Lesson 34 Adolescence青春期

Parents are often upset when their children praise the homes of their friends and regard it as a a slur on their own cooking, or cleaning, or furniture, and often are foolish enough to let the adolescents see that they are annoyed.

regard A as B ^把A视为B

• Many parents regard their children's praise of friends' homes as a slur on their own.^{许多父母把孩子对朋友家的赞扬视为对自己家的一种诋毁。}
• We should regard failure as a chance to learn.^{我们应该把失败视为学习的机会。}
• She regards the suggestion as a serious insult.^{她认为这个建议是对她的严重侮辱。}

slur on sth. ^{对…的诋毁/污蔑}

• His comments were seen as a slur on the integrity of the committee.^{他的评论被视为对委员会诚信的诋毁。}
• The parents feel their child's praise is a slur on their own cooking, or cleaning, or furniture.^{父母觉得孩子对朋友家的赞扬是对他们自己的烹饪、清洁或家具的诋毁。}

be foolish enough to do sth. ^{蠢到去做某事}

• They are often foolish enough to let the adolescents see that they are annoyed.^{他们经常愚蠢到让青少年看到他们很生气。}
• He was **foolish enough to trust a stranger** with his money.^{他蠢到把钱交给一个陌生人。}

adolescent (n. / adj.) ^{青少年/青春期的}

• The emotional turmoil of the adolescent years is normal.^{青春期的情感混乱是正常的。}
• The text focuses on the reaction of both parents and **adolescents** in these situations.^{文本聚焦于父母和青少年在这些情况下的反应。}

They may even accuse them of disloyalty, or make some spiteful remark about the friends' parents.

accuse sb. of sth. ^{指控/指责某人某事}

• The police accused him of theft.^{警察指控他犯有盗窃罪。}
• Parents may even accuse their children of disloyalty.^{父母甚至可能指责他们的孩子不忠。}

disloyalty ^{不忠/不义}

• The board viewed his actions as an act of disloyalty to the company.^{董事会认为他的行为是对公司不忠的行为。}

spiteful remark ^{恶意/刻薄的言论}

• She made a spiteful remark about the friends' parents.^{她对朋友的父母发表了刻薄的言论。}
• His comments were purely **spiteful** and unnecessary.^{他的评论纯粹是恶意的，没有必要。}

Such a loss of dignity and descent into childish behaviour on the part of the adults deeply shocks the adolescents, and make them resolve that in future they will not talk to their parents about the places or people they visit.

loss of dignity ^{尊严的丧失}

• The parents’ reaction is described as a **loss of dignity** and a descent into childish behaviour.^{父母的反应被描述为“尊严的丧失”和“堕落到孩子气的行为”。}
• He bore the public criticism without any **loss of dignity**.^{他承受了公众的批评，没有失去任何尊严。}

descent into... ^{堕落到/沦为…}

• The country is experiencing a rapid **descent into chaos**.^{这个国家正在经历一场迅速的混乱。}
• The parents' behaviour is seen as a **descent into childish behaviour**.^{父母的行为被视为堕落到孩子气的行为。}

on the part of... ^{就…而言/由…所为}

• There was a misunderstanding **on the part of the teacher**.^{就老师而言，存在一个误解。}
• This childish behaviour is **on the part of the adults**.^{这种孩子气的行为是成人所为。}

resolve that... ^{下定决心/决定}

• He **resolved that he would finish** the marathon no matter what.^{他下定决心，无论如何也要跑完马拉松。}
• The adolescents **resolve that in future they will not talk** to their parents about their visits.^{青少年下定决心，将来不会和父母谈论他们拜访过的地方或人。}

Before very long the parents will be complaining that the child is so secretive and never tells them anything, but they seldom realize that they have brought this on themselves.

secretive ^{秘密的/守口如瓶的}

• The child is so **secretive** and never tells the parents anything.^{孩子如此守口如瓶，从不告诉父母任何事情。}
• He is very **secretive about his work** and rarely discusses it.^{他对自己的工作非常保密，很少讨论。}

bring this on themselves ^{自作自受/自找的}

• The team’s defeat was completely **brought on themselves** by their poor preparation.^{球队的失败完全是他们准备不足造成的自作自受。}
• The parents seldom realize that **they have brought this on themselves**.^{父母很少意识到他们是自作自受。}

Disillusionment with the parents, however good and adequate they may be both as parents and as individuals, is to some degree inevitable.

disillusionment with... ^{对…的幻灭/觉醒}

• Disillusionment with the parents is to some degree inevitable for the child.^{对父母的幻灭在某种程度上是不可避免的。}
• Many young people express their disillusionment with the current political system.^{许多年轻人表达了他们对当前政治制度的幻灭。}

however good and adequate they may be ^{无论他们多么优秀和称职}

• The structure **however + adj. + S + may be** functions as a concessive clause (让步状语从句), emphasizing that even the best parents will eventually disappoint their children's idealized view.^{结构 **however + adj. + S + may be** 充当让步状语从句，强调即使最好的父母最终也会让孩子理想化的观点破灭。}
• **However difficult the task may be**, we must persevere.^{无论任务多么困难，我们都必须坚持不懈。}
• **However good and adequate they may be** both as parents and as individuals, disillusionment is inevitable.^{无论他们作为父母和个人多么优秀和称职，幻灭都是不可避免的。}

to some degree / extent / in some measure ^{在某种程度上}

• The success of the experiment was only to some extent due to luck.^{实验的成功只有某种程度上是由于运气。}
• Disillusionment is to some degree inevitable.^{幻灭在某种程度上是不可避免的。}

Most children have such a high ideal of their parents, unless the parents themselves have been unsatisfactory, that it can hardly hope to stand up to a realistic evaluation.

such a high ideal of... that... ^{对…有如此高的理想，以至于…}

• Children have such a high ideal of their parents that it can hardly hope to stand up to a realistic evaluation.^{孩子们对父母有如此高的理想，以至于这种理想几乎不可能经受住现实的评估。}
• He speaks English with **such a perfect accent that** I thought he was a native speaker.^{他讲英语的口音如此完美，以至于我以为他是母语人士。}

stand up to... ^{经受住/顶住（考验、评估等）}

• The old car somehow managed to stand up to the rigorous test.^{那辆旧车不知何故经受住了严苛的测试。}
• Their idealized view can hardly hope to stand up to a realistic evaluation.^{他们理想化的观点几乎不可能经受住现实的评估。}

realistic evaluation ^{现实的评估}

• We need a realistic evaluation of the project's chances of success.^{我们需要对项目成功的机会进行现实的评估。}

Parents would be greatly surprised and deeply touched if they realized how much belief their children usually have in their character and infallibility, and how much this faith means to a child.

infallibility ^{绝无错误/绝对可靠性}

• The children's high ideal includes a belief in their parents' infallibility.^{孩子们的崇高理想包括相信父母的绝对可靠性。}
• He foolishly asserted the **infallibility** of his own judgment.^{他愚蠢地声称自己的判断绝无错误。}

how much this faith means to a child ^{这种信念对孩子来说有多重要}

• The structure **how much + S + V + to sb.** emphasizes the intensity and significance of the children's belief.^{结构 **how much + S + V + to sb.** 强调了孩子信念的强度和重要性。}
• The parents would be deeply touched if they realized how much this faith means to a child.^{如果父母意识到这种信念对孩子来说有多重要，他们会深受感动。}

If parents were prepared for this adolescent reaction, and realized that it was a sign that the child was growing up and developing valuable powers of observation and independent judgment, they would not be so hurt, and therefore would not drive the child into opposition by resenting and resisting it.

be prepared for... ^{为…做好准备}

• If parents were **prepared for this adolescent reaction**, they wouldn't be so hurt.^{如果父母为这种青春期反应做好了准备，他们就不会那么受伤。}
• Always **be prepared for unexpected expenses**.^{始终为意想不到的开支做好准备。}

valuable powers of observation and independent judgment ^{宝贵的观察力和独立判断力}

• The "disillusionment" is viewed as a positive sign that the child is developing **valuable powers of observation and independent judgment**.^{“幻灭”被视为一个积极的信号，表明孩子正在发展宝贵的观察力和独立判断力。}
• Critical thinking requires **independent judgment**.^{批判性思维需要独立判断。}

drive the child into opposition ^{将孩子推向对立面}

• By resenting and resisting the child's reaction, the parents would **drive the child into opposition**.^{通过对孩子的反应表示不满和抵触，父母会将孩子推向对立面。}
• Their stubborn attitude threatened to **drive the whole team into opposition**.^{他们顽固的态度威胁要将整个团队推向对立面。}

resent and resist ^{表示不满和抵触}

• They would not drive the child into opposition by **resenting and resisting** it.^{他们不会通过对这种反应表示不满和抵触来将孩子推向对立面。}
• Employees often **resent and resist** sudden, unexpected changes to their work routines.^{员工经常对工作惯例的突然、意外变化表示不满和抵触。}

The adolescent, with his passion for sincerity, always respects a parent who admits that he is wrong, or ignorant, or even that he has been unfair or unjust.

respect (v.) ^尊重

• The adolescent, with his passion for sincerity, always respects a parent who admits that he is wrong.^{青少年，怀着对真诚的热情，总是尊重承认自己错误（或无知、不公）的父母。}
• We must respect the cultural traditions of other nations.^{我们必须尊重其他民族的文化传统。}
• She respects her colleagues' opinions, even when she disagrees with them.^{她尊重同事的意见，即使她不同意。}

passion for sth. ^{对…的热情}

• His lifelong passion for music led him to become a conductor.^{他对音乐的终身热情使他成为一名指挥家。}
• The adolescent, with his passion for sincerity, always respects a parent.^{青少年，怀着对真诚的热情，总是尊重父母。}
• The new design team showed a great passion for innovation.^{新的设计团队对创新表现出极大的热情。}

admit that... ^承认…

• He had to admit that he was wrong about the investment strategy.^{他不得不承认他在投资策略上是错误的。}
• The parent admits that he is wrong, or ignorant, or even that he has been unfair.^{父母承认自己是错误的，或无知，甚至是不公平或不公正的。}
• She was reluctant to admit that the error was hers.^{她不愿承认错误是她的。}

What the child cannot forgive is the parent's refusal to admit these charges if the child knows them to be true.

refusal to do sth. ^{拒绝做某事}

• The bank's refusal to grant the loan caused significant financial difficulty.^{银行拒绝发放贷款造成了重大的财政困难。}
• What the child cannot forgive is the parent's refusal to admit these charges.^{孩子不能原谅的是父母拒绝承认这些指责。}
• His stubborn refusal to compromise led to the breakdown of negotiations.^{他顽固地拒绝妥协导致了谈判破裂。}

forgive (v.) ^原谅

• It's hard for the child to forgive the parent's refusal to admit the truth.^{孩子很难原谅父母拒绝承认事实。}
• She struggled to forgive her brother for his betrayal.^{她努力原谅她哥哥的背叛。}
• Please forgive me for being late.^{请原谅我迟到了。}

charge (n.) ^{指控/指责}

• The parent's refusal to admit these charges.^{父母拒绝承认这些指责。}
• The suspect denied all the charges brought against him.^{嫌疑人否认了所有针对他的指控。}
• The mayor faced **charges** of corruption.^{市长面临腐败指控。}

Victorian parents believed that they kept their dignity by retreating behind an unreasoning authoritarian attitude; in fact they did nothing of the kind, but children were then too cowed to let them know how they really felt.

keep dignity ^保持尊严

• Victorian parents believed that they kept their dignity by retreating behind an authoritarian attitude.^{维多利亚时代的父母认为他们通过躲在不理性的专制态度后面来保持尊严。}
• Despite the criticism, the CEO managed to **keep his dignity**.^{尽管受到批评，这位首席执行官仍设法保持了尊严。}
• He always tried to keep his dignity in public, regardless of the circumstances.^{他总是试图在公共场合保持尊严，无论情况如何。}

retreat behind sth. ^{躲在/退缩到…后面}

• He tends to retreat behind his shyness when confronted with new people.^{当面对陌生人时，他倾向于躲在他的害羞后面。}
• The parents **retreating behind an unreasoning authoritarian attitude**.^{父母躲在不理性的专制态度后面。}
• The government must not retreat behind vague promises.^{政府不能躲在含糊不清的承诺后面。}

cowed (adj.) ^{被吓住的/威吓住的}

• The children were then too cowed to let them know how they really felt.^{孩子们那时被威吓住了，不敢让他们知道自己真实的感受。}
• The constant bullying left the student feeling deeply **cowed**.^{持续的欺凌让这名学生感到深深的畏缩。}
• He was so **cowed** by his strict boss that he never spoke up in meetings.^{他被严格的老板吓住了，从未在会议上发表意见。}

Today we tend to go to the other extreme, but on the whole this is a healthier attitude both for the child and the parent.

tend to do sth. ^{倾向于/往往会做某事}

• We **tend to go to the other extreme** today in parenting.^{今天，我们在育儿方面往往会走向另一个极端。}
• Students often tend to procrastinate when faced with large assignments.^{学生在面对大型作业时，往往会拖延。}
• I tend to agree with you on that point.^{在这一点上，我倾向于同意你的看法。}

go to the other extreme ^{走向另一个极端}

• They avoided the mistake of their predecessors, but unfortunately **went to the other extreme**.^{他们避免了前辈的错误，但不幸的是走向了另一个极端。}
• Today we **tend to go to the other extreme** in parenting styles.^{今天，我们在育儿方式上往往会走向另一个极端。}
• After years of overworking, she suddenly quit and **went to the other extreme** of doing nothing at all.^{在多年过度劳累之后，她突然辞职，走向了完全无所事事的另一个极端。}

on the whole ^{总的来说/整体而言}

• On the whole, this is a healthier attitude both for the child and the parent.^{总的来说，这对孩子和父母来说都是一种更健康的态度。}
• The movie was flawed, but on the whole, I enjoyed it.^{这部电影有瑕疵，但总的来说，我喜欢它。}
• The business performed well on the whole this quarter.^{总的来说，本季度公司的业绩良好。}

It is always wiser and safer to face up to reality, however painful it may be at the moment.

face up to sth. ^{勇敢面对/正视（现实、困难等）}

• It is always wiser and safer to face up to reality.^{永远更明智、更安全的是正视现实。}
• He finally had to face up to the fact that he had failed.^{他最终不得不面对他失败的事实。}
• The country must face up to its economic challenges.^{这个国家必须正视其经济挑战。}

however painful it may be ^{无论它此刻多么痛苦}