雅思口语素材：你尊敬的老人

 　　用于P2话题“你尊敬的老人”

　　爷爷告诉我：20岁应该知道的20件事

　　As college doors start to swish and swing open, slurping¹ young people back in for fall classes, I feel compelled² to put my hand up and say, "Wait, you forgot something."

　　大学校园已经慢慢敞开大门，迎接那些即将在秋季入学的年轻人们，我必须举起手说：“等等，你们忘了什么事。”

　　I have something I want to tell them before they head back up the university's hill to walk new halls, meet new faces and make new decisions that could change their lives. What I wish I had known.

　　在他们抬头挺胸进入大学校园，认识新朋友，做出影响一生的决定之前，有些事我想要告诉他们。一些我希望知道的事。

　　Precious young person, before you leave, can you turn off your phone and let me share something valuable with you? I know you think I am too old to understand you, but I promise, some days I feel closer to your age than I do my own. I haven't forgotten.

　　年轻人，在你们离开之前，能否关掉手机，让我与你们分享一些重要的事情?我知道你们认为我太老，不能理解你们，但我保证，年轻时候的事情我甚至记得比现在发生的事情还清楚。我从没忘记。

　　What I see in front of me is a life that is valuable and worth more than you can possibly know today. I hope to save you a lot of time, pain and regret.

　　在我面前展开的生活如此珍贵，你们难以想象。我希望帮你们节约时间，减少痛苦和悔恨。

　　The 20 Things I Wish Someone Told Me at 20:

　　我希望在20岁时有人告诉我的20件事：

　　1. Hold tight to your real friends and don't forget the closeness that you feel now.

　　珍惜你真正的朋友，别忘记你们现在的亲密感觉。

　　It is real, and over time, life will try to tease³ those connections away. They will mean everything.

　　它是真实的，随着时间的流逝，生活会渐渐把这种感觉带走。他们意味着一切。

　　2. Although you're smart ... your brain isn't done maturing. Listen to your parents more than you want. REALLY.

　　虽然你很聪明……但你的大脑还不成熟。听你父母的建议，真的要听话。

　　Your brain doesn't fully⁴ connect all of the dots until you're about 23. Trust me. Trust THEM.

　　不到23岁，你的大脑还没法把所有的信息点都结合起来理智分析。相信我。相信他们。

　　3. Keep the joy of being 'in the moment.'

　　享受当下。

　　You will have to focus on the future so much as you get older -- being mindful to the moment becomes a lost gift.

　　随着你的成长，你将不得不关注未来——那时关注当下就会变成一份已经失去了的礼物。

　　4. You will miss your youthful⁵ body one day -- love it and take care of it.

　　你有一天会失去年轻的身体——珍惜它，爱护它。

　　There will come a day when you become nostalgic for all of those body parts that you don't like now. Take care of them, exercise and enjoy the freedom of your abilities.

　　有一天，你会想念那些你现在不喜欢的身体部分。照顾好它们，常常锻炼，享受行动能力。

　　5. If someone has cut you down, that is about THEM, not YOU.

　　如果有人反驳你，那是他们的事，不是你。

　　Unkind⁶ words are often used to cut a strong person down to make the insecure one feel better. Don't let them stick.

　　恶意的言语常常把一个强壮的人打倒，使那些缺乏安全感的人自我感觉不错。别让他们得逞。

1 slurping   

v.啜食( slurp的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• He was slurping his tea. 他正咂着嘴喝茶。
• Although the downturn has not stopped consumers slurping ice-cream, it has affected the bottom line. 尽管经济低迷没有阻止消费者吃冰淇淋，但却影响了净利润。 来自互联网

2 compelled   

adj. 强迫的 动词compel的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• The enemy were compelled to lay down their arms. 敌人被迫放下武器。
• He was compelled by illness to suspend his experiment. 他因病不得不暂时中断实验。

3 tease   

vt.戏弄，取笑，挑逗，撩拨；n.戏弄人者

参考例句：

• The other boys tease him because he is fat.因为他很胖，所以其他男生都取笑他。
• His friends used to tease him about his tatty clothes.他的朋友过去常常笑话他破旧的衣服。

4 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

5 youthful   

adj.年轻的，有青春活力的

参考例句：

• Exercise will keep you youthful.体育锻练会使你充满活力。
• The boy looked very youthful.这孩子看起来岁数很小。

6 unkind   

adj.不仁慈的，不和善的

参考例句：

• He was never unkind to her.他从未亏待过她。
• Unkindness often reacts on the unkind person.恶人有恶报。