-
People are always talking about' the
problem of youth '. If there is
one
—
which I
take
leave to doubt--then it is older people who create
it, not the young
themselves. Let us
get down to fundamentals and agree that the young
are
after all human beings--people just
like their elders. There is only one difference
between an old man and a young one: the
young man has a gloriousfuture
before
him and the old one has a splendid future behind
him: and maybe that is
where the rub
is.
When I was a teenager, I felt that
I was just young and uncertain--that I was a
new boy in a huge school, and I would
have been very pleased to
be regarded
as
something
so interesting
as a
problem. For one thing, being a
problem gives you
a certain identity,
and that is one of the things the young are busily
engaged in
seeking.
I find
young people exciting. They have an air of
freedom, and they have not a
dreary
commitment to mean ambitions or love of comfort.
They are not anxious
social climbers,
and they have no devotion to material things. All
this seems to
me to link them with
life, and the origins of things. It's as if they
were in some
sense cosmic beings in
violent and lovely contrast with us suburban
creatures.
All that is in my mind when
I meet a young person. He may be conceited,
ill-mannered, presumptuous of fatuous,
but I do not turn for protection to
dreary cliches about respect for elders
--as if mere age were a reason for respect.
I accept that we are equals, and I will
argue with him, as an equal, if I think he
is wrong.
New words and
expressions
生词短语
sb. take leave to do sth.
允许某人做某事，冒昧做某事
get
down to sth.
认真研究
get down to
+
名词／动名词
glorious
光辉灿烂的
rub
难题
teenager
青少年
for one thing
原因之一，有一点是
…
连接词
… for another
identity
身份
air of freedom
无拘无束
air:
神态、气势
dreary
沉郁的
ambition
追名逐利
cosmic being
宇宙人
human being
人
violent
强烈的，暴力的
suburban
见识不广的，有偏见的
conceited
自高自大的
1
presumptuous
自以为是的，放肆的
fatuous
愚蠢的
cliché
陈词滥调
I take leave
to s
ay…
我冒昧地说
…I take leave to be
frank
恕我直言。口语：
maybe I‘m too bold…
or .
say …
I‘m bold enough… or.
Allow myself to
Take one‘s
leave = take leave
离开
（正
式用法）
Would you please
take your leave?
我很烦的几种表示法：
What a
bore. What a nuisance.
What a trial
What a jerk.
get down to +
名词
/
动名词
例：我开始学习了。
I get
down to my
studies.
to-
介词同义词：
be engaged
in
glorious
glory n.
光荣
（
rosy ,shining , brilliant ,
magnificent ,
gorgeous
）
in
one‘s glory:
在某人的鼎盛时期
in one‘s dayin one‘s golden
days
in one‘s prime timein
the pride of
one‘s life
rub
摩擦
at odds
有矛盾
have words with sb.
和
…
拌嘴
Do you get the rub?Do you get the
picture?
Do you catch me?Do
you get me ?
I get down to learning my
book.
What‘s the
range?
问年龄
2
Teenager 14
到
18Under
cent: 13
到
16
Juvenile
青少年
Youth 20
到
30
Air
:
神态
（多用复数）
He always puts on
airs.
摆谱
Arrogant airs
:
傲气
Bureaucratic
airs :
官气
Finicky
airs
娇气
Dreary
同
: drearisome
a.
无味，无聊
Sterile :
枯燥无味
Monotonous:
乏味无
聊
G
loomy
：沉闷
lifeless:
无生气的
I have
ambition for going abroad/to
go abroad.
Fish …(wealth and fame)
Chase …(fam
e and gains)
Pursue …
Cosmic
宇宙
Cosmonaut
宇航员
= astronaut
Astro-/aster
天体
Disaster Cosmic place
:
大都市
Metropolis:
大都市
Violentnonviolence
非暴力
狂风：
violent
wind
暴死：
violent death
vehement
猛烈的
同义词：
turbulenttumultuous
suburb
郊区
urbane:
有礼貌的
short-sighted
目光
短浅的
narrow-minded/small-mindedinsular
绝缘，目光短浅的
provincial
conceited
自高自大的
骄傲的
conceit(n.)pride
自豪
big-headed
头发胀的
cocky
自负的
chicken
胆小鬼
swelled
膨胀的
over-
confident
people are always talking
about ? the
problem of
youth‘.
Are talking _
到目前为止一直讨论
?the
problem of youth ‘
加引号，引用。
-which I
take leave to doubt
插入语
―
我冒昧的说
‖
，表示
怀疑
-If there is
any,
同样表示怀疑
straight forward
开门见山
it is older
people who creat
it.
—
强调句
let us (speaker exclusive)
–
Let‘s
(speaker inclusive)
get down
to fundamentals
fundamental
= basic
基本的
fundamentalist
信奉正统基督教的人
after
all
–
退一步
like
–
(
介词
)
省略了谓语
are
people are just lije their elders
glorious future
光辉的未来
splendid
future
光辉的未来（已过去的，
对老年人而言）
where the rub is
症结所在，问题就出在
这
hatred :
憎恨
ironical
讽刺的，用反语的
uncertain
后面省略用法
I would have been
虚拟语气
Something
重要的东西
You are
somebody.
你是重要人物
So .. as …
后置定语
出色：
outstanding
stand out
站出来，鹤立鸡群
cut
figure
崭露头角
one
of the things
正是其中之一
seeking = looking for exciting
令人激
动的
air of freedom
无拘无束
= carefree ,
freedom from care
commitment
专注
(to +
名词
/
动名词
)
love =
seek
追求
mean
意味着，
小气卑
3
鄙
=
disgusting
anxious
虎视眈眈的
polish
擦，磨
apple
polisher
溜须拍马
bootlicker
拍马屁者
to me
在我看来（插入语）
no devotion to
热爱（贬）
material
things
物质享受
life
生机
lifeless
没生机的，死气沉沉的
link
with
把什么联系起来
origin
起源
as if
虚拟假设
in some sense
可以这么说吧（插入语）
in
contrast with
与
…
比较
violent
强烈
=
strong
lovely
生动的，完美的
后置的同位语
- suburban creatures
前面用得是
–
cosmic beings
mediocre
平庸的
idol
偶像
idiot
傻瓜
conceited
自负
ill-mannered
粗暴
presumptuous
自以为是的
fatuous
愚蠢无比的
turn for
protection to
寻求保护
dreary = boring cliché
沉郁的
cliché
陈词滥调，老生常谈
original
原本的
turn to
求助
【词汇降解】
---take
leave to do sth
冒昧地
..
I take leave to say.
我冒昧的说
I take
leave to be frank.
恕我直言
take one's leave = take leave.
...take my leave.
Would you
please take your leave?
What a bore.
/What a nuisance. / what a
trial. /
what a jerk.