NICK: Excuse me.

ALICE: Yeah?

NICK: I've never used this place before.

Can you give me some idea what I need to do?

ALICE: You just put quarters in the machines. It's easy.

NICK: Yes, but... well...

ALICE: What?

NICK: How do I use the machines?

ALICE: What do you mean?

These are the washing machines. Those big things over there are the dryers.

NICK: I see. Do the machines have soap in them?

ALICE: No, of course not. You have to put soap in. Did you bring your soap?

NICK: No. I don't have soap.

ALICE: Well, you can buy some from that vending machine over there.

NICK: Thanks.

NICK: Okay. I have my soap.

ALICE: My God! You really bought a lot. Why do you need so much?

NICK: I don't know. I want my clothes to be clean.

ALICE: But you can't use so much.

The machine won't be able to rinse the soap out.

NICK: Oh. I guess I didn't know. I have never washed clothes before.

ALICE: What? Did you say you never washed clothes before?

NICK: Yes.

ALICE: In your life? Are you kidding? Never?

NICK: No. Never.

ALICE: I can't believe it. How can that be? How old are you?

NICK: I'm nineteen.

ALICE: But how can you live nineteen years without ever washing clothes?

NICK: My mother always did it.

ALICE: Yes, my mother washed my clothes too.

But when I was twelve, I started to wash clothes myself.

NICK: I know about this fact.

American children are more independent. They do more for themselves.

But I am from Taiwan. In Taiwan, children must study very hard.

So the mother does everything for the kids.

The mother wants her kids to get very good grades at school.

So I've never washed clothes before. You shouldn't laugh at me for it.

ALICE: I'm not laughing at you. But let me ask you something?

NICK: What?

ALICE: How are you going to survive here?

I mean, if you can't do anything for yourself.

If you can't cook, if you can't wash clothes, if you can't clean house.

How can you live on your own?

NICK: I don't know. It's hard. But I have to learn.

ALICE: Well, I'll help you learn how to use these machines.

NICK: Thanks. My name's Nick.

ALICE: I'm Alice. I guess I'll have to be your mother for today.

NICK: Thanks, Mom. Thanks.

尼克：對(duì)不起。

艾麗斯：怎么了?

尼克：我從來沒有來過這個(gè)地方。

你能給我一點(diǎn)建議我應(yīng)該怎么做?

艾麗斯：你只要把兩毛五分的硬幣投到機(jī)器里。很簡(jiǎn)單。

尼克：對(duì)，但是……嗯……

艾麗斯：什么?

尼克：但我要如何使用這機(jī)器呢?

艾麗斯：你的意思是什么?

這些是洗衣機(jī)。那些大家伙是干衣機(jī)。

尼克：我知道了，機(jī)器里有肥皂嗎?

艾麗斯：沒有，當(dāng)然沒有。你要加肥皂進(jìn)去，你有帶肥皂來嗎?

尼克：沒有，我沒有帶肥皂。

艾麗斯：嗯，你可以到那邊的販賣機(jī)去買。

尼克：謝謝你。

尼克：好了，我有肥皂了。

艾麗斯：我的天!你真的買了很多。你為什么需要那么多?

尼克：我不知道，我要我的衣服很干凈。

艾麗斯：但你不能用那么多。

洗衣機(jī)沒辦法沖掉那么多的肥皂。

尼克：喔，我是不知道呀。我從來沒有洗過衣服。

艾麗斯：什么?你說你從來沒有洗過衣服?

尼克：對(duì)呀。

艾麗斯：在你一生中?你在開我玩笑吧?從來沒有?

尼克：沒有。從來沒有。

艾麗斯：我沒法相信。那怎么可能?你幾歲了?

尼克：我十九歲。

艾麗斯：但為什么你活了十九年卻從沒有洗過衣服呢?

尼克：都是我媽幫我洗。

艾麗斯：是呀，我媽也幫我洗衣服。

但我十二歲的時(shí)候，我開始自己洗衣服。

尼克：我知道這個(gè)事實(shí)。

美國的孩子比較獨(dú)立。他們自己做很多事情。

但我是從臺(tái)灣來的。在臺(tái)灣，孩子們必須很努力念書。

所以母親就幫孩子做全部的事情。

母親希望她的孩子在學(xué)校拿到很好的成績(jī)。

所以我才從沒有洗過衣服，你不應(yīng)該笑我。

艾麗斯：我沒有笑你，但讓我問你一件事?

尼克：是什么?

艾麗斯：那你要如何在這兒生存，

我的意思是，如果你沒辦法自己做任何事。

你如果不能煮東西吃，不會(huì)洗衣服，不會(huì)整理房子。

你要如何自己一個(gè)人生活?

尼克：我不知道，是很難，但我一定要學(xué)。

艾麗斯：嗯，我會(huì)教你如何使用這些機(jī)器。

尼克：謝謝你，我叫做尼克。

艾麗斯：我是艾麗斯，我想今天我就當(dāng)你媽好了。

尼克：謝謝你，媽。謝謝。