Aging in European Countries

We have to realise how old, how very old, we are. Nations are classified as "aged" when they have 7 per cent or more of their people aged 65 or above, and by about 1970 every one of the advanced countries had become like this. Of the really ancient societies, with over 13 per cent above 65, all are in Northwestern Europe. At the beginning of the 1980's East Germany had 15.6 per cent, Austria, Sweden, West Germany and France had 13.4 per cent or above, and England and Wales 13.3 per cent. Scotland had 12.3 per cent. Northern Ireland 10.8 percent and the United States 9.9 per cent. We know that we are getting even older, and that the nearer a society approximates to zero population growth, the older its population is likely to be - at least, for any future that concerns us now.

To these now familiar facts a number of further facts may be added, some of them only recently recognised. There is the apparent paradox that the effective cause of the high proportion of the old is births rather than deaths. There is the economic principle that the dependency ratio - the degree to which those who cannot earn depend for a living on those who can - is more advantageous in older societies like ours than in the younger societies of the developing world, because lots of dependent babies are more of a liability than numbers of the inactive aged. There is the appreciation of the salient historical truth that the aging or advanced societies has been a sudden change.

If "revolution" is a rapid resettlement of the social structure, and if the age composition of the society counts as a very important aspect of that social structure, then there has been a social revolution in European and particularly Western European society within the lifetime of everyone over 50. Taken together, these things have implications which are only beginning to be acknowledged. These facts and circumstances were well to the fore earlier this year at a world gathering about aging as a challenge to science and to policy, held at Vichy in France.

There is often resistance to the idea that it is because the birthrate fell earlier in Western and Northwestern Europe than elsewhere, rather than because of any change in the death rate, that we have grown so old. But this is what elementary demography makes clear. Long life is altering our society, of course, but in experiential terms. We have among us a very much greater experience of continued living than any society that has ever preceded us anywhere, and this will continue. But too much of that lengthened experience, even in the wealthy West, will be experience of poverty and neglect, unless we do something about it .

If you are now in your thirties, you ought to be aware that you can expect to live nearly one third of the rest of your life after the age of 60. The older you are now, of course, the greater this proportion will be, and greater still if you are a woman. Expectation of life is a slippery figure, very easy to get wrong at the highest ages. At Vichy the demographers were telling each other that their estimates of how many old there would be and how long they will live in countries like England and Wales are due for revision upwards.

译文：

欧洲国家的老龄化

我们不得不认识到我们多大岁数了，有多老了。当有7％或更多的65岁或65岁以上的人时，这些国家就被列为"老龄化"国家。到大约1970年，每一个发展国家就成了这样的国家。65岁以上的人超过13％的真正的老年人社会，都在西北欧。20世纪80年代初，东德有15.6％的人超过65岁，在奥地利、瑞典、西德和法国，这个比率为13.4%或更高，英格兰和威尔士有13.3%，苏格兰有12.3%，北爱尔兰有10.8％，美国有9.9%。我们知道人类在日益变老，人口增长率接近于零的社会离我们越近，人口越可能呈老龄化的趋势，至少就与影响我们的未来来说是这样的。

更多的现实，这其中有些只是近来才认识到，可能会加入到这些熟悉的现实中。有这样一个明显的似是而非的论点：造成老年人比率高的实际原因是出生人数而不是死亡人数。有一条经济原则：抚养率――不能自食其力的人依靠能挣钱养家的人的程度――在我们这样的更为老龄化的社会里比在发展中世界的较年轻社会里要有利一些，因为大量的无法独立的孩子与一定数的丧失工作能力的老年人相比，更是个负担。有对这样一个明显的历史真实的正确评价：先进社会的老龄化一直以来都是一种突变。

如果"革命"是对社会结构的迅速重建，如果社会的年龄构成被看作社会结构的一个非常重要的方面，那么在欧洲，特别是每一个人的寿命超过50岁的西欧，已经有一场革命。综上所述，人们只是刚刚开始认识到这意味着什么。这些事实和情况早些时候在法国维希举行的一个世界大会上被视为科学家和政策的挑战而置于显著的地位。

我们人口的老龄化，是因为在西欧和西北欧出生率比其他地方下降得早，百不是因为死亡率发生了一些变化。对这一观点经常有人不以为然，但这是通过基本的人口统计学澄清的事实。当然，长寿正改变着我们的社会，但这只是经验论。我们之中有一种比先于我们的任何社会多得多的继续生存的经历，这种经历将继续下去。除非我们能在这方面采取措施，即使在富裕的西方，太多的这种经历将被，视为贫穷和荒废的过去。你现年三十几岁，你应当知道，你可以指望在活到60岁以后再活上差不多15年。现在你年纪越大，这个比例就越高。如果你是女性，这个比例还会更大。预期寿命不是一个固定数字，在最高年龄上很容易弄错。在维希，人口学家互相转告，在像英格兰和威尔士这些国家，他们对将有多少老人和他们能活多久的估计应向上调整。

课文讲解：

一、单词解释：

1. classify 把。。。分类、把。。。分等级： I classified my boks by subjects.

2.likely

1）a.有可能的，可能发生的： Its likely to rain tonight. It is likely that he will be late.

2)ad.可能。或许： He will very likely pass the exam.

3.concern

1）v. 与。。。有关、影响。。。 That does not concern us 那于我们无关。

2） n. 关心的事情、重要事件： My greatest concern is the economy of China.

4. count

1)vi. 计算在内、被考虑、算的上： Theis invention counts among the greaatest ones in this century.

2)vi.重要，有价值： It is your patience that really counts.

3)v.认为、视为： I count myself lucky to have you as my teacher.

4)n.计算、计数： By my count you have already had five cakes.

5.alter (部分）改变、变动、修改、更改： She often alters her clothes according to the latest fashion. The weather is likely to alter violently .

6. approximate

1)a.（数量等）大概的，近似的： The approximate time of our arrival is 3 oclock.

2)v.(数量等）近于。。。。。、接近、大约等于： His account of the incident approximates to the truth.

7.precede（在地位、重要性方面）比。。。高、胜过、优先于。。。 ： Economy precedes every other problem.

二、课文解释

1。We know that we are getting evrn older, and that the nearer a society approximates to zero population arowth, the older its population is likely to be- at least, for any future tahat concerns us now. 我们知道我们正日益老龄化，人口增长率接近于零的社会里离我们越近，其人口越可能老龄化－ 至少就对我们有影响的未来而言事实确实如此。

1）在本句中，that we are getting even older和and that the nearer a society…likely to be都是动词know的宾语

2）the more…, the more…这个结构表示“越。。。，就越。。。。”。 在这个结构中，more可修饰从句，可接名词，也可以根据需要改变成形容词或副词的比较级，再接从句。例如 The more you know, the more you will find yourself ignorant.

2。There is the economic principle that the dependency ratio- the degree to which those who cannot earn depend for a living on those who can -is more advantageous in older societies like ours than in the younger societies of the developing world, because lots of dependent babies are more of a liability than numbers of the inactive aged. 有这样一条经济原则：抚养率－ 不能挣钱生活的人依靠能挣钱的人的程度－在我们这样一个老龄化程度更高的社会里比在发展中世界的年轻社会里要更有利一些，因为大量的尚需抚养的孩子与一定数量的不能工作的老年人相比，更是一种负担。

1）本句中的主语是： economic principle,谓语动词为is, that the dependency ratio….than numbers of the inactive aged是economic principle 的同位语从句。在同位语从句中，主句的主体部分为the dependency ratio is more advantageous in older societies that in the younger societies. 后面的because lots of dependent babies are more of a liability that numbers of the inactive aged. 是表示原因的状语从句。

2）在the degree to which those who cannot earn depend for a living on those who can 中，which those who cannot earn depend for a living on those who can整个作the degree 的定语从句。这个定语从句中又含有一个定语从句，who cannot earn ,修饰第一个those, for a living 作depend on的状语，它应该放在on those who can 的后面，这里将它提前，有强调的意思。Who can修饰第二个those，其后省略了earn.

3)more of 表示“更大程度上的”: He is more of a poet than a musician.

4)numbers of 表示“许多的、大批的”:Numbers of people came from all parts of the country to see the exhibition.

3…because lots of dependent babies are more of a liability thtn numbers of the inactive aged. 因为大量的尚需抚养的孩子与一定数量的不能工作的老年人相比，更是个负担。

1）从句中more …than表示“比。。。更加”的意思。而这句话的主干是are of a liability.

2)Be+of+名词，这种结构在英语中经常使用，他的作用相当于be+形容词，例如： This device is of great use(This device is very useful)

4.Taken together, these things have implications which are only beginning to be acknowledged. 总之，人们只是刚刚才开始认识到这其中的含义。

过去分词短语taken together 在句中做状语，其逻辑主语为these things, taken together 在语法上相当于条件状语从句，if these thengs are taken together(如果将以上几个方面综合考虑）。 These things 指本段前面所列举的情况。 Which are only beginning to be acknowledged 为定语从句，修饰宾语implications.

5.Long life is altering our society, of cours, but in experiential terms. 当然，长寿正改变着我们的社会，但这只是经验论。

Terms 在句中是“措辞。说法”的意思，in…terms 或者in terms of 表示“以。。。的措辞，以。。。的说法。 例如He referred to your work in terms of high praise.

6.If your are now in your thirties ,you ought to be aware that you can expect to live nearly one third of the rest of your life after the age of 60. 如果你现在30几岁，你应该知道你可以指望60岁以后再活上差不多15年。

1）句子中the rest of your life 指的是30岁以后的寿命。从30岁到60岁是30岁以后寿命的2/3，60岁以后再活1/3，也就是15年。

2）the rest表示”剩余部分、其他“的意思，与of连用时，如果后面的名词是可数名词的复数形式，则视为复数，如果是不可数名词，则看成单数。例如： Mary and kitty will go to the movies, and the rest of the students will go to the theatre.

3)单独使用the rest时，所指的事物如果是复数，则视为复数，所指的是不可数名词则视为单数，例如： one of the experts is American and the rest are Chinese. He spends most of his time playing basketball, the rest was spent swimming.