英語流行話題聽力:Unit 11 世界上比較大的家庭

[00:00.02] Unit 11's The World Biggest Family Mr. and Mrs. Albina do not know where all their grown up children are living now. [00:11.21] They are not sure how old all their children are either. [00:15.07] Ask them, for example," How old is your daughter Susanna?" and they say," We 're not sure. [00:21.04]" They might even ask," Which Susanna?" But it is understandable that the Albinas can not keep track of their children's addresses and ages. [00:31.38] After all, they have 53 kids. [00:35.29] Mr. and Mrs. Albina, with 53 kids, have the world's largest family. [00:41.36] Not one of their children are adopted. [00:43.47]" How is it possible? How can one woman give birth to 53 kids in her lifetime? [00:52.03]" The answer is simple: Every time Mrs. Albina gave birth, she had twins or triplets. [00:59.03] She was a triplet herself. [01:02.31] The Albinas married when Mrs. Albina was 12 years old and Mr. Albina was 30, and they spent the early years of their marriage in Argentina. [01:11.13] Then they decided to move to Chile. [01:15.10] To travel from Argentina to Chile, they had to cross the Andes Mountains. [01:20.41] They and their 20 sons made the difficult two week journey on mules. [01:25.32] One night there was a terrible snowstorm in the mountains. [01:30.09] During the storm, Mrs. Albina gave birth to triplets, a boy and two girls. [01:36.17] Mrs. Albina now has 16 more girls, including the twins who are 15 months old. [01:44.30] The oldest Albina children are in their 30s and 40s. [01:48.30] They 're on their own now, but 18 of the kids still live with their parents in a two room hut. [01:54.15] The ut has electricity but no toilet or running water. [01:58.47] Obviously the Albinas do not have enough money and food for the big family. [02:04.39] Why, then, do they continue to have children? [02:09.55] The Albinas do not use birth control because it is against their religion. [02:14.31] They could let other people take care of their kids, but Mrs. Albina does not allow it. [02:20.18]" When my two brothers and I were babies," she says," our mother left us at an orphanage and never returned. [02:29.22] Then a couple adopted my brothers, and I was left behind. I was heartbroken. I promised myself that when I became a mother I would never give my children away. [02:41.53]" So the Albina family continues to grow. [02:44.57] They have so many kids that they run out of names for them all and had to give some children the same name. [02:52.05] There are three Susannas, three Miriams, two Estrellas, and two Soledades. [02:57.18] Will the family stop at 53 kids, or will there be more? [03:04.47] Mr. Albina is 77 years old, and Mrs. Albina is 59." I 'm getting old," she says with a smile. [03:15.42]" I would like God to think of me and consider my age. But if God sends more children to me, [03:47.57] yes, there will be more."

00:00

00:00

MP3下載 文本下載