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Stuck In The Middle With You: The Squeeze of the Sandwich Generation 你是不是夹心饼干？三明治世代的压力

课文朗读

课文讲解

繁體中文譯本

A picture of the Joneses: husband and wife, one teenager, one child in university, and a grandparent. The children need support for their education and yearn for independence, while the grandparent needs support with his or her medical ailments. In the middle of this hypothetical household are the husband and wife – responsible for three generations. Sound familiar? If so, you’re feeling the squeeze of the sandwich generation.

琼斯一家人的写照：夫妻两人、有一位青少年和一位就读大学的孩子、还有一位年迈的祖父（或祖母）。孩子需要有人帮他们缴学费，却又渴望能够独立；老人家则需要有人提供他（或她）医疗疾病上的照顾。夹在这假设的家庭中间的是夫妻两人──有上下三代的责任要担。听起来是否耳熟？如果答案肯定，那你一定感受到三明治世代夹心饼干的压力了。

Members of the sandwich generation are usually at the peak of their professional careers and looking forward to some personal time, free from the demands of family. But the challenge of funding children’s education and coping with aging parents can weigh heavily. With the average lifespan, marriage and childbearing ages all continuing to rise, those in the forty to sixty-five age range are increasing experiencing a cluttered nest, as oppose to the empty nest of yore.

三明治世代的成员通常正值他们事业的颠峰，渴望能有一些属于个人的时间，而不要总是为家庭操烦。但是为小孩的教育基金和长者的需求打拼，绝对是艰难的挑战。鉴于平均寿命、适婚年龄、和生育年龄持续地上升，所以愈来愈多四十岁至六十五岁的成年人会经历一家子凌乱喧嚣的状态，与往昔的空巢期大相径庭。

These middle-aged caretakers often feel they are being stretched too thin. Financial planning for children’s needs might involve long-term savings programs to defray the rising cost of education, as well as the negotiation of a definite departure date for older children living at home.

这批中年的家庭支柱常常会感到筋疲力竭。为孩子做的经济盘算包括长期的储蓄计划以支付持续上升的教育费用，也包括商讨出孩子成年后离家自立的确切日期。

With some open communication and careful planning, the sandwich generation squeeze needn’t pinch so hard.

坦诚沟通加上小心计划，三明治世代可以减轻许多压力。

Vocabulary

单词发音

squeeze [skwiz] n. 榨；压榨; 拮据；困境

yearn [jɝn] v. 渴望；向往[（+for/after/towards）][+to-v]

ailment [ˋelmənt] n. 病痛；（尤指轻微的）疾病

hypothetical [͵haɪpəˋθɛtɪk!] adj. 假设的，假定的

childbearing [ˋtʃaɪld͵bɛrɪŋ] n. 怀孩子﹐ 分娩﹐ 生孩子

cluttered [ˋklʌtɚd] adj. 杂乱的；混乱的

of yore [jor] 往昔 of old time; long ago

caretaker [ˋkɛr͵tekɚ] n. 照顾者，管理人

defray [dɪˋfre] v. 支付；支付……的费用

pinch [pɪntʃ] v. 使疼痛；使苦恼; 捏，拧；夹痛

Sentence of the Day

Blood is thicker than water.

血浓于水。

课文讲解

Elaine and Ted, co-workers, are eating lunch together. Elaine stifles a yawn:  伊莲和泰德是同事，两人一起吃午餐，伊莲强忍住一个呵欠：

T: Looking sleepy. Didn’t catch enough Z’s last night?

妳看起来很爱困。昨天晚上没睡好吗？

E: Not by a long shot. My dad couldn’t sleep well, my daughter was up late studying, and I was trying to help them both. Family’s tough work sometimes.

想睡也睡不深。我爸爸睡不好，女儿昨晚又念书到深夜，我两个都想帮。有时候搞定家人是很累人的工作。

T: Ah, the sandwich generation experience. It was hard enough just being Generation X.

噢，原来你是三明治世代的夹心饼干。光是我们自己五、六年级的烦恼就够受的了。

E: No kidding. My husband and I wanted to go to the movies last night, but I had to stay home because I was needed.

没骗你。我先生和我昨晚原本想要去看电影，但是因为他们需要我，所以我得留在家里。

T: Uh oh, sounds like you’re not taking care of yourself. There are many ways of lightening your loads. Have you looked into resources to help you with your father, for example?

哦噢，听起来妳似乎没有把自己照顾好。总有办法能帮忙减轻重担吧。譬如说，妳有找看看什么资源帮忙照顾妳父亲吗？

E: Well, I was considering a senior’s day program for Dad.

我在考虑帮父亲安排银发日间课程。

T: Great idea. I’m sure he’d appreciate the chance to socialize with his peers. Do you have any siblings to help out with your dad?

好主意。我确信他会很高兴有机会和自己年纪相仿的人交际。妳有兄弟姐妹能分担照顾父亲的事吗？

E: My brother. But he’s really busy with his career.

我有弟弟（或哥哥），不过他忙着事业。

T: So are you. Caring for your father should be a family responsibility.

妳也一样。照顾父亲应该是全家的事。

E: You’re right. I’ll call and see if he and his wife can look after Dad every second weekend or so.

你说的对。我会打电话看看他们夫妻是否能每个月第二个周末时负责照顾父亲。

T: That’s settled then. Now how ‘bout another coffee so you don’t fall asleep on your sandwich there?

就这样安排妥当些。现在要不要再喝杯咖啡提神。免得妳倒在三明治上睡着了。

－by Iain Ferguson

Vocabulary

单词发音

catch some Z's【俚】睡觉

up late 熬夜

Generation X  出生于1960-70年代的人 the generation following the baby boom (especially Americans and Canadians born in the 1960s and 1970s)

look into 在……里查资料，研究；调查 investigate, find the facts,

senior [ˋsinjɚ] n. 较年长者

socialize [ˋsoʃə͵laɪz] v. 交友﹐交谊

sibling [ˋsɪblɪŋ] n. 兄弟姊妹

help out  帮助...摆脱困难

look after 照顾, 照看

settle [ˋsɛt!] v.安顿；安排

fall asleep  睡着

Sentence of the Day

She needs to grab some shut-eye

她必须补充一些睡眠。

shut-eye [ˋʃʌt͵aɪ] n.【非正式】睡觉