前几天偶然听到有一位男士妙用表示大学学位的三个英文词讲的一则幽默：人生会经历的三个阶段分别是——没结婚的时候是无忧无虑的bachelor(单身汉)；结婚以后得做主持家事的一家之主(master)；而一旦孩子出生，就变成了无微不至的大夫(doctor即Ph. D.)。这三个英语词bachelor, master, doctor (Ph. D.)原本的一层含义分别是“学士、硕士、博士”，这里转义一说，倒也能说得通，而且还挺传神。

　　报纸上有时候常会说起某人是个eligible bachelor,富有、家境好、且又是单身，即所谓的“钻石王老五”是也。“王老五”们找到意中人，准备跨入婚姻的殿堂之前，西方有习俗，在婚礼的前一天，准新郎得邀请一帮铁哥们开个bachelor party，尽情狂闹一番，因为第二天开始就得做中规中矩的尽责丈夫了。调皮、促狭一些的男友们有时会想出些歪点子，捉弄一下准新郎，以泄惋惜、妒忌、羡慕之情。

　　结婚以后，双方的immediate family(直系亲属)就都变成了对方的in-laws(姻亲)——father-in-law(岳父/公公)，mother-in-law(岳母/婆婆)，sister-in-law(姑子/姨子/嫂子/弟媳)，brother-in-law(内兄、弟/大伯子/小叔子/姐夫/妹夫)等等。一看中英文的对照，就知道英语对亲属的称谓比起中文要简单得多。中文按年龄、男方还是女方的关系等等为亲属冠之以不同的称呼，而西方人似乎不太在乎这位亲戚是父亲这边的(on the father's side)还是母亲那边的(on the mother's side)，一视同仁，给一个称呼。更有意思的是对distant relatives(远亲)的称呼。cousin一词不分男女，概括了所有“堂兄弟/姐妹；表兄弟/姐妹”。而"侄子/外甥”都是nephew；“侄女/外甥女”则都是"niece"。不过，尽管英语中的称谓不如中文的分工细致, "Blood is thicker than water"(血浓于水)是东、西方人都认同的。

　　那么，既然英语的家庭关系词汇不难，我们来看看下面这段话，你是否能据此画出一张family tree (家谱图)？

　　Stephanie is the youngest in her family. Her elder brother Mark is married with a son Kevin. Her sister-in-law Rose used to go to the same high school with Stephanie. Her sister Kate married Thomas Hawkins last year and they've just had a baby daughter Millie. Stephanie adores her nephew and niece. Bart and Marie are Stephanie's cousins. They are children of Barbara and Peter. Aunt Barbara is the younger sister of Stephanie's father Gordon. Stephanie's mother Joy had a younger sister Liz who is divorced with a daughter Lily. Both grandparents on Stephanie's father's side have passed away. But her mother's parents Lucas and Nancy are living not far away from their house. (渚子)