Unit2TheVirtuesofGrowingOlder课文翻译综合教程二

Unit 2 The Virtues of Growing Older

Our society worships youth. Advertisements convince us to buy Grecian Formula and

Oil

of

Olay

so

we

can

hide

the

gray

in

our

hair

and

smooth

the

lines

on

our

face.

Television

shows

feature

attractive

young

stars

with

firm

bodies,

perfect

complexions,

and

thick

manes

of

hair.

Middle- aged

folks

work

out

in

gyms

and

jog

down

the

street,

trying to delay the effects of age.

Wouldn't

any

person

over

thirty

gladly

sign

with

the

devil

just

to

be

young

again?

Isn't aging an experience to be dreaded? Perhaps it is unAmerican to say so, but I believe

the

answer

is

Being

young

is

often

pleasant,

but

being

older

has

distinct

advantages.

When

young,

you

are

apt

to

be

obsessed

with

your

appearance.

When

my

brother

Dave

and

I

were

teens,

we

worked

feverishly

to

perfect

the

bodies

we

had.

Dave

lifted

weights, took megadoses of vitamins, and drank a half-dozen milk shakes a day in order

to turn his wiry adolescent frame into some muscular ideal. And as a teenager, I dieted

constantly. No matter what I weighed, though, I was never satisfied with the way I looked.

My legs were too heavy, my shoulders too broad, my waist too big. When Dave and I were

young, we begged and pleaded for the

we

felt

our

world

would

fall

apart.

How

could

we

go

to

school

wearing

loose-fitting

blazers when everyone else would be wearing smartly tailored leather jackets? We could

be considered freaks. I often wonder how my parents, and parents in general, manage to

tolerate their children during the adolescent years. Now, however, Dave and I are beyond

such adolescent agonies. My rounded figure seems fine, and don't deny myself a slice of

pecan pie if I feel in the mood. Dave still works out, but he has actually become fond of

his

tall,

lanky

frame.

The

two

of

us

enjoy

wearing

fashionable

clothes,

but

we

are

no

longer slaves to style. And women, I'm embarrassed to admit, even more than men, have

always seemed to be at the mercy of fashion. Now my clothes ---- and my brother's ----

are attractive yet easy to wear. We no longer feel anxious about what others will think. As

long as we feel good about how we look, we are happy.

Being

older

is

preferable

to

being

younger

in

another

way.

Obviously,

I

still

have

important

choices

to

make

about

my

life,

but

I

have

already

made

many

of

the

critical

decisions

that

confront

those

just

starting

out.

I

chose

the

man

I

wanted

to

marry.

I

decided

to

have

children.

I

elected

to

return

to

college

to

complete

my

education.

But

when

you

are

young,

major

decisions

await

you

at

every

turn.

college

should

I

attend?

What

career

should

I

pursue?

Should

I

get

married?

Should

I

have

children?

There are just a few of the issues facing young people. It's no wonder that, despite their