Four Friends, a Magical Pair of Pants, and a Very Special Summer 牛仔褲的夏天：四位女孩共譜動人夏日樂章 The Sisterhood▼ of the Traveling Pants was an important young adult novel to countless young women. 《牛仔褲的夏天》對無數年輕女性來說是本重要的青年小說。
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants is a novel by Ann Brashares about four best friends: Lena, Tibby, Bridget, and Carmen. The friends spend the summer before their junior year of high school apart, but before they leave they go shopping and find a pair of old jeans. Even though each girl has a very different body type, the jeans fit each of them perfectly. The girls decide to share the “magic” pants throughout the summer, passing them along by mail along with updates▼ and messages of support and love. The pants become a symbol of the girls’ special connection and sisterhood. The jeans also help them keep in touch and offer them a way to rely on one another as they each go on their separate adventures. The book is the first in a series of five books. The novels—as well as the well-received 2005 movie adaptation▼ of the first book—offer important lessons for young women. In the book and its sequels, the girls deal with common coming-of-agechallenges such as love, friendship, loss, and becoming an adult.
1. apart adv. 相隔地；分開地 The couple swear that they will never spend the rest of their lives apart. 這對伴侶發誓餘生將永不分離。
2. perfectly adv. 完美地；完全／十足地 Grace was very pleased with the meal because her steak was perfectly cooked. 葛瑞絲很滿意她的餐點，因為她的牛排煎得很完美。
3. message n. 訊息；消息；口信 Rebecca is not available at the moment. Would you like to leave a message? 蕾貝卡目前沒空。您想要留言嗎？
4. symbol n. 象徵；標誌 Roses are a symbol of love in western cultures. 玫瑰在西方文化中是愛情的象徵。
5. keep in touch 保持聯繫／聯絡 = stay in touch Randall keeps in touch with his clients by email. 蘭道用電子郵件與客戶保持聯絡。 Wesley tried to stay in touch with his high school best friends, but they lost touch in the end. 衛斯理努力與高中好友保持聯絡，但他們最終還是失聯。 * lose touch 失聯；不再聯絡
6. rely on... 倚靠……；信任…… Andy and Jessica can always rely on each other when they are faced with difficulties. 安迪與潔西卡面對困境時總是能相互倚靠。 * be faced with... 面臨／對……
7. well-received a. 備受好評的 The writer’s new book has been well-received by readers. 該位作家的新書備受讀者好評。
8. challenge n. 挑戰 This new task is no easy challenge for Edward to handle. 這項新任務對愛德華來說不是一項能輕易應付的挑戰。
▼ sisterhood n. 姊妹情誼 ▼ update n. 最新消息；（軟體、設備的）更新 ▼ adaptation n. 改編（本）；適應
成年禮 本文中的形容詞 coming-of-age 表「成年的；與成年主題相關的」，源自動詞片語 come of age 表「成年；到達法定年齡」。所謂的成年禮即為 coming-of-age ceremony。例： Marcy’s son will come of age by the end of next year. （瑪西的兒子明年年底將會到達法定年齡。） Coming-of-age ceremonies are taken very seriously in many cultures. （成年禮在許多文化當中非常受到重視。）
