【英语时差8，16】说不和长大

 Yael: Y'know, I've always wondered what you were like as a kid, Don . . . I bet you  were a nice, sweet little boy.

Don: Actually, Yael, just the opposite. At least that's what I'm told. Evidently I could be  pretty difficult as a toddler.

Y: Really? But you're such a mild-mannered fellow.

D: Maybe, but around the age of two or so I could be pretty defiant¹, throwing tantrums  when I didn't get my way.

Y: Well, I guess I'm not that surprised . . . after all, it's perfectly² normal, healthy even,  for little kids to be defiant.

D: Normal, sure, but healthy?

Y: Yes. Child development experts have found that being defiant and doing things like  refusing to listen and throwing fits is part of how kids learn to assert themselves and  control their environment. It's a normal part of growing up.

D: What about kids who don't throw tantrums and are nice and sweet? Are you  suggesting that they're somehow not developing properly?

Y: That sounds kinda far fetched . . . I mean, every kid is defiant at least sometimes.  But, sure, some kids are much less defiant than others. And the research shows that  those kids develop fine, too.

D: But I assume that either extreme--either a kid who's completely passive, or a kid  who's overly defiant--can signal a problem . . .

Y: That's true. But my point is, I guess, that even though it can be exasperating³ and even  maddening when kids are defiant, they're not behaving that way just to be bad. It's  like they need to act that way to figure out how to get along in the world. I mean, it's  worked for you.

D: Thanks.  

1 defiant   

adj.无礼的，挑战的

参考例句：

• With a last defiant gesture,they sang a revolutionary song as they were led away to prison.他们被带走投入监狱时，仍以最后的反抗姿态唱起了一支革命歌曲。
• He assumed a defiant attitude toward his employer.他对雇主采取挑衅的态度。

2 perfectly   

adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
• Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。

3 exasperating   

adj. 激怒的 动词exasperate的现在分词形式

参考例句：

• Our team's failure is very exasperating. 我们队失败了，真是气死人。
• It is really exasperating that he has not turned up when the train is about to leave. 火车快开了， 他还不来，实在急人。