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。
（Philip回家）
Philip: Oh. Hi, gang. / 噢。嗨，你们好。
Robbie: Hello, Philip. How was your day? / 哈罗，Philip。今天好吗？
Philip: My day was just fine. So was my night. It’s almost ten o’clock. Mmm. I’m starving. / 这一天还好。晚上也还不错。现在已经快十点钟了。嗯，我饿坏了。
Robbie: Um … where’s Mom? / 唔……妈妈呢？
Philip: She went to a school-board meeting. There’s a note for you on the refrigerator. / 她去参加联合校董会的会议。冰箱上有她留给你的字条。
Robbie: You’ve been working late almost every night this week, Dad. Aren’t you exhausted? / 你一直工作到很晚，几乎这个星期的每天晚上都如此，爸爸。你不会精疲力尽吗？
Philip: I don’t have time to be exhausted. / 我没有时间去精疲力尽。
Robbie: You and Mom haven’t had dinner together with us in almost a full week. / 你和妈妈没有和我们一起吃晚餐，差不多有一整个星期了。
Philip: Yeah, I feel bad about us not having dinner with the family, but our schedules are so different. Either I’m at the hospital doing paperwork, or Mom is at a committee meeting. I frankly don’t know what to do about it. / 是啊，我觉得很不安，对于我们无法与全家人共进晚餐一事，但我们的工作时间实在差太多了。不是我在医院办公事，就是妈妈参加小组会议。我真不知道该怎么解决。
Robbie: I’m worried about you and Mom. You really have been working too hard. / 我很担心你和妈妈。你们确实太忙了。
（Robbie和妈妈深夜谈话）
Ellen: Robbie, Robbie, remember me? I’m your mother. If you have something you want to talk about, I’m always prepared to listen. / Robbie，Robbie，记得我吗？我是你母亲。假如你有什么事情要谈，我总是准备听的。
Robbie: You haven’t been around much lately. / 最近你在家的时候不多。
Ellen: So that’s it. OK, let’s talk. / 原来是这件事。好，让我们谈谈。
Robbie: You and Dad are like ships that pass in the night. Dad works hard, and he works late. You work hard on all your committees, and you work late. / 你和爸爸就像在夜里交错而过的船一样。爸爸工作忙，而且忙到很晚。而你总是在各种委员会里忙，也工作到很晚。
Ellen: I thought you were proud of the work I do. / 我还以为你为我所做的工作感到骄傲。
Robbie: I am, Mom. Real proud. You are one fantastic mom, but … but I’ve been noticing how little quality time you spend with Dad and me … and the family. / 我确实感到骄傲，妈妈。真的骄傲。你是一位好母亲，但……但我注意到高品质时光太少了，你和父亲、我及全家人共度的。
Ellen: It’s a real problem, Robbie. I know it. I’m concerned. There must be a way that Dad and you can spend more time together. / 这确实是个问题，Robbie。我知道。我很担心。总该有个办法能使你和爸爸有更多的时间在一起。
Robbie: Well, you know how Dad is always talking about the kids in the ward and how important it is for them to be paid attention to? And how hard it is because the doctors and nurses are so busy? Well, how would it be if you took some time to work with Dad towards solving that problem? Like setting up a regular weekly reading program. You and Dad. You and Dr. Philip Stewart—going to the children’s ward once or twice a week and reading to them. / 噢，你知道爸爸时常谈起住院的孩子们以及他们何等需要受人关怀吧？他还说这件事很难，因为医生和护士们都非常忙？好，那你花些时间和爸爸一起来解决这个问题怎么样？譬如说开办一项每周一次的定期阅读计划。你和爸爸。你和Philip Stewart医生每星期就去小儿科病房一、两次，为他们朗读。
Ellen: Not bad. Not a bad idea, Robbie. As a matter of fact, it fits right in with something I’m working on right now with the school-board committee. I’ve been trying to work out a program in the public school that will bring parents and teachers together once a week to read to the students—their own children, really. By doing that, it will encourage reading. / 不错。蛮好的主意，Robbie。事实上，这跟我正在进行的某项小组工作不谋而合，与联合校董会有关。我一直努力想研拟一项计划，在公立学校中让家长们及教师每星期一次共同为学生们——其实就是他们自己的孩子——朗读。这样做能鼓励阅读。
Ellen: I’m going to talk to Daddy about it right now. / 我现在就去跟爸爸谈谈这件事。
Robbie: But Dad was so exhausted when he came home from work. Why don’t you talk to him about it tomorrow? / 但爸爸工作回来时已经累得不得了了。你何不明天再跟他谈？
Ellen: You are a very smart young man, Robbie. I think I’ll wait until tomorrow. / 你是个绝顶聪明的年轻人，Robbie。我想我就等明天再谈。
（第二天早晨，Ellen和Philip在院子里讨论）
Ellen: Philip, I’ve been working on this special project with the school board, and I’d like your opinion about it. I’ve been trying to find a way to encourage reading. / Philip，我一直在研拟一项特别计划，和联合校董会一起，我需要你的意见。我一直在寻求鼓励阅读的办法。
Philip: I work with families every day, Ellen. I see how people spend their leisure time—young and old. Mostly watching television. Well, that would be OK if, and I repeat, if people took the time to read. / 我每天的工作就是接触一些家庭，Ellen。我看到人们怎样利用闲暇时间——不管是年轻的，还是年老的。大部分是看电视。那倒没有什么关系，只要，我重复一遍，只要人们肯花时间去阅读。
Ellen: I couldn’t agree with you more. The question is, how do we get them to read more? / 我彻底同意你的看法。问题是，我们怎样才能使他们多阅读？
Philip: I think you’re going to give me the answer to that question. You have that look in your eye. / 你是要给我这个问题的答案。你的眼睛里显示出你已有了答案。
Ellen: I do have an answer, Philip. Or at least I think I do. The plan is a simple one. Involve the entire family in a reading project. / 我确实有一个答案，Philip。至少我想我有了答案。计划很简单。让整个家庭都参与阅读计划。
Philip: But how do you plan to do that? / 但你预备怎么做呢？
Ellen: By arranging with the public schools to schedule one hour a week—to start with. During that time parents are invited to attend—and to read along with the children—their children. / 首先，从公立学校开始，安排一星期一个小时。在那一小时，家长被邀请来参加并和孩子们——他们的孩子们——一起阅读。
Philip: It can go beyond the school system, Ellen. I guarantee you it would go very well in the hospitals. My patients—mostly kids—would love to read and be read to. / 这可以推广到学校体制以外，Ellen。我保证在医院这种计划会推行得很好。我的病人——大多数是孩子们——会喜欢阅读并喜欢别人读给他们听。
Ellen: Maybe we can experiment with your patients and see how the plan works. / 也许我们可以在你的病人中试试，看看这项计划实施得如何。
Philip: I love the idea. Would you work with me on it? / 我喜欢这个主意。你愿意和我一起来做吗？
Ellen: I would love to, Philip. And that way, we’ll spend more time together, Ellen. We just don’t see each other anymore. / 我当然愿意，Philip。而且那样的话，我们会有更多的时间在一起，Ellen。我们彼此差不多见不到面了。
Philip: You and I are very busy these days. This is true. We need to find time to be together more, to do things together more—you and I. This would be a wonderful way to accomplish that. / 这些天来我们俩都很忙。这倒是事实。我们确实需要多找时间相聚一起，也需要多在一起工作——你和我。这倒是达到这个目的的绝佳办法。
（他们在医院为孩子们朗读Robert Frost的诗）
Ellen: “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” by Robert Frost. / “雪夜林边小驻”，Robert Frost作。
Whose woods these are I think I know. / 这是谁的林子，我想我知道， His house is in the village though; / 虽然他的屋子是在村子里； He will not see me stopping here / 他不会看到我驻足此地 To watch his woods fill up with snow. / 注视他落满雪花的林子。
Grandpa: You two belong on stage! That was wonderful! / 你们俩简直是职业演员！念得太棒了！
Robbie: Dad … Robbie. When did you come? / 爸爸……Robbie。你们什么时候来的？
Grandpa: We’ve been listening to you both. These are lucky kids. / 我们一直在听你们朗诵。这是一群幸运的孩子。
Philip: Do you enjoy reading together? / 你们喜欢在一起朗诵吗？
Ellen: Well, we may read together aloud at home. / 嗯，我们或许可以在家里一起大声朗诵。
Robbie: You were right, Robbie. / 你做对了，Robbie。
Robbie: I know. / 我知道。
重难点分析
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“ships that pass in the night” — 英语谚语，比喻两个人虽然短暂相遇但很快分开，就像夜里交错而过的船只。这里形容Philip和Ellen因为太忙而很少见面。
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“quality time” — “高品质时光”，指与家人共度的有意义的、专注的时间，而非仅仅是待在一起。
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“I couldn’t agree with you more.” — “我完全同意你”，字面意思是"我不能再更同意了"，表示强烈赞同。
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“You have that look in your eye.” — “你的眼神告诉我你有主意了”，非常地道的口语表达。
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“work out a program” — “研拟/制定一项计划”。
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“fit right in with” — “与……恰好吻合/配合”。
核心词汇
| 词汇 | 释义 | 例句 |
|---|---|---|
| school-board | 校董会 | She went to a school-board meeting. |
| exhausted | 精疲力尽的 | Aren’t you exhausted? |
| schedule | 时间表、日程 | Our schedules are so different. |
| committee | 委员会 | Mom is at a committee meeting. |
| quality time | 高品质时光 | How little quality time you spend. |
| reading program | 阅读计划 | Setting up a regular weekly reading program. |
| encourage | 鼓励 | It will encourage reading. |
| experiment | 实验 | We can experiment with your patients. |
| involve | 使参与 | Involve the entire family. |
| accomplish | 完成、达成 | A wonderful way to accomplish that. |
| leisure time | 闲暇时间 | How people spend their leisure time. |
口语中的应用
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“I don’t know how she does it.” — 表达对某人能力的赞叹，“我不知道她是怎么做到的”。
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“She sure keeps busy.” — “她真的很忙”，“sure” 在这里是副词，表示强调。
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“I don’t have time to be exhausted.” — 幽默表达"忙到没时间累"。
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“I couldn’t agree with you more.” — 强烈赞同对方。
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“You have that look in your eye.” — 说某人眼神中透露出有主意了。
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“You two belong on stage!” — “你们俩应该去当演员！"，极高的赞美。
核心练习句型
- ships that pass in the night — 比喻很少见面的两个人。
- quality time — 高品质时光。
- I couldn’t agree with you more. — 我完全同意。
- have that look in one’s eye — 眼神透露出有主意。
- fit right in with + 某事：It fits right in with something I’m working on.
- work out a program — 制定计划。
- belong on stage — 适合登台表演。