时差N小时 儿子的女友谎称对猫过敏

Dear Annie:I live alone with my five cats. Four years ago, my youngest son brought his girlfriend, "Emily," for a visit. Emily told me she was allergic¹ to cats and needed a cat-free bedroom, so I gave her mine. My son occupied the other bedroom, which left me on the couch.

亲爱的安妮：我一个人居住，只有五只猫相伴。四年前，我最小的儿子带他的女朋友艾米丽回家。艾米丽告诉我说她对猫过敏，需要一间没有猫的卧室，因此我把我的卧室给她了。我的儿子占了另一间卧室，剩下我睡在沙发上。

When I realized that Emily had no symptoms, I suspected she wasn't really allergic. But I bit my tongue and was a courteous² hostess. The last night of their visit, we went out to a restaurant. Emily didn't offer to pay for my meal, which I thought was rude.

当我意识到艾米丽没有出现任何症状，我开始怀疑她不是真的过敏。但是为了做个有礼貌的女主人，我没有说破她。他们拜访的最后一天，我们去了饭店。艾米丽没有为我买单，我感觉她的行为很无礼。

Two years ago, Emily finally admitted she's not allergic to cats. Unfortunately, my son married her and I am still seething³ over that visit. I know I should let this go, but I don't like being lied to and she's such a tightwad.－Fuming⁴ in the Southwest

两年前，艾米丽最终承认了她对猫并不过敏。不幸的是，我的儿子娶了她，而我始终对那次见面耿耿于怀。我知道我应该让它过去，但我不喜欢被欺骗，而且她又是这样一个吝啬鬼。 ——来自西南的Fuming。

Dear Fuming:Please let it go. Emily admitted she wasn't allergic, so the lie was to get her own bedroom－which your son, not you, should have offered. As for the tightwad label, we're not so sure. Many young people are unaware⁵ of the etiquette⁶ that says you should treat your hosts to a meal.

亲爱的Fuming：过去的事就让它过去吧。艾米丽承认她没有过敏，那么她说谎就是为了一间卧室，这应该由你儿子提供，而不是你。 至于“吝啬鬼”标签，我们不太确定。许多年轻人都不知道“客人应该请主人吃饭”这个礼节。

You are being exceptionally harsh. Find something to like about Emily before you destroy your relationship with your son.

你把事情看得严重了。在你和你儿子的关系恶化之前，找一些关于艾米丽的好处，去试着喜欢她。

1 allergic   

adj.过敏的，变态的

参考例句：

• Alice is allergic to the fur of cats.艾丽斯对猫的皮毛过敏。
• Many people are allergic to airborne pollutants such as pollen.许多人对空气传播的污染物过敏，比如花粉。

2 courteous   

adj.彬彬有礼的，客气的

参考例句：

• Although she often disagreed with me,she was always courteous.尽管她常常和我意见不一，但她总是很谦恭有礼。
• He was a kind and courteous man.他为人友善，而且彬彬有礼。

3 seething   

沸腾的，火热的

参考例句：

• The stadium was a seething cauldron of emotion. 体育场内群情沸腾。
• The meeting hall was seething at once. 会场上顿时沸腾起来了。

4 fuming   

愤怒( fume的现在分词 )； 大怒； 发怒； 冒烟

参考例句：

• She sat in the car, silently fuming at the traffic jam. 她坐在汽车里，心中对交通堵塞感到十分恼火。
• I was fuming at their inefficiency. 我正因为他们效率低而发火。

5 unaware   

a.不知道的，未意识到的

参考例句：

• They were unaware that war was near. 他们不知道战争即将爆发。
• I was unaware of the man's presence. 我没有察觉到那人在场。

6 etiquette   

n.礼仪，礼节；规矩

参考例句：

• The rules of etiquette are not so strict nowadays.如今的礼仪规则已不那么严格了。
• According to etiquette,you should stand up to meet a guest.按照礼节你应该站起来接待客人。