新概念英语第四册笔记lesson11howtogrowold

新概念英语第四册笔记lesson11howtogrowold
Lesson 11 How to grow old
如何安度晚年
First listen and then answer the following question.
听录音，然后回答以下问题。

What, according to the author, is the best way to overcome the fear of death as you get older?
Some old people are oppressed by the fear of death. In the young there is a justification for this feeling. Y oung men who have reason to fear that they will be killed in battle may justifiably feel bitter in the thought that they have cheated of the best things that life has to offer. 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 abject and ignoble. 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 ego recede, and your life becomes increasingly merged in the universal life. An individual human existence should be like a river -- small at first, narrowly contained within its banks, and rushing passionately past boulders and over waterfalls. 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. 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. And if, with the decay of vitality, weariness increases, the thought of rest will be not unwelcome. 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.
BERTRAND RUSSELL How to grow old from Portraits from Memory
New words and expression 生词和短语
oppress vt. 忧郁，压抑
depressed
in low spirits / in high spirits
I am a little down.
Feel blue
Justification n. 正当理由（强调正义性，顺理成章）
Reason – why 不强调顺理成章，只回答why (强调原因，自然推导)
Y ou have the justification to beat him. Y ou have the justification to beat back.
Justifiable adv. 无可非议地
同义词Reasonable Questionable Unquestionable Mistakable Unmistakable Explicable
Cheat vt. 欺骗
Cheat sb. out of money
cheat in test 作弊
deceive 欺骗情感（抽象词）I was deceive. 我上当了
hoax: play trick (小孩做游戏)骗，玩
abject a. 可怜的(人稍微有点下贱的)
pathetic a 可怜的（有点同情）
noble 高雅
ignoble a. 不体面的，可耻的（程度最深）
程度相当于shameful disgraceful infamous
impersonal a 超脱个人感情影响的
impersonal interest 广泛的爱好
impersonal verb. 无主动词it is raining hard. raining 是无主动
词
ego n. 自我
egoism 个人主义
altruism 利他主义
ego- trip 利已行为
egocentric 自我为主he is a egocentric.
recede vi. 退去（抽象词）the economy recedes
retreat 撤退
bit by bit , little by little 渐渐地
increasingly adv. 日益，不断
I am increasingly rich / wealthy 小词rich 大词wealthy
merge vi. 融合
I’d better merge myself int o the mass. 我要融合到大家里
merger n. 兼并(两个公司)
the beams merge into darkness. 太阳的光线融入到黑暗中（天快黑了）
passionately adv. 激昂的（非常强烈的感情）
passionate with learning / dancing / singing
dispassionate adj. 没有激情的
fervent ardent 狂热的
visible adj. 易觉察的vision 视觉, visual 视觉的
visible to the naked eyes 肉眼能看见
invisible 隐形的invisible man 隐形人invisible plane 隐形飞机visibility 能见度
painlessly adv. 毫无痛苦地
do sth. painlessly 不费吹灰之力
effortless, trouble free
painstakeing 费力
waterfall 瀑布
she wears waterfall 她梳着披肩长发
vitality n. 精力
vital 关键的
vigor 精力animation（象动物一样）精力
weariness n. 疲惫感
(口语词) worn out （鞋子）穿破了，麿破了dog-tired 累得象狂狗一样fatigued, drained
课文诠释
justification 顺理成章
killed in battle / in action 在战争中阵亡
battle 前不要加定冠词
bitter: 心情压抑，痛苦＝painful
in the thought（书面语）: 一想到== thinking（口语）
at the thought of / idea of at the sight of 一见到at the mention of 一提到
cheat of : 剥夺
== rob of, divest of , deprive sb. of sth.
joys and sorrow 悲欢离合== ups and downs, thick and thin in him to do 对他而言，在他看来
walls 壁垒，隔阂
there is a wall between us. there is a wall between couple
An individual human existence should be like a river –small at first, narrowly contained within its banks, and rushing passionately past shoulder and over waterfalls.
人生如河流――刚开始涓涓细流（small at first），bank( surroundings) ,
childhood, adolescence( youth) bank: surr oundings ebb and flow waterfall 更大的挫折
waters 水域
content: satisfied。