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“We’ll be back in a couple of hours，” they said to me as they walked out the door. “OK，” I stammered1 as I feared my parents and my brother leaving me home alone for the first time. Each thing in the house seemed to be just waiting for them to leave， waiting to pounce2 on me. I had been looking forward to this for such a long time， but now all of a sudden it didn’t seem so enjoyable. As they went out the door， I went to the window to wave goodbye to the rest of my life. They waved back at me nonchalantly3， not understanding the fear that was inside of me. As they pulled out of the driveway， all the usual safety was whisked4 from the house， like a toilet being flushed. Then it all began.
“我们会在几个小时后回来，”当他们漫步出门时，他们对我说。“好吧，”我结结巴巴地说着，父母和哥哥第一次把我一个人留在家里我有点怕。屋子里的每一件东西似乎都在等着他们离开，等着向我扑来。我一直盼望了这么久，但是现在突然觉得不那么愉快了。当他们走出大门的时候，我走到窗前挥手告别我的余生。他们漫不经心地向我挥手，不理解我内心的恐惧。当他们把车开出车道时，所有平时的安全感都从房子里溜走了，就像厕所被冲水了一样。然后一切都开始了。
This was the first time I had ever been alone. Sure， my brother and I had been home alone together， but this was different. It was just me and the house， taking on all of the robbers and bad guys out there that were coming after me because of course， my parents weren’t home. Well， now the question was， “What do I do？” I quickly ran through the house， turning each light on， so that I could go into each room without the fear of a wicked5 witch or an axe murderer emerging from the shadows intent on killing me. I was smartly creeping6 from one room to the next， when I heard a deafening roar coming from everywhere， I thought. There was no doubt in my mind that an airplane was about to hit my house or a bulldozer7 about to run it over—something disastrous8. I ran through the house screaming， when all of a sudden， I felt a breeze rush from the vent9 in the floor. “Oh，” I said sheepishly10. “It’s just the stupid heat.”
這是我第一次独自一人。当然，我哥哥和我以前曾经单独在家，但这次不同。只有我和房子，要单独面对所有抢劫犯和坏蛋，他们就跟在我后面，当然是因为我父母不在家。现在问题是：“我该怎么办？”我赶紧跑着穿过房子，把每盏灯都打开，这样我就可以走进每间屋子，而不用担心一个邪恶的巫婆或巨斧杀手从阴影处冒出来，要杀死我。我正巧妙地从一个房间爬到另一个房间，我想这时我听到了四处传来震耳欲聋的吼声。毫无疑问，在我脑海中，一架飞机即将撞上我的房子，或者一台推土机即将碾压我的房子——这是灾难性的。我尖叫着跑过房子，突然感到一阵微风从地板上的通风口吹来。“哦，”我羞怯地说。“这只是愚蠢的暖气。”
It had only been a couple minutes since my parents had left and I thought I had had enough. Then I decided “I can watch TV and I’ll be fine and have some fun.” I flipped11 on the tube and avoided any violent12 shows， for fear of being brought into a mindset of a coming attack on my house by a band of robbers. Then， out of the corner of my eye， I saw headlights coming down the road in front of my house. “Well I’ll just check to make sure they don’t pull into my driveway，” I said. I continued to do this for each car that passed. Then， the most terrible thing happened： One of the passing cars pulled in and began barreling13 up my driveway. As it got closer， I realized that it was an old truck， and one that I had never seen before. This freaked14 me out of my mind， so I shakily15 went over to the phone， picked it up， and began to dial the number of my parents’ cell phone as I hid below the window next to the front door. To worsen my fears， my parents did not pick up the phone. I am a bit embarrassed to say what happened next， but if you can believe it， I went to my room and loaded16 my bb gun. I looked out of the window very carefully， only to see that I knew the person， and they were unloading some chairs and putting them next to our garage. I breathed a sigh of relief17 as I went and sat back down， fearing the darkness that began enveloping18 the house. 我父母离开的时间只有几分钟，我想我已经受够了。然后我决定“我可以看电视，我会没事的，而且会玩得很开心。”我打开电视机，避开任何暴力节目，因为害怕一群强盗会袭击我的房子。然后，我从眼角看到车头灯从我家前面的路照过来。“好吧，我去检查一下，确保他们不会把车开进我家的车道。”我说。我继续对每辆经过的车做这件事。然后，最可怕的事情发生了：一辆过往的车停了进来，开始开进我家车道。当它开近时，我意识到那是一辆旧卡车，是我以前从未见过的。这吓得我魂不附体，所以我摇摇晃晃地走到电话前，拿起电话，开始拨我父母的手机号码，我躲在前门旁边的窗户下面。我的父母没有接电话加剧了我的恐惧。我有点不好意思说接下来发生了什么，但如果你能相信的话，我到自己的房间给我的空气枪装上了弹药。我小心翼翼地往窗外看，结果却发现我认识那个人，他们正在卸椅子，把它们放在车库旁边。我一边走一边松了一口气，然后坐了下来，对开始笼罩房子的黑暗感到有点害怕。
As the night wore on， I continued to check each car that went by—just to be safe. Luckily， there were no more problems and I even had a little fun playing my Super Nintendo. It wasn’t all fun and games from there on out， though. I thought for sure that a bad guy was trying to break in when a tree branch fell on top of the roof. I refused to go outside， but I took my dad’s spotlight and flashed it out the window. What I saw outside and scared to death—a set of green eyes， reflecting in the light’s beams， was staring back at me. I screamed out loud and dropped the flashlight. Once again， I went to my room and loaded my bb gun. I went back to the window， ready for anything—even a guy crashing through the window. As I refocused19 the light， I was able to make out a squirrel. “Get a hold of yourself，” I said to myself out loud. The night continued on pretty slowly， but I got through it with only a few cuts and bruises， but a new understanding of independence20.
夜幕降临，我继续检查每辆车，只是为了确保安全。幸运的是，没有别的问题，我甚至有一点兴致来玩我的超级任天堂。不过，那并不是只有玩乐和游戏。我肯定有个坏人想闯进来，这时一根树枝掉到了屋顶上。我拒绝出门，但我抓起爸爸的聚光灯，从窗户朝着外面照了照，外面的景象吓了我一跳——一双绿色的眼睛，反射着光线，正回头看着我。我尖叫着，扔掉了手电筒。我再次回到房间里，给我的空气枪装好弹药。我回到窗前，准备好了一切，即使是有个家伙从窗口摔进来。当我重新聚焦光线时，才认出来是一只松鼠。“控制你自己，”我大声地对自己说。这个夜晚过得很慢，但是我只有几处割伤和擦伤，但我对独立有了新的认识。
Staying home alone was something that I had to do sooner or later. When I finally did it， I realized that it was a great experience for me—it was a coming of age opportunity. Each time I stayed home alone， it became a bit easier and some of the noises in the house were forgotten. I faced my fears that very first night， which was the first step in the stairs of growing up—when I began earning some independence. Now I can’t wait for my parents to leave so I can have the house to myself.
獨自呆在家里是我迟早要做的事。当我最终做到这一点时，我意识到这对我来说是一次很棒的经历——这是一个成长的机遇。每次我一个人待在家里，就会变得容易一些，而且屋子里的某些噪音也渐渐地被我忘记了。那天晚上，我第一次面对恐惧，那是我成长的第一步——当我开始学会独立时。现在我迫不及待地想让我的父母离开，这样我就可以独享这所房子了。
1. stammer [ ] vt. 口吃；结巴着说出；vi. 口吃；结结巴巴地说
2. pounce [ ] vi. 突袭，猛扑；vt. 扑过去抓住
3. nonchalantly [ ] adv. 冷淡地，漠不关心地
4. whisk [ ] v. 拂，掸；搅动；挥动；迅速带走
5. wicked [ ] adj. 邪恶的；恶劣的
6. creep [ ] vi. 爬行；蔓延；慢慢地移动
7. bulldozer [ ] n. 推土机
8. disastrous [ ] adj. 灾难性的；损失惨重的；悲伤的
9. vent [ ] vt. 发泄感情；放出；给……开孔
10. sheepishly [ ] adv. 羞怯地；愚蠢地
11. flip [ ] vt. 掷；轻击
12. violent [ ] adj. 暴力的；猛烈的
13. barrel [ ] vi. 快速移动
14. freak out被吓坏了，使崩溃
15. shakily [ ] adv. 虚弱不堪地；颤抖着；摇动着
16. load [ ] v. （给武器） 装弹药
17. relief [ ] n. 救济；减轻，解除；安慰
18. envelop [ ] v. 包封；遮盖
19. refocus [ ] vt. 重调……的焦距
20. independence [ ] n. 独立性，自立性；自主
“我们会在几个小时后回来，”当他们漫步出门时，他们对我说。“好吧，”我结结巴巴地说着，父母和哥哥第一次把我一个人留在家里我有点怕。屋子里的每一件东西似乎都在等着他们离开，等着向我扑来。我一直盼望了这么久，但是现在突然觉得不那么愉快了。当他们走出大门的时候，我走到窗前挥手告别我的余生。他们漫不经心地向我挥手，不理解我内心的恐惧。当他们把车开出车道时，所有平时的安全感都从房子里溜走了，就像厕所被冲水了一样。然后一切都开始了。
This was the first time I had ever been alone. Sure， my brother and I had been home alone together， but this was different. It was just me and the house， taking on all of the robbers and bad guys out there that were coming after me because of course， my parents weren’t home. Well， now the question was， “What do I do？” I quickly ran through the house， turning each light on， so that I could go into each room without the fear of a wicked5 witch or an axe murderer emerging from the shadows intent on killing me. I was smartly creeping6 from one room to the next， when I heard a deafening roar coming from everywhere， I thought. There was no doubt in my mind that an airplane was about to hit my house or a bulldozer7 about to run it over—something disastrous8. I ran through the house screaming， when all of a sudden， I felt a breeze rush from the vent9 in the floor. “Oh，” I said sheepishly10. “It’s just the stupid heat.”
這是我第一次独自一人。当然，我哥哥和我以前曾经单独在家，但这次不同。只有我和房子，要单独面对所有抢劫犯和坏蛋，他们就跟在我后面，当然是因为我父母不在家。现在问题是：“我该怎么办？”我赶紧跑着穿过房子，把每盏灯都打开，这样我就可以走进每间屋子，而不用担心一个邪恶的巫婆或巨斧杀手从阴影处冒出来，要杀死我。我正巧妙地从一个房间爬到另一个房间，我想这时我听到了四处传来震耳欲聋的吼声。毫无疑问，在我脑海中，一架飞机即将撞上我的房子，或者一台推土机即将碾压我的房子——这是灾难性的。我尖叫着跑过房子，突然感到一阵微风从地板上的通风口吹来。“哦，”我羞怯地说。“这只是愚蠢的暖气。”
It had only been a couple minutes since my parents had left and I thought I had had enough. Then I decided “I can watch TV and I’ll be fine and have some fun.” I flipped11 on the tube and avoided any violent12 shows， for fear of being brought into a mindset of a coming attack on my house by a band of robbers. Then， out of the corner of my eye， I saw headlights coming down the road in front of my house. “Well I’ll just check to make sure they don’t pull into my driveway，” I said. I continued to do this for each car that passed. Then， the most terrible thing happened： One of the passing cars pulled in and began barreling13 up my driveway. As it got closer， I realized that it was an old truck， and one that I had never seen before. This freaked14 me out of my mind， so I shakily15 went over to the phone， picked it up， and began to dial the number of my parents’ cell phone as I hid below the window next to the front door. To worsen my fears， my parents did not pick up the phone. I am a bit embarrassed to say what happened next， but if you can believe it， I went to my room and loaded16 my bb gun. I looked out of the window very carefully， only to see that I knew the person， and they were unloading some chairs and putting them next to our garage. I breathed a sigh of relief17 as I went and sat back down， fearing the darkness that began enveloping18 the house. 我父母离开的时间只有几分钟，我想我已经受够了。然后我决定“我可以看电视，我会没事的，而且会玩得很开心。”我打开电视机，避开任何暴力节目，因为害怕一群强盗会袭击我的房子。然后，我从眼角看到车头灯从我家前面的路照过来。“好吧，我去检查一下，确保他们不会把车开进我家的车道。”我说。我继续对每辆经过的车做这件事。然后，最可怕的事情发生了：一辆过往的车停了进来，开始开进我家车道。当它开近时，我意识到那是一辆旧卡车，是我以前从未见过的。这吓得我魂不附体，所以我摇摇晃晃地走到电话前，拿起电话，开始拨我父母的手机号码，我躲在前门旁边的窗户下面。我的父母没有接电话加剧了我的恐惧。我有点不好意思说接下来发生了什么，但如果你能相信的话，我到自己的房间给我的空气枪装上了弹药。我小心翼翼地往窗外看，结果却发现我认识那个人，他们正在卸椅子，把它们放在车库旁边。我一边走一边松了一口气，然后坐了下来，对开始笼罩房子的黑暗感到有点害怕。
As the night wore on， I continued to check each car that went by—just to be safe. Luckily， there were no more problems and I even had a little fun playing my Super Nintendo. It wasn’t all fun and games from there on out， though. I thought for sure that a bad guy was trying to break in when a tree branch fell on top of the roof. I refused to go outside， but I took my dad’s spotlight and flashed it out the window. What I saw outside and scared to death—a set of green eyes， reflecting in the light’s beams， was staring back at me. I screamed out loud and dropped the flashlight. Once again， I went to my room and loaded my bb gun. I went back to the window， ready for anything—even a guy crashing through the window. As I refocused19 the light， I was able to make out a squirrel. “Get a hold of yourself，” I said to myself out loud. The night continued on pretty slowly， but I got through it with only a few cuts and bruises， but a new understanding of independence20.
夜幕降临，我继续检查每辆车，只是为了确保安全。幸运的是，没有别的问题，我甚至有一点兴致来玩我的超级任天堂。不过，那并不是只有玩乐和游戏。我肯定有个坏人想闯进来，这时一根树枝掉到了屋顶上。我拒绝出门，但我抓起爸爸的聚光灯，从窗户朝着外面照了照，外面的景象吓了我一跳——一双绿色的眼睛，反射着光线，正回头看着我。我尖叫着，扔掉了手电筒。我再次回到房间里，给我的空气枪装好弹药。我回到窗前，准备好了一切，即使是有个家伙从窗口摔进来。当我重新聚焦光线时，才认出来是一只松鼠。“控制你自己，”我大声地对自己说。这个夜晚过得很慢，但是我只有几处割伤和擦伤，但我对独立有了新的认识。
Staying home alone was something that I had to do sooner or later. When I finally did it， I realized that it was a great experience for me—it was a coming of age opportunity. Each time I stayed home alone， it became a bit easier and some of the noises in the house were forgotten. I faced my fears that very first night， which was the first step in the stairs of growing up—when I began earning some independence. Now I can’t wait for my parents to leave so I can have the house to myself.
獨自呆在家里是我迟早要做的事。当我最终做到这一点时，我意识到这对我来说是一次很棒的经历——这是一个成长的机遇。每次我一个人待在家里，就会变得容易一些，而且屋子里的某些噪音也渐渐地被我忘记了。那天晚上，我第一次面对恐惧，那是我成长的第一步——当我开始学会独立时。现在我迫不及待地想让我的父母离开，这样我就可以独享这所房子了。
1. stammer [ ] vt. 口吃；结巴着说出；vi. 口吃；结结巴巴地说
2. pounce [ ] vi. 突袭，猛扑；vt. 扑过去抓住
3. nonchalantly [ ] adv. 冷淡地，漠不关心地
4. whisk [ ] v. 拂，掸；搅动；挥动；迅速带走
5. wicked [ ] adj. 邪恶的；恶劣的
6. creep [ ] vi. 爬行；蔓延；慢慢地移动
7. bulldozer [ ] n. 推土机
8. disastrous [ ] adj. 灾难性的；损失惨重的；悲伤的
9. vent [ ] vt. 发泄感情；放出；给……开孔
10. sheepishly [ ] adv. 羞怯地；愚蠢地
11. flip [ ] vt. 掷；轻击
12. violent [ ] adj. 暴力的；猛烈的
13. barrel [ ] vi. 快速移动
14. freak out被吓坏了，使崩溃
15. shakily [ ] adv. 虚弱不堪地；颤抖着；摇动着
16. load [ ] v. （给武器） 装弹药
17. relief [ ] n. 救济；减轻，解除；安慰
18. envelop [ ] v. 包封；遮盖
19. refocus [ ] vt. 重调……的焦距
20. independence [ ] n. 独立性，自立性；自主