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Trouble-free Taureans 无忧无虑的小金牛

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Sigmund is chatting with his sister, Anna:  希格蒙正在和姊姊安娜聊天：

S: So, young Lee turned seven the other day. How is my little Taurus nephew?

所以说，小李子前几天刚满七岁。我这金牛座的外甥，最近还好吗？

A: He’s fine. Typical Taurus that he is, he found his seventh birthday party no big deal.

很好，就像典型的金牛座人，觉得他自己的七岁生日派对不管热闹或不热闹都能接受。

S: Taurus kids are just like that; they are just as happy pursuing interests in their own world as they are in the company of others. How’s he doing at school?

金牛座小孩就是这样，他们对于探求自己的世界和有没有别人陪伴都感觉一样。他在学校表现如何？

A: Pretty well. According to his teacher, in class he’s far from the sharpest knife in the drawer. But he never seems to forget what he learns, which, gladly, shows up in his test results.

很不错，据他老师说，他并不是班上最亮眼的学生，但所学的似乎都能记住，令人欣慰的是他的所学也都能反映在考试成绩上。

S: Taurean children tend to be industrious, methodical learners. Is he still well-behaved at school?

金牛座小孩多半很勤勉，学习也很有方法。他在学校行守规矩吗？

A: Impeccably, I’m told. And I’ve noticed myself that he does have a maturity about him that other children at his age lack.

别人告诉我，他乖得无可挑剔。我自己也注意到，他确实有其他同龄小孩缺乏的成熟。

S: So you don’t have any trouble getting him to respond to reason?

所以说，你和他讲理没有问题？

A: None at all. But you can shout at him and stand on your head until you’re blue in the face and he won’t budge.

完全没问题。你可以对着他大吼到快发疯、面色铁青的地步，而他仍不为所动。

S: However, if you give him a logical reason to digest, he’ll comply without the slightest protestation.

不过，倘若你跟他讲道理，他就甘愿顺服，不会有丝毫的怨言吗？

A: Yep. The carrot works over the stick every time with a Taurus kid.

正是，对金牛座小孩，奖励总是比处罚有效的。

－by Colin Gread

Vocabulary

单词发音

Taurean [ˋtɔrɪən] n. & adj. 属金牛宫星座的（人）

the other day 几天前(前几天)

Taurus [ˋtɔrəs] n. 出生于金牛宫时段〔即4月21日至5月22日之间〕的人

company [ˋkʌmpənɪ] n. 陪伴

drawer [ˋdrɔɚ] n. 抽屉

show up 使〔某物〕显现出来 to be clearly visible

industrious [ɪnˋdʌstrɪəs] adj. 勤勉的，勤奋的，勤劳的

methodical [məˋθɑdɪkəl] adj. 有条理的；秩序井然的

well-behaved [ˋwɛlbɪˋhevd] adj. 行为端正的; 彬彬有礼的

impeccably [ɪmˋpɛkəb!ɪ] adv. 完美地；无可挑剔地

maturity [məˋtjʊrətɪ] n. 成熟；完善

shout [ʃaʊt] v.〔因愤怒或疼痛等〕大叫

stand on one’s head 【口】极力，想尽办法 to attempt to impress someone by hard work or difficult feats

blue in the face 脸红气喘

budge [bʌdʒ] v. 改变意见；让步

logical [ˋlɑdʒɪk!] adj. 合逻辑的；合理的

digest [daɪˋdʒɛst] v. 领悟，融会贯通

comply [kəmˋplaɪ] v.（对要求、命令等）依从，顺从，遵从[（+with）]

protestation [͵prɑtəsˋteʃən] n. 抗议；异议，反对

Sentence of the Day

They're just throwing the bull.

他们只是闲聊而已。

throw the bull <俚>吹牛，夸张，瞎扯；瞎吹牛