坚持阅读20分钟原汁原味的英文报刊文章，看我的原创解析，既涨知识，又涨姿势。持之以恒，不断进步，阅读原版不是梦！
一个4岁男孩的命重要，还是一只大猩猩的命重要？4岁男孩误入大猩猩领地，被后者暴力拖拽时，动物园没有试图对大猩猩实施麻醉，而直接开枪杀了它。社会舆论都为那只大猩猩的死感到不公。那位没看好孩子令大猩猩殒命的母亲现在成了众矢之的，她和她老公也并不意外地被“人肉”。到底这是这位母亲的责任吗？今天的文章作者从一个母亲实际的情况讲述了她的观点，为了清楚表达作者的意思，我摘取了四个段落。
Soon, I had dozens of responses from other parents, sharing their close calls. A mother whose small child had grabbed a stool and climbed out a second-story window. A handful of stories of children who had momentarily disappeared from their parents in malls and grocery stores. Near drownings, poisonings and stabbings. Broken bones, stitches and concussions – all on a loving parent’s watch. The stories poured out of parents, mostly mothers, with a sense of relief – they were finally able to say the thing that we never admit in public.
No amount of good parenting can guarantee our kids’ safety.
It is a terrifying thing to admit, but it’s true. Small children have a death wish. They have an innate sense of curiosity matched with the inability to comprehend danger. Add to that small size, surprisingly quick movement, and a creativity forgotten in adulthood, and you have a recipe for never-ending possible disaster.
And, predictably, we blame mothers. The pressure on mothers to be ever vigilant, never tired, never unhappy, never overwhelmed and never distracted is an impossible and dangerous expectation. The idea that we should be able to “manage” our children, as if they are reasonable adults and not semi-feral animals covered in germs and fueled by destruction, is laughable. But we perpetrate these myths, and whenever the truth becomes unavoidable, we shame the mother instead of looking at the situation honestly.
来自卫报，作者Ijeoma Oluo
Soon, I had dozens of responses from other parents, sharing their close calls. A mother whose small child had grabbed a stool and climbed out a second-story window. A handful of stories of children who had momentarily disappeared from their parents in malls and grocery stores. Near drownings, poisonings and stabbings. Broken bones, stitches and concussions – all on a loving parent’s watch. The stories poured out of parents, mostly mothers, with a sense of relief – they were finally able to say the thing that we never admit in public.
Soon, I had dozens of responses from other parents, sharing their close calls. A mother whose small child had grabbed a stool and climbed out a second-story window. A handful of stories of children who had momentarily disappeared from their parents in malls and grocery stores.
close call
意思是'侥幸脱险，九死一生，死里逃生'，表明那些差一点发生的倒霉事，或是差一点做到不该做的事情。
We didn't actually hit the other car, but it was a close call.
我们到没有撞上那辆汽车，可险些出了事。
本段之前作者在网络上描写了她自己孩子出现的以外情况，接下来这段就说接到了其他父母的回应responses。
grabbed a stool抓起一个板凳，这里的stool就是小孩子坐的小板凳。
A handful of 一把，少数、几个
momentarily 顷刻之间，形容非常短的时间内发生
The dark room was momentarily lit up by a vivid flash of lightning.
那黑洞洞的房间顿时被强烈的闪电照亮了。
malls and grocery stores，这里的mall指大型购物商场， grocery store指的是杂货铺，小卖部，楼底下的小商店
Near drownings, poisonings and stabbings. Broken bones, stitches and concussions – all on a loving parent’s watch. The stories poured out of parents, mostly mothers, with a sense of relief – they were finally able to say the thing that we never admit in public.
drownings, poisonings and stabbings 溺水，中毒，刺伤
Broken bones, stitches and concussions骨折，缝针，脑震荡
a sense of relief 一丝宽慰
原文
Soon, I had dozens of responses from other parents, sharing their close calls. A mother whose small child had grabbed a stool and climbed out a second-story window. A handful of stories of children who had momentarily disappeared from their parents in malls and grocery stores. Near drownings, poisonings and stabbings. Broken bones, stitches and concussions – all on a loving parent’s watch. The stories poured out of parents, mostly mothers, with a sense of relief – they were finally able to say the thing that we never admit in public.
大意
很快，我就收到了其他父母的回复，分享他们的千钧一发之际。有一位母亲，他的孩子抓着一个小凳子，爬出了二层楼的窗户。还有有许多小孩子在商场和小商店在父母手里顷刻之间丢失的故事。差点溺水，中毒和被刺伤。骨折，缝针，脑震荡——等等都发生在亲爱的父母的监护下。这些故事道出了父母，主要是母亲，不敢在公共场合承认的事情，也给她们带来了一丝宽慰。
No amount of good parenting can guarantee our kids’ safety.
No amount of 无论多少
no amount of money could make me change my mind
不管多少钱都不能改变我的想法。
guarantee 保证
这句大意：
无论父母在怎么管教孩子也不能保证它们的安全。
It is a terrifying thing to admit, but it’s true. Small children have a death wish. They have an innate sense of curiosity matched with the inability to comprehend danger. Add to that small size, surprisingly quick movement, and a creativity forgotten in adulthood, and you have a recipe for never-ending possible disaster.
terrifying让人恐惧的
innate sense of curiosity matched with the inability to comprehend danger
innate 天生的
inability to对什么无能为力，不能
comprehend danger发现，捕捉危险
innate sense of curiosity matched with the inability to comprehend danger意思是天生非常好奇，却又没有能力发现危险
creativity forgotten in adulthood成年人早就忘记的创造力，这里指小孩子做出动人想不到的举动。
a recipe for never-ending possible disaster
这里recipe是秘诀的意思，a recipe for success成功的秘诀
a recipe for never-ending possible disaster前面那些东西都是灾难永远不会结束的秘诀啊。
大意
这恐怕非常难以让人承认，但这却是千真万确的。小孩子总有送死的愿望。它们天生就非常好奇，但是却不能意识到危险。加上它们小身材，行动又惊人地迅速以及成年人没有的创造性，这简直就是拥有永不结束灾难的秘诀啊。
And, predictably, we blame mothers. The pressure on mothers to be ever vigilant, never tired, never unhappy, never overwhelmed and never distracted is an impossible and dangerous expectation. The idea that we should be able to “manage” our children, as if they are reasonable adults and not semi-feral animals covered in germs and fueled by destruction, is laughable. But we perpetrate these myths, and whenever the truth becomes unavoidable, we shame the mother instead of looking at the situation honestly.
And, predictably, we blame mothers. The pressure on mothers to be ever vigilant, never tired, never unhappy, never overwhelmed and never distracted is an impossible and dangerous expectation.
vigilant警惕的，警觉的
overwhelmed 被战胜，被压倒，根据语境可以有不同的理解
this place is so beautifull and my eys are i'm a little overwhelmed at the moment.
这地方太美了，这会儿我真是有点目不暇接了。
这里理解为不知所措
distracted分心，注意力转移
The idea that we should be able to “manage” our children, as if they are reasonable adults and not semi-feral animals covered in germs and fueled by destruction, is laughable. But we perpetrate these myths, and whenever the truth becomes unavoidable, we shame the mother instead of looking at the situation honestly.
reasonable adults明事理，能讲道理的成年人
semi-feral animals
semi表示半，semi-circle半圈,semi-final半决赛
feral 野蛮的
semi-feral animals半野蛮的动物
covered in germs and fueled by destruction
germs 细菌
fueled by，本意是以什么为动力，这里可以理解为充斥着
covered in germs and fueled by destruction全身布满细菌，充满了破坏欲。
perpetrate these myths
myth这里是观念。perpetrate 本意是做出犯罪或者错误的事情，做出这些观念，这里可以理解为编造
perpetrate these myths编造了这些观念
shame the mother
shame这里做动词，羞辱
这段大意
可以预见地，我们责怪母亲。强制母亲一直警觉，从来不累，从来不会不开心，永远不会手足无措，永远不会分心，是不可能也是危险的期望。我们觉得我们应该有能力去管理这些孩子，就好像它们是明白事理的成年人，而不是全身布满细菌，充满了破坏欲的半野蛮动物，这种想法是可笑的。但是我们编造了这些观念，每当真相无法掩盖的时候，我们就羞辱母亲而不是诚恳地看待当时的情况。
重新阅读原文，享受阅读快乐。
Soon, I had dozens of responses from other parents, sharing their close calls. A mother whose small child had grabbed a stool and climbed out a second-story window. A handful of stories of children who had momentarily disappeared from their parents in malls and grocery stores. Near drownings, poisonings and stabbings. Broken bones, stitches and concussions – all on a loving parent’s watch. The stories poured out of parents, mostly mothers, with a sense of relief – they were finally able to say the thing that we never admit in public.
No amount of good parenting can guarantee our kids’ safety.
It is a terrifying thing to admit, but it’s true. Small children have a death wish. They have an innate sense of curiosity matched with the inability to comprehend danger. Add to that small size, surprisingly quick movement, and a creativity forgotten in adulthood, and you have a recipe for never-ending possible disaster.
And, predictably, we blame mothers. The pressure on mothers to be ever vigilant, never tired, never unhappy, never overwhelmed and never distracted is an impossible and dangerous expectation. The idea that we should be able to “manage” our children, as if they are reasonable adults and not semi-feral animals covered in germs and fueled by destruction, is laughable. But we perpetrate these myths, and whenever the truth becomes unavoidable, we shame the mother instead of looking at the situation honestly.
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