I clearly remember the day that marked the beginning of the end of my childhood. Sometimes I wish that I were not able to recall it in such microscopic detail, but I do.
我依舊清楚記得那個象徵我童年結束的那一天。有時候我還真希望我無法回想起所有的點點滴滴，但就是會想到。
I got up the second time my mother hammered on my bedroom door. I rushed through my breakfast, got washed and dressed and hurried off to school. Social studies in the morning, then English literature, and lunch followed by design and technology in the afternoon. Then on the way home I stopped off at the park to hang out with my mates for half an hour before arriving home—starving hungry—at about 5 o'clock. Just a usual day.
我在媽媽第二次大力地敲我房門時醒來。我狼吞虎嚥地吃完早餐，梳洗並換完衣服後匆匆趕去學校。早上是社會學科，接著是英國文學，午餐過後，接著下午上設計和科技課。然後在五點左右飢腸轆轆地回到家前，我途中先在公園和朋友閒逛了半小時。只是個一如往常的一天。
But the house was unusually dark and quiet; the radio wasn't on and Grandma—who did most of the cooking—wasn't in the kitchen. And where was the mouth-wateringly cheesy smell of the lasagna Grandma had promised to cook for dinner? Taking out my phone I saw that Mom had been sending me urgent messages for the last two hours. Grandma had suffered some kind of fit and had been rushed to the hospital.
可是家裡卻是不尋常地黑暗與寧靜；收音機沒有開著，而奶奶－－大部分都是她掌廚－－也不在廚房裡。令人垂涎、充滿起司味、奶奶答應我晚餐要煮的千層麵在哪裡？拿出我的手機後，我看到過去兩個小時，媽媽一直不斷地傳緊急訊息給我。奶奶因某種疾病發作而失去意識被緊急送到醫院。
Glioblastoma multiforme. Words I had never seen before, but after a couple of days in Lincoln County Hospital Grandma was diagnosed with this lethal form of brain cancer.
膠質母細胞瘤。這是我以前從未看過的字，可是在奶奶住進林肯郡立醫院幾天以後，她被診斷出的疾病就是這種致命的腦癌。
The first month was a nightmare. Dad set his heart on Grandma receiving the best available treatment, with money no object. He was convinced that Grandma could be cured. Mom felt Grandma should be allowed to die with dignity and she criticized Dad for refusing to face reality. Dad fought back, accusing Mom of giving up too easily and angry conversations were conducted in whispers that stopped as soon as I—in sullen silence—entered the room. And Grandma? She was denying she was ill and desperately longing for life to go on as normal.
第一個月是噩夢。爸爸下定決心要讓奶奶獲得現有最好的治療，錢不是問題。他相信奶奶一定可以被治好。媽媽則是覺得奶奶應該要被允許帶著尊嚴離世，並且批評爸爸拒絕面對事實。爸爸則是反擊回去，指責媽媽太輕易放棄，憤怒的交談低聲地進行，只要我一進入房間就停止，悶不做聲。而奶奶呢？她拒絕承認自己生病的事實，迫切渴望日子能夠和以前一樣過下去。
Things only started to improve when Grandma's doctor—professional but distant—referred us to a Palliative Care Team, a team of individuals—doctor, nurse and social worker—with special training in serious illness. They fully appreciated what our family was going through and knew how to respond.
當奶奶的醫生－－專業卻不帶私人感情－－將我們轉介給安寧療護團隊時，情況才開始好轉，一群個人組成的團隊－－醫生、護士和社工人員－－針對重症受過專業訓練。他們完全能體會我們一家人所經歷的一切，並知道如何應對。
With the team's support, we started to communicate and began to focus on what Grandma wanted. Listening to her, Dad put aside his fantasies of finding a miracle cure, Mom stopped criticizing Dad, and I found my voice. The thought of watching Grandma die terrified me; I wanted to run away and felt ashamed of myself. Encouraged by the team's social worker, I expressed these feelings to my parents and was astonished when they admitted to having similar thoughts.
有了這個團隊的支持，我們開始溝通並開始專注於奶奶想要的事物。在聆聽奶奶後，爸爸撇開能夠找到奇蹟療法的幻想，媽媽停止批評爸爸，而我也願意表達自己的心聲。看著奶奶過世的想法讓我感到恐懼；我想要逃離而且對自己感到很羞愧。在團隊社工人員的鼓勵下，我向父母表達這些感覺，而當他們承認也有類似的想法時，我感到很驚訝。
Grandma refused chemotherapy, judging that the likely side effects—nausea, vomiting and incontinence—weren't worth the potential benefits. She also refused an operation that may or may not have extended her life by six months. If Grandma had chosen to undergo the operation, she would probably have spent the rest of her life in hospital. However, she elected to stay at home for as long as possible, convinced that such aggressive treatment would be more of a burden than the disease itself.
奶奶拒絕化療，認為可能的副作用－－噁心、嘔吐和失禁－－不值得潛在的效益。她也拒絕可能會也可能不會延長她生命六個月的手術。要是奶奶當初選擇進行手術，她可能剩下的日子都要在醫院度過。然而，她選擇盡可能多待在家裡，相信像這樣侵入性的治療會比疾病本身造成更大的負擔。
So we learned to communicate more freely and to respect Grandma's wishes. And we also learned about how people typically react to terminal illness. They deny reality, feel angry, attempt to strike bargains with God, the universe, fate, they give in to depression, and then they finally accept what is happening.
所以我們學著更自由地溝通並尊重奶奶的願望。我們也了解到人們通常是如何應對絕症。他們否認事實、覺得憤怒，試圖和上帝、宇宙、命運討價還價，他們屈服於沮喪，然後他們終於接受正在發生的事。
Understanding this enabled me to sympathize with what Grandma was going through. But even so, watching her gradually lose the ability to speak, to walk, to take a shower or go to the toilet without help was upsetting to say the least, and I got used to bursting into tears as my emotions regularly overwhelmed me. But when days are in short supply you learn to value them, and each night before bed I made it a habit to go over to my grandma and observe that we'd had another good day. She would look at me and smile in agreement, tacitly understanding that a day spent in each other's company was by definition good.
了解這些使我能夠同理奶奶經歷的一切。但即使如此，看著她漸漸失去說話、走路的能力，沒有幫助就無法洗澡或上廁所，都讓我非常沮喪，而我也經常在受不了自己的情緒時，習慣性地爆哭。但是當來日不多時，你就學會珍惜它們，每天晚上睡前我養成習慣去奶奶那，然後說著我們又度過的一個美好日子。她會看著我然後微笑同意，默認有彼此陪伴的日子本質上就是美好的。
I lost my grandma six months ago. She spent the last two days of her life in hospital, and although by then she wasn't conscious of where she was, she appeared calm and dignified. As I sat by my grandma's hospital bed saying goodbye, I also reflected on my own experience, aware that I was no longer the girl I had been six months previously. But for this experience, I would not have learned how incredibly precious our time is. I'd learned that time is not infinite. And that the limited time we spend with those we love is the most precious time of all.
我六個月前失去我的奶奶。她生前的最後兩天都在醫院裡度過，雖然那時她已經沒有意識自己在哪裡，但她顯得很平靜而且莊嚴。當我坐在奶奶的病床邊道別時，我也回想自己的經歷，意識到自己已經不再是六個月前的那個女孩了。要不是這個經驗，我無法理解我們的時間有多麼珍貴。我學到時間不是無限的。而我們與所愛的人一起度過的有限時光是最珍貴的。
- literature [ˋlɪtərətʃɚ] n.
文學
Herman Melville's novel Moby Dick is considered one of the greatest works of American literature. - mouth-wateringly [ˋmɑʊθˌwɔ·t̬ərɪŋlɪ] adv.
令人垂涎欲滴地
Aunt Lucy gave us some mouth-wateringly tasty snacks that she had made herself that morning. - mouth-watering [ˋmɑʊθˌwɔ·t̬ərɪŋ] adj.
令人垂涎欲滴的
As we passed a bakery, we noticed the mouth-watering cakes in the window and couldn't help but go inside. - urgent [ˋɝdʒənt] adj.
緊急的
Colin had to leave work early to deal with an urgent problem at home. - fit [fɪt] n.
（疾病的）發作（而昏厥）
Annabelle called for an ambulance when she saw a young man having a fit on the street. - diagnose [ˋdaɪəgnoz] v.
診斷
I was worried that I had a serious illness, so when the doctor diagnosed indigestion, I felt quite relieved. - diagnosis [͵daɪəgˋnosɪs] n.
診斷
I got an expert to check my computer, and according to his diagnosis, it had a virus. - lethal [ˋliθəl] adj.
致命的，危險的
A bite from this type of snake can be lethal, and dozens of people are killed by them every year. - nightmare [ˋnaɪt͵mɛr] n.
夢魘，惡夢
The nightmare of final exams will soon be over, and then we will be free to relax. - dignity [ˋdɪgnətɪ] n.
尊嚴，莊嚴
Marianne kept her dignity and refused to lose her temper with the rude man. - dignify [ˋdɪgnə͵faɪ] v.
使有尊嚴，抬舉
I am not going to dignify such a silly question with any kind of response. - dignified [ˋdɪgnə͵faɪd] adj.
莊重的
Mom looked so elegant and dignified in the new clothes she bought for Lucy's wedding. - criticize [ˋkrɪtɪ͵saɪz] v.
批評，批判
Mom was furious when my brother criticized her cooking yesterday. - criticism [ˋkrɪtə͵sɪzəm] n.
批評，批判
Teresa felt the manager's criticism of her work was a little unfair. - accuse [əˋkjuz] v.
指控，控告，譴責
Helen accused Joe of lying to her, but he was telling the truth. - whisper [ˋhwɪspɚ] n.
耳語，私語
Gerard spoke to his classmate in a whisper, and I felt he was talking about me. - sullen [ˋsʌlɪn] adj.
悶悶不樂的
Jeff has been quiet and sullen the whole morning, but I don't know what's wrong with him. - desperately [ˋdɛspərɪtlɪ] adv.
絕望地，不顧一切地
When his boat sank, the man desperately held onto a floating piece of wood. - desperate [ˋdɛspərɪt] adj.
極度渴望的
Desperate to make his date on time, Freddie begged his sister to lend him her scooter. - communicate [kəˋmjunə͵ket] v.
交流思想（或感情、資訊等）；傳達，傳遞
Their relationship seems to have ended because they no longer communicate.
Melissa decided she had better communicate her concerns about the project to her manager. - fantasy [ˋfæntəsɪ] n.
空想，幻想
Jack's plans to live in Hawaii are just a fantasy, so don't take them too seriously. - miracle [ˋmɪrək!] n.
奇蹟，奇蹟般的人（或物）
The boy was so badly injured in the accident that his recovery seems like a miracle. - terrify [ˋtɛrə͵faɪ] v.
使害怕，使驚嚇
My neighbor's dog is large and fierce and it terrifies me whenever I see it. - ashamed [əˋʃemd] adj.
羞愧的，感到難為情的
Barry lost his temper with his little brother and now he is ashamed of himself. - vomit [ˋvɑmɪt] v.
嘔吐
Ted ate and drank too much at the party and vomited twice after he got home. - aggressive [əˋgrɛsɪv] adj.
（手段、治療等）積極的，侵入性的；好鬥的，侵略的
The treatment for the disease needs to be aggressive, and there will be some unpleasant side effects.
The poor waiter had to deal with an aggressive customer who complained angrily about everything. - aggression [əˋgrɛʃən] n.
挑釁
Peter's aggression toward his classmate got him into trouble at school. - terminal [ˋtɝmən!] adj.
末端的，終點的
Though the disease is terminal in fifty percent of cases, it seems Mr. King has a better-than-average chance of recovery. - attempt [əˋtɛmpt] v.
試圖，試圖做
To raise money for charity, Michael will attempt to swim across the lake and back six times. - sympathize [ˋsɪmpə͵θaɪz] v.
同情
Gina sympathized with Betty over the loss of her cat and kept her company. - sympathy [ˋsɪmpəθɪ] n.
同情，同情心
I have no sympathy for George because he caused the problems himself. - infinite [ˋɪnfənɪt] adj.
無限的，無窮的
Government funds are not infinite, and public spending must be carefully planned. - infinity [ɪnˋfɪnətɪ] n.
無限，無窮
Joseph believes everything has a beginning and an end, and there is no such thing as infinity. - stop off
中途拜訪，中途停留
Lydia needs to stop off at the supermarket on her way home from school to buy some eggs. - set one's heart on
渴望得到，一心想要
Sheila set her heart on going to Yale, and she was very disappointed when they didn't accept her. - no object
不成問題，不在話下
If I could travel anywhere, with money and time no object, I would visit Antarctica. - refer sb./sth. to sb./sth.
轉診，轉介（資訊、協助）
Our family doctor referred Mom to an eye surgeon for an operation. - put aside
撇開不理，擱置
Jerry and Peter put aside their disagreement and became good friends once more. - find one's voice
願意表達心聲
Gary is usually quiet during meetings, but he found his voice this morning. - strike a bargain with
達成協議
Derek struck a bargain with his neighbor, and they took turns driving each other to work. - give in
讓步，投降
Talia asked her parents again and again until they finally gave in and let her go traveling with Sally. - to say the least
至少可以這樣說
When Adam's sister damaged his bicycle, he was angry to say the least. - burst into tears
突然哭起來
Ruby was really looking forward to the trip, and that's why she burst into tears when it was canceled. - in short supply
稀少的
This fruit is in short supply at the moment because this year's harvest was a poor one. - by definition
就本質上而言
A cartoon is creative by definition, even if it tells a story that is familiar to everyone.
