中英文本

Nineteen Following Dad's Rules
第十九课 遵守爸爸的规定
It was difficult being a teenager.
做一个青少年不是一件容易的事。
Lucy's body was at maturity, but she was not at liberty to date boys.
露西的身体正处在发育期，可她没有与男孩子约会的自由。
Her father was strict about that!
在这件事上爸爸是很严格的！
And so he kept her close at hand and she became a woman at home with her family.
因此他一直让她不离左右，她也就成了一个总是在家的女人。
When Lucy decided that she had fallen in love at first sight, she began to think that the policy of not dating until she was 16 was ignorant at best and stupid at most.
当露西认为已经一见钟情地爱上了别人时,她开始觉得不到16岁不准约会的规矩充其量是无知，最多则是愚蠢。

At least she had an elder brother who understood!
至少他还有一个理解她的哥哥！
But he had been allowed to date at the age of 14!
而他在14岁的时候就被批准约会啦！
It wasn't fair!
真是一点也不公平！
She decided at last to talk to her father about it.
她终于决定和爸爸谈一谈。
They went at it right away.
他们马上就谈了起来。
Her father was at loose ends about how to deal with her.
爸爸拿女儿不知如何是好，
At issue, it seemed, was not how old she had to be before she could date, but how much her parents could trust Lucy.
好像有分歧的不是她有多大才能约会，而是父母能给她多少信任。
When she assured them at length that they could, they agreed that she could have her first date.
当她最终向他们保证他们可以信任她时，他们同意她可以进行第一次约会。
But she would have to call at regular intervals and be home by a certain hour.
条件是她必须每隔一定时间就打一个电话回来，而且到一定时间就得回家。
That was fine. Lucy was now at large and she couldn't have been happier.
没问题--露西现在自由了，她真是太高兴了。
Her first date was a disaster.
她第一次约会是个彻底的失败。
She was much more mature than the young man she had supposedly fallen in love with, and she knew that she could never feel at home with him.
她比她认为已经爱上的那个男人要成熟得多，而且她知道跟他在一起她永远不会感到无拘无束。
And so she came home to her family.
就这样她回到了家里。
Her father hugged Lucy and she thanked him for trusting her.
爸爸拥抱了她，她很感谢他对她的信任。

重点讲解

1.at first sight 乍一看，一见之下
例句：She fell for him at first sight.
她对他一见钟情。
2.at hand 在手边，在附近
例句：Always have your reference books near at hand.
要经常把参考书摆在手边。
3.at intervals 不时，到处，每隔...时间（或距离）
例句：Lamp posts stand at intervals in the street.
街上相隔不远就有路灯柱子。
4.at (或in) issue 争论（或讨论）中的，待解决的，有分歧的，不一致的
例句：In discussing this problem we ought to keep to the point at issue.
讨论这个问题时，我们应该抓住分歧之点。
5.at liberty (to do sth.) 自由的，有权的，有空闲的
例句：Swallows fly about, carefree and at liberty.
燕子自由自在地飞翔。
6.at loose ends 没有固定工作的，对未来没有明确计划的；不知做什么好的，闲着的；未解决的，混乱的
例句：Many old people feel at loose ends after their retirement.
许多老年人在退休后心里面没有着落。