27. Thank Your Lucky Stars p173

    I remember when I was a young boy, life was tough. My parents made me do many things for them. For example, they had me do the laundry, the dishes and the house cleaning. They even got me to work part-time to help with the family expenses. If I was naughty, they would spank¹ me. They would not let me go outside the house for days. Nowadays, life is quite different for kids. Parents can't force them to do anything. On the contrary, it seems as if children can get their parents to do anything for them. Parents and teachers are even afraid to spank children for fear of being sued. It amazes me , therefore, whenever I hear youngsters complain. Instead, they should be thanking their lucky stars.

    pleasant

    tough = hard 艰苦的        修饰人：凶恶的

    do two loads of laundry        不说：do laundry, do dishes  要加定冠词或其他修饰词

    I'll have my house painted next monday.

    spank sb 打屁股

    spare the rod, spoil the child. 孩子不打不成器

    ground 禁锢

    For fear of failing, Ted² stay up study/studying all night.

    He sued me breaking the contract.