重庆的"老龄银行"

Barry Peterson: 88-year-old Sun Wangshou is very well taken care of. She lives with her daughter, her grandson and his family in Beijing. That's the way the elderly have traditionally been cared for in China.

Barry Peterson: But modern times have created a lot of economic opportunities for China's young people, often far from home, and that means leaving the elderly behind. So here in the city of Chongqing, they had an idea, making a rather unique promise to get people to help their elderly neighbors.

Barry Peterson: The idea is simplicity¹ itself, call it the Age Bank. People rack² up hours, noting them in a logbook. They give their time caring for senior citizens - hours they can withdraw³ in their golden years, as the next generation takes care of them.

Barry Peterson: This community leader came up with the idea. "There were a lot of retirees in this neighborhood," he told us, "they weren't very busy and the very elderly needed help."

Barry Peterson: It can be anything from running a quick errand⁴ to just stopping in for a daily chat.

Barry Peterson: Wang Tingru is 92 years old.

Barry Peterson: What do the helpers do to help you through the day?
Wang Tingru: They treat me like I am their mother, she says, cooking meals, buying groceries.

Barry Peterson: 61-year-old Mrs. Cai does this work with an eye on her future. "I've been depositing⁵ time in the 'bank'", she says, "so one day people will help me."

Barry Peterson: Like other countries, China has an aging population that is growing fast. But here, there is no government safety net---few nursing homes. Families have always taken care of their own.

Barry Peterson: But to these elderly, the Age Bank has made volunteers feel like family.

Barry Peterson: And kept Wang so spry, she can teach me the "China two-step", and so happy because even without family, thanks to the Age Bank, she has the next best thing: people who care.

Barry Peterson: You are very good!

Barry Peterson: Barry Peterson, CBS News, Chongqiong, China.

1 simplicity   

n.简单，简易；朴素；直率，单纯

参考例句：

• She dressed with elegant simplicity.她穿着朴素高雅。
• The beauty of this plan is its simplicity.简明扼要是这个计划的一大特点。

2 rack   

n.挂架，搁架；vt.折磨；使紧张，使努力

参考例句：

• He went over and took his jacket from the coat rack.到衣架上取外套。
• The old house soon went to rack and ruin.这所旧房子很快就毁坏了。

3 withdraw   

vt.收回，撤消，撤退；vi.缩回，退出，撤退

参考例句：

• I want to withdraw a statement I made earlier.我想收回我早些时候发表的一项声明。
• The general decided to withdraw his soldiers.那位将军决定撤军。

4 errand   

n.差使（如送信，买东西等），（短程）差事

参考例句：

• I've come on a special errand.我是专程来办一件差事的。
• This is a formidable errand for me.这对我来说是个太艰巨的任务。

5 depositing   

沉降，沉积，沉淀

参考例句：

• Depositing his unemptied glass he went out and walked up and down the street. 他把还有剩酒的酒杯放下，出了酒店，在大街上来回地走。
• He thought, as he walked the warm Roman night after depositing Justine in her pension. 他把贾斯丁送进膳宿公寓之后，一个人走在罗马暖和的夜色中，边走边想。