【英语时差8,16】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.

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.

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 SouthwestDear 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.

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

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。