爸爸。 ...

课文原文（Bilingual Dialogue） 场景： Marilyn在思考是否回去工作，还是全职照顾Max。家人给了她很多建议。 （Marilyn在哼摇篮曲） Marilyn: “Rock-a-bye, baby, on the tree top, When the wind blows, The cradle will rock. When the bough breaks, The cradle will fall, And down will come baby, Cradle and all.” Marilyn: “摇呀摇，小宝宝，在树梢，风儿轻轻吹，摇篮跟着晃。树枝若折断，摇篮会掉落，宝宝跌下来，摇篮一道摔。” Richard: Hi, Marilyn. What are you doing? Richard: 嗨，Marilyn。你在做什么？ Marilyn: Just sketching. Marilyn: 只是画些草图。 Richard: I’ve been thinking a lot about our responsibilities in the past few weeks. Richard: 我对于我们的职责想了很多在最近几个星期。 Marilyn: I never stop thinking about them. Marilyn: 我一直在思考这些问题，从未间断。 ...

课文原文（Bilingual Dialogue） 场景： Grandpa的朋友Nat Baker因为社区中心计划被搁置而烦恼，大家决定一起行动。 Robbie: Morning, Grandpa. Is something the matter, Grandpa? Robbie: 早安，爷爷。怎么了，爷爷？ Grandpa: The editorial in this paper has my friend Nat Baker real upset. 爷爷: 这张报纸上的社论着实令我的朋友Nat Baker不高兴。 Grandpa: Ah! I’ll read it to you. “The old library building on Chestnut Street, which has been vacant for over a year now, was supposed to be made into a community center to serve the senior citizens as well as the younger people of Riverdale. Due to lack of funds for the repainting of the interior of the building and for the furniture needed, the plans for the community center have been postponed indefinitely.” 爷爷: 啊！我来读给你听听。“Chestnut街老图书馆已空了一年多，原计划改成一个社区交谊中心，为Riverdale的老年人和年轻人服务。由于缺乏经费用来重新粉刷内部和购买必需家俱，这项修建社区中心的计划被迫无限期延缓。” ...

课文原文（Bilingual Dialogue） 场景： Robbie想为即将回希腊的朋友Alexandra举办一个惊喜欢送派对。 Robbie: Hi, Mom. Robbie: 嗨，妈。 Ellen: Hi, Robbie. You’re home from school early. Ellen: 嗨，Robbie。你今天从学校回来得早。 Robbie: Yeah, they’re getting the assembly hall ready for the graduation ceremony, so we all got to go home early. Too noisy to study. Robbie: 是啊，他们在布置大礼堂，为毕业典礼做准备，所以我们都非早回家不可。太吵了，书看不下去。 Ellen: Well, now that you’re here, you can help me with dinner. I need those potatoes peeled and sliced. Ellen: 嗯，既然你回来了，你就来帮我准备晚餐。那些马铃薯需要剥皮和切片。 Robbie: Mom, give me a break. Alexandra’s coming over to help me study for my math final. Robbie: 妈，让我喘口气。Alexandra就要来帮我温习数学，准备期末考试。 ...

课文原文（Bilingual Dialogue） 场景： Richard和Marilyn准备去乡村露营，Ellen帮忙照顾Max。 Richard: Hot dogs. I love hot dogs. There is nothing better than a hot dog in the country. Hot dogs and mustard. Cooked outdoors over an open fire. I wish I had one now. Richard: 热狗。我喜欢热狗。在美国没有比热狗更好的东西了。热狗和芥末。在户外的火堆上烤。我真希望现在就来一个。 Marilyn: Do you remember when Daddy and I used to take you and Susan and Robbie to Jones Beach? Marilyn: 你还记得爸爸和我常带你、Susan、Robbie去Jones海滨的事吗？ Richard: Oh, I sure do. We’d wait until dark and make a fire, and we’d cook the hot dogs. Richard: 哦，我当然记得。我们等到天黑就升火，然后烤热狗。 ...

课文原文（Bilingual Dialogue） 场景： Richard的摄影展《走遍美国》在Carlson画廊开幕，全家人都来支持他。 （布展中） Harvey: A little further to the right, Tom. Harvey: 再往右一点，Tom。 Tom: Is this OK? Tom: 这样可以吗？ Harvey: Good. What do you think, Richard? Harvey: 好。你看呢，Richard？ Richard: I like it there. It’s the first thing people will see when they come in. It sets the tone for the whole show. Richard: 摆在那里很好。这是人们走进来所看到的第一件东西。它决定了整个展览的气氛。 Harvey: The next thing they’ll see is this enlargement with the words Family Album, U.S.A. Harvey: 他们接着看到的是Family Album, U.S.A.这几个放大的字。 ...