第十九篇__The_Family_家庭.docVIP

第十九篇 The Family 家庭 The structure结构 of a family takes different各式各样的 forms around the world and even in the same society. The familys form changes as it adapts 变得习惯于to changing social and economic 经济influences影响. Until recently, the most common form普通型式in North America was the nuclear family核心家庭，consisting of a married couple with their minor未成年的 children. The nuclear family is an independent自主的 unit单元. It must be prepared事先准备 to fend照料 for itself. Individual个人的 family members strongly depend on one another. There is little help from outside the family in emergencies紧急情况. Elderly上了年纪的 relatives亲属 of a nuclear family are cared for only if it is possible for the family to do so. In North America，the elderly often do not live with the family ; they live in retirement过退休生活 communities 社区and nursing homes养老机构. 在全世界，甚至在同一个社会中，家庭结构有着不同的形式。家庭的构成形式随着不断变化 的社会和经济影响而改变。直到最近，北美洲最普遍的家庭形式为核心家庭，由一对夫妇和他们 未婚的孩子构成。核心家庭是一个独立的单位。它必须能够照料自己。家庭成员紧密依赖着彼此。 在紧急情况下，外界提供给家庭的帮助微乎其微。核心家庭中，只有当条件允许的时候，才会照 料家中年长的亲属。在北美洲，老人很少和家人一起生活，他们‘般住在退休社区和养老机构。 There are many parallels类似点 between the nuclear family in industrial societies，such as North America，and of families in societies such as that of the Inuits因纽特人，who live in harsh 刺耳的environments环境. The nuclear family structure is well adapted to a life of mobility流动性. In harsh恶劣的 conditions，mobility流动性 allows the family to hunt for food. For North Americans，the hunt寻找 for jobs and improved social status地位also requires mobility.流动性 在工业社会，例如北美洲，核心家庭之间有很多相似点。在居住在恶劣环境中的因纽特人的 社会中，家庭间也有很多相似点。核心家庭结构良好地适应于流动性的生活。在恶劣的条件下， 流动性能让一个家庭吃饱饭。对北美洲人来说，找工作和提高社会地位同样需要流动性。 The nuclear family was not always the North American standard标准. In a more agrarian农业社会 time，the small nuclear family was usually part of a larger extended family大家庭. This might have included grandparents，mother and father，brothers and sisters，uncles叔伯，aunts阿姨，and cousins堂兄弟姐妹. In North America today，there is a dramatic 引人注目的rise in the number of single-parent单亲 households家庭. Twice as many households in