实战口语情景对话 第333期:Ageing 变老

 　　Adrienne: Now, Vivian, do you mind me asking how old you are?

　　埃德里安娜：薇薇安，你介意我问你的年纪吗？

　　Vivian: I was 80 years old on November 3rd, 2004.

　　薇薇安：2004年11月3日是我80岁的生日。

　　Adrienne: Wow! 80! What does it feel like to be 80?

　　埃德里安娜：哇！80岁！80岁感觉怎么样？

　　Vivian: It's a little inconvenient¹ because my mind didn't turn 80 but my body did and I find it sometimes my mind follows my body too! And it's hard to be as quick as I used to be and I always want to do more, now than I able to do. I can't do what I used to do when I was younger.

　　薇薇安：有点儿不方便，因为虽然我的头脑不是80岁的状态，但我的身体却是80岁的状态，而且我发现有时我的头脑会跟身体一样呈现80岁的状态！我很难像以前那样反应迅速，而且我想做的事情比我能做的事情多。年轻时经常做的事情现在都做不了了。

　　Adrienne: Oh, that's disappointing and probably a little frustrating².

　　埃德里安娜：哦，这真令人失望，可能还有些令人沮丧。

　　Vivian: Very frustrating! Very frustrating! Especially when you have been active all of your life and all of a sudden things are just, have slowed down to where you can't do all those running around, flying around tasks that you used to be able to do in the morning. Sometimes it takes me two days to get everything accomplished³. Well those are definite disadvantages to getting older.

　　薇薇安：非常令人沮丧！非常沮丧！尤其是你的一生曾经一直很活跃，而突然所有事情都慢下来了，你不能再四处跑动，不能再像以前那样早上处理一些工作。有时我可能会用两天的时间才能完成事情。这些绝对是变老以后的坏处。

　　Adrienne: Are there any advantages? Can you give us some hope?

　　埃德里安娜：那有没有好处呢？你能给我们点希望吗？

　　Vivian: Yes! Yes! There is hope. You have reached an age where you understand where you have been. I'm very fortunate that I lived in the 1900's. I was born in 1924. I saw the airplane invented. I saw the beginning of penicillin⁴. I saw the medication for polio which stopped it in its track. I saw so many things. World War II. I was married in World War II and my husband went overseas for two years during that time, and my first two years of marriage was by letters, so it was, it's a good time, 80, you look back on all those things and you're glad to be part of it. You begin to understand the changes that are taking place just as they took place when you were young, but you don't come to that realization⁵ until you become old. You don't become wiser. You just become more knowledgeable⁶.

　　薇薇安：当然，当然有希望。你到了一个可以理解所经历事情的年纪。我非常幸运能出生在20世纪，我生于1924年。我见证了飞机的发明。我见证了盘尼西林的诞生。我见证了预防小儿麻痹症药物的出现。我见证了许多事情。包括第二次世界大战。我在二战期间结婚，结婚后我丈夫出国待了两年的时间，所以我结婚的前两年是靠书信和丈夫联系的，那是段不错的时光，当你80岁的时候，你会回顾这些事情，而你会为经历了这些事情而感到高兴。你开始理解发生的那些变革，那些发生在你年轻时的变革，但是直到你上了年纪以后你才会得到这种理解。并不是因为你变聪明了，而是因为你见多识广了。

　　Adrienne: Well, that doesn't sound so bad.

　　埃德里安娜：那听上去还不错。

1 inconvenient   

adj.不方便的，令人感到麻烦的

参考例句：

• You have come at a very inconvenient time.你来得最不适时。
• Will it be inconvenient for him to attend that meeting?他参加那次会议会不方便吗？

2 frustrating   

adj.产生挫折的，使人沮丧的，令人泄气的v.使不成功( frustrate的现在分词 )；挫败；使受挫折；令人沮丧

参考例句：

• It's frustrating to have to wait so long. 要等这么长时间，真令人懊恼。
• It was a demeaning and ultimately frustrating experience. 那是一次有失颜面并且令人沮丧至极的经历。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 accomplished   

adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的

参考例句：

• Thanks to your help,we accomplished the task ahead of schedule.亏得你们帮忙,我们才提前完成了任务。
• Removal of excess heat is accomplished by means of a radiator.通过散热器完成多余热量的排出。

4 penicillin   

n.青霉素，盘尼西林

参考例句：

• I should have asked him for a shot of penicillin.我应当让他给我打一针青霉素的。
• Penicillin was an extremely significant medical discovery.青霉素是极其重要的医学发现。

5 realization   

n.实现；认识到，深刻了解

参考例句：

• We shall gladly lend every effort in our power toward its realization.我们将乐意为它的实现而竭尽全力。
• He came to the realization that he would never make a good teacher.他逐渐认识到自己永远不会成为好老师。

6 knowledgeable   

adj.知识渊博的；有见识的

参考例句：

• He's quite knowledgeable about the theatre.他对戏剧很有心得。
• He made some knowledgeable remarks at the meeting.他在会上的发言颇有见地。