英语美文：成年的50个标志

The 50 signs you are a grown-up

　　Key signs of adulthood¹ are no longer relying on mum and dad for financial decisions, being able to cook an evening meal from scratch and owning a lawn mower² according to the Skipton Building Society. Here are the 50 things that prove you are grown-up:

　　1.Having a mortgage

　　2.Mum and dad no longer make your financial decisions

　　3.Paying into a pension

　　4.Conducting a weekly food shop

　　5.Written a Will

　　6.Having children

　　7.Budgeting every month

　　8.Being able to cook an evening meal from scratch

　　9.Getting married

　　10.Having life insurance

　　11.Recycling

　　12.Having a savings³ account

　　13.Knowing what terms like 'ISA' and 'tracker' mean

　　14.Watching the news

　　15.Owning a lawn mower

　　16.Doing your own washing

　　17.Taking trips to the local tip

　　18.Planting flowers

　　19.Being able to bleed a radiator⁴

　　20.Having a joint⁵ bank account

　　21.Having a view on politics

　　22.Keeping track of interest rates

　　23.Finding a messy house annoying

　　24.Being able to change a light bulb

　　25.Owning a vacuum cleaner

　　26.Holding dinner parties

　　27.Listening to Radio 2

　　28.Enjoying gardening

　　29.Spending weekend just 'pottering'

　　30.Mum starts asking you for advice

　　31.Carrying spare shopping bags just in case

　　32.Like going round garden centres

　　33.Wearing coats on a night out

　　34.Going to bed before 11pm

　　35.Making sure mum and dad are phoned at least once a week

　　36.Classing work as a career rather than a job

　　37.Repairing torn clothing rather than throwing it away

　　38.You iron

　　39.You wash up immediately after eating

　　40.Enjoy cooking

　　41.Buying a Sunday paper

　　42.Always going out with a sensible pair of shoes

　　43.You like receiving gift vouchers⁶

　　44.Work keeps you awake at night

　　45.Filing post

　　46.Having a 'best' crockery set

　　47.Being able to change a car tyre

　　48.Being sensible enough to remove make up off before bedtime

　　49.Being able to follow a receipt

　　50.Owning 'best towels' as well as 'everyday towels'

1 adulthood   

n.成年，成人期

参考例句：

• Some infantile actions survive into adulthood.某些婴儿期的行为一直保持到成年期。
• Few people nowadays are able to maintain friendships into adulthood.如今很少有人能将友谊维持到成年。

2 mower   

n.割草机

参考例句：

• We need a lawn mower to cut the grass.我们需要一台草坪修剪机来割草。
• Your big lawn mower is just the job for the high grass.割高草时正需要你的大割草机。

3 savings   

n.存款，储蓄

参考例句：

• I can't afford the vacation,for it would eat up my savings.我度不起假，那样会把我的积蓄用光的。
• By this time he had used up all his savings.到这时，他的存款已全部用完。

4 radiator   

n.暖气片，散热器

参考例句：

• The two ends of the pipeline are connected with the radiator.管道的两端与暖气片相连接。
• Top up the radiator before making a long journey.在长途旅行前加满散热器。

5 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

6 vouchers   

n.凭证( voucher的名词复数 )；证人；证件；收据

参考例句：

• These vouchers are redeemable against any future purchase. 这些优惠券将来购物均可使用。
• This time we were given free vouchers to spend the night in a nearby hotel. 这一次我们得到了在附近一家旅馆入住的免费券。 来自英语晨读30分（高二）