--- url: https://gaojian.site/new-concept/book-4/11-how-to-grow-old.md description: 新概念英语第四册：How to Grow Old。精读、词块回忆、双向译练、句法、逻辑与FSRS复习。 --- # 怎样变老 ## 课文学习台 {#study} ### 第1段 Some old people are oppressed by the fear of death. In the young there is a justification for this feeling. Young men who have reason to fear that they will be killed in battle may justifiably feel bitter in the thought that they have been cheated of the best things that life has to offer. But in an old man who has known human joys and sorrows, and has achieved whatever work it was in him to do, the fear of death is somewhat abject and ignoble. The best way to overcome it—so at least it seems to me—is to make your interests gradually wider and more impersonal, until bit by bit the walls of the ego recede, and your life becomes increasingly merged in the universal life. An individual human existence should be like a river—small at first, narrowly contained within its banks, and rushing passionately past boulders and over waterfalls. Gradually the river grows wider, the banks recede, the waters flow more quietly, and in the end, without any visible break, they become merged in the sea, and painlessly lose their individual being. The man who, in old age, can see his life in this way, will not suffer from the fear of death, since the things he cares for will continue. And if, with the decay of vitality, weariness increases, the thought of rest will be not unwelcome. I should wish to die while still at work, knowing that others will carry on what I can no longer do, and content in the thought that what was possible has been done. 中文理解：有些老年人因为对死亡的恐惧而倍感压抑。 青年人有所压抑还情有可原。 青年人有理由害怕自己战死沙场，一想到自己本来可以享受生命的馈赠，却无福消受，他们感到苦涩就很合理。 可是对于老年人来说，已然历经人间悲欢，也完成了所想做之事，还是怕死，就有些可怜且不光彩了。 克服这种恐惧，最好的办法——至少在我看来如此——是逐渐拓宽兴趣，不再事事以自己为中心，直到自我的围墙逐渐退却，自己的生活慢慢地和整个宇宙的生活融合一体。 个人的存在应该像一条河流，源头很小，紧紧地限于两岸，接着热情奔放地冲过巨石，飞下瀑布。 河面渐渐变宽，河岸逐渐退却，河水流得平缓起来，最后连绵不断地汇入大海，毫无痛苦地失去了自我的存在。 上了年纪的人如此看待生命，就不会惧怕死亡，因为自己在意的一切都会继续下去。 再者，随着精力的衰退，老年人会更为疲惫，好好休息的想法未尝不受欢迎。 我希望于工作中离去，知道他人会继续我未竟之事，想到能做的事都做了，就满足无憾了。 * **at first**：起初 / 终于 / 马上 / 首次 / 再一次；这些时间词不能随意互换，先看原文把哪两个阶段接起来。 * **in the end**：最后；最终；适合一连串变化之后交代结果；不要与具体地点的 at the end of 混淆。 * **in this way**：拾起或接人 / 用这种办法；pick up 的意义取决于宾语和情境，不能只记“捡起”。 * **carry on**：执行 / 继续；out 强调把任务实施，on 强调继续。 * **no longer**：不再；这类否定常标记故事或观点的变化，复述时不能漏掉。 #### 1. people are oppressed… 简单句，主谓结构. #### 2. there is a justification… there be 句型结构. #### 3. Young men may feel bitter… 复合句，主句为主系表结构，但里面穿插了众多修饰成分. who…battle 为修饰young men 的定语从句，该定语从句中，有一个不定式短语作定语，to fear…in battle，该定语中，含有一个完整的句子，可以看作是fear 的宾语从句，我们予以细分，该宾语从句为主谓结构. \[感谢读者@花崎赤瞳纠正拼写错误 20200225] 之后是一个that they have…offer 的同位语从句，对thought 的内容进行说明，该同位语从句为主谓宾结构，在该从句中，含有一个that life…offer 定语从句修饰things，该定语从句为主谓结构. 第二次世界大战于1945年结束，1950年代的文章中提及青年人可能死于战争非常合理. #### 4. who…the fear is abject and ignoble. 复合句，句首是一个定语从句who…to do 修饰状语，该定语从句为并列结构，定语从句的前半句为主谓宾结构，and 后面省略了主语who，然后是主谓+宾语从句结构，宾语从句为whatever work it was in him to do. 调整语序为it was (whatever) work \[in him] \[to do]. 主句为主系表结构. #### 5. way is to make your interests gradually wider and more impersonal until… 复合句，主句为主系表结构，中间有一个插入语，转换成正常语序为at least it seems so to me. 不定式to make 短语作表语，不过这里面在逻辑上有主谓形式存在，make interest wider and personal，细分成补足语. until 到句末为时间状语从句，该从句为并列句，前句为主谓结构，and 后面为主系表结构. #### 6. existence should be like a river… 简单句，主系表结构，后面接了很多定语. 句中热情奔放地冲过巨石，飞下瀑布即比喻人生的青春阶段. #### 7. the river grows wider, the banks recede, the waters flow, and they become merged, and lose their individual being. 并列简单句，主谓结构. 逗号在这里是比较特殊的用法，属于连接一个句子中的平行成分，这里的成分由短句构成. 一般说来，逗号不能用来连接完整的两个句子，要么以分号、冒号，要么以and 相连. 句子结构比较简单，均为主谓宾或主系表结构. 最后and painlessly 后面省略了they 主语. #### 8. The man who can see his life…will not suffer from the fear since the things will continue. 复合句，主句为主谓宾结构，其中有一个who 引导的定语从句修饰man，该定语从句为主谓宾结构. 后面有一个since 引导的原因状语从句，为主谓结构，该从句中有一个定语从句he cares for，为主谓结构. #### 9. if weariness increases, the thought will be not unwelcome. 复合句，主句为主系表结构. 句首为if 引导的条件状语从句，主谓结构. #### 10. I should wish to die while… 复合句，主句为虚拟语气的用法，主谓宾结构. while still at work 省略了I am，还原为while I am \[still] at work. while…done 整句为时间状语从句，该从句中有一个knowing…no longer do 的原因状语，该状语成分之中含有一个that 引导的从句作knowing 的宾语，该宾语从句为主谓+宾语从句结构，这个宾语从句中的从句是what 引导的宾语从句，为主谓宾结构. and 后面content…thought 为原因状语，后面that what…done 是同位语从句，为主谓结构，该从句中又有一个what 引导的主语从句，为主系表结构. ## 学完这一课 选一个可以讨论的判断，说明依据，再加上一句限制或不同情况。 [Nce · 本册复习台](/new-concept/book-4/review) · [三册选择地图](/new-concept/) *译文与解析据吴应时整理资料及本站首轮审校稿；词伙与练习提示为本站学习设计。原PDF第47—49页，2022年2月第2版。*