27. Thank Your Lucky Stars

第27课 福星高照

I remember when I was a young boy, life was tough.
我记得我是个小男孩的时候，日子过得很苦。
My parents made me do many things for them.
我父母叫我帮他们做很多事情。
For example, they had me do the laundry, the dishes and the house cleaning.
例如，他们会叫我洗衣服、洗碗盘和打扫家里。
They even got me to work part-time to help with the family expenses.
他们甚至叫我去打工来贴补家用。
If I was naughty, they would spank me.
我如果调皮捣蛋的话，他们就会打我屁股，
They would not let me go outside the house for days.
而且好几天都不让我出门。
Nowadays, life is quite different for kids.
现在小孩的生活却大不相同。
Parents can't force them to do anything.
做父母的不能强迫他们做任何事。
On the contrary, it seems as if children can get their parents to do anything for them.
相反地，做孩子的似乎有办法叫父母为他们做任何事。
Parents and teachers are even afraid to spank children for fear of being sued.
父母和老师甚至因怕被控告而不敢打小孩。
It amazes me , therefore, whenever I hear youngsters complain.
因此，每当我听到青少年抱怨时，我就感到很惊讶。
Instead, they should be thanking their lucky stars.
他们应该自庆幸运才是。