Ray: Hi, Josephine, it’s Ray. We have a meeting today at 10 a.m. and I was wondering if you would mind if I brought my kids with me. Their babysitter didn’t show up.
Josephine: Oh, sure. That’s no problem. Your children are so well-behaved. Even at their age, they have impeccable（无缺点的，无懈可击的） manners.
Ray: Well, they’re not always little angels, but they’re not too much of a handful, thank goodness.
Josephine: You know what they say: Girls are made of sugar and spice and everything nice...
Ray: It is probably a little easier with two girls. I feel sorry for my mother who raised six boys.
Josephine: Six boys!
Ray: Yeah, and before we were born, my father thought that children should be seen but not heard. Was he in for a rude awakening! We were all very unruly. Imagine six boys only one year apart. We got yelled at a lot for being naughty.
Josephine: But that’s how boys are, aren’t they? Girls are different. They’re quiet, sweet, and even- tempered（脾气温和的）. What’s that noise?
Ray: That noise is my daughters creating a ruckus（喧闹，骚动） fighting tooth and nail over a toy. So much for quiet, sweet, and even-tempered!
