Mom Knows Best
When I was a tiny baby crying all night, my mom sang to me and stayed by my side.
When I was tired and hungry, she gave me food and warm arms to sleep in.
When I was two running through the field, she made sure I was safe and kept me from danger.
When I fell and hurt myself, she gave me a hug and lifted me up.
When I was seven coughing badly, she said no ice-cream for me.
But I talked back loudly, “I should be allowed to eat some! Give it to me now!”
When I was nine watching scary movies, she said it’d give me awful dreams.
But I shouted back angrily, “I should be allowed to watch it! I’m not a baby!”
When I was a teen going out with friends, she said, “Please be back by ten!”
But I talked back again — “I should not be told what to do! I’m seventeen now!”
Now I’m an adult, thinking back to those times.
I coughed for days after eating that ice-cream.
And had scary dreams after watching that film.
I was late for school from staying out past ten.
I regret talking back, not listening to Mom.
Mom knows best, and for me she wanted only the best!
参考译文
妈妈最了解我
当我还是个整夜哭闹的小婴儿时，妈妈会给我唱歌，陪在我身边。
当我又累又饿时，她会给我食物，用温暖的怀抱让我安睡。
当我两岁在田野里奔跑时，她会确保我的安全，让我远离危险。
当我摔倒受伤时，她会给我一个拥抱，把我扶起来。
当我七岁咳嗽得厉害时，她说不许我吃冰淇淋。
可我大声反驳：“应该允许我吃点！现在就给我！”
当我九岁看恐怖电影时，她说那会让我做噩梦。
可我愤怒地吼回去：“应该允许我看！我不是小屁孩了！”
当我十几岁和朋友外出时，她说：“请十点前回来！”
可我又顶嘴 ——“不该有人指使我做什么！我现在十七岁了！”
如今我已长大成人，回想起那些时光。
吃了那冰淇淋后，我咳嗽了好几天。
看了那部电影后，我做了可怕的梦。
因为晚上十点后才回家，我上学迟到了。
我后悔当初顶嘴，后悔没听妈妈的话。
妈妈最清楚，她只想给我最好的！
Key Words
非谓语作后置定语 ≈ 定语从句的省略 / 简化：
crying all night，现在分词作后置定语，修饰baby。
- A student studying in the library is my friend.
- The man injured in the accident was sent to hospital.
- She is the best person to ask for help.
- He needs a friend to talk to.
make sure + （that）确保······；弄清楚······
- She made sure (that) all the windows were closed before going out.
- We need to make sure (that) the meeting starts on time tomorrow.
- Before the exam, teachers always tell us to make sure we bring our pens and ID cards.
keep…from… 使······免受······
keep sb./sth. from doing sth. 阻止某人/物做某事
- Parents try their best to keep their children from danger.
- The fence keeps the garden from animals.
- Her parents tried to keep her from watching too much TV.
- Nothing can keep him from pursuing his dream.
可互换 “stop sb./sth. from doing sth.”“prevent sb./sth. from doing sth.”
The rain kept us from going out. = The rain stopped us from going out.
talk back 顶嘴；回嘴
talk back to sb. 与某人顶嘴
- It’s rude to talk back when your parents are speaking.
- Teenagers sometimes talk back to their parents when they feel misunderstood.
- It’s important for teenagers to learn to communicate instead of talking back to adults.
regret v. & n. 感到遗憾；懊恼
regret + doing sth. 后悔做过某事，动作已发生
regret + to do sth. 遗憾要做某事，动作未发生，多接表 “告知、宣布” 的词
- She regrets her decision to quit the competition.
- I regret missing the school trip last week.
- I regret to tell you that you didn’t pass the exam.
- He regrets that he didn’t study hard in high school.
Key Structures
- too+ 形容词 / 副词 to do sth. 意为“太······而不能······”，该结构表示否定意义，to后接动词原形。如果too前面有not、never等含有否定意义的词，则此结构表肯定意义，含义变为 “不太…… 以至于能……”“绝不太…… 而能……”，语气较委婉。
- too… to…与so… that…的转换：当that引导的从句为否定，且主从句的主语一致时，两个结构可以互相转换。
- too… to…与not… enough to…的转换：当enough修饰的形容词或副词是too后形容词或副词的反义词时，两个结构可以互相转换。
- The box is too heavy to carry.
- The movie is too scary for my sister to watch alone.
- He is not too young to understand the rules.
- It is never too late to learn a new skill.
- The water is too cold to drink. = The water is so cold that I can’t drink it.
- He is too young to drive. = He is not old enough to drive.