Unit   Nine

Text A   Aging in European Countries

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一．课文简介

在过去50年中，欧洲国家的人口年龄结构经历了巨大的变化：所有的发达国家都进入了老龄化行列，并且老龄化的趋势还在继续。这一变化有诸多原因。一个社会的增长率越接近零，它的人口就可能越老龄化。造成老年人比率高的实际原因是出生率的下降， 而不是死亡率的下降。

Para.1   Aged countries in Europe are briefly introduced

Paras.2—4   Different ideas about the problem are discussed.

Para.5   Expectation of life is becoming longer. （停顿）

二．词汇精讲：                 New  Words

（上面兰色标出的词汇分别与下面精讲词汇相链接，点击哪个词就出现那个词的相应解释及用法）

词汇精讲:

1.       classify: 把…分类

派生词：classification n. 分类；classical a. 古典的，经典的

用法：classify … as 把… 划分为；把 … 列为

The books in the library are classified according to subject. 图书馆里的书是按照科目分类的。

Nations are classified as “aged” when they have 7 percent or more of their people aged 65 or above. 当一个国家有7% 或更多的人到65岁以上时，这个国家就被列为老龄化国家之列。

操练：记忆可分为长期记忆和短期记忆。

       Memory can be classified as short- term memory and long -term memory.

2.       proportion : 比率，比例

词组：in proportion 与…成比例； out of proportion 与…不成比例

The different parts of the house are in perfect proportion. 这幢房子的各部分比例很匀称。

His earnings are out of proportion to his skill and ability. 他的收入与他的技术能力很不相称。

操练：这件商品的价格与它的价值很不相称。

      The price of the article is out of proportion to its value. 

3.       appreciation : 欣赏，感激

派生词：appreciate v.

I have great appreciation of Shakespeare. 我非常欣赏莎士比亚。

You should show appreciation for the things your friends do for you. 你应当对你的朋友为你所做的事情表示感谢。

操练：热烈的喝彩表达了他们对演出的赞赏。

Their appreciation of the performance was expressed in loud cheers. 

4.       acknowledge : 承认; 对…表示感谢

He refused to acknowledge that he had done wrong. 他拒绝承认自己做错了。

We must acknowledge his letter. 我们必须告诉他已经收到了他的来信。

操练：他勉强承认了他陈述的谬误之处。

      He reluctantly acknowledged the mistakes in his statement.

5.       alter: 改变，改动

The waiter apologized the altered the figure on the bill. 服务员道了歉并把帐单上的数目改了过来。

The village hasn’t altered much since the last time I was there. 与我上次在那时相比，这个村子并没有多大的变化。

操练：情况发生了根本的变化。

      Conditions have altered radically.

6.       lengthen : 使延长，变长，延伸

派生词：length n. 长度， 长

I’ll have to lengthen this skirt. 我得把这条裙子放长。

There is a plan to lengthen the three-year course to four years. 有计划要将这个三年制课程延长为四年。

7.       neglect：忽视，忽略

He neglected his studies, so he failed to pass the exam. 他忽视了学业，因此没能通过考试。

Don’t neglect to lock the door when your leave. 离开时别忘了锁门。

操练：他总是不注意自己的健康。

He always neglects his own health.

近义词：ignore v. 忽视，不顾（主要指故意忽视，不管）；

例：I said hello to her, but she ignored me completely. 我向她打招呼，她竟不理睬我。

I can’t ignore his rudeness any longer. 我不能再无视他的粗鲁了。

8.       expectation : 期待，预料

派生词：expect v. 期待，期望

The size of the loss was beyond all of our expectations. 损失的数目超出了我们所有人的预料。

There are widespread expectations that the UK will cut its interest rate. 人们普遍预测英国会降低利率。

词组：phrases

1         to approximate to: 大体是，近于，近似，与…接近

Your latest design approximates much more closely to what I understand the building to be like.

你的最新设计与我所想的那房子的模样接近得多了。

操练： 他对事件的描述接近事实。

        His description of the event approximated to the truth.

2         resistance to: 对… 的阻力，抵制

There will be fierce resistance to these proposals. 这些提议将会遭到激烈的抵制。

She has little resistance to germs and so is often ill. 她对病菌缺乏抵抗力，因而经常生病。

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三．课文详解

 Aging in European Countries

We have to realise how old, how very old, we are. Nations are classified as “aged” when they have 7 per cent or more of their people aged 65 or above, ①and by about 1970 every one of the advanced countries had become like this 。Of the really ancient societies, with over 13 per cent above 65, all are in Northwestern Europe. ②At the beginning of the I980's East Germany had 15.6 per cent, Austria, Sweden, West Germany and France had 13.4 per cent or above, and England and Wales 13.3 per cent. Scotland had 12.3 per cent. Northern Ireland 10.8 per cent and the United States 9.9 per cent. We know that we are getting even older, and that the nearer a society approximates to zero population growth, the older its population is likely to be — at least, for any future that concerns us now.③

To these now familiar facts a number of further facts may be added, some of them only recently recognised. ④There is the apparent paradox that the effective cause of the high proportion of the old is births rather than deaths.⑤ There is the economic principle that the dependency ratio — the degree to which those who cannot earn depend for a living on those who can — is more advantageous in older societies like ours than in the younger societies of the developing world, because lots of dependent babies are more of a liability than numbers of the inactive aged.⑥ There is the appreciation of the salient historical truth that the aging of advanced societies has been a sudden change.

If "revolution" is a rapid resettlement of the social structure, and if the age composition of the society counts as a very important aspect of that social structure, then there has been a social revolution in European and particularly Western European society within the lifetime of everyone over 50.⑦ Taken together, these things have implications which are only beginning to be acknowledged.⑧ These facts and circumstances were well to the fore earlier this year at a world gathering about aging as a challenge to science and to policy, held at Vichy in France.⑨

There is often resistance to the idea that it is because the birthrate fell earlier in Western and Northwestern Europe than elsewhere, rather than because of any change in the death rate, that we have grown so old.（10） But this is what elementary demography makes clear. Long life is altering our society, of course, but in experiential terms. We have among us a very much greater experience of continued living than any society that has ever preceded us anywhere, and this will continue.（11） But too much of that lengthened experience, even in the wealthy West, will be experience of poverty and neglect, unless we do something about it.

If you are now in your thirties, you ought to be aware that you can expect to live nearly one third of the rest of your life after the age of 60. The older you are now，of course, the greater this proportion will be, and greater still if you are a woman. Expectation of life is a slippery figure, very easy to get wrong at the highest ages. At Vichy the demographers were telling each other that their estimates of how many old there would be and how long they will live in countries like England and Wales are due for revision upwards.（12）（老师停顿）

（以下课文详解分别与上面划线部分内容相链接）

课文详解：

1.       本句中are classified as 是一个动词短语，意为“把…分类为”as 作主语补足语；句中when 引导一个时间状语从句。above 在此句中的意思是“以上”。

2.       该句的正常语序为All of the really ancient societies, with over 13 percent above 65, are in Northwestern Europe。由于主语中心词all与谓语动词are 间隔太长，因此倒装以显得紧凑。with over 13 per cent  above 65 ，“有13%以上的人超过65岁”

3.       主句we know 后边有两个由that 引导的宾语从句。

在第二个宾语从句中用了“越…就越”的结构。

4.       本句用了倒装语序，正常语序为A number of further facts may be added to these now familiar facts, some of them only recently recognised.这里使用倒装语序是为了与上文连贯。some of them only recently recognized 是过去分词的独立结构，作伴随状语。

5.       该句中that 引导同位语从句修饰paradox, 句意为：有这样一个似非而是的论点：造成老年人比率高的真正原因是出生人数而不是死亡人数。

6.       本句是一句含有多个从句的长句，该句中that 引导同位语从句修饰 principle ，同位语从句的主语是There is the economic principle ，谓语是 is more advantageous ，破折号之间的部分是对于the dependency ratio 的解释。在这个破折号中的成分中含有3个从句，to which 引导一个定语从句修饰前面的名词degree, 后面的两个who 引导的从句分别修饰前面的代词those 。 句中同位语从句的主要结构为“the dependency ration… is more advantageous in …. than in….” 。句末的because 引导的是一个原因状语从句，修饰前面的主句。

句意为：有这样一条经济原则：抚养率——即不能赚钱养活自己的人对能挣钱养家的人的依赖程度——在我们这样老龄化社会里比发展中世界的较年轻社会里要更有利，因为大量需要抚养的孩子与大批不能工作的老年人相比，更是一个负担。

7.       该句是由两个有if 引导的条件从句加上一个主句。

8.       句中taken together 是一个过去分词短语作状语；which 引导一个定语从句，修饰前面的名词implications。

9.       句中about aging as a challenge to science and to policy,和 held at Vichy in France.都是

a world gathering （世界大会）的后置定语，前者说明会议的主题（老龄化对科学与政策的挑战），后者说明会议的举办地点（法国维希）。

10该句的主干结构是 “ There is often resistance to the idea….” 其中idea有一个that 引导的同位语从句，而同位语从句本身又是一个强调句，即it is ….that … 结构，被强调的是一个原因状语从句。注意此句被强调部分较长。

11     句中among us 作谓语动词have 的状语，正常的语序为We have a very much greater

experience of continued living among us than any society that has ever preceded us anywhere,

and this will continue. 由于宾语过长，所以将状语among us 提前。

译文为： 我们比以前任何一个社会更经历着长寿，这种情况还将继续下去。

12     At Vichy 作地点状语；从that 到句子结束是一个宾语从句，作谓语动词tell的宾语；在宾语从句中还含有两句how 引导的宾语从句， “ how many old there would be”  和 “ how long they will live in countries like England and Wales”分别作介词of 的宾语。

课文译文

欧洲国家的年龄老化问题

我们必须认识到我们有多老了。当一个国家人口中有7%或以上的人满65岁或超过65岁时，

就被列为“老龄国”，而大约在1970年前，每一个先进国家就已步入这个行列了。在真正的

老龄社会中，有13%以下的人超过65岁的国家全部分布在西北欧。在20世纪80年代初，一些

国家（或地区）人口超过65岁的比例如下：东德15.6%，奥地利、瑞典、西德和法国13.4%或

超过13.4%，英格兰和威尔13.3%，苏格兰12.3%a，北爱尔兰10.8%，美国9.9%。我们知道我们

的社会正在变得更老，一个社会的人口增长率越接近零，它的人口就可能越老龄——至少对任

何能关系到我们现在的未来是这样的。

除了这些我们现在已经熟知的事实外，还有更多的事实可以补充，而其中一些还是最近才

被我们认识到的。有这样一个明显的、似非而是的论点：造成老年人高比例的实际原因是出生

人数而不是死亡人数。有这样一条经济原则：扶养率——即不能挣钱生活的人依赖能挣钱养家

的人的程度——在我们这样老龄化社会里比发展中世界的较年轻社会里要有利一些，因为大量

尚需扶养的孩子与一定数量不能工作的老年人相比，更是一个负担。人们已认识到这样一个突

出历史事实：先进社会的老龄化都是一种突变。

如果“革命”是对社会结构的迅速重建，如果社会的年龄构成被看作是社会结构的一个非

常重要的方面，那么在欧洲尤其是在西欧社会里，每个超过50岁的人一生中就已经历过一次社

会革命了。综合起来，这些事情牵连出的结果刚开始被人们认识。这些事实和情况今年早些时

候在法国维希举行的一个世界大会上被视为对科学和政策的挑战而置于显著地位。

这种观点常遇到反对意见，即正因为西欧和西北欧出生率比别的地区下降得早，而不是因

为死亡率方面的任何变化，所以我们的社会才变得如此老龄但初级人口统计学已经把这个问题

解释清楚了。当然长寿正改变我们的社会，但这是根据经验而来的说法。我们比以前任何一个

社会更经历着长寿，这种情况还将继续下去。但过度的长寿，即便是在富裕的西方，也会遭受

贫穷和忽视，除非我们采取一些办法。

如果你现在30多岁，你应当知道你可以期望活到60岁后再活上剩余生命的三分之一。当然，

你现在年龄越大，这种比例就越高，如果你是女人，这比例还应该更高。人生的估计寿命是一

个飘忽不定的数字，年龄越大越容易有误差。在维希，人口学家们互相转告，他们对一些地方

人口情况的估计，如英格兰和威尔将有多少老年人，这些老年人的寿命如何，注定要进行修改，

因为这些数字一直呈上升趋势。

四.  Text B Children’s Self-esteem

New Words

esteem  vt./n.                               尊敬，尊重

cope  vi.                                   对付，妥善处理（with）

parenting  n.