《高級英語》課文逐句翻譯(20)Lesson-Four-BThe-Tragedy(悲劇)-of-Old-Age-in-America

1、高級英語課文逐句翻譯（17） Lesson Four The Tragedy(悲劇) of Old Age in America By Robert N. Butler Text 美國老年的悲劇 What is it like to be old in the United States ? 在美國，老年是個什么樣子？ What will our own lives be like when we are old ? 當我們自己老了以后，生活會是什么樣子？ Americans find it difficult to think about old age until they are pro

2、pelled into the midst of it by their own aging and that of relatives and friends . 美國人感到在他們置身于自己的老年或親朋好友的老年之中以前要考慮老年時的狀況是很困難的。 Aging is the neglected stepchild of the human life cycle . 衰老過程是人類生命周期中被忽視的非親生兒。 Though we have begun to examine the socially taboo(忌諱) subjects of dying and death , we have

3、 leaped over that that long period of time preceding death , we have leaped over that long period of time preceding death known as old age . 雖然我們已開始研究有關(guān)臨終和死亡這個為社會所忌諱的題目，但是我們卻跳過了死亡來臨之前、稱為老年的那一段漫長的時間。 推薦精選In truth , it is easier to manage the problem of death than the problem of living as an old perso

4、n . 其實對待死亡的問題比對待老年時生活的問題要更容易 Death is a dramatic one-time crisis while old age is a day-by day and year by year confrontation with (對抗)powerful external and internal forces , a bittersweet coming to terms with ones own personality and ones life .。 死亡是富有戲劇性的一次性危機，而老年則一天天一年年都在與強大的內(nèi)外力量抗爭，是一種苦樂參半的逐漸適應(yīng)自己

5、的個性和生活的過程1 Those of us who are not old barricade(阻止) ourselves from discussions of old age by declaring the subject morbid , boring or in poor taste . 我們之中那些未老的人阻撓我們討論老齡問題，宣稱這一話題是病態(tài)的、枯燥的、粗俗的。 Optimism (樂觀)and euphemism(委婉) are other common devices . 其他常見的回避這個問題的方法有在談?wù)摃r用樂觀的詞語和委婉說法。 people will speak

6、of looking forward to their “ retirement years “ . The elderly are described respectfully as “ senior citizens “ , “ golden agers “ , “ our elders “ , and one hears of old people who are considered inspirations and examples of how to “ ag推薦精選e well “(不顯老) or “ gracefully “ (老而莊重). 人們會說到期待“退休年齡”的到來，老

7、人被尊稱為“年長的公民”，“金齡人”，“我們的長者”，而且人們聽說有的老人在怎樣能“不顯老”或“老而莊重”方面成為鼓舞力量和榜樣。 There is the popularly accepted opinion that Social Security and pensions provide a comfortable and reliable flow of funds so the elderly have few financial worries . 還有一個人們普遍接受的看法，說社會福利和養(yǎng)老金源源不斷地提供寬裕的可靠的收入，因此老人很少有經(jīng)濟上的擔憂 Medicare has l

8、ulled(麻貔) the population into reassuring itself that the once terrible financial burdens of late-life illnesses are now eradicated . 對老人的國家醫(yī)療照顧制度誘使所有的人們放心地認為，晚年疾病造成的那一度可怕的經(jīng)濟負擔已被連根消滅了。 Advertisements and travel folders show relaxed , happy , well-dressed older people enjoying recreation (消譴), travel

9、and their grandchildren . 廣告和折頁旅行指南展示了輕松快樂、衣著考究的老人享受著娛樂、旅游和兒孫之樂 推薦精選If they are no longer living in the old family home , they are pictured as delighted residents of retirement communities with names like Leisure World and Sun City , with lots of grass , clean air and fun . 。假如他們不再住在原來的家里，他們就被描繪成退休老

10、人社區(qū)的快活的居民，這些社區(qū)有著像悠閑世界、太陽城一類的名字，綠草如茵、空氣清新、其樂無窮。 This is the American ideal of the “ golden years “ toward which millions of citizens are expectantly toiling through their workdays . 這就是千百萬公民辛勞地度過他們的工作日時心中期待著要實現(xiàn)的那個美國“金色歲月”的理想。 But this is not the full story . A second theme runs through the popular vi

11、ew of old age . 但這并不是全部情況。在人們對老年的流行看法中還貫穿著另一個調(diào)子， Our colloquialisms （口語）reveal(說明) a great deal : once you are old you are “ fading fast “很快枯荽 , “ over the hill “ 走下坡路, “ out to pasture “靠邊站 , “ down the drain “徒勞無功 , “ finished “ 完蛋了, “ out of date “過時了 , an “ old crock “老廢物, “ fogy “ 老古板, “ geezer

12、 “怪老頭兒 , or “ biddy “ 長舌婆. 推薦精選我們的口語用詞很說明問題：你一旦老了，便“很快枯萎”，“走下坡路”，“靠邊站”，”徒勞無功”，“完蛋了”，“過時了”，是個“老廢物”，“老古板”，“怪老頭兒”或“長舌婆”。 One hears children saying they are afraid to get old , middle-aged people declaring they want to die after they have passed their prime , and numbers of old people wishing they were

13、dead . 人們聽到孩子們說他們害怕變老，中年人聲稱他們愿意在壯年過后就死去，而許多老人但愿自己早已死去。 What can we possibly conclude from these discrepant差異性 points of view ? 從這些互相矛盾的看法中我們能夠得出什么樣的結(jié)論呢？ Our popular attitudes could be summed up as a combination of wishful thinking and stark terror . 可以把流行在我們之中的態(tài)度歸納為癡心妄想和赤裸裸的恐懼的結(jié)合。 We base our feelin

14、gs on primitive fears , prejudice(偏見) and stereotypes(墨守成規(guī)) rather than on knowledge and insight . 我們將感情建筑在原始的恐懼、偏見和墨守成規(guī)上而不是建筑在知識和遠見之上。 In reality , the way one experiences old age is contingent upon (與什麼有關(guān))physical health , personality 性格, earlier-life experiences早年經(jīng)歷 , the actual circumstances of

15、late life events 晚年生活具體情形( in what order they occur , how they occur , when they occur ) an推薦精選d the social supports one receives : 事實上，一個人老年經(jīng)歷如何是因下列因素而異的：身體健康狀況、性格、早年經(jīng)歷、晚年事件的具體情形（這些事件發(fā)生之先后順序、情形及具體時間）及他得到的社會支持； adequate finances , shelter(住處), medical care , social roles , religious support , recrea

16、tion文化如樂 .是否有足夠的金錢，住處，醫(yī)療，社會任務(wù)，宗教支持，文化娛樂。 All of these are crucial 至關(guān)重要的and interconnected elements which together determine the quality of late life . 這一切至關(guān)重要而又相互關(guān)聯(lián)的因素共同決定個人晚年生活的質(zhì)量。 Old age is neither inherently miserable (痛苦的)nor inherently sublime(卓越的)-like every stage of life 老年既不是天生就是痛苦的，也不是天生就是

17、美滿的，正如生命中每一階段一樣， it has problems , joys , fears , and potentials . 它有難題、歡樂、恐懼和潛力。 The process of aging and eventual death must ultimately be accepted as the natural progression of the life cycle , the old completing their prescribed life spans and making way for the young . 推薦精選年老的過程及最后的死亡必須最終作為生命周期

18、的自然進程被人們所接受，老人結(jié)束他們各自的壽數(shù)，為年輕人讓路。 Much that is unique in old age in fact derives from the reality of aging and the imminence (迫近)of death . 事實上，老年獨特之處多是由于衰老這一現(xiàn)實及死亡之逼近。 The old must clarify and find use for what they have attained in a lifetime of learning and adapting ; 老人必須分清并加以利用自己畢生學(xué)習(xí)和適應(yīng)的收獲， they m

19、ust conserve strength and resources where necessary and adjust creatively to those changes and losses that occur a part of the aging experience . 他們必須在必要時，保持精力和物力，并創(chuàng)造性地加以調(diào)整，使自己適應(yīng)于衰老過程中必定會經(jīng)歷的變化與損失。 The elderly have the potential for qualities of human reflection and observation which can only come fo

20、rm having lived an entire life span . 老人有著人類更好地進行回顧與觀察的潛在能力，而這是只有在度過整整一生之后才能得到的。 There is a lifetime accumulation of personality and experience which is available to be used and enjoyed . 在一生中所積累形成的品格與經(jīng)驗可以從中受益匪淺。 推薦精選But what are an individuals chances for a “ good “ old age in America , with satisf

21、ying final years and a dignified death ? 但是在美國，個人能有“美好”的老年，度過令人滿意的生命的最后歲月并莊嚴地死去，這個可能性究竟有多大? Unfortunately , none too good . 不幸的是，不大。 For many elderly Americans old age is a tragedy悲劇 , a period of quiet despair 絕望, deprivation (剝奪), desolation(凄涼孤寂) and muted rage . 對許多美國老年人來說，老年是個悲劇，是沉默絕望，各方面被剝奪、凄涼

22、孤寂、無言的憤怒的時期， This can be a consequence of the kind of life a person has led in younger years and the problems in his or her relationships with others . 這種情況可能是一個人過去某種生活和他或她人際關(guān)系上存在的問題造成的后果， There are also inevitable personal and physical losses to be sustained , some of which can become overwhelming壓

23、抑and unbearable無法忍受的 . 同時還要承受無法避免的失去親人或喪失身體機能的痛苦，有些可能會使人難以自拔，無法忍受。 All of this is the individual factor , the existential element . 推薦精選這些都是個人的因素，人的生活的一個部分。 But old age is frequently a tragedy even when the early years have been fulfilling and people seemingly have everything going for them . 但即使在早年

24、，生活非常充實而日似乎一帆風(fēng)順的人，晚年也常常是個悲劇。 Herein lies what I consider to be the genuine tragedy of old age in America 這里就存在著我們認為的美國老年的真正悲劇 we have shaped a society which is extremely harsh to live in when one is old . 我們制造了一個老人極難在其中生活的社會。 The tragedy of old age is not the fact that each of us must grow old and d

25、ie but that the process of doing so has been made unnecessarily and at times excruciatingly painful痛苦 , humiliating 屈辱, debilitating (虛弱)and isolating(孤獨) through insensitivity(冷漠) , ignorance愚昧 and poverty . 老齡的悲劇并不是在于我們每個人正常變老和死亡，而是在于這過程被冷漠、愚昧和貧困搞得充滿了不必要的，有時是難忍的痛苦屈辱、虛弱與孤獨。 The potentials for satis

26、factions and even triumphs in late life are real and vastly underexplored 推薦精選晚年生活中取得滿足甚至成功的可能性是確實存在的，而且還遠遠沒有發(fā)掘出來。 For the most part the elderly struggle to exist in an inhospitable world . 老人大都為生存在一個冷淡的世界上掙扎著。 Are things really that bad ? Lets begin by looking at the basic daily requirements for su

27、rvival . 事情確實如此糟糕？讓我們首先看一看生存必須的基本日常需求吧。 Poverty or drastically lowered income收入大幅度下降 and old age go hand in hand . 貧困或收入的大幅度下降與老年攜手而至， People who are poor all their lives remain poor as they grow old . Most of us realize this . 一生貧困的人們老后仍然貧困，我們大多數(shù)人都認識到這一點。 What we do not realize is that these poor a

28、re joined by multitudes of people who become poor only after growing older . 我們沒有認識的是窮困者的隊伍中加入了大批僅僅在進入老年后才變窮的人。 When Social Security becomes the sole(唯一) or primary（主要）income , it means subsistence level styles for many , and recent increases do not keep up with soaring 高漲的costs of living . 推薦精選當社會福

29、利成為僅有的、主要的收入時，這對許多人就意味著僅能勉強維持生活，而且新增加的福利金趕不上高漲的生活費用。 Private pension plans often do not pay off , and pension payments that do come in are not tied to inflationary彌補 decreases in buying power. 各種非官方的養(yǎng)老金制度經(jīng)常不能支付全部應(yīng)付金額，而得到的養(yǎng)老金數(shù) 目又不能彌補由于通貨膨脹而造成的購買力下降。 Savings can be wiped out by a single unexpected cat

30、astrophe .(大災(zāi)難) 只要一個意想不到的災(zāi)禍就可以將積蓄化為烏有。 In January , 1971, half of the elderly , or over 10 million people , lived on less than $75a week , or $10 per day . Most lived on far less . 在1971年1月，有半數(shù)即1000萬以上的老人每周靠不到75美元即每天10美元生活，多數(shù)人的錢比這還要少得多。 Even the relatively well off are not assured of an income that

31、will support them . 即使是相對寬裕一些的人也不能保證得到能維持他們生活的收入。 推薦精選It has been estimated that at least 30per cent of the elderly live in substandard housing . 估計至少有30的老人住在不合法定標準的房屋中， Many more must deprive themselves of essentials to keep their homes in repair . 更多的人為了保持房子適于居住進行維修而不得不犧牲一些必需品。 The American dream

32、promised older people that if they worked hard enough all their lives , things would turn out well for them . 美國夢給老人這樣的期望，只要他們一生努力工作，一切終會好的。 Todays elderly were brought up to believe in pride , self-reliance and independence . 今天的老人在成長過程中受到的教育是信奉自尊、自立、自主。 Many are tough , determined individuals who

33、manage to survive against adversity . But even the tough ones reach a point where help should be available to them . 許多都是能在逆境中生存下來的堅韌不拔而又有主見的人物，但即使是堅韌不拔的人們也會需要得到幫助。 Age discrimination in employment is unrestrained , with arbitrary retirement practices and bias against hiring older people for availab

34、le jobs . 推薦精選就業(yè)方面的年齡歧視是不受任何限制的，規(guī)定退休的具體做法很任意。在雇傭人時對上年紀的人有歧視。 Social Security penalized the old by reducing their income checks as soon as they earn more than $2,400 a year . 一旦老年人工作一年掙得2400美元以上，社會福利便用減低福利金的辦法來懲罰他們。 Job-training programs dont want the elderly ( or the middle-aged , for that matter )

35、, so there is no opportunity to learn new skills . 職業(yè)訓(xùn)練項目不愿接收老年人（連中年人也不要），因此沒有機會學(xué)新技能。 Employers rarely make concessions for the possible physical limitations of otherwise valuable older employees , and instead they are fired 解雇, retired or forced to resign . 雇主對于那些除了可能有體力上的局限外其它方面很有用的年長職工很少進行照顧，而是將他

36、們解雇，要他們退休或強迫他們辭職。 It is obvious that the old get sick more frequently and more severely than the young , and 86 per cent have chronic(慢性) health problems of varying degree . 顯然老年人比青年人容易生病，病起來也更嚴重，而且86%的老人有不同程度的慢性疾病。 推薦精選These health problems , while significant , are largely treatable可以治 and for the

37、 most part do not impair the capacity to work . 這些疾病固然應(yīng)加以注意，但大量的疾病是可以治療的，而且多數(shù)并不損害工作能力。 Medicare pays for only 45 per cent of older peoples health expenses ;the balance must come from their own incomes and savings , or from Medicaid , which requires a humiliating (羞恥的)means test . 國家醫(yī)療制度只支付老年人醫(yī)療費用的45

38、，余下部分得從他們自己的收入或積蓄中支付，或由醫(yī)療補貼計劃來支付，但為此必須接受令人羞辱的家庭經(jīng)濟情況調(diào)查。 A serious illness can mean instant poverty . 一場重病可能意味著頃刻之間變得一貧如洗。 Drugs prescribed outside of hospitals , hearing aids , glasses , dental care and podiatry (足科)are not covered at all under Medicare . 不是由醫(yī)院開的藥的藥費、助聽器、眼睛、牙科和足科病，國家醫(yī)療照顧制度根本一律不予負擔。 T

39、here is prejudice against the old by doctors and other medical personnel who dont like to bother with them . 醫(yī)生和其他醫(yī)務(wù)人員歧視老年人，不愿為他們操心。 推薦精選Psychiatrists(精神病患者) and mental-health personnel typically assume that the mental problems of the old are untreatable . 精神病醫(yī)生和治療人員是很典型的，他們認定老年人的精神病沒法治。 Psychoanaly

40、sts , the elite (精華)of the psychiatric profession , rarely accept them as patients . 作為治療精神病行業(yè)中精華人物的精神分析學(xué)家，很少收治老人。 Medical schools and other teaching institutions find them “ uninteresting “ . 醫(yī)學(xué)院及其他教學(xué)機構(gòu)認為他們“沒有意思”。 Voluntary hospitals 私立醫(yī)院are well known for dumping the “ Medicare patient “ into muni

41、cipal(市立的) hospitals ; 私立醫(yī)院在把“靠國家醫(yī)療照顧制度的病人”往市立醫(yī)院一推了之是出了名的。 municipal hospitals in turn funnel them into nursing homes小型療養(yǎng)所, mental hospitals精神病院and chronic-disease institutions 慢性疾病without the adequate 充分diagnostic診斷 and treatment effort which might enable them to return home . 而市立醫(yī)院不作充分的努力進行診斷和治療，使

42、他們有可能出院回家，卻把他們分別集中到小型療養(yǎng)所、精神病院和慢性病院去。 推薦精選Persons who do remain at home while in ill health have serious difficulties in getting social , medical and psychiatric services brought directly to them . 身體不好而仍留在家中的人要得到社會、醫(yī)療和精神病治療方面回送上門的服務(wù)，存在著極其嚴重的困難。 Problems large and small confront the elderly . 老年人面臨大大

43、小小的問題。 They are easy targets for crime in the streets and in their homes . 不論在街上還是在家里，他們都是犯罪分子易于得手的目標。 Because of loneliness(寂寞) , confusion(糊塗) , hearing and visual difficulties 耳聾眼花they are prime victims(主要受害人) of dishonest (不誠實的)door to door salesmen and fraudulent advertising , and buy defective

44、 hearing aids , dance lessons , useless “ Medicare insurance supplements “ , and quack health remedies (假藥) 由于寂寞、糊涂、耳聾眼花，他們是狡詐的挨門挨戶推銷商品的人和騙人的廣告的主要受害者，買下有毛病的助聽器，報名上舞蹈課，參加毫無 用處的“國家醫(yī)療保障制度補充保險”，還購買騙人的假藥。 Persons crippled (跛子)by arthritis關(guān)節(jié)炎 or strokes 呵斥are 推薦精選yelled2 at by impatient bus drivers for th

45、eir slowness in climbing on and off buses . 那些因患關(guān)節(jié)炎或中風(fēng)而行動不便的人由于上下公共汽車太慢而遭到不耐煩的司機呵斥。 Traffic lights turn red before they can get across the street . 還沒等他們走過馬路交通燈就變紅了。 Revolving doors move too quickly . Subways usually have no elevators .(電梯)or escalators . 旋轉(zhuǎn)門轉(zhuǎn)動太快，地鐵通常沒有電梯或自動扶梯。 Old women fare worse

46、than old men . 老年婦女比老年男子遭遇更慘。 Women have an average life expectancy of seven years longer than men and tend to marry men older than themselves ; 婦女的平均估計壽命比男子長 7年，她們一般傾向于和比自己年長的男子結(jié)婚， so two-thirds ( six million ) of all older women are widows . 因此老年婦女中23（約六百萬）是寡婦。 When widowed they do not have the so

47、cial prerogatives as older men to date and marry those who are younger . 喪夫之后她們沒有和老年男子一樣的與比自己年輕的異性約會結(jié)婚的社會權(quán)利， As a result , they are likely to end up alone 推薦精選結(jié)果是她們很可能獨自度過余生。 -an ironic turn 諷刺意義of events when one remembers that most of them were raised from childhood to consider marriage the only acceptable state . 她們老年時的遭遇實在是個很有諷刺意味。如果人們記得她們中多數(shù)人從童年起受到的教育就是把婚姻看作是唯一可以接受的生活狀況， The income levels of older working women are generally lower than those of men ; 老年職業(yè)婦女的收入水平一般低于男子， many ne