外國(guó)人最想和你聊的文化話題：獨(dú)生子女

     In the early sixties, the vast majority of all children had at least one sibling (if not more) and lived with both parents, one of whom was typically a stay-at-home mom.
     上世紀(jì)60年代初期，絕大多數(shù)孩子都有至少一個(gè)兄弟姐妹（或者更多），與父母一起生活，其中一方通常都是全職媽媽。
     We now live in a world where only children with single parents are both common and accepted.
     在我們現(xiàn)在所處的世界，單親家庭的獨(dú)生子女早已是司空見(jiàn)慣的事，也為人們普遍接受。
     Deciding whether to have "one and be done" or to have multiple children is a tough decision for many families.
     決定"只生一個(gè)好"還是多生幾個(gè)孩子總是艱難的抉擇。
     The country's family planning policy of the late 1970s restricted urban families from having more than one child to control population growth.
     上世紀(jì)70年代末，為了控制人口增長(zhǎng)，我國(guó)開(kāi)始在城鎮(zhèn)地區(qū)實(shí)行"一對(duì)夫婦只生一個(gè)孩子"的計(jì)劃生育政策。
     However, a new survey by the Beijing Administrative Institute shows 52 percent of those now-grown-up single children, who are allowed two offspring; do not want a second child.
     然而，北京行政學(xué)院開(kāi)展的一項(xiàng)最新調(diào)查顯示，有52%的獨(dú)生子女表示，即使政策允許，他們也不想生第二胎。
     Many cited economic pressures as a factor.
     很多人稱經(jīng)濟(jì)壓力是一個(gè)主要因素。
     Beijing has roughly 2 million only-child adults.
     目前，北京市的成年獨(dú)生子女?dāng)?shù)量約為200萬(wàn)。
     Beijing has maintained a super low birth rate-less than 1.3 children in a family in average-for nearly 20 years, posing increasing pressure on the country's aging population.
     北京的超低生育率已持續(xù)近20年，每戶平均生育子女?dāng)?shù)不到1.3個(gè)，這使我國(guó)的人口老齡化壓力日趨增大。
     The top four factors that determined people's intentions to have children are "income, child care, housing and policy conditions".
     影響人們生育意愿的四大主要因素為"收入、孩子照料、住房及政策"。
     For the only child of post-1980s, the practical problem of "two supporting four" (a couple from a one-child families supporting four parents) is arising for the young.
     對(duì)于中國(guó)的80后來(lái)說(shuō)，他們面臨"兩個(gè)人扶持四個(gè)人"的現(xiàn)實(shí)問(wèn)題，即夫妻倆都是獨(dú)生子女，他們需要贍養(yǎng)四位老人。
     Beijing already allows couples to have more than one child if both of them are only children. One proposal is to widen that to allow two children if just one of the parents is an only child.
     中國(guó)政府允許夫妻雙方均為獨(dú)生子女的家庭生二胎。一個(gè)提議是，將二胎政策擴(kuò)大到夫妻雙方只有一方為獨(dú)生子女的家庭。
     If you are an only child, it is likely that you will have the advantage of getting more attention from your parents than you would otherwise do.
     如果你是個(gè)獨(dú)生子，你從父母那兒得到的關(guān)注就會(huì)比不是獨(dú)生子的孩子多。
     On the other hand, when you are older, particularly when you a teenager, you may find that having all your parents' attention concentrated on you is a distinct disadvantage.
     從另一方面來(lái)說(shuō)，當(dāng)你長(zhǎng)大后，尤其是青少年的時(shí)候，你會(huì)覺(jué)得有太多的父母關(guān)注對(duì)你來(lái)說(shuō)弊大于利。
     On advantage of being an only child is that you are likely to have a more affluent upbringing than you would if you had brothers and sisters.
     獨(dú)生子女的一個(gè)好處就是你會(huì)有個(gè)相對(duì)富足的成長(zhǎng)環(huán)境。
     One of the major disadvantages of being an only child is that you can be a bit lonely.
     而一個(gè)不利之處就是會(huì)有一點(diǎn)孤獨(dú)。
     Most children of the "China one" generation lack independence as they have become so reliant on their families for support. Some parents even hired a maid for their children when they go to college.
     大多數(shù)獨(dú)生子女的自理能力都很差，他們太過(guò)依賴家人，甚至上大學(xué)以后還有父母為他們雇保姆。
     Other unfavorable characteristics include: bad communication skills, rudeness, ungratefulness and self-centeredness.
     其他不太讓人喜歡的特點(diǎn)還有：溝通能力差、不懂禮貌和感恩、以自我為中心等。
     The term "China one" refers to the child who was born after the 1980s, when China launched the one-child policy.
     China one指的是20世紀(jì)80年代中國(guó)實(shí)行計(jì)劃生育政策以后出生的獨(dú)生子女。
     Not only are they the family's only child, but they are also the family's center of attention.
     他們是家中唯一的孩子，也是家庭的中心。
     Their parents and grandparents would spare no efforts in taking care of them, and would give them anything and everything, as if they were the "emperor" of the family.
     他們的父母和祖父母都會(huì)不遺余力地照顧他們，滿足他們的一切需要，就好像他們是家里的"皇帝"一樣。
     In 1980, China feared an explosion of people it could not feed, so it took drastic steps to limit births with its controversial "one child" policy.
     1980年，中國(guó)擔(dān)心人口出現(xiàn)超出其負(fù)擔(dān)能力的爆炸性增長(zhǎng)，因而實(shí)施了富有爭(zhēng)議性的獨(dú)生子女政策，通過(guò)這一頗為強(qiáng)硬的手段限制生育。
     Whether because of the one child policy, or in spite of it, China's birth rate has fallen sharply, and increasing numbers of families say they do not want more than one child.
     不管是不是因?yàn)楠?dú)生子女政策，事實(shí)是，中國(guó)的生育率已大幅下降，而且越來(lái)越多的家庭表示不想生第二個(gè)孩子。