中英文本

Twenty Seven Harsh Parents
第二十七课 严厉的父母
Tom's parents were always too hard on him.
汤姆的父母对他总是太严厉。
They required him to be good at everything, every subject, and every sport.
他们要求他样样精通，每门学科要好，每项体育要棒。
If he was, they made the neighbors green with envy.
如果他表现好，他们就会让邻居们嫉妒的要命。
If hewasn't, well then Tom just wasn't eager enough to succeed.
如果他表现不好，那就是汤姆不那么渴望成功。

They made him work all the harder, at home and on the filed.
他们就会让他更加用力，无论是在家里还在地里。
That's why Tom was so happy to be graduating.
这就是汤姆为什么那么高兴终于毕业的原因。
Sure, he was going to be glad to be finished with school.
他对结束学业当然喜欢。
But mostly he just wanted to be free from his parents and free to do his own thing!
但最主要的是，他想摆脱他的父母，可以按自己的意愿行事！
After graduation, however, and moving out on his own, Tom discovered that life wasn't all that easy.
但是，毕了业一个人搬出来了，汤姆发现生活原来没有那么容易。
Before he knew it he was hard up for cash and without a job!
不知不觉，他就没钱了，而且还没有工作！
It didn't help that he only wanted to do physical labor, using his intellect brought back bad memories.
所以他只想干体力活，可这还是无济于事。因为使用智力会给他带来不好的回忆，
But hunger and a lack of money made him remember that he was good with numbers.
由于饥寒交迫，他想起他很擅长做与数字有关的工作。
He applied for and got a job at a bank.
他向银行申请并找到了一份工作。
There he discovered that all of his studying had been good for something.
这时他发现所有学过的东西都是有用处。
When he finally decided to call his parents on the telephone after almost a year of not doing so, he knew that they were half the battle.
当他终于决定给父母打电话时--他都差不多一年没给他们打电话了，他知道他们是成功的重要条件。
They were right to make him study so hard.
他们让他努力学习是对的。
And as they talked, Tom remembered the good times that they had together.
与他们说话的时候，汤姆想起了他们在一起的美好时光。
He decided that he really was fond of them and that , while he was free of them, he also missed them.
他觉得他是真的喜欢他们，尽管不跟他们住在一起了，他还是想念他们。
He would nenver be so hard up again.
他以后再也不会这么穷了。

重点讲解

1.be eager to 渴望
例句：It does no look good for you to be eager to leave.
急于要走是不好的。
2.be finished with 完成了的，结束了的
例句：William said that the work must be finished with all possible haste.
威廉说这项工作必须尽快完成。
3.be fond of 喜欢，喜爱；珍视
例句：When would you be fond of receiving the call?
你喜欢什么时候叫您？
4.be free from 无...的，摆脱了...的
例句：It was rare for any drug to be free from occasional side effects.
对任何药物来说，全然没有任何副作用是极其罕见的。
5.be free of 无...的，摆脱了...的；离开...的，在...之外的
例句：She yearned to be free of that.
她盼望能摆脱它。
6.be free to 准许...的，可以...的
例句：This meant that after 6months wait.Vivien would be free to marry Olivier.
这意味着经过六个月的等待,费雯丽终于可以和奥利弗结婚。