退休

 　　Neil: Hello, I’m Neil. Welcome to 6 Minute English from bbclearningenglish.com. Finn is with me today. Hi Finn.

　　Finn: Hello Neil.

　　Neil: Let’s begin with a question. It’s about retirement¹ and I would like to know what the official age of retirement is in Japan.

　　a) 60

　　b) 65

　　c) 70

　　Finn: I know the Japanese have a reputation for working hard, so let’s say c) 70.

　　Neil: I will let you know the answer later on. I was asking that question because today we are talking about when is it time to stop working - another way of saying to stop is to quit - quitting work.

　　Finn: Neil, the official word for stopping work is retiring. People take retirement when they reach an age when they cannot or do not want to work anymore. Are you thinking about retirement Neil?

　　Neil: No - like many of us, we still have many years of work still to do. Giving up work - or retiring - is usually a financial decision.

　　Finn: You mean you can only do it if you have enough money to live your life without having to go to work? When would you like to retire Neil?

　　Neil: I would like to retire at the age of 60. Then I can get my pension² - a regular payment³ from savings⁴ I make each month. And later I will get a state pension - a payment from the government. How about you Finn?

　　Finn: It’s not really about the money for me - I just want to work forever. I get job satisfaction and as long as I enjoy it, I’ll keep doing it.

　　Neil: Job satisfaction - that is a good reason. I know many people who do their job for the love of it - but sometimes you have to say enough is enough - you have done your best and you can't carry on anymore.

　　Finn: In sport you would say it is time to hang up your boots. In fact there is one very popular sportsman⁵ who retired⁶ after a long time in the job. He was the manager of Manchester United football club, Sir Alex Ferguson.

　　Neil: Yes, he was manager for 26 years! So, why did he decide to ‘hang up his boots’ and retire - was he too old?

　　Finn: He was 71 years old - but is 71 too old to be a football club manager? Let’s hear from Alex Ferguson talking about some of the reasons that made him think about retirement. How does he describe his health at the moment?

　　Sir Alex Ferguson:

　　As you get older you’re not guaranteed your health, no one is when you get into your seventies. But touch wood that my health remains⁷ for a long time yet. At the moment everything is hunky-dory but you never know.

　　Neil: He has a very strong Scottish accent. He said that as we get older our health is not guaranteed - so we cannot be certain of how long we will stay healthy for.

　　Finn: Ah, but he says at the moment, his health is hunky-dory! That is a strange expression. It means it is good and without problems.

　　Neil: And he said ‘touch wood’ it will remain good for a long time. Why does he say ‘touch wood’?

　　Finn: It is an informal phrase meaning ‘with luck’ and is said to avoid bad luck. Some people actually touch a piece of wood when they say it.

　　Neil: Well, touch wood, we all have good health. So, Sir Alex’s reason for retirement is to enjoy life while he has good health. A good reason.

　　Finn: And recently, another person from the world of football said he was retiring. It doesn’t mean he is never going to work again. Instead, he is giving up playing professional football.

　　Neil: You are talking about David Beckham! He’s not really that old is he?

　　Finn: No - at 38, he’s younger than you! But at that age it’s a level of competition he feels he can no longer take part in. He’s had a good career and is one of the world’s best-known footballers. What do you think of him Neil?

　　Neil: He was good but not the world’s best. He was probably better known for being a celebrity⁸. Anyway, he just felt the right time in his career to stop.

　　Finn: But what about people who are in positions that they just can't give up?

　　Neil: Such as members of the royal family? Being a king or a queen is not a job they choose to do - it is hereditary⁹ - so something passed on from parent to child.

　　Finn: So, Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands - after 33 years as Queen she recently decided¹⁰ to retire - or a royal way of saying this is to abdicate¹¹. Speaking through an interpreter, this is what she said. What has she been given since she announced her retirement?

　　Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands:

　　Since I announced my intention to retire, I have been struck by overwhelming¹² expressions of heartfelt sympathy. This was accompanied by a broad understanding for the desire to now hand over my role to the Prince of Orange.

　　Neil: So, since she announced her abdication¹³, she has been struck by overwhelming expressions of heartfelt sympathy. Now it’s time to give you the answer to today’s question. Earlier I asked what the official age of retirement is in Japan.

　　Finn: And I said 70.

　　Neil: You were wrong. The answer is 60, which was option a)

　　Neil: Thanks for joining us. Please do listen again to another 6 Minute English.

　　Both: Bye.

1 retirement   

n.退休，退职

参考例句：

• She wanted to enjoy her retirement without being beset by financial worries.她想享受退休生活而不必为金钱担忧。
• I have to put everything away for my retirement.我必须把一切都积蓄起来以便退休后用。

2 pension   

n.退休金，年金，抚恤金；v.发给退休金

参考例句：

• The country provided a pension to the old person.国家给老人们提供养老金。
• She went to the company to draw her pension.她去公司领退休金。

3 payment   

n.付款，支付，偿还，偿还，报应

参考例句：

• I gave ten pounds in payment for the goods I bought.我买那些东西付了10英镑。
• This last payment will wipe out your debt to me.这最后一笔付款将了结你欠我的债务。

4 savings   

n.存款，储蓄

参考例句：

• I can't afford the vacation,for it would eat up my savings.我度不起假，那样会把我的积蓄用光的。
• By this time he had used up all his savings.到这时，他的存款已全部用完。

5 sportsman   

n.运动员

参考例句：

• His brother is a sportsman of our school.他弟弟是我校的运动员。
• Everybody thinks he is an all-round sportsman.大家认为他是一个全能运动员。

6 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

7 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

8 celebrity   

n.名人，名流；著名，名声，名望

参考例句：

• Tom found himself something of a celebrity. 汤姆意识到自己已小有名气了。
• He haunted famous men, hoping to get celebrity for himself. 他常和名人在一起, 希望借此使自己获得名气。

9 hereditary   

adj.遗传的，遗传性的，可继承的，世袭的

参考例句：

• The Queen of England is a hereditary ruler.英国女王是世袭的统治者。
• In men,hair loss is hereditary.男性脱发属于遗传。

10 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

11 abdicate   

v.让位，辞职，放弃

参考例句：

• The reason I wnat to abdicate is to try something different.我辞职是因为我想尝试些不一样的东西。
• Yuan Shikai forced emperor to abdicate and hand over power to him.袁世凯逼迫皇帝逊位，把政权交给了他。

12 overwhelming   

adj.势不可挡的，压倒的，无法抵抗的

参考例句：

• The flood was overwhelming and the city was soon drowned.洪水来势凶猛，很快这个城市就被淹没了。
• The act was adopted by an overwhelming majority.该法案以压倒多数通过。

13 abdication   

n.辞职；退位

参考例句：

• The officers took over and forced his abdication in 1947.1947年军官们接管了政权并迫使他退了位。
• Abdication is precluded by the lack of a possible successor.因为没有可能的继承人，让位无法实现。