時(shí)尚英語-美式生活Growing_Old美國老年人

1、Happy birthday! Do birthdays really make people happy? Of course they do. Birthdays celebrate the day we were born. Moreover, that extra candle on the cake represents another year of growth and maturity-or so we hope. We all like to imagine that we're getting wiser and not just older. Most of us

2、 enjoy observing the miracle of growth in others, as well. For instance, seeing our children develop and learn new things makes us feel proud. For Americans, like people in most cultures, growing up is a wonderful process. But growing old? That's a different story. 生日快樂！生日真能使人快樂嗎？這是當(dāng)然的啊，慶生是慶祝我們來

3、到世上的日子，除此之外，蛋糕上多加一支蠟燭也代表了另一年的成長(zhǎng)與成熟-或者說至少我們希望能如此。我們都喜歡想象著自己能夠越來越有智能，而不只是變老，我們大部份人也同時(shí)較喜歡觀察別人成長(zhǎng)的奇跡。例如：看到我們的孩子長(zhǎng)大并學(xué)習(xí)新的事物使我們感到驕傲。而對(duì)美國人而言，就像大部份其它文化中的人們一樣，長(zhǎng)大是一個(gè)美好的歷程，但是變老呢？那可就是另外一回事了。 Growing old is not exactly pleasant for people in youth-oriented American culture. Most Americans like to look young, act yo

4、ung and feel young. As the old saying goes, "You're as young as you feel." Older people joke about how many years young they are, rather than how many years old. People in some countries value the aged as a source of experience and wisdom. But Americans seem to favor those that are you

5、ng, or at least "young at heart." 在美國這個(gè)以年輕人為中心的社會(huì)中，老化對(duì)人們而言并不是一件愉快的事，大部份的美國人都希望自己看起來年輕、行動(dòng)年輕、并且感覺年輕，如一句古老的名言說：你感覺自己有多年輕，你就有多年輕。老年人說自己的年齡時(shí)常開玩笑說自己是多少 years young，而不說多少 years old 。某些文化中的人視老年人為經(jīng)驗(yàn)與智能的資源，可是美國人似乎比較喜歡年輕人，或者至少是心里年輕的人。 Many older Americans find the "golden years" to be anyth

6、ing but golden. Economically, "senior citizens" often struggle just to get by. Retirement-typically at age 65-brings a sharp decrease in personal income. Social Security benefits usually cannot make up the difference. Older people may suffer from poor nutrition, medical care and housing. S

7、ome even experience age discrimination. In 1987, American sociologist Pat Moore dressed up like an older person and wandered city streets. She was often treated rudely-even cheated and robbed. However, dressed as a young person, she received much more respect. Of course, not all elderly Americans ha

8、ve such negative experiences. But old age does present unique challenges. 許多美國的老年人覺得他們的黃金年代一點(diǎn)都不黃金。在經(jīng)濟(jì)上來說，老年人常是掙扎著勉強(qiáng)度日。退休-通常在六十五歲的時(shí)候-使個(gè)人收入驟減，而社會(huì)保障制度的福利并不能補(bǔ)足差額，老年人常遭遇營養(yǎng)、醫(yī)療照顧、和居住環(huán)境的問題。有些人甚至曾經(jīng)碰到年齡歧視的問題，在一九八七年有一位美國的社會(huì)學(xué)家派特?摩爾裝扮成老人在街上游蕩，結(jié)果人們多半對(duì)她很粗魯，甚至騙她或搶她的東西，可是當(dāng)她穿著年輕時(shí)，人們就對(duì)她尊重多了。當(dāng)然也不是所有的美國老人家都有這樣糟糕的經(jīng)驗(yàn)，不過年紀(jì)

9、大確實(shí)會(huì)遭遇一些特別的挑戰(zhàn)。 Ironically, the elderly population in America is expanding-fast. Why? People are living longer. Fewer babies are being born. And middle-aged "baby boomers" are rapidly entering the ranks of the elderly. America may soon be a place where wrinkles are "in." Marketing

10、 experts are already focusing on this growing group of consumers. And even now the elderly have a great deal of political power. The American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), with over 30 million members, has a strong voice in Washington. 而很不幸偏偏美國老年人口又正在擴(kuò)增中-很快速地?cái)U(kuò)增，為什么呢？因?yàn)楝F(xiàn)在的人越來越長(zhǎng)命，嬰孩的出生卻減少，而當(dāng)初

11、在嬰兒潮時(shí)出生現(xiàn)在是中年人的很快地就要進(jìn)入老年階段了，美國恐怕馬上會(huì)成為一個(gè)皺紋很流行的國度。行銷專家們已經(jīng)開始注意這群人口持續(xù)增加中的消費(fèi)者，而這群老年人現(xiàn)今甚至在政治上也相當(dāng)有力，因?yàn)槊绹诵萑藛T協(xié)會(huì)擁有超過三千萬的會(huì)員，對(duì)華盛頓具相當(dāng)?shù)挠绊懥Α?A common stereotype of older Americans is that they are usually "put away" in nursing homes and forgotten about. Actually, only about 5 percent live in some type of

12、 institution. More than half of those 65 or older live with or near at least one of their children. The vast majority of the elderly live alone and take care of themselves. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 75 percent own their own homes. Over a million senior adults live in retirement communitie

13、s. These provide residents with meals, recreation, companionship, medical care and a safe environment. 一般人對(duì)美國老人家的刻板印象是被遣送到養(yǎng)護(hù)院去，然后被人遺忘。然而事實(shí)上，只有百分之五的人住在此類機(jī)構(gòu)中，超過半數(shù)的六十五或六十五歲以上老人，是與孩子同住或住在其中一個(gè)孩子的附近。絕大部份的老年人是自己住并自己照顧自己的，根據(jù)美國戶口調(diào)查局的統(tǒng)計(jì)，他們百分之七十五擁有自己的房子，超過一百萬名老年人住在退休者的社區(qū)中，這些社區(qū)為其居民提供飲食、娛樂、友誼、醫(yī)療照顧、以及安全的環(huán)境。 Despi

14、te the challenges they face, Americans in their "twilight years" generally refuse to give up on life. They find a variety of ways to keep themselves active. To help them stay in shape, they may join mall walkers clubs, fitness programs and even the "Senior Olympics." They can enjoy hours of entertainment at senior centers and adult amusement parks. Many enroll in continuing education programs to maintain their mental skills. For Americans, if you're