【双语有声阅读】如何慢慢变老(下)

After the age of eighty she found she had some difficulty in getting to sleep，so she habitually¹ spent the hours from midnight to 3 a.m. in reading popular science.

 

过了八十之后，她发现自己有些难以入睡，所以她习惯性地用子夜到凌晨三点的几个小时来读一些科普书籍。

I do not believe that she ever had time to notice that she was growing old.

我不信她会有时间来注意自己正在慢慢变老。

This，I think，is the proper recipe for remaining young.

而这个，我想，正是保持年轻的良方。

If you have wide and keen interests and activities in which you can still be effective，you will have no reason to think about the merely statistical² fact of the number of years you have already lived，still less of the probable brevity of your future.

如果你有广泛而敏锐的兴趣与持续而有效的行动，你就没有理由仅仅从统计学的角度去考虑你已经活了多少年，你的未来可能多么短暂。

As regards health，I have nothing useful to say since I have little experience of illness.

谈到健康，我没有任何有用的东西可说，因为我几乎没有得过病。

I eat and drink whatever I like，and sleep when I cannot keep awake.

我吃我喜欢吃的，困了就去睡觉。

I never do anything whatever on the ground that it is good for health，though in actual fact the things I like doing are mostly wholesome³.

尽管事实上我喜欢做的事通常都是有益于健康的，但我却从未做过任何有益于健康的场地运动。

Psychologically there are two dangers to be guarded against in old age.

从心理学的层面考虑，晚年有两个必须提防的危险。

One of these is undue⁴ absorption in the past.

一个是不恰当地专注于过去。

It does not do to live in memories，in regrets for the good old days，or in sadness about friends who are dead.

不要一味地生活在记忆里，生活在对往昔美好时光的惋惜里，生活在朋友逝世的悲哀里；

One's thoughts must be directed to the future，and to things about which there is something to be done.

人的思想应专注于未来，专注于那些尚有可为的事情。

This is not always easy；one's own past is a gradually increasing weight.

这样做并不总是很容易，一个人的过去正逐渐地增加份量。

It is easy to think to oneself that one‘s emotions used to be more vivid than they are，and one's mind more keen.

人们很容易意识到自己过去的情感比现在活跃得多，自己过去的思维比现在敏锐得多。

If this is true it should be forgotten，and if it is forgotten it will probably not be true.

即便这是事实也应该把它忘记；而如果你把它忘了，它便可能不再是事实。

The other thing to be avoided is clinging to youth in the hope of sucking vigor⁵ from its vitality⁶.

另一个要避免的，是缠着年轻人，希望从他们身上汲取生命的活力。

When your children are grown up they want to live their own lives，and if you continue to be as interested in them as you were when they were young，you are likely to become a burden to them，unless they are unusually callous⁷.

你的孩子长大成人后，他们希望过自己的生活，如果还像他们年幼时那样继续关注他们，你就有可能成为他们的一个包袱，除非他们异常冷漠。

I do not mean that one should be without in them，but one‘s interest should be contemplative and，if possible，philanthropic，but not unduly⁸ emotional.

我不是说你应该对他们漠不关心；而是说这种关心应该是沉思默想的，如果可能的话，更博大而不是过于情绪化。

Animals become indifferent to their young as soon as their young can look after themselves，but human beings，owing to the length of infancy，find this difficult.

就动物而言，一旦幼崽长大到能够照顾自己，立马对它们不闻不问；人类因为成长期太长的原因，发觉这样做有些困难。

I think that a successful old age is easier for those who have strong impersonal⁹ interests involving appropriate activities.

我想，那些有着强烈的非个人的兴趣包括适当的活动的人更容易有一个成功的晚年。

It is in this sphere that long experience is really fruitful，and it is in this sphere that the wisdom born of experience can be exercised without being oppressive.

正是在这个领域里，丰富的阅历会真正富有成效；正是在这个领域里，从阅历中产生的智慧能够运用自如。

It is no use telling grown-up children not to make mistakes，both because they will not believe you，and because mistakes are an essential part of education.

告诫成年的孩子不要犯错毫无用处，这不仅因为他们不听你的，还因为从错误中学习是教育的一个最基本的组成部分。

But if you are one of those who are incapable¹⁰ of impersonal interests，you may find that your life will be empty unless you concern yourself with your children and grandchildren.

然而如果你在发展非个人兴趣上无能为力，你可能会发现，除非将自己与儿孙们连在一起，你的生活将变得一片空虚。

In that case you must realize that while you can still render them material services，such as making them an allowance or knotting them jumpers，you must not expect that they will enjoy your company.

在那种情形下，你必须意识到，虽然你依然能够为他们提供具体的服务，像给他们一些津贴，为他们编织毛衣等等，你却不能指望他们欣赏你的陪伴。

Some old people are oppressed by the fear of death.

一些老人因对死亡的恐惧而感到压抑。

In the young there is a justification¹¹ for this feeling.

年轻时有这种感觉是合理的。

Young men who have reason to fear that they will be killed in a battle may justifiably¹² feel bitter in the thought that they have been cheated of the best things that life has to offer.

年轻的男人有理由害怕，他们将死于一场战斗，而想到他们将被骗走生活一定会给他们的最好的东西，他们有理由感到痛苦。

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 abject¹³ and ignoble¹⁴.

而一个老年男子，他已了然于人类的欢乐与悲哀，已完成了自己所从事的工作，害怕死亡就有些可怜有些不大光彩了。

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 ego¹⁵ recede，and your life becomes increasingly merged¹⁶ in the universal life.

克服它的最好的办法就是，至少在我看来，就是让自己的兴趣渐渐趋于广泛趋于非个人，直到自我的墙一点一点后退，你的个体生命日甚一日地和普遍的生命融为一体。

An individual human existence should be like a river—small at first，narrowly contained within its banks，and rushing passionately¹⁷ past rocks and over waterfalls.

个人的生命应该像一条河，开始很小，在河床里磕磕碰碰地前行，热情地冲过岩石穿越瀑布。

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.

渐渐地，河面变得宽阔，河岸向后退却，河水流淌得更为平静，到最后，没有任何可见的变化，它们与大海融为一体，毫无痛苦地失去了它们个体的生命。

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.

人到老年，能够以这种方式看待自己的生命，便不会有死亡的恐惧，因为他所关心的事物仍将继续。

And if，with the decay of vitality，weariness increases，the thought of rest will not be unwelcome.

而随着活力的衰退疲劳的增加，休息的想法也未必不受欢迎。

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.

我应该希望在工作时死去，知道别人将继续我不能再继续的，并且满足于这样的想法—所有可能的工作，我都已经完成。

1 habitually   

ad.习惯地，通常地

参考例句：

• The pain of the disease caused him habitually to furrow his brow. 病痛使他习惯性地紧皱眉头。
• Habitually obedient to John, I came up to his chair. 我已经习惯于服从约翰，我来到他的椅子跟前。

2 statistical   

adj.统计的，统计学的

参考例句：

• He showed the price fluctuations in a statistical table.他用统计表显示价格的波动。
• They're making detailed statistical analysis.他们正在做具体的统计分析。

3 wholesome   

adj.适合；卫生的；有益健康的；显示身心健康的

参考例句：

• In actual fact the things I like doing are mostly wholesome.实际上我喜欢做的事大都是有助于增进身体健康的。
• It is not wholesome to eat without washing your hands.不洗手吃饭是不卫生的。

4 undue   

adj.过分的；不适当的；未到期的

参考例句：

• Don't treat the matter with undue haste.不要过急地处理此事。
• It would be wise not to give undue importance to his criticisms.最好不要过分看重他的批评。

5 vigor   

n.活力，精力，元气

参考例句：

• The choir sang the words out with great vigor.合唱团以极大的热情唱出了歌词。
• She didn't want to be reminded of her beauty or her former vigor.现在，她不愿人们提起她昔日的美丽和以前的精力充沛。

6 vitality   

n.活力，生命力，效力

参考例句：

• He came back from his holiday bursting with vitality and good health.他度假归来之后，身强体壮，充满活力。
• He is an ambitious young man full of enthusiasm and vitality.他是个充满热情与活力的有远大抱负的青年。

7 callous   

adj.无情的，冷淡的，硬结的，起老茧的

参考例句：

• He is callous about the safety of his workers.他对他工人的安全毫不关心。
• She was selfish,arrogant and often callous.她自私傲慢，而且往往冷酷无情。

8 unduly   

adv.过度地，不适当地

参考例句：

• He did not sound unduly worried at the prospect.他的口气听上去对前景并不十分担忧。
• He argued that the law was unduly restrictive.他辩称法律的约束性有些过分了。

9 impersonal   

adj.无个人感情的，与个人无关的，非人称的

参考例句：

• Even his children found him strangely distant and impersonal.他的孩子们也认为他跟其他人很疏远，没有人情味。
• His manner seemed rather stiff and impersonal.他的态度似乎很生硬冷淡。

10 incapable   

adj.无能力的，不能做某事的

参考例句：

• He would be incapable of committing such a cruel deed.他不会做出这么残忍的事。
• Computers are incapable of creative thought.计算机不会创造性地思维。

11 justification   

n.正当的理由；辩解的理由

参考例句：

• There's no justification for dividing the company into smaller units. 没有理由把公司划分成小单位。
• In the young there is a justification for this feeling. 在年轻人中有这种感觉是有理由的。

12 justifiably   

adv.无可非议地

参考例句：

• There General Walters would come aboard to greet me, justifiably beaming with pride at his arrangement. 在那儿沃尔特斯将军会登上飞机来接我，理所当然为他们的安排感到洋洋得意。 来自辞典例句
• The Chinese seemed justifiably proud of their economic achievements. 中国人似乎为他们的经济成就感到自豪，这是无可非议的。 来自互联网

13 abject   

adj.极可怜的，卑屈的

参考例句：

• This policy has turned out to be an abject failure.这一政策最后以惨败而告终。
• He had been obliged to offer an abject apology to Mr.Alleyne for his impertinence.他不得不低声下气，为他的无礼举动向艾莱恩先生请罪。

14 ignoble   

adj.不光彩的，卑鄙的；可耻的

参考例句：

• There's something cowardly and ignoble about such an attitude.这种态度有点怯懦可鄙。
• Some very great men have come from ignoble families.有些伟人出身低微。

15 ego   

n.自我，自己，自尊

参考例句：

• He is absolute ego in all thing.在所有的事情上他都绝对自我。
• She has been on an ego trip since she sang on television.她上电视台唱过歌之后就一直自吹自擂。

16 merged   

（使）混合( merge的过去式和过去分词 )； 相融； 融入； 渐渐消失在某物中

参考例句：

• Turf wars are inevitable when two departments are merged. 两个部门合并时总免不了争争权限。
• The small shops were merged into a large market. 那些小商店合并成为一个大商场。

17 passionately   

ad.热烈地，激烈地

参考例句：

• She could hate as passionately as she could love. 她能恨得咬牙切齿，也能爱得一往情深。
• He was passionately addicted to pop music. 他酷爱流行音乐。