---
url: https://gaojian.site/new-concept/book-4/05-youth.md
description: 新概念英语第四册：Youth。精读、词块回忆、双向译练、句法、逻辑与FSRS复习。
---

# 05 · 青年

### 第1段

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 glorious future 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 or 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.

中文理解：人们总爱谈论“青年问题”。如果真有这么个问题——请允许我对此表示怀疑——那么制造问题的是年长者，而不是青年人自己。我们不妨先从根本说起，承认年轻人毕竟也是人，与他们的长辈并无两样。老年人与年轻人只有一个区别：年轻人的锦绣前程在前方，老年人的锦绣前程却已成了身后的往事。也许，症结就在这里。
我十几岁时，只觉得自己年轻而迷茫，像个刚走进一所大学校的新生。如果有人把我当成“一个问题”这么有意思的存在，我倒会很高兴。至少，被当成“一个问题”能让人获得某种身份认同，而年轻人恰恰正忙着寻找这种认同。
我觉得年轻人很有活力。他们身上有一种自由的气息，不会死气沉沉地困在狭隘的野心或安逸的享受之中。他们不急于往社会上层爬，也不一心追逐物质。在我看来，这一切让他们与生命本身、与万物的本源更为接近。从某种意义上说，他们仿佛属于广阔的宇宙，与我们这些困守市郊日常的人形成了强烈而美妙的对照。每当遇到年轻人，我想到的就是这些。他或许自负、失礼、冒失或愚蠢，但我不会搬出“尊敬长辈”之类的陈词滥调来维护自己，仿佛仅凭年纪大就值得尊敬。我承认我们是平等的；如果我认为他错了，就会以平等的身份与他争论。

* **the problem of youth**：所谓青年问题；undefined

* **take leave to doubt**：恕我对此怀疑；较正式、带修辞意味；日常可用I have my doubts。

* **get down to**：开始认真处理；to是介词，后接doing，不是动词原形。

* **after all**：毕竟；提醒一个不应忽略的事实，不总是最后的意思。

* **a glorious future**：光明的前途；glorious语气较强，日常bright更常用。

* **where the rub is**：症结所在；undefined

* **be regarded as**：被看作；as引出评价或身份，不用regard A to be B。

* **a certain identity**：某种身份认同；undefined

* **engaged in seeking**：忙于寻求；in后接名词或动名词，说明投入的活动。

* **an air of freedom**：一种自由的气息；air可指外在气质或氛围，不是空气成分。

* **material things**：物质方面的东西；undefined

* **link them with**：把他们与……联系起来；说明联系，别因有联系就断言因果。

* **in some sense**：从某种意义上说；限制自己的判断，不是说从所有角度都成立。

* **in violent and lovely contrast**：形成强烈而美妙的对照；undefined

* **respect for elders**：对长辈的尊重；respect作名词接for；作动词直接接对象。

* **as an equal**：以平等者的身份；as说明身份，不是举例。

#### People are always talking about "the problem of youth".

简单句，主谓宾结构.

#### If there is one—which I take leave to doubt—then it is older people who create it, not the young themselves.

复合句，if 开头的条件状语从句，加一个定语从句作为插入语，该定语从句为主谓结构.

主句为强调句，这里 it is…who 是强调句型，系动词后为被强调部分.

#### Let us get down to fundamentals and agree that the young are after all human beings—people just like their elders.

复合句，主句为祈使句，两个宾语补语并列，第二个补语中，that 引导的句子作 agree 的宾语，该宾语从句为主系表结构.

#### There is only one difference between an old man and a young one: the young man has a glorious future before him and the old one has a splendid future behind him: and maybe that is where the rub is.

复合句，主句 there be 句型，冒号作为句子中使用的标点符号，后面一般接一个附加的解释性的分句.

第一个冒号后面的分句为并列句，均为主谓宾结构，而第二个冒号则作进一步的解释，为复合句，主系+表语从句，表语从句本身亦是主系表结构.

句中把老年人的过往也用了 future 来表达，主要是对比年轻人的 future，一个在前 方，一个在身后，成为了往事.

#### 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.

复合句，When I was a teenager 是时间状语从句。其后 I felt 后接两个 that 引导的宾语从句，第二个从句借破折号解释前一个从句：that I was just young and uncertain—that I was a new boy in a huge school。它们不是表语从句。and 后接 I would have been very pleased…，表达对过去未实现情形的设想。

and 后为第二句，主系表结构，动词不定式在这里作原因状语，不定式往往放在系表结构的后面，表示产生某种情绪或状态的原因.

#### 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.

复合句，由 and 连接两个句子组成，第一句为主谓宾结构，双宾语. 这里的 certain 是回应上句 uncertain，年轻人对未来的不确定所带来的迷茫，可以通过确定的身份予以化解.

and 后为复合句，主句为主系表结构，表语由定语从句修饰，定语从句为主谓结构.

#### I find young people exciting.

简单句，主谓宾+宾补结构. exciting 之声回荡耳边.

#### They have an air of freedom, and they have not a dreary commitment to mean ambitions or love of comfort.

并列句，均为主谓宾结构.

#### They are not anxious social climbers, and they have no devotion to material things.

并列句，前句为主系表结构，后句为主谓宾结构.

#### All this seems to me to link them with life, and the origins of things.

简单句，主谓宾结构.

#### It's as if they were, in some sense, cosmic beings in violent and lovely contrast with us suburban creatures.

复合句，主句主系+表语从句结构. as if 引导的表语从句为主系表结构.

#### All that is in my mind when I meet a young person.

复合句，主句主系表结构，后面是 when 引导的时间状语从句，为主谓宾结构.

本句中的 All that 应指上句青年人的超凡脱俗.

#### He may be conceited, ill-mannered, presumptuous or fatuous, but I do not turn for protection to dreary cliches about respect for elders—as if mere age were a reason for respect.

复合句，主句为并列结构，前句为主系表，后句为主谓宾结构. 最后是 as if 引导的方式状语从句，为主系表结构.

#### I accept that we are equals, and I will argue with him, as an equal, if I think he is wrong.

复合句，全句为并列结构，前句为主谓+宾语从句结构，从句为主系表结构.

后句为主谓宾结构，后面跟一个 if 引导的条件状语从句，该从句为主谓+宾语从句结构，该宾语从句为主系表结构.

## 学完这一课

用强调句纠正一次责任归属。

[Nce · 本册复习台](/new-concept/book-4/review) · [三册选择地图](/new-concept/)

*译文依据整理稿，由本站按中文表达重新校订；解析据吴应时整理资料及首轮审校稿；词伙与练习提示为本站学习设计。原PDF第27—29页，2022年2月第2版。*