Dialogue:

XG: Hey, Jing Jing, you look like you didn’t get enough sleep last night. What’s up?

小高：嘿，京晶，你看上去昨晚好像没怎么睡好，有什么事吗？

JJ: I went to sleep at 3:30 in the morning. I was glued to the TV. I was watching my favorite TV series. What time did you go to bed last night?

京晶：我今早三点三十才睡的，看电视太投入了，一直在看我最喜欢的电视剧呢。你昨晚几点睡的？

XG: 10:30, right on the dot.

小高：十点半，准时准点儿。

JJ: You’re such a goody goody. Why don’t you break the rules for once and stay up late? It’s fun!

京晶：你可真是一个守规矩的人啊！怎么就不能违规一次晚点儿睡啊？多好玩儿啊！

XG: You know what? When I was younger, I went through a rebellious streak!

小高：你知道啥，当我年轻那会儿，我可是经历过“叛逆青春期”的呢！

JJ: Oh yeah? Tell me about it.

京晶：哦？真的吗？说来听听哦。

XG: Well, I used to cop an attitude with my parents. The harder they tried to enforce rules with me, the harder I rebelled.

小高：我经常跟父母对着干，他们越强加规矩于我，我越叛逆。

JJ: That’s normal. I’ve done a lot of research on this actually. All teens go through similar phases. They suddenly feel a need to become independent and have a separate identity. They often test authority and talk back to parents and teachers. And actually, there’s a more scientific explanation: according to some doctors, the area of the brain called the prefrontal cortex is developing. During this phase of development, kids start to develop their own ideals and ideas. Adolescents start to see the world more realistically.

京晶：这很正常吧！最近我也就这个主题做了些研究。所有青少年都会经历类似的人生阶段，他们突然间有一股想要独立的冲动，拥有独立的自我。于是他们常常挑战权威并和老师父母顶嘴。事实上，这也有一个更加科学的解释：据某些医生的研究，这是大脑的前额叶皮层正在生长，在此生长过程中，孩子开始发展出独立思考能力，青少年们开始以更加现实的眼光来看待世界。

XG: Yeah, that is describing me to a T. I remember that when I was a teenager I started to notice how embarrassing I felt when I was around my parents. I felt like they didn’t know how to be cool and dress properly.

小高：这简直说的就是我啊！记得我年轻那会儿，我开始注意到跟爸妈在一起的时候我觉得真尴尬啊，感觉他们既不会把自己弄得很酷也不懂怎么穿衣服的样子。

JJ: And didn’t you say you pierced your own ears? Let me guess… you were a teenager?

小高：你不是说你打了耳洞吗？让我猜猜，是年轻的时候弄的吧？

XG: Bingo! I was fifteen years old. I wanted to fit in with the people who I thought were “cool”.

小高：对喽！十五岁时弄的，我那时就想融入那群我觉得很酷的孩子当中。

JJ: So, what made you change into such a normal nice guy?

京晶：那，又是什么让你变成了今天这个温和正统的男人呢？

XG: Well, I think part of it was maturity. After a while, what I originally thought was my parents nagging me all the time, was actually them expressing their care and concern for me. What can I say? I guess I grew up!

小高：也许一部份是因为人成熟了吧，过了一段时间后，我才发现以前我父母老是抱怨我这那的其实是在表达他们对我的关爱。怎么说呢，我想我长大了吧！

New words fordialogue:

Glued to the TV = so interested in what you are watching that you literally can’t remove yourselffrom it. 看电视入迷了

Right on the dot = if something occurs “right on the dot” then it happens precisely at that time. （某事发生）正好在点儿上

Goody goody = slang for someone who always behaves themselves and never breaks a rule. （俚语）遵守纪律的人

Go through a streak [or phase] = to go through a period of time when your behavior or desires changes. This sentence structure indicates that you no longer have this kind of behavior and have switched back.过了某个特定的年龄了

Cop an attitude = to get a very negative, aggressive attitude. 持消极态度

Test authority = if you test authority, then you intimidate or tease someone with authority to see if you can stimulate a reaction from them. 挑战权威

Talk back = if you talk back to someone, then you argue with them impolitely, usually when an elder or person with authority is telling you to do something 与长辈顶嘴

Prefrontal cortex=前额叶皮层

Adolescent = someone who is in the process of developing from a young boy or girl into an adult 青少年

Describe something to a T = to describe something incredibly accurately 准确地描述某事

Fit in = to blend in; to appear to be the same as a particular group of people 合群

Nag = to complain 抱怨