托福访谈题：家庭传统

My family makes dumplings together before the New Year dinner. I usually help my grandmother prepare the filling, while my cousins fold the wrappers. Last year, I came home after a difficult first semester at university. Nobody asked about my grades while we were working. We just talked about ordinary things and laughed at the badly shaped dumplings. That afternoon made me feel that I was still part of the family routine. The activity was simple, but it helped me relax after several stressful months.

• while my cousins fold the wrappers · 用 while 写出家人同时包饺子的场景
• still part of the family routine · 用 still 说离家后仍融得进家里的日常

Before our New Year dinner, everyone in my family helps make dumplings. Last year, I came home after a difficult first semester and worried about being asked about grades. Instead, my grandmother asked me to help with the filling, and my cousins argued cheerfully about whose dumplings looked worst. Working beside them made it easy to talk about university without feeling interviewed. The tradition mattered because it gave me a familiar place in the room before I had to explain anything about my new life. I remember the flour on the table and the ordinary jokes more clearly than the meal we eventually ate.

• whose dumplings looked worst · 拿饺子包得难看来开玩笑，家人相处更鲜活
• without feeling interviewed · 说明边做边聊很自然，不像轮流盘问

I would prefer keeping the main routine and changing a few small things. Our usual meal gives everyone something familiar to look forward to. I know which task I will help with, and that makes me feel at home. But I do not think every detail must stay the same. Last year, we ordered one difficult dish because my grandmother was tired. We still cooked the rest together. I care more about spending time with everyone than making the celebration exactly like previous years.

• something familiar to look forward to · 说出熟悉的活动让全家有共同期待
• more about spending time with everyone than · 说明更看重相聚，做法不用完全照旧

I'd keep the central routine but leave room to change the parts that no longer work well. Everyone has a role in our familiar family meal. That doesn't mean my grandmother should spend hours preparing a complicated dish just because she always has. Last year, we ordered that one dish and cooked the simpler parts together. The celebration still felt like ours, and she had more time to sit and talk. For me, a tradition is useful when it supports the relationship. I'd preserve the shared activity and the feeling of welcome, rather than every detail of its original organization.

• leave room to change · 用 room 说明保留传统也能调整做法
• The celebration still felt like ours · 拿庆祝仍像自家的感受说明形式可以变

I do not agree in every case. Changing a tradition can show care if the old way has become difficult for someone. My grandmother used to prepare almost all the food for a family meal. We now share more tasks and buy one dish, so she can rest. We talked with her before changing the plan, and she was happy with it. I think respect means listening to what relatives value, not assuming that they want every detail to stay the same forever.

• We talked with her before changing the plan · 写出改计划前先商量，尊重就有了实际做法
• what relatives value · 把注意力放在家人真正在意的事上

I wouldn't measure respect by whether a routine changes. Sometimes keeping everything exactly the same places the greatest burden on the older relatives we claim to honour. My grandmother cooked nearly the whole celebration meal and finished exhausted. When we suggested sharing the work and buying one difficult dish, we asked what mattered most to her. She wanted everyone around the table and a few familiar flavours, not six hours alone in the kitchen. The change respected those priorities. I would still avoid changing things without a conversation. Listening and involving people in the decision seem more respectful than protecting every detail.

• places the greatest burden on · 用 burden 说明旧做法让谁最辛苦
• what mattered most to her · 先了解长辈最看重什么，再决定怎么改

I think some flexibility would be helpful. Families celebrate different occasions, and not all important days are on the same public calendar. My cousin once missed a family gathering because her workplace could not change her day off. A few flexible days would let people choose what matters to them. However, workplaces still need enough staff. Employees should request leave early, and the rules should be clear for everyone. I would support a fair system rather than expecting every request to be accepted immediately.

• request leave early · 提出早点请假，方便公司安排人手
• what matters to them · 说明重要日子可以由员工自己判断

I'd support a limited number of flexible leave days alongside the usual holidays. Families don't all attach importance to the same dates, and employees should have some room to take part in occasions that matter to them personally. At the same time, a shop or hospital can't simply lose half its staff on an unexpectedly popular day. Clear notice periods, fair ways to resolve clashes, and equal access would be essential. I wouldn't expect every request to be accepted, but I would want the system to recognize that family life is varied rather than assuming one calendar fits everyone equally well.

• alongside the usual holidays · 用 alongside 说明弹性假补在原假期之外
• fair ways to resolve clashes · 补充同一天请假撞车时也要公平处理