【課文】
First listen and then answer the following question.
聽(tīng)錄音，然后回答以下問(wèn)題。
What, according to the author, is the best way to overcome the fear of death as you get older?
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.
BERTRAND RUSSELL How to grow old from Portraits from Memory
【New words and expressions 生詞和短語(yǔ)】
oppress v. 憂郁，壓抑
justification n. 正當(dāng)理由
justifiably adv. 無(wú)可非議地
cheat v. 欺騙
abject adj. 可憐的
ignoble adj. 不體面的，可恥的
impersonal adj. 超脫個(gè)人感情影響的
ego n. 自我
receded v. 退去
increasing adv. 日益，不斷
passionately adv. 激昂地
painlessly adv. 毫無(wú)痛苦地
vitality n. 精力
weariness n. 疲憊感
【課文注釋】
1.oppress，壓迫，使擔(dān)心、使煩惱。
①To oppress people means to treat them cruelly.壓迫、壓制。
例句：The people are oppressed by the military goverment.
人民受軍政府的壓迫。
②make (sb) feel worried, uncomfortable or unhappy.使擔(dān)心、使煩惱。
例句：It was not just the weather which oppressed her.
讓她郁悶的不僅僅是天氣。
2.in the young，在年輕人身上。
the+形容詞表示一類(lèi)人，后面動(dòng)詞用復(fù)數(shù)形式，比如：
the old 老年人
the rich 有錢(qián)人
the disabled 殘疾人
這種用法相比起the old/rich/disabled people更地道。
3.Young men who have reason...that life has to offer.這個(gè)句子較長(zhǎng)，其中有3個(gè)that。第一個(gè)that引到一個(gè)賓語(yǔ)從句that...battle，是fear的賓語(yǔ)。第二個(gè)that引導(dǎo)一個(gè)同位語(yǔ)從句that they...to offer，說(shuō)明thought的內(nèi)容。第三個(gè)that引導(dǎo)一個(gè)定語(yǔ)從句that life has to offer，修飾things。
4.cheat of...，從……那里騙取……。
①I(mǎi)f someone cheats you out of something, they get it from you by behaving dishonestly.
例句：He was cheated (out) of his rightful inheritance.
他依法應(yīng)得的遺產(chǎn)被人騙走了。
②If someone cheats on their husband, wife, or partner, they have a sexual relationship with another person. 不忠于妻子、丈夫或情人.
例句：I'd found Philippe was cheating on me and I was angry and hurt.
我發(fā)現(xiàn)菲利普對(duì)我不忠，我很生氣也很受傷。
5.whatever work it was in him to do，他所能做的任何工作。
6.so at least it seems to me，這里一個(gè)插入語(yǔ)，用了倒裝語(yǔ)序，自然的語(yǔ)序是at least it seems so to me。在英語(yǔ)中適當(dāng)?shù)氖褂貌迦胝Z(yǔ)可以使文章顯得更有文采^^
7.bit by bit，一點(diǎn)一點(diǎn)地。
bit by bit=little by little
例句：He saved money bit by bit until he have enough to buy a car.
他一點(diǎn)兒一點(diǎn)兒攢錢(qián)直到夠買(mǎi)一輛汽車(chē)。
例句：Little by little the snow disappeared.
雪漸漸消失。
8.merge，合并，融合。
①I(mǎi)f one thing merges with another, or is merged with another, they combine or come together to make one whole thing. You can also say that two things merge, or are merged.
例句:The two marching columns moved closer and finally merged.
行進(jìn)中的兩路縱隊(duì)越走越近，終于合成一路。
②商業(yè)上的兼并。
例句：The bank merged with its major rival.
該銀行與其主要對(duì)手合并了。
9.recede，漸漸退去或遠(yuǎn)去。
例句：As the tide receded we were able to look for shells.
潮水退去，我們就能尋找貝殼了。
10.carry on，繼續(xù)進(jìn)行。
例句：We'll carry on as arranged and they can do their worst.
我們還按我們的計(jì)劃辦事，他們想怎么使壞就隨他們便吧。
例句：After his death, his children will certainly carry on his career.
百年之后，他的孩子一定會(huì)繼承他的事業(yè)。
【參考譯文】
有些老年人因?yàn)榕滤蓝械綗馈Ｇ嗄耆擞羞@種感覺(jué)是情有可原的。有理由害怕自己會(huì)死在戰(zhàn)場(chǎng)上的年輕人，想到自己被剝奪了生活所能給予的美好的東西時(shí)，感到痛苦，這是可以理解的。可是老年人已經(jīng)飽嘗了人間的甘苦，一切能做的都做了，如果怕死，就有點(diǎn)兒可憐又可鄙。克服怕死的好辦法 -- 至少在我看來(lái)是這樣 -- 就是逐漸使自己的興趣更加廣泛，逐漸擺脫個(gè)人狹小的圈子，直到自我的圍墻一點(diǎn)一點(diǎn)地倒塌下來(lái)，自己的生活慢慢地和整個(gè)宇宙的生活融合在一起。個(gè)人的存在應(yīng)該像一條河流，開(kāi)始很小，被緊緊地夾在兩岸中間，接著熱情奔放地沖過(guò)巨石，飛下瀑布。然后河面漸漸地變寬，兩岸后撤，河水流得平緩起來(lái)，后連綿不斷地匯入大海，毫無(wú)痛苦地失去了自我的存在。上了年紀(jì)的人這樣看待生命，就不會(huì)有懼怕死亡的心情了，因?yàn)樽约宏P(guān)心的一切事件都會(huì)繼續(xù)下去。 再者，隨著精力的衰退，老年人的疲憊會(huì)增長(zhǎng)，有長(zhǎng)眠的愿望未嘗不是一件好事情，我希望工作到死為止，明白了有人會(huì)繼續(xù)我的未竟事業(yè)，想到能做的事都做了，也就坦然了。
First listen and then answer the following question.
聽(tīng)錄音，然后回答以下問(wèn)題。
What, according to the author, is the best way to overcome the fear of death as you get older?
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.
BERTRAND RUSSELL How to grow old from Portraits from Memory
【New words and expressions 生詞和短語(yǔ)】
oppress v. 憂郁，壓抑
justification n. 正當(dāng)理由
justifiably adv. 無(wú)可非議地
cheat v. 欺騙
abject adj. 可憐的
ignoble adj. 不體面的，可恥的
impersonal adj. 超脫個(gè)人感情影響的
ego n. 自我
receded v. 退去
increasing adv. 日益，不斷
passionately adv. 激昂地
painlessly adv. 毫無(wú)痛苦地
vitality n. 精力
weariness n. 疲憊感
【課文注釋】
1.oppress，壓迫，使擔(dān)心、使煩惱。
①To oppress people means to treat them cruelly.壓迫、壓制。
例句：The people are oppressed by the military goverment.
人民受軍政府的壓迫。
②make (sb) feel worried, uncomfortable or unhappy.使擔(dān)心、使煩惱。
例句：It was not just the weather which oppressed her.
讓她郁悶的不僅僅是天氣。
2.in the young，在年輕人身上。
the+形容詞表示一類(lèi)人，后面動(dòng)詞用復(fù)數(shù)形式，比如：
the old 老年人
the rich 有錢(qián)人
the disabled 殘疾人
這種用法相比起the old/rich/disabled people更地道。
3.Young men who have reason...that life has to offer.這個(gè)句子較長(zhǎng)，其中有3個(gè)that。第一個(gè)that引到一個(gè)賓語(yǔ)從句that...battle，是fear的賓語(yǔ)。第二個(gè)that引導(dǎo)一個(gè)同位語(yǔ)從句that they...to offer，說(shuō)明thought的內(nèi)容。第三個(gè)that引導(dǎo)一個(gè)定語(yǔ)從句that life has to offer，修飾things。
4.cheat of...，從……那里騙取……。
①I(mǎi)f someone cheats you out of something, they get it from you by behaving dishonestly.
例句：He was cheated (out) of his rightful inheritance.
他依法應(yīng)得的遺產(chǎn)被人騙走了。
②If someone cheats on their husband, wife, or partner, they have a sexual relationship with another person. 不忠于妻子、丈夫或情人.
例句：I'd found Philippe was cheating on me and I was angry and hurt.
我發(fā)現(xiàn)菲利普對(duì)我不忠，我很生氣也很受傷。
5.whatever work it was in him to do，他所能做的任何工作。
6.so at least it seems to me，這里一個(gè)插入語(yǔ)，用了倒裝語(yǔ)序，自然的語(yǔ)序是at least it seems so to me。在英語(yǔ)中適當(dāng)?shù)氖褂貌迦胝Z(yǔ)可以使文章顯得更有文采^^
7.bit by bit，一點(diǎn)一點(diǎn)地。
bit by bit=little by little
例句：He saved money bit by bit until he have enough to buy a car.
他一點(diǎn)兒一點(diǎn)兒攢錢(qián)直到夠買(mǎi)一輛汽車(chē)。
例句：Little by little the snow disappeared.
雪漸漸消失。
8.merge，合并，融合。
①I(mǎi)f one thing merges with another, or is merged with another, they combine or come together to make one whole thing. You can also say that two things merge, or are merged.
例句:The two marching columns moved closer and finally merged.
行進(jìn)中的兩路縱隊(duì)越走越近，終于合成一路。
②商業(yè)上的兼并。
例句：The bank merged with its major rival.
該銀行與其主要對(duì)手合并了。
9.recede，漸漸退去或遠(yuǎn)去。
例句：As the tide receded we were able to look for shells.
潮水退去，我們就能尋找貝殼了。
10.carry on，繼續(xù)進(jìn)行。
例句：We'll carry on as arranged and they can do their worst.
我們還按我們的計(jì)劃辦事，他們想怎么使壞就隨他們便吧。
例句：After his death, his children will certainly carry on his career.
百年之后，他的孩子一定會(huì)繼承他的事業(yè)。
【參考譯文】
有些老年人因?yàn)榕滤蓝械綗馈Ｇ嗄耆擞羞@種感覺(jué)是情有可原的。有理由害怕自己會(huì)死在戰(zhàn)場(chǎng)上的年輕人，想到自己被剝奪了生活所能給予的美好的東西時(shí)，感到痛苦，這是可以理解的。可是老年人已經(jīng)飽嘗了人間的甘苦，一切能做的都做了，如果怕死，就有點(diǎn)兒可憐又可鄙。克服怕死的好辦法 -- 至少在我看來(lái)是這樣 -- 就是逐漸使自己的興趣更加廣泛，逐漸擺脫個(gè)人狹小的圈子，直到自我的圍墻一點(diǎn)一點(diǎn)地倒塌下來(lái)，自己的生活慢慢地和整個(gè)宇宙的生活融合在一起。個(gè)人的存在應(yīng)該像一條河流，開(kāi)始很小，被緊緊地夾在兩岸中間，接著熱情奔放地沖過(guò)巨石，飛下瀑布。然后河面漸漸地變寬，兩岸后撤，河水流得平緩起來(lái)，后連綿不斷地匯入大海，毫無(wú)痛苦地失去了自我的存在。上了年紀(jì)的人這樣看待生命，就不會(huì)有懼怕死亡的心情了，因?yàn)樽约宏P(guān)心的一切事件都會(huì)繼續(xù)下去。 再者，隨著精力的衰退，老年人的疲憊會(huì)增長(zhǎng)，有長(zhǎng)眠的愿望未嘗不是一件好事情，我希望工作到死為止，明白了有人會(huì)繼續(xù)我的未竟事業(yè)，想到能做的事都做了，也就坦然了。