Lesson4ThetragedyofoldageinAmerica

1、Lesson FourThe Tragedy of Old Age in AmericaBackground Information 美國社會(huì)保障制度(Social Security)由社會(huì)保險(xiǎn)、社會(huì)福利、社會(huì)救濟(jì)三部分組成。美國自30年代建立保障制度以來，已形成龐大的社會(huì)保障體系。The structure of the text Part 1 (para. 1) Old age is deliberately neglected in America. Part 2 (paras. 2-3) Optimism (樂觀)and euphemism(委婉) are common devices

2、 in face of old age. Part 3 (paras. 4-5) Many elements determine the quality of late life together. Part 4 (paras. 6-15) The old in the United States are neglected and discriminated in many aspects.Part 1 (para. 1) Americans find it difficult to think about old age until they are propelled into the

3、midst of it by their own aging and that of relatives and friends . propel leap over confrontation bittersweet come to terms with propel (v): move, drive or push forward 推進(jìn)；驅(qū)動(dòng)propelled into=pushed into The change is being propelled by the new economic upsurge. 新的經(jīng)濟(jì)高漲正促進(jìn)變革。 His addiction to drugs prop

4、elled him towards a life of crime. 吸毒上癮使他走上犯罪道路。 midst n.中間 prep.在.中間 Aging is the neglected stepchild of the human life cycle. 衰老過程是人的生命周期中被遺衰老過程是人的生命周期中被遺忘的角落。忘的角落。 Stepchild n.前夫前夫(或前妻或前妻)所生子女所生子女neglect n.疏忽疏忽, 忽略忽略, 漏做漏做vt.疏忽疏忽, 忽視忽視, 不顧不顧 1.fall into neglect 漸被忽視漸被忽視/忽略忽略 2.in a state of negle

5、ct 處于無人照管的狀態(tài)處于無人照管的狀態(tài) 3.treat sb. with neglect怠慢某人怠慢某人 Dont neglect old friends, even if you no longer need them. AESOP 即使你不再需要老朋友，也不要怠即使你不再需要老朋友，也不要怠慢他們。慢他們。伊索伊索 so absorbed as to neglect sleep and meals 廢寢忘餐廢寢忘餐leap over 跳過 The dog made a leap over the fence. 狗跳過了圍欄。 Look before you leap. by/in le

6、aps and bounds 迅速的，突飛猛進(jìn)的precede vt. 在在 . 之前之前, 先于先于 He precede his speech with a welcome to the guest. 他演講前先對來賓表示歡迎。他演講前先對來賓表示歡迎。 He came in, preceded by his wife. 他和他的妻子一前一后地走了進(jìn)來。他和他的妻子一前一后地走了進(jìn)來。 confrontation正視;對抗;對診法;對質(zhì);比較;自我對質(zhì);面對 Banks often enter into confrontation. 銀行之間經(jīng)常形成對抗局面。 China always a

7、dvocates dialogue and opposes confrontation in the field of human rights. 中國在人權(quán)問題上一貫主張對話，反對對抗。 external adj. 外來的, 外部的, 外面的, 表面的 n. 外觀, 外部, 外界事物 adj. 醫(yī)外用的 internal adj. 國內(nèi)的, 內(nèi)部的, 身內(nèi)的 bittersweet adj. 又苦又甜的, 苦樂參半的 come to terms with 達(dá)成協(xié)議；妥協(xié)；讓步；屈服 e.g.She has come to terms with her fate. 她已聽天由命了。 He ma

8、naged to come to terms with his illness. 他設(shè)法忍住了疾病的痛苦。 Part 2 (Paras.2-3) Optimism (樂觀)and euphemism(委婉) are common devices in face of old age. barricade n. 路障, 街壘, 障礙物, 柵欄 n. (常用復(fù)數(shù)形式)barricades:有激烈爭論的領(lǐng)域或議題 vt. 設(shè)路障擋住, 阻攔, 封鎖 Please step behind the police barricade. 請站在警戒線之后 morbid adj. 病態(tài)的, 不正常的 副詞:

9、morbidly 名詞: morbidness Dont be so morbid!別盡往壞處想！ A morbid melancholy 病態(tài)的憂郁inspire vt. encourage inspiration 激勵(lì)(者);鼓舞(者) lull sb. into doing sth.哄騙某人干某事 e.g. His promise lulled her into believing that he loved her very much. 他的諾言哄騙她相信他非常愛她。 類似的詞組還有： cheat sb. into doing sth.; persuade sb. into doing

10、 sth. reassure v. 使安心, 再保證, 重拾(信心等) The police reassured her about the childs safety. 警察讓她放心，她的孩子很安全。 eradicate vt. 根除, 根絕, 消滅 He eradicated weeds in his garden 他把花園中的雜草根除了。 形容詞: eradicable 名詞: eradication expectant adj. 期待的;期望的 She turned to me with an expectant look on her face. 她轉(zhuǎn)身望著我，臉上帶著期待的表情。

11、expectantly adv. 期待地, 期望地 The sailors are quiet, looking expectantly towards one ship. 水手們靜靜地心懷期待地朝一艘船張望。 toil n. 辛苦, 苦工 n. We were quite exhausted with the toil. 我們因那件辛苦的工作而感到十分疲憊。 n. 羅網(wǎng), 圈套 v. 苦干, 跋涉, 費(fèi)力地做 run through 貫穿.通達(dá). “跑著穿過，劃掉，揮霍，很快用完” A keen humor runs through his writing. He has run throu

12、gh his whole fortune. Our colloquialisms reveal a great deal: once you are old you are fading fast(不中用了），over the hill(上西山了），out to pasture(靠邊站），“finished(完蛋了），an old crock(老廢物），“fogy(老古板），geezer(怪老頭），biddy(長舌婦）。 colloquialism n口語體，口語說法（用法） pasture n.牧場 put sth/sb out to pasture放（牛馬）等到牧場吃草 認(rèn)為某人年紀(jì)太大而

13、使某人離職（退休） down the drain 被浪費(fèi)掉，沒有結(jié)果 fogy 保守的人 geezer a funny old geezer一個(gè)滑稽的老頭 Part 3 (paras. 4-5) Many elements determine the quality of late life together. What can we possibly conclude from these discrepant points of view? discrepant (a): different 有差異的 discrepancy (n): difference; failure to agre

14、e 差異 They reached widely discrepant conclusions. 他們的結(jié)論大相徑庭。 wishful thinking 如意算盤，癡心妄想 stark 1. adj,（外表上）簡陋的，荒涼的 the stark beauty of the New Mexico desert 2. adj ,明擺著的，無掩飾的 stark reality 3. adj,完全的，全然的，十足的 in stark contrast to 與.完全相反（形成鮮明對照） stereotype n. 模式化觀念, 典型, 老一套陳規(guī)老套, 鉛版 The idea is an old-fa

15、shioned stereotype. 這觀點(diǎn)是老一套了 He doesnt conform to the usual stereotype of city businessman with a dark suit. 他不像典型的城市商人那樣穿一身深色的西裝。 v. 對形成模式化的看法, 使用鉛版 insight n. 洞察力, 見識(shí), 深刻的理解 Ive got an insight into the problem. 我對問題豁然開朗。 The book is filled with remarkable insights 這本書很有真知卓見。 contingent on 視 . 而定,

16、隨 . 而定 Our plan for an outing is contingent on the weather. 我們外出游玩的計(jì)劃視天氣而定。 Our arrival time is contingent on the weather. 我們的抵達(dá)時(shí)間取決于天氣情況。 crucial adj. 決定性的, 關(guān)鍵的 Her work has been crucial to the projects success. 她的工作對項(xiàng)目的成功至關(guān)重要. Trust is crucial for successful friendship. 相互信任是維系友誼的關(guān)鍵。 inherently 本能

17、地；本質(zhì)上地；固有地；生來就有的 e.g. Man is inherently good.人生來就是好的。 注意與naturally的區(qū)別，naturally表示自然地，天然地，如naturally drooping branches 天然下垂的枝條 sublime adj. 高尚的, 壯觀的, 非凡的, 極其的 There is only one step from the sublime to the ridiculous. 偉大與荒謬只有一步之遙。 Jiuzaigou is famous for its sublime scenery. 九寨溝以令人嘆為觀止的景色而聞名。 vt. 變高尚

18、, 升華, 氣化 n. 頂峰, 高尚 ultimately adv. 最后, 最終 All wealth comes ultimately from human labor. 一切財(cái)富歸根到底來源于人類的勞動(dòng)。 make way for 為 . 讓路, 為 . 騰出地方 He stepped aside to make way for us. 他向旁邊走了一步，給我們讓路。 derive from 得到, 獲得, 來自, 起源于 Thousands of English words derive from Latin. imminence n. 急迫, 危急, 馬上要發(fā)生的事物,逼近 The

19、imminence of their exams made them work harder. imminent (adj.): (esp. of unpleasant events) about to happen; likely to happen very soon逼近的, 即將發(fā)生的 conserve (v): prevent sth from being changed, lost or destroyed 保護(hù)；保存 The local government has passed new laws to conserve wildlife in the area. 當(dāng)?shù)卣淹ㄟ^保

20、護(hù)該地區(qū)野生動(dòng)物的新法令。 conserve: keep from change or destruction 保存；保全保存；保全 preserve: keep safe from harm or danger 防防護(hù)；防止護(hù)；防止 These social activities can preserve old people from the loneliness of old age. 這些社交活動(dòng)可以防止老年人的寂寞。這些社交活動(dòng)可以防止老年人的寂寞。 conserve除了有除了有preserve同樣的意思同樣的意思“保存保存”、“儲(chǔ)藏儲(chǔ)藏”；“保護(hù)保護(hù)”，還，還有有“節(jié)約節(jié)約”的意思

21、。的意思。另外，另外，preserve還還可以表示可以表示“防腐防腐”。 Salt preserves food from decay.鹽能防鹽能防止食物腐爛。止食物腐爛。 Part 4 (paras. 6-15) The old in the United States are neglected and discriminated in many aspects. deprivation n. 剝奪, 免職, 匱乏, 喪失 desolation n. 荒蕪, 荒涼, 孤寂, 凄涼mute n. 啞子, 默音字母 adj. 啞的, 沉默的, 無聲的 vt. 減音, 減弱 dumb, mute

22、 這兩個(gè)形容詞均有“啞的，不能說話的”之意。 dumb: 可與mute換用，但dumb指原本沒有說話能力或失去了說話能力。 mute: 多指因后天疾病而引起的聾啞，有時(shí)也指因故不說話。consequence n. the results or effects Wastage was no doubt a necessary consequence of war. 巨大的損耗無疑是戰(zhàn)爭的必然結(jié)果。 in consequence as a consequence sustain (v): undergo; suffer; hold up (the weight of); keep alive or

23、 in existence 經(jīng)受；遭受 He sustained a severe blow on the head. 他的頭部受到重?fù)簟?The foundations were not strong enough to sustain the weight of the house. 地基不夠牢固，承受不住房子的重量。 overwhelm vt. 打擊, 壓倒, 使感動(dòng), 淹沒, 打敗 No difficulty can overwhelm us. 困難壓不倒我們。 overwhelming adj. 1. 勢不可擋的，壓倒之勢的 2. 制服的；無法抗拒的 harsh adj. 粗糙的,

24、嚴(yán)厲的, 刺耳的, 使人不舒服的, 大約的 Good advice is harsh to the ear. (諺)忠言逆耳。 excruciatingly adv. 極痛苦地, 極其地 humiliate vt. 使 . 蒙羞, 使丟臉I(yè)solate vt. 使孤立, 隔離 adj. 孤立的, 單獨(dú)的debilitate (v): make (a person or his body) very weak 使虛弱 He was greatly debilitated by lack of food. 他因吃不飽變得非常虛弱。 Huge debts are debilitating their

25、 economy. 沉著的債務(wù)大大削弱了他的經(jīng)濟(jì)。 inhospitable 冷淡的，不熱情的冷淡的，不熱情的 反義詞：反義詞：hospitable（熱情的）。（熱情的）。 in為否定前綴。注意為否定前綴。注意否定前綴的規(guī)律否定前綴的規(guī)律，il放放在在l起首的單詞，如起首的單詞，如illegal非法的；非法的；im放在放在以以b, m, p起首的單詞前，如起首的單詞前，如impossible不不可能；可能；ir放在以放在以r起著的單詞，如起著的單詞，如irregular不定期的。不定期的。 subsistence n. 生存, 生計(jì), 存在 Subsistence is not possibl

26、e in such conditions. 在這種情況下是無法生存的。 Private pension plans非官方的養(yǎng)老金制度 pay off計(jì)劃等取得成功 They took a hell of a risk but it paid off. 他們冒了很大的風(fēng)險(xiǎn)，但事情成功了。 pay sth off 付清，還清債務(wù) pay sb off 付清工資解雇某人 wipe out v. 消滅, 徹底摧毀, 擦掉 Most diseases could be wiped out. 大多數(shù)疾病是可以被消滅的。 deprive.of.剝奪，使失去 e.g.The people deprived t

27、he king of his power. 人民剝奪了那個(gè)國王的權(quán)力。 These misfortunes almost deprived him of his reason. 這些不幸?guī)缀跏顾ダ碇恰?adversity n. 不幸, 災(zāi)難, 逆境 Sweet are the uses of adversity. 諺禍兮福之所倚。 The fire is the test of gold; adversity of strong men 諺烈火煉真金，逆境煉壯士。 Adversity makes a man wise, not rich. 諺逆境增才干，并不增財(cái)富。 restrain vt

28、. 抑制抑制, 阻止阻止, 束縛束縛, 剝奪剝奪 He couldnt restrain his curiosity. We must not restrain children of their liberty. arbitrary adj. 任意的任意的, 專制的專制的, 武武斷的斷的, 霸道的霸道的 Most presidents in this African country are arbitrary rulers.這個(gè)這個(gè)非洲國家的總統(tǒng)大多數(shù)是專橫的統(tǒng)非洲國家的總統(tǒng)大多數(shù)是專橫的統(tǒng)治者。治者。 I have no idea of what is in fashion so my c

29、hoice is quite arbitrary. 我不知道什么時(shí)興，因此我的選擇我不知道什么時(shí)興，因此我的選擇是非常隨意的。是非常隨意的。 penalize v. 處罰, 使不利 People who drive when they are drunk should be heavily penalized. 對酒醉開車者應(yīng)予重罰。 for that matter 就那件事而論, 關(guān)于那一點(diǎn) I dont know, and for that matter, I dont care. 我不知道，但就此而論，我不介意。 chronic adj （疾病）慢性的，長期的 adj（問題或困難）長期的

30、，反復(fù)出現(xiàn)的 chronic alcoholic/gambler 酒鬼/沉迷于賭博的人 for the most part 多半, 在極大程度上 The lemon drink was for the most part of water. 那檸檬飲料多半成分是水。 impair vt. 損害, 削弱 Loud noise would impair your hearing. 大的噪音會(huì)損害你的聽覺。 Today s attack has seriously impaired attempts to achieve peace in the area. 今天發(fā)動(dòng)的攻擊嚴(yán)重?fù)p害了在該地區(qū)謀取和平

31、的努力。 bother with 為 . 操心, 為 . 費(fèi)心 He has no time to bother with trifles. 他沒有時(shí)間為小事而擔(dān)憂。 辨析untreatable / incurable untreatable:不能治 e.g. untreatable disease不能治的病 incurable:不能治愈的，無法治好的 e.g. incurable disease 不能治好的病 elite n. 精英, 精華 Sadly enough, thats just what most of our elite college students have been d

32、oing most of their precious days! 但可悲的事,類似的事情卻正是我們的精英學(xué)子們每天都要做的! voluntary hospitals 私立醫(yī)院, 民辦醫(yī)院 municipal hospitals 市立醫(yī)院 municipal adj. 市政的, 地方政府的； n. 政府證券 confront 使.無法回避，降臨于 the economic problems confronting the country（這個(gè)國家面臨的經(jīng)濟(jì)問題）The government found itself confronted by massive opposition.(政府發(fā)現(xiàn)自己遭到了強(qiáng)烈的反對。)be confronted with sth 面臨（某事物） fraudulent adj. 欺詐的, 不正的, 不誠實(shí)的 名詞: fraudulence defective adj. 有缺陷的