看美劇學英語《絕望主婦》林內特的絕望生活
I was laid to rest on a Monday. After the funeral, all the residents of Wisteria Lane came to pay their respects. And as people do in this situation, they brought food. Lynette Scavo brought fried chicken. Lynette had a great family recipe for fried chicken. Of course, she didn’t cook much as she was moving up the corporate ladder. She didn’t have the time. But when her doctor announced Lynette was pregnant, her husband Tom had an idea. Why not quit your job? Kids do much better with stay at home mums; it was so much less stressful. But this was not the case. In fact, Lynette’s life had become so hectic she was now forced to get her chicken from a fast food restaurant. Lynette would have appreciated the irony of it if she stopped to think about it, but she couldn’t. She didn’t have the time.
1.【be laid to rest】安息，死的委婉說法-I was laid to rest on a Monday.
2.【as sb do sth in the situation+一般現在時的瞬時動作】，表示在某種情形之下的常規行爲as是一個詞性較多，用法繁多並且意義容易混淆的詞，作連詞的時候的用法有a． 描述同時發生的事 As she grew older she gained in confidence.
b．描述途徑 They did as I had asked.
c．表示原因As you were out, I left a message.
d．引導評論 As you know, Julia is leaving soon.
e．引導補充說明She is very tall, as is her mother.
f．就算某事的真實性成立，接下來發生的事情也成立。Happy as they were, there was something missing.（就算他們曾經快樂，也是有損失的）
3.【a recipe for sth】菜譜-Lynette had a great family recipe for fried chicken.
4.【move over/up】 使提升-Of course, she didn’t cook much as she was moving up the corporate ladder. 爲了晉升而忙碌，所以她很少做飯。
5. 動詞短語做名詞性定語【stay-at-home mum】全職主婦-Why not quit your job? Kids do much better with stay-at-home mums.
6. 事實並非如此-But【this was not the case】. In fact, Lynette’s life had become so hectic. 丈夫提議讓妻子辭去工作，可以過上沒有壓力的日子，而事實並非如此，因爲妻子因繁忙而興奮。
7. She was now forced to get her chicken from a fast food restaurant. Lynette would have appreciated the irony of it if she stopped to think about it, but she couldn’t. She didn’t have the time. 雖然她懂得如何做出令人稱讚的炸雞，但她不得不去餐廳買一隻做好的。如果她能夠停下來思考一下這件諷刺的事情的話，她應該感謝這件事，可惜她沒有機會去感謝，因爲她沒有時間去考慮這個諷刺。
註釋——該句中的諸多賓語的省略或替代會引起理解困難。另外，此處的虛擬語氣 would have done +if did 是混合虛擬，主句用would have done表示和過去事實相反，表示她過去應該感謝這種諷刺，而事實上她沒有過；從句用一般過去時，表示對現在或者未來事實假設，如果現在或者將來她能夠停下來思考。
