ACT 1-3 没有中间名字
【故事梗概】
Susan找到了礼物的包装纸。她走进了起居室。 Ellen和Grandpa 在包礼物的时候，Susan开始在她给Marilyn和Richard买的婴儿纪念册上填写一些信息。
Susan: Mom, got it. This will make a nice gift for Marilyn and Richard. They can keep a record of all of the important dates and information about Max's life here. Let's see. Name: Max Stewart. Does he have a middle name?
Ellen: No, just Max. I like that. No middle name. No middle initial.
Grandpa: Like me. I'm Malcolm Stewart. Just Malcolm Stewart.
Susan: And Max has your initials, Grandpa: M.S.
Ellen: Uh, it must mean something.
Susan: Weight: eight pounds six ounces.
Grandpa: Eight-six. Big boy! All the Stewart men were big.
Ellen: Well, Robbie was eight pounds two ounces, and Richard was eight pounds three.
Susan: And me?
Ellen: Eight pounds six. You were big, just like Max.
Susan: Eight pounds six, just like me. That's nice. Length. Length?
Ellen: Richard says Max is twenty-one inches long.
Susan: Twenty-one inches. Is that tall or average or what?
Grandpa: Tall.
【语言点精讲】
1. Mom, got it.
got it: 找到了。got it是I've got it的省略，这是口语中省略主语的用法。
2. This will make a nice gift for Marilyn and Richard.
This will make a nice gift: 这是一件好礼物。句中的make不是“制作的意思，而是“成为、构成的意思，属于非正式用法。
3. They can keep a record of all of the important dates and information about Max's life here.
他们可以在这里面记下Max生活中一切重要的日期和事情。
keep a record of: 为……作记录。
4. No middle name. No middle initial.
没有中间名字，也没有中间名字的第一个字母。
middle name: 中间名字。美国人一般有 first name, middle name和 last name。有的没有middle name。first name也称given name, 是名。last name也称 family name或 surname, 是姓氏。middle name有时是母亲的姓氏，有时是为了纪念某位亲人而取的。
initial: 名字的第一个字母。后面Susan说的“And Max has your initials, Grandpa: M.S. 中的initials 是指姓和名的第一个字母的组合, 如Malcolm Stewart 的initials就是M.S.
5. Weight: eight pounds six ounces. --Eight-six. Big boy!
weight: 重量。
eight pounds and six ounces: 8磅 6盎司, 约 4公斤。美国人通常用英制计量单位。虽然美国政府曾经积极推广采用公制单位, 但人们还是习惯用英制单位。科技和医药用公制单位。
Eight-six. : 等同于 Eight pounds six ounces（8磅 6盎司）。讲重量时, 常常省略单位名称。
6. Length.
length: 身高, 身长。length 是形容词long的名词形式。在谈婴儿时, 身长用length, 但在谈及年龄稍大的人或成年人时, 身高需用height。
7. Richard says Max is twenty-one inches long.
twenty-one inches long: 21英寸（约53厘米）长。
表示长度或宽度时, 用be+ 数字+ 长度单位+形容词 long或 wide。例如:The table is five inches long and four inches wide。
（编辑：薛琳）