养猫养狗，还是养孩子？ | 外媒说

教育 2024-05-22 18:19 英国

外刊原文

养狗半年之后，我深刻地体会到，养小狗的过程，真的能照见自己，能预判自己会成为什么样的父母，沿袭了原生家庭哪些养育方式。

举个典型的例子。刚开始给QQ（我家小狗）梳毛，它嫌不舒服，一直扭来扭去想跑。我忍不住脱口而出：「乖宝怎么不愿意梳毛呢？虽然有点痛，但妈妈是为你好」。

话出口才惊觉，我简直原封不动地复制了父母常对小孩说的话。

转念一想，真正为它好，是去认真做功课、学习梳毛的正确方式，而不是强硬操作、一味地要求它忍受疼痛。

多一层思考，我们或许能成为比上一代人更好的照顾者吧。无论是照顾别人，照顾小猫小狗，还是照顾自己。

只有在察觉之后，我们才有成长、改变、终结代际创伤的可能。

正好上个月在《大西洋月刊》读到的一篇文章也探讨了这个问题，这周的外刊精读专栏，带大家一起读一读～

# 外刊原文

文章比较长，我选了语言点比较丰富的一段进行精读分析。

我把全文章上传到了小程序里，关注下方服务号，点击我的课程👉小程序👉外刊原文，即可阅读。

同学们先阅读原文，读不懂没关系，后面会有详细的讲解。

The idea of a dog as a “starter kid” is a cliché at this point—but there’s a bit of truth to it. Millennials have delayed having children, adopted dogs in droves, and frequently consider those pets to be as much a part of the family as any human, as my colleague Katherine J. Wu recently reported. Many are raising a dog before they have a baby. In fact, in a 2021 survey commissioned by a pet-food brand, four in 10 dog and cat parents said that they got their pet to test whether they were ready for a kid. Of course, raising animals is in many ways not at all comparable to raising children, and no one who doesn’t actually want a dog should get one as a practice baby. That said, pet parenting does have things to teach future parents of humans. Some connections, such as “potty” training, are obvious. But on a broader level, getting a pet requires taking responsibility for another living thing’s well-being. The experience can offer insight into your tendencies as a caregiver—and, with the right amount of self-awareness, a chance to grow.

# 外刊精读

我们来看正文，这篇文章不难，但有很多值得学习的语言点：

① The idea of a dog as a “starter kid” is a cliché at this point—but there’s a bit of truth to it.

如今“养娃之前先养狗”的想法可谓老生常谈，但这其中确实有几分道理。

cliché大家都很熟悉了，指「陈词滥调」。
我们再来看两个例子：
I'm not interested in participating in tribal adolescent cliché.
When else are you gonna get to see a very Hollywood cliché crammed into the same room?
再拓展一个高频近义词：
trite 也可表示「老套的，陈词滥调的，老生常谈的」，是个形容词。
无论是说的话陈词滥调，还是情节老套，都可以用trite这个词：

-It's kinda sweet. - Kinda trite.

It's a little trite, don't you think?
at this point 指「此时，现在」，可以替换now。很不起眼的一个词，但native speakers很喜欢用。
我们再来看几个例子：

What I did or didn't do doesn't matter at this point.

Also, I know that my apologies are pretty much meaningless at this point.
There is truth to sth sth. 指「...是有道理的，...是真的」。
There is a bit of / some truth to sth 便指「...有一定道理」。
《经济学人》一篇关于美国的文章也用到了这个句式：
Still, there is some truth to Mr Cowen’s diagnosis that America’s strength is undermined by its divisions and by a willingness to protect the powerful.
尽管如此，考恩的诊断，即美国的优势被分裂和保护强者的意愿所削弱仍有一定道理。
我还联想到另一个句式：
There is more to sb / sth than meets the eye. 指「...比看上去更为复杂/有趣」。
如果我们想要表达「...没有看上去那么简单」，就可以用这个句式。
我们来看两个美剧里的例子：
Maybe there is more to me than meets the eye.
Well, it has been suggested to me there might be more to her death than meets the eye.

② Millennials have delayed having children, adopted dogs in droves, and frequently consider those pets to be as much a part of the family as any human, as my colleague Katherine J. Wu recently reported.

我的同事凯瑟琳·朱的近期调查显示，千禧一代已推迟生育，纷纷养狗，并常常将爱宠和其他人类一样，视为家人。

millennial [mɪˈleniəm] 译作「千禧一代」，指出生于1984-1995 年间的人，对标中文语境里的85 后和90 后。
而Gen Z 是 Generation Z 的缩写，译为「Z 世代」，指出生于1995-2009 年间的人，也就是中文语境下的 95 后和00 后。
delay 作动词，指「推迟」。delay having children 推迟生孩子，也就是我们常说的「晚育」。delay marriage 推迟婚姻，也就是「晚婚」。
droves 本来是「人群」的意思，in droves 便指「成群结对地，一批又一批地」。
疫情初期，美国大批医护人员离职，《大西洋月刊》就曾发文报道这一现象，标题是这样写的：

Why health-care workers are quitting in droves?
为什么医务人员正大批地离职？
再比如《经济学人》一篇关于印度电子支付发展的文章也用到了这个词：
Indians are switching to digital payments in droves.
大批大批的印度人开始使用电子支付。
以后我们想表达某个趋势，某群人做了某事，就可用这个词。
拿城市化话题举个例：
Young people were leaving the countryside in droves to look for work in the cities.
一批一批年轻人离开农村到城里找工作。
再拿电商直播话题造个句：
Cooped up at home and unable to visit brick-and-mortar stores, millions of Chinese consumers began watching livestreams in droves.
数百万中国人被困在家里，无法去实体店购物，纷纷开始看起了直播。 [写作推荐]
consider sb / sth (to be) sth 指「认为...是...」。
as much +名词+ as sb / sth 这个句式表示「和某人/某物一样，是...」。
... to be as much a part of the family as any human
便指「和任何一个人类一样，是家庭的一份子」。
我们再来看个例子，《经济学人》一篇关于临终关怀的文章有这样一句话：
But honest and open conversations with the dying should be as much a part of modern medicine as prescribing drugs or fixing broken bones.
但是与垂危病人开诚布公的交谈应该和开药与接骨一样成为现代医学的一部分。

③ Many are raising a dog before they have a baby. ④ In fact, in a 2021 survey commissioned by a pet-food brand, four in 10 dog and cat parents said that they got their pet to test whether they were ready for a kid.

许多人在有娃之前就已养狗。事实上，某一宠物食品品牌曾在2021年进行了一项调查，结果发现，40%的猫狗铲屎官表示，他们养宠物是为了测试自己是否已做好准备生养小孩。

raise a dog 指「养狗」。
raise 作动词，有「养育」的意思。再比如：raise children 养孩子。

We wanted to raise you together.
「养孩子」也可以说rear children。
children-rearing 便指「育儿」。
commission [kəˈmɪʃən] 作动词，是「委托」的意思。
文中commissioned by a pet-food brand是一个过去分词短语作后置定语，修饰a survey，指「一家宠物食品品牌委托进行的调查」。
我们再来看个BBC版《爱玛》里的例子：

Whose portrait do you think Mr Elton has commissioned me to paint?
英剧《王冠》里也用到了这个词：

It's the official portrait commissioned by both Houses. It's your present.
dog and cat parents 狗父母、毛父母，也就是猫猫狗狗的主人。我们也可以统称pet parents，比dog owners, cat owners, pet owners 更亲密也更有人情味。

⑤ Of course, raising animals is in many ways not at all comparable to raising children, and no one who doesn’t actually want a dog should get one as a practice baby.

当然，在很多方面，养宠物和养娃都完全无法相提并论，本性不愿养狗之人也不应该将宠物视作练习养娃的“小白鼠”。

in many ways 指「在很多方面」。这个词native speakers也经常用，让自己的语气没有那么绝对，大家也可以模仿学习。
我们再来看几个《经济学人》里的例子：
And indeed in many ways children are better off than they were a generation or two ago.
确实，从很多方面来说，孩子们比前一两代人那会儿过得更好了。
Though gigging is usually seen as something that young people do, in many ways it suits older people better.
虽然人们一般认为打零工是年轻人的专利，但这种工作形式在很多方面都更适合老年人。
我们联系ChatGPT造个句：
ChatGPT could change education for the better in many ways.
从很多方面来说，ChatGPT可以让教育变得更好。 [写作推荐]
comparable [ˈkɒmpərəbl] 由大家熟悉的compare（比较）和-able构成，这里指「可比较的，可相提并论的」。
be comparable to sth 指「可与…相提并论，可与…相比」，相当于be as good as sth, be on a par with sth。
《经济学人》一篇关于人工智能的文章也用到了这个词：
Rodney Brooks, a professor at MIT, reckons that driverless services comparable to those offered by conventional taxis are unlikely before 2032.
麻省理工学院的教授罗德尼·布鲁克斯认为，在2032年之前不太可能实现可与传统出租车相媲美的无人驾驶服务。
剑桥雅思7的题目里也考过这个词：
Blind people report that so-called 'facial vision' is comparable to the sensation of touch on the face.
盲人反馈说，所谓的 “面部视觉 ”可与面部触觉相媲美。
be comparable to sth还可表示「与...类似」，相当于be similar to sth。
考研英语一2015年Text 2有一道题就考过这个词：

The author believes that exploring one's phone contents is comparable to _________ .
作者认为查看一个人手机内容犹如_________ 。

⑥That said, pet parenting does have things to teach future parents of humans. ⑦ Some connections, such as “potty” training, are obvious.
话虽如此，但养宠物确实能给未来的宝爸宝妈“上一课”，两者间存在明显相似点，比如“如厕”训练等。

that said 是个词组，指「话虽如此」。
这个用法在口语里极为高频：

That said, he would be willing to come in.

That said, I won't be petting you anymore.
parenting 指「做父母，养育」。pet parenting 便指「养育宠物」。
potty 为名词，是「尿壶」的意思。potty training 指教小狗上厕所的训练。

⑧ But on a broader level, getting a pet requires taking responsibility for another living thing’s well-being.
从更宏大的层面来讲，养宠物也要求对另一生命的健康幸福负责。

broad 为形容词，指「广博的，丰富的，广泛的」。on a broader level便指「从更宏大的层面来说」。
take responsibility for sth 指「为…承担责任」。

We have to take responsibility for our own actions.
living 这里为形容词，指「活着的」。a living thing 便指「生物」。

Now, boys, taking care of a living thing is a big responsibility.
well-being 指「幸福，健康」。

⑨ The experience can offer insight into your tendencies as a caregiver—and, with the right amount of self-awareness, a chance to grow.

从更宏大的层面来讲，养宠物也要求对另一生命的喜怒哀乐负责。养宠物的经历能让你了解自己会是什么样的养育者，有了适当的自我审视，这也会成为一次成长的机会。

insight [ˈɪnsaɪt] 为名词，指「洞悉，洞见」。
注意这个词的介词搭配为an insight into sth，指「关于...的洞见」。
我们来看个《致命女人》里的例子：
You know, I have insight into the millennial female brain.
provide / offer / give insight(s) into sth 便指「提供关于...的洞见」。
这个词我们在外刊精读社第5季也讲过。
怎么用呢？我们在推荐书籍的时候，就可以用这个短语引出书籍的内容：
The book provides insights into sth.
The book gives readers insights into sth.
只需要想好sth，我们就可以写出一个自己的句子了。
比如：The book provides fascinating insight into Chinese history and Chinese culture. [写作推荐]
tendency 指「倾向」。文中your tendencies as a caregiver 便指「你作为照顾者的倾向」。
caregiver [ˈkeəˌgɪvər] 给予照顾的人，即「照顾者，看护者」。
the right amount (of sth) 指「适度的，适量的」，后面跟不可数名词。
self-awareness 指「自我认识」。
offer a chance to grow 指「提供成长的机会」。
这里and后面省略了和前面相同的主语和谓语动词The experience can offer：
and, with the right amount of self-awareness, (the experience can offer) a chance to grow.