🌞 Scene 1 — Morning Routine and Breakfast
Good morning, Nicholas. It’s time for school. Come on, get out of bed. Jessica is already up and dressed.
早上好，尼古拉斯。该起床上学了。快点起床吧，杰西卡已经起床并穿好衣服了。
Good morning, Mom. Let’s check the weather today.
早上好，妈妈。我们来看看今天的天气吧。
It’s looking a bit cloudy. Looks like it’s going to rain, so we should take our umbrellas.
看起来有点多云，好像要下雨了，我们应该带上雨伞。
The trees are blowing side to side. It means it’s a little windy but still a lovely morning.
树在左右摇摆，说明有点风，但依然是个美好的早晨。
Go to the bathroom and brush your teeth, then get dressed and come downstairs to get some breakfast.
去浴室刷牙，然后穿好衣服，下楼吃早餐。
Okay!
好的！
Mom, what are we going to have for breakfast?
妈妈，今天早餐吃什么？
We’re going to have bagels with eggs, bacon, and cream cheese this morning, and a strawberry-blueberry smoothie.
今天早上我们吃鸡蛋培根奶油芝士贝果，还有草莓蓝莓奶昔。
Perfect! Can I make the smoothie?
太棒了！我可以做奶昔吗？
Yeah, sure. You need frozen strawberries, blueberries, almond milk, and Greek yogurt.
当然可以。你需要冷冻草莓、蓝莓、杏仁奶和希腊酸奶。
It sounds yummy! Shall I also put some bananas?
听起来很好喝！我也放些香蕉好吗？
No, we should leave the banana out of this recipe to allow the flavors of the berries to shine.
不，这次不要放香蕉，这样浆果的味道会更突出。
Grab the blender and add almond milk first, then toss in the strawberries, blueberries, and Greek yogurt.
拿出搅拌机，先加入杏仁奶，然后放入草莓、蓝莓和希腊酸奶。
Blend it until smooth. You can add some cinnamon too.
搅拌至顺滑，你也可以加一点肉桂粉。
It looks nice and thick, and it tastes delicious!
看起来浓稠可口，味道太棒了！
The egg bagel sandwiches are ready too. I’ve also added tomatoes and cucumbers.
鸡蛋贝果三明治也准备好了，我还加了番茄和黄瓜。
We’re missing the main ingredient — the ketchup!
我们忘了最重要的调料——番茄酱！
That is a yummy egg bagel sandwich. It’s so filling.
真是一份美味又饱腹的鸡蛋贝果三明治。
Now that we’ve had breakfast, I guess we better get going. It looks like it’s getting nice out.
吃完早餐后，我们该出发了。天气似乎在变好。
That’s right. I thought it would rain.
没错，我还以为今天会下雨呢。
🧹 Scene 2 — House Cleaning Day
It’s the day we thoroughly clean the whole house. We throw away things we don’t need, pack up things to donate to the local homeless shelter, clean all of the rooms, and wash all of the windows.
今天是我们大扫除的日子。我们要扔掉不需要的东西，把要捐给无家可归者收容所的物品打包，清理所有房间，还要擦洗所有窗户。
What exactly do we have to do, Mom?
妈妈，我们具体要做些什么？
You must clean your rooms. They are really messy! Clear your beds and chairs of all the items and be sure to put them in their appropriate places.
你们得打扫自己的房间。太乱了！把床和椅子上的东西都收拾好，并放回原位。
Clean under the beds too, then make your beds using fresh linens.
床底下也要打扫干净，然后换上干净的床单。
Vacuum the entire room, dust the shelves, and put the books that are on the floor in their right places.
把整个房间都吸尘，擦拭书架，把地上的书放回原处。
Clear and clean the dressers and leave them in order.
把梳妆台也清理干净，并保持整齐。
That’s a lot to do. We better get started — we have a lot to do indeed!
要做的可真多啊。我们得马上开始——确实有好多事情要做！
I have to do several loads of laundry and clean the kitchen and the dining room.
我得洗好几次衣服，还要清理厨房和餐厅。
I’ll clean the living room and the attic. It’s getting full up there. I don’t even remember what’s in there anymore!
我来打扫客厅和阁楼。阁楼都快塞满了，我都不记得里面放了什么！
Me neither. We probably don’t need a lot of that stuff. What should we do with it?
我也不记得。那些东西大概很多都用不着了。我们该怎么处理？
I think I’m going to have a garage sale next weekend.
我打算下周末开个车库甩卖。
Yeah, that’s a great idea!
好主意！
I’ve finished cleaning the windows. That was a huge job!
我把窗户都擦完了，那可真是个大工程！
Oh good! Let me check the list and see what we’ve done so far.
太好了！让我看看清单，看看我们完成了哪些。
Have you cleaned the counters?
你清理台面了吗？
Yes, I have. So you can mark them as finished.
清理过了，你可以把它划掉。
Okay, I’ll mark the windows off the list too.
好的，那我也把“擦窗户”从清单上划掉。
What about the floors? Have you vacuumed and mopped them?
那地板呢？你吸尘拖地了吗？
I have done that too.
也做完了。
What else have we put on the list?
清单上还有什么？
Dusting the shelves.
擦书架。
I already did that yesterday.
我昨天就做了。
Oh yeah, I remember. So I’ll cross that off the list too.
哦对，我想起来了，那我也划掉。
So how about you? What have you done so far?
那你呢？你目前做了什么？
I’ve cleaned the attic. I’ve made three piles — keep, donate or sell, and trash.
我打扫了阁楼，把东西分成三堆——留下的、捐卖的和扔掉的。
I found a few sentimental items that I decided to keep. There’s so much more space now — it looks great!
我还找到了一些有纪念意义的东西决定留下。现在空间大多了，看起来真不错！
Wonderful. I still have to clean the living room, then I’m done.
太棒了。我还得打扫客厅，然后就结束了。
Okay, I’ll go check on the kids.
好，我去看看孩子们怎么样了。
🍽️ Scene 3 — Dinner Discussion
Now, Mom, what’s for dinner? I could really go for something spicy, like chili.
妈妈，晚餐吃什么？我特别想吃点辣的，比如辣味炖菜。
Spicy? I’m not into spicy food right now.
辣的？我现在不太想吃辣的。
Gee, I’ve been so busy with house cleaning that I haven’t given dinner a single thought.
哎呀，我一直忙着打扫房子，都还没想过晚餐的事。
Anyway, I don’t feel much like cooking. I’m just too tired to prepare a meal, even a small one.
再说了，我现在一点也不想做饭，太累了，哪怕是一顿小餐。
Plus, there’s almost nothing in the fridge because we didn’t make it to the grocery store this weekend.
而且冰箱里几乎没什么吃的，因为这个周末我们没去买菜。
What do you say we order some food?
要不我们点外卖吧？
Good idea, Dad! Let’s order Chinese food. Don’t we have a menu somewhere?
好主意，爸爸！我们点中餐吧。是不是有菜单？
The last time we ordered from that place, the food was greasy and it took them forever to deliver.
上次点那家餐馆的外卖，油太多了，而且等了好久才送到。
But you know what, there’s a new Greek restaurant downtown. I heard they deliver very fast.
不过你知道吗？市中心新开了一家希腊餐馆，听说他们送餐很快。
But doesn’t Greek food have lots of garlic? Just the thought of garlic turns me off.
可希腊菜不是放很多大蒜吗？一想到蒜我就没胃口了。
Garlic’s good for you! I can’t get enough of it myself.
蒜对身体好啊！我自己特别喜欢吃。
At this rate, we’ll never get anything to eat. I’m starving!
照这样下去我们今晚都吃不上饭了，我都饿坏了！
You two are too picky! Let’s better order some pizza and put on a good movie.
你们俩太挑剔了！我们还是点披萨吧，然后看个好电影。
Good idea! I’m crazy about pizza. In fact, my favorite is Hawaiian.
好主意！我超爱披萨，尤其是夏威夷风味的。
I don’t like Hawaiian pizza. I can’t stand pineapple on pizza.
我不喜欢夏威夷披萨，我受不了披萨上放菠萝。
I prefer to eat fruit for dessert, not with a main course. So I’ll go for chicken pizza.
我喜欢把水果当甜点吃，不想跟主食混在一起。我点鸡肉披萨。
I’ll have pepperoni.
我要点意大利香肠披萨。
Me too!
我也是！
🛒 Scene 4 — Grocery Shopping
Mom asked me to go grocery shopping, but I need to finish my homework. Can you go for me, Nicholas?
妈妈让我去买菜，但我得先做完作业。尼古拉斯，你能帮我去吗？
I guess I can. What did Mom want you to buy?
好吧，我可以。妈妈要你买什么？
Some pork, fish, vegetables, and milk. You can buy some snacks too — like chocolate and cookies.
一些猪肉、鱼、蔬菜和牛奶。你也可以买些零食，比如巧克力和饼干。
What kind of fish does Mom want?
妈妈想要哪种鱼？
Mom wants some salmon and some cod. Make sure that they are fresh.
妈妈要买三文鱼和鳕鱼，记得要买新鲜的。
How much salmon and cod should I buy?
要买多少三文鱼和鳕鱼？
Buy four pieces of salmon fillet and four pieces of cod fillet.
买四片三文鱼片和四片鳕鱼片。
Do I need to buy some spices so Mom can marinate the fish?
要不要买些香料，好让妈妈腌鱼？
Yes, get some ground pepper and some garlic.
要的，买些胡椒粉和大蒜。
How about vegetables?
那蔬菜呢？
We need carrots, potatoes, cabbage, and some lettuce.
我们需要胡萝卜、土豆、卷心菜，还有一些生菜。
We need some fruit also. What do you want?
还需要买水果。你想要什么？
Apples and bananas.
苹果和香蕉。
And how about some soft drinks?
要不要买点汽水？
No, buy some bottled water instead. It’s healthier for us.
不用，买瓶装水吧，对我们更健康。
Oh, I just remembered — we also need bread. Please put it on the list.
哦，我刚想起来，我们还需要面包。把它加进清单里。
Should I get one loaf or two?
买一条还是两条？
Two loaves.
两条。
You have quite a few items to take care of. You need to get going.
你要买的东西可不少，得赶紧出发了。
Yes, the list is quite long. By the time I get to the cashier to pay, I’ll probably have a full shopping cart.
是啊，清单挺长的，等我到收银台时购物车估计都满了。
Okay, I am all set to go. I’ll be back soon.
好，我准备好了，一会儿就回来。
🔧 Scene 5 — Fixing the Dryer
Thanks. The clothes dryer stopped working. We need a new one.
唉，烘干机坏了，我们得买新的了。
But this one is not so old. We just need to fix it. I can do it myself.
可这台机器还没多久啊，我们只需要修一下。我自己能搞定。
It needs just a new moisture sensor.
它只是湿度感应器坏了。
Are you sure you can do it? It seems like a complicated job. Better call the repairman.
你确定你能修吗？看起来挺复杂的，最好叫修理工来。
I’m not going to let the repair guy rip me off and pay hundreds of dollars on this.
我才不想被修理工宰，花几百美元修个小毛病。
I come from a long line of handymen. My dad used to fix everything — lawnmowers, cars, appliances.
我们家几代人都是动手达人。爸爸以前什么都修——割草机、汽车、家电。
His father was a house builder. One of his brothers built boats, and another made furniture.
他爸爸是建房子的，他的兄弟一个造船，一个做家具。
I’ve been helping my dad and grandpa since I was a young child, so I think I can fix the dryer myself.
我从小就帮爸爸和爷爷修东西，所以我觉得这烘干机我能修好。
I’ll have this thing running in no time.
我马上就能让它重新运转。
Honey, I watched an instructional video, so I know exactly what to do.
亲爱的，我看了教学视频，我知道该怎么做。
It’s done! It’s as good as new. I fixed the dryer!
好了！修好了，跟新的一样！我把烘干机修好了！
I took it all apart and swapped out the sensor. Now press start and see if it works.
我把机器拆开，换了感应器。按一下启动键试试看。
It works! I had no idea you were so good with your hands.
真的能用了！我还真没想到你这么能干。
You could definitely say that repairing things has always been in your blood.
可以说修东西真是刻在你基因里的本事。
🏡 Scene 6 — Redecorating the House
Can you hold the end of this tape measure?
你能帮我拿一下卷尺的另一头吗？
Sure. What’s this for?
当然。你这是在量什么？
I’m taking some measurements for new curtains. Didn’t you say the house needs doing over?
我在测量尺寸，准备换新窗帘。你不是说房子该重新装修了吗？
What about measuring the floor for a new carpet and the walls for new wallpaper?
那要不要也量量地板，好换地毯？墙也得测测，好贴新壁纸？
I thought we’d just fix up the wood floor and use some paint for the walls.
我想我们把木地板修一修，墙壁刷点漆就行了。
Okay, sounds good. We need to scrape off all the loose flakes of paint before redecorating.
好啊，听起来不错。我们得先把旧漆剥掉再重新装修。
Tomorrow, we’ll go out and pick out some curtains and paint.
明天我们可以出去挑窗帘和油漆。
I can’t wait!
我等不及了！
Shall we redecorate the hallway too?
那我们要不要顺便装修一下走廊？
We can consider it. Maybe we can decorate it in a more traditional way.
可以考虑，也许走廊可以布置得更传统一点。
💰 Scene 7 — Family Budget and Saving Energy
I went over the household budget, and we’ve overspent this month. Our expenses are mounting.
我检查了家庭预算，这个月我们超支了，花销越来越多。
We have to cut back on our shopping from now on.
我们得从现在开始减少购物支出。
Really? That’s too bad. We need to figure out how much money we’ve spent and what we’ve spent it on.
真的吗？那可糟了。我们得弄清楚花了多少钱、都花在哪儿了。
Okay, let’s get the receipts out.
好，拿出收据看看吧。
Let’s see. We spent $850 on our home loan payment, $300 on groceries, $111 on utilities, $250 on gasoline, $200 on clothes, $100 on books, $150 on cell phones, and $400 on entertainment last month.
让我看看。上个月我们房贷花了850美元，买菜花了300美元，水电费111美元，汽油费250美元，衣服200美元，书籍100美元，手机150美元，娱乐400美元。
That’s $2,361 in total.
总共2361美元。
We put $500 into the savings account — that’s $2,861.
我们还往储蓄账户存了500美元，也就是2861美元。
Our paychecks add up to $3,000. That means we don’t have any receipts for $139.
我们的工资总共3000美元，也就是说还有139美元不知去向。
Right. Let’s think about it for a bit. Where do you think we can save money?
对啊。我们想想，哪里能省点钱？
Well, we could eat in more often. That $400 for entertainment is mostly going to restaurants.
嗯，我们可以多在家吃。那400美元的娱乐费，大部分是吃饭花的。
Yeah, that’s a good idea. And you like to cook.
对，这主意不错。反正你也喜欢做饭。
Did you see our last electricity bill?
你看到我们上次的电费单了吗？
No. Was it high?
没有，贵吗？
It was very high — double the normal amount!
非常贵——是平常的两倍！
Wow, that is high. Can we afford that?
哇，确实贵。我们能负担得起吗？
No. We need to make some changes to lower it from now on.
不行。从现在起我们得想办法省电。
But what can we do?
那我们该怎么做？
From now on, we must unplug unused electronic devices.
以后不用的电子设备都要拔掉插头。
Next, we must adjust the water temperature to 48°C. It shouldn’t be hotter than that.
其次，把热水温度调到48摄氏度，不能更高。
We can do our laundry using cold water. That will save a bunch of money because we’re not wasting hot water.
我们可以用冷水洗衣服，这样能省下不少钱，因为不用加热水了。
Also, we should run full loads instead of doing multiple small loads.
另外，洗衣服要一次洗满，不要分多次小量洗。
Another way to save is to lower the temperature when we’re sleeping at night or when we’re not home.
还有一种方法就是在睡觉或外出时调低室温。
During the winter months, we can set the temperature to 18°C.
冬天时把温度设定在18摄氏度。
During the hot summer days, we can increase it to 24°C so we’re not wasting air conditioning energy.
夏天时调高到24摄氏度，避免空调耗能太多。
Exactly. We can also change our regular light bulbs to LED. That will save us another bunch of money.
没错。我们还可以把普通灯泡换成LED灯，那样能再省下一大笔。
We’ll be saving four to six times the energy.
这样能节省四到六倍的能耗。
Perfect. We’ll do so from now on.
太好了，从现在就开始执行吧！