What It Means to Turn 20

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About two weeks ago, I finally turned 20. It’s odd how the times go by in your teens, because it doesn’t seem like that long ago that I was still 17. Likewise, 18 doesn’t seem so foreign1. foreign： 陌生的，不相干的。to me quite yet.But when I think about what that means in present terms, I realize that the incoming college freshmen class are made up of 17 and 18 years old, and freshman year of college already seems miles away from where I am now.

Anytime you reach a new decade, you automatically2. automatically： 自動(dòng)地，無意識(shí)地。feel like something has to be different. When I turned 10, I realized that I would never be a single digit3. single digit： 個(gè)位數(shù)。age again. The night before I turned 20, I lay in bed, thinking about how different I would feel. I woke up on my birthday feeling exactly the same. It was still gray and rainy outside, like the East Coast4. East Coast：（美國）東海岸，指美國最東部的海岸地區(qū)，是美國人口主要聚集地，許多國際知名大城市都位于這一地區(qū)，如波士頓、紐約等等。always is in the winter. I was still tired from waking up in the morning. I was still a mere 5’2”. On the outside nothing was different. I didn’t think I felt different on the inside either.

But now that some time has passed, I realize what it means to be 20.Simply put, I’m not a teenager anymore. There are certain things I’m not allowed to do anymore. I’m not allowed to whine5. whine： 發(fā)牢騷，抱怨。and complain about little things that bother me. I’m not allowed to call home and tell my mother how irritated6. irritated： 惱怒的，生氣的。I am at one of my friends. I’m not allowed to let my dirty laundry accumulate for three weeks before finally mustering up the strength to dump it in the washing machine.7. laundry： 要洗的衣服；accumulate：堆積，積累；muster up： 振作（精神、勇氣等）；dump： 把……倒空，（傾斜或翻過來）傾倒。I’m not allowed to passive-aggressively mope and repress my anger when someone is treating me wrong.8. 當(dāng)別人待我不公時(shí)，我不能再消極對(duì)待，悶悶不樂，壓抑我的怒氣。passive-aggressive： 消極地進(jìn)攻，即間接表達(dá)怒氣，例如通過拖延、悶悶不樂、故意失敗等方式表示自己的不滿；mope： 悶悶不樂，憂郁。I’m not allowed to show up to class and spend the whole time playing games on my phone when I’m bored.

古人稱女子二十為“桃李年華”，是說二十歲的女子正像一朵盛開最艷的花，走進(jìn)了人生最美妙的年紀(jì)。漸漸成熟的青春，依舊帶些孩童的稚氣與青澀，卻又有了成年人的深沉和思考，靜靜期盼著夢(mèng)想與現(xiàn)實(shí)的交集。與《英語學(xué)習(xí)》相伴數(shù)年的作者Sophie剛剛邁入二十歲，她將與大家一起分享她的成長感悟。

When you’re 20, you’re not allowed to let anyone hurt you. There is only one person who can ever guarantee your happiness, and that’s you. No one can ever take that away and you shouldn’t ever let anyone make you feel like your life is over when they leave you.

When you’re 20, you realize a few things: friends may make you feel warm and cozy9. cozy： 舒適的，安逸的。, but they aren’t forever. They will come and go,and though you may feel like they’re irreplaceable10. irreplaceable： 不能替代的，獨(dú)一無二的。, they’re not. You will find new friends and forget about old ones. You will move on.

When you’re 20, you discover that your parents are the coolest people you will ever talk to. You should never let yourself feel embarrassed by them, because they are the two people who will always be there for you. They will love you unconditionally11. unconditionally： 無條件地，無保留地。no matter what you do, and unlike friends, they will be there forever. They will never hurt you. They will be there long after your supposed best friend screams and yells at you and slams12. slam： 砰地關(guān)上（門、窗等），使勁地關(guān)。the door. They will be there long after that same best friend comes crawling back, asking you for forgiveness.

When you’re 20, you learn to be grateful.There is never a time when you feel like you don’t have enough. Your life is abundant13. abundant： 豐富的，充足的。and full of beautiful opportunities, but you’ll never realize that if you don’t bother to see them. You have the power to learn and create your own future. You hold the key to your life, and no one can ever tell you otherwise.

When you’re 20, you figure out how to stand up for yourself. When a teacher gives you an unfair grade you know you don’t deserve, you get right up out of your seat and march over to his desk and ask why. If he doesn’t change it, you stand up and go right up to the principal14. principal： 校長。. When someone makes a racist or offensive joke at your expense, you no longer sit there and laugh weakly along with everyone else.15. 如果有人開種族歧視或無禮的笑話，拿你開涮，你不能呆坐在那里，跟著別人傻笑。You stand up and tell that person exactly what you think of them, and then you leave. Those people aren’t worth your valuable time.

When you’re 20, you acquire the con fidence to love yourself. There will be no more days when you stand in front of the mirror and tell yourself that you need to lose weight for boys to love you or get a nose job16. get a nose job： 對(duì)鼻子進(jìn)行整容。to be prettier. Every day you will get up and remind yourself how awesome you are. How smart you are. How beautiful you are, on the inside and out. How lucky everyone else is to be blessed with your company. There is no one that you should love more than yourself. Don’t let anyone tell you that the world doesn’t revolve17. revolve：（以……為中心）環(huán)繞，圍繞。around you. You are the center of your own universe and your physical and mental health are the only things that matter.

No, these aren’t rules that are written down in any code of law18. code of law： 法規(guī)，法典。.These are things that you instinctively realize when you feel that it’s time to grow up. I know that I’m still young and more things will continue to come to me as I get older, but I leave behind my teens with a simultaneous sense of nostalgia and pride.19. simultaneous： 同時(shí)存在的；nostalgia： 留戀過去，懷舊。I will get up each day and be different. I will change.