读故事

It was difficult being a teenager. Lucy's body was at maturity, but she was not at liberty to date boys. Her father was strict about that! And so he kept her close at hand and she became a woman at home with her family.
When Lucy decided that she had fallen in love at first sight, she began to think that the policy of not dating until she was 16 was ignorant at best and stupid at most. At least she had an older brother who understood! But he had been allowed to date at the age of 14! It wasn't fair!
She decided at last to talk to her father about it. They went at it right away. Her father was at loose ends about how to deal with her. At issue, it seemed, was not how old she had to be before she could date, but how much her parents could trust Lucy.
When she assured them at length that they could, they agreed that she could have her first date. But she would have to call atregular intervals and be home by a certain hour. That was fine—Lucy was now at large and she couldn't have been happier.
Her first date was a disaster. She was much more mature than the young man she had supposedly fallen in love with, and she knew that she could never feel at home with him.
And so she came home to her family.
Her father hugged Lucy and she thanked him for trusting her.

记短语

at first sight乍一看，一见之下
at home在家，在国内；像在家里一样舒适自在，无拘束
at intervals不时，到处，每隔…时间（或距离）
at（或in）issue争论（或讨论）中的，待解决的，有分歧的，不一致的
at it忙个不停，在工作，在从事某项活动
at large（罪犯、野兽等）自由的，未被捕获的；大多数，整个；全面地，详尽地；笼统地，含糊地；随便地，任意地
at last终于
at （the） least至少；无论如何，不管怎样，反正
at length最终，终于；详尽地；长久地，唆地
at liberty (to do sth.)自由的，有权的，有空闲的
at loose ends没有固定工作的，对未来没有明确计划的；不知做什么好的，闲着的；未解决的，混乱的
at maturity【生】处于成熟期，处于…发育期
at（the）most最多，不超过

    做一个青少年不是一件容易的事。露西的身体正处在发育期，可她没有与男孩子约会的自由。在这件事上爸爸是很严格的！因此他一直让她不离左右，她也就成了一个总是在家的女人。
    当露西认为她已经一见钟情地爱上了别人时，她开始觉得不到16岁不准约会的规矩是无知，最多则是愚蠢。至少她还有一个理解她的哥哥！而他在14岁的时候就被批准约会啦！真是一点儿也不公平！
    她终于决定和爸爸谈一谈。他们马上就谈了起来。爸爸拿女儿不知如何是好，好像有分歧的不是她多大才能约会，而是父母能给她多少信任。
    当她最终向他们保证他们可以信任她时，他们同意她可以进行次约会。条件是她必须每隔一定时间就打一个电话回来，而且到一定时间就得回家。没问题——露西现在自由了，她真是太高兴了。
    她的次约会是个complete的失败。她比她认为已经爱上的那个男人要成熟得多，而且她知道跟他在一起她永远也不会感到无拘无束。
    就这样她回到了家里。
    爸爸拥抱了她，她很感谢他对她的信任。

本文选自新航道精品图书《读故事记短语》