---
url: https://gaojian.site/new-concept/book-4/37-the-process-of-ageing.md
description: 新概念英语第四册：The Process of Ageing。精读、词块回忆、双向译练、句法、逻辑与FSRS复习。
---

# 37 · 衰老过程

### 第1段

At the age of twelve years, the human body is at its most vigorous. It has yet to reach its full size and strength, and its owner his or her full intelligence; but at this age the likelihood of death is least. Earlier, we were infants and young children, and consequently more vulnerable; later, we shall undergo a progressive loss of our vigour and resistance which, though imperceptible at first, will finally become so steep that we can live no longer, however well we look after ourselves, and however well society, and our doctors, look after us. This decline in vigour with the passing of time is called ageing. It is one of the most unpleasant discoveries which we all make that we must decline in this way, that if we escape wars, accidents and diseases we shall eventually "die of old age", and that this happens at a rate which differs little from person to person, so that there are heavy odds in favour of our dying between the ages of sixty-five and eighty. Some of us will die sooner, a few will live longer—on into a ninth or tenth decade. But the chances are against it, and there is a virtual limit on how long we can hope to remain alive, however lucky and robust we are.
Normal people tend to forget this process unless and until they are reminded of it. We are so familiar with the fact that man ages, that people have for years assumed that the process of losing vigour with time, of becoming more likely to die the older we get, was something self-evident, like the cooling of a hot kettle or the wearing-out of a pair of shoes. They have also assumed that all animals, and probably other organisms such as trees, or even the universe itself, must in the nature of things "wear out". Most animals we commonly observe do in fact age as we do, if given the chance to live long enough; and mechanical systems like a wound watch, or the sun, do in fact run out of energy in accordance with the second law of thermodynamics whether the whole universe does so is a moot point at present. But these are not analogous to what happens when man ages. A run-down watch is still a watch and can be rewound. An old watch, by contrast, becomes so worn and unreliable that it eventually is not worth mending. But a watch could never repair itself—it does not consist of living parts, only of metal, which wears away by friction. We could, at one time, repair ourselves— well enough, at least, to overcome all but the most instantly fatal illnesses and accidents. Between twelve and eighty years we gradually lose this power; an illness which at twelve would knock us over, at eighty can knock us out, and into our grave. If we could stay as vigorous as we are at twelve, it would take about 700 years for half of us to die, and another 700 years for the survivors to be reduced by half again.

中文理解：十二岁时，人的身体生命力最为旺盛。身材和力量尚未完全发育，智力也还没有达到成熟水平，但这个年龄死亡的可能性最低。再往前，我们还是婴幼儿，自然更脆弱；再往后，活力和抵抗力就会逐渐下降。起初，这种变化很难察觉，最后却会急剧加速，直到无法继续活下去，不管自己照料得多好，也不管社会和医生照顾得多周到。这种随时间流逝而发生的活力衰退，便叫作衰老。人人最终都会发现一件很不愉快的事：自己也逃不过这种衰退。即使躲开战争、事故和疾病，我们最终仍会“老死”；人与人之间，这个过程的速度相差不大，因此多数人很可能在六十五岁到八十岁之间离世。有些人会更早去世，少数人会活得更久，进入八十多岁或九十多岁。但长寿的机会并不大；无论多幸运、多健壮，人的寿命似乎都有一个实际的上限。
一般人往往不会去想这个过程，直到有人提醒。我们太熟悉人会变老这件事了，多年来一直把活力随时间减少、年龄越大越容易死亡，看成不言自明的道理，就像一壶热水会变凉、一双鞋会穿坏一样。人们还以为，一切动物，也许包括树木等其他生物，甚至宇宙本身，都会自然“耗损”。我们常见的多数动物，如果有机会活得足够久，确实会像人一样衰老；上了发条的表等机械系统，或太阳，也的确会依照热力学第二定律耗尽能量——整个宇宙是否如此，当时仍有争论。但这些情况并不等同于人的衰老。发条走完的表仍然是表，重新上弦就行；一只老表却会磨损得越来越不可靠，最后连修理都不值得。不过，表永远不能自我修复，因为它由金属而非活的组织构成，金属会因摩擦而磨损。我们却一度能够很好地修复自己，至少足以抵御除几乎立即致命的疾病和事故以外的大多数伤害。从十二岁到八十岁，这种能力逐渐减弱：十二岁时只会让我们病倒的一场病，到了八十岁，可能就会要我们的命。如果能一直保持十二岁时的旺盛活力，大约要过七百年，我们才会有一半人死去；剩下的人再减少一半，又要七百年。

* **at its most vigorous**：处于最旺盛状态；most前所有格代替the，表示某一方面的巅峰状态。

* **has yet to**：还没有；不是have already done，否定意义需保留。

* **the likelihood of**：……的可能性；likelihood是概率，不等于喜欢。

* **a progressive loss**：逐渐加剧的丧失；undefined

* **with the passing of time**：随着时间流逝；undefined

* **in this way**：用这种方式；回指刚才说明的方法；必须让人知道 this way 是哪一种方式。

* **there are heavy odds**：有很大的可能；undefined

* **a virtual limit**：实际上的上限；virtual这里是实际上近乎存在，不是虚拟现实。

* **unless**：除非；如果不；undefined

* **self-evident**：不言自明的；看似显然仍可能包含未经检验的假定。

* **in the nature of things**：按事物本性；undefined

* **wear out**：磨损；耗坏；机器磨损与人疲惫可不同，文中正要检验类比。

* **run out of energy**：耗尽能量；主语消耗资源；资源本身作主语可说energy runs out。

* **in accordance with**：依照；较正式，说明符合原则，不是说因此已证明。

* **a moot point**：有争议的问题；英美不同语境也可指无实际意义的问题，本课为待争论之事。

* **not analogous to**：并不类似于；负面用法提醒类比失效的维度。

* **not worth mending**：不值得修理；undefined

* **wears away**：逐渐磨掉；强调摩擦等使材料逐渐减少，区别于用尽电量。

* **by friction**：由于摩擦；undefined

* **repair ourselves**：自我修复；undefined

* **at least**：至少；给出下限，不表示确切数量；也可引出最低限度的好处。

* **all but**：除……以外几乎所有；本句是除极致命疾病外；别一律译成差点。

* **knock us over**：使我们病倒；undefined

* **reduced by half**：减少一半；by是减少量，to是减少后的数值。

#### At the age of twelve years, the human body is at its most vigorous.

简单句，主系表结构.

#### It has yet to reach its full size and strength, and its owner his or her full intelligence; but at this age the likelihood of death is least.

并列复合句，分号前句为两个并列句，均为主谓宾结构，第二句省略了谓语 yet to reach，所以句子成分只标了主语和宾语. 句首的 it 指 human body，而 its owner 指 human body’s owner，这里是把人体物化了，似乎灵与肉有了分隔.

分号后句为主系表结构.

#### Earlier, we were infants and young children, and consequently more vulnerable; later, we shall undergo a progressive loss of our vigour and resistance which, though imperceptible at first, will finally become so steep that we can live no longer, however well we look after ourselves, and however well society, and our doctors, look after us.

复合句，从句比较多，我们标记成三句进行分析.

3-1 句，为简单句，主系表结构.

3-2 句，主谓宾结构，有一个 which 引导的定语从句修饰 a progressive loss，为主谓结构，后面包含一个 so…that 引导的结果状语从句，为主谓结构. 本句中的 later 是跟12 岁最旺盛的年龄相比的，我们直接翻译成12 岁以后.

3-3 句，两个 however 引导的让步状语从句，均为主谓宾结构.

#### This decline in vigour with the passing of time is called ageing.

简单句，主谓+主语补语结构.

#### It is one of the most unpleasant discoveries which we all make that we must decline in this way, that if we escape wars, accidents and diseases we shall eventually "die of old age", and that this happens at a rate which differs little from person to person, so that there are heavy odds in favour of our dying between the ages of sixty-five and eighty.

并列复合句，it is…that 结构，后面有三个 that 引导的主语从句作真正的主语，最后是 so that 引导的结果状语从句. 我们一个一个来看.

5-1 句，主系表结构，which 引导的定语从句修饰 discoveries，这个定语从句就四个单词，到 make 为止，所以不要把后面的 that 误以为是 make 的宾语. that 引导的主语从句为主谓结构. 本句 must 斜体为教材所加.

5-2 句，含有一个 if 引导的条件状语从句，为主谓宾结构，主句是主谓宾结构.

5-3 句，that 引导的主语从句为主谓结构，有一个 which 引导的定语从句修饰 rate，为主谓结构，this 即指衰老，所以后面的 rate 指衰老的速度，而不是几率. 后面是 so that 引导的结果状语从句，there be 句型. so that 一般作“为了”解时，为目的状语，这里感觉不是为了在什么年龄段死亡，而是这样一来的一个结果.

三个 that 分句，教材里面认为是作 discoveries 的同位语从句，问题是，这里之所以是 discoveries，不过是 one of 后面必须接复数，it is 的表语为 one，而 discoveries 这 里只不过作定语. 这里就是 it is…that 结构的主语从句，三个 that 从句都是围绕着衰老来展开论述的，讲的是衰老这一个情况，而不是三个发现.

#### Some of us will die sooner, a few will live longer—on into a ninth or tenth decade.

并列句，均为主谓结构. first decade 为0-9 岁，second 为10-19 岁，所以 ninth 为 80-89 岁，tenth 为90-99 岁，所以是八九十岁. 这里在本书中是同一个意思，只不过教材在21 课那里翻译错了.

#### But the chances are against it, and there is a virtual limit on how long we can hope to remain alive, however lucky and robust we are.

复合句，全句为并列结构，以 and 相连，前句为主谓宾结构，it 指上句活到八九十岁. and 后句为 there be 句型，跟一个定语从句 on…alive，为主系表结构，最后是 however 引导的让步状语从句，主系表结构.

#### Normal people tend to forget this process unless and until they are reminded of it.

复合句，主句主谓宾结构，后面是条件和时间状语从句，混在一起了，为主谓宾结构.

#### We are so familiar with the fact that man ages, that people have for years assumed that the process of losing vigour with time, of becoming more likely to die the older we get, was something self-evident, like the cooling of a hot kettle or the wearing-out of a pair of shoes.

复合句，我们把该长句分成2 个句子.

2-1 句为主谓宾结构，加上一个 that 引导的同位语从句，为主谓结构；

2-2 句为 so…that 引导的结果状语从句，该状语从句中，包括 that 引导的从句作 assumed 的宾语，该宾语从句为主系表结构. 在该宾语从句中，the older we get 这个比较状语从句只是定语中的一部分，属于成分中的细分.

之所以是 so…that 结构，而不是 that 引导的定语从句或者同位语从句，就在于这句话的含义就是强调了对衰老的熟悉，也因为熟悉，导致的结果是人们多年来就认识 到了这些情况.

#### They have also assumed that all animals, and probably other organisms such as trees, or even the universe itself, must in the nature of things "wear out".

复合句，主句为主谓+宾语从句结构，宾语从句则为主谓结构.

#### Most animals we commonly observe do in fact age as we do, if given the chance to live long enough; and mechanical systems like a wound watch, or the sun, do in fact run out of energy in accordance with the second law of thermodynamics whether the whole universe does so is a moot point at present.

并列复合句，and 分成前后两句，句中夹杂的从句比较多.

4-1 句，主句是 most animals do age 主谓结构，但是中间穿插了 we observe 这个定语从句，as we do 这个方式状语从句，还有 if 引导的条件状语从句.

4-2 句，主谓宾结构，原文中的括号内的内容，是主系表结构，主语也是从句，主谓宾结构. 教材中漏译了热力学第二定律，此处翻译补上了.

#### Most animals we commonly observe do in fact age as we do, if given the chance to live long enough; and mechanical systems like a wound watch, or the sun, do in fact run out of energy in accordance with the second law of thermodynamics whether the whole universe does so is a moot point at present. But these are not analogous to what happens when man ages.

复合句，主句为主系表结构，这里 analogous to what happens 整体为表语，该表语中，to 为介词，后面 what happens 为介词 to 的宾语，又正好是一个句子，所以我们作为宾语从句作了细分.

when 引导了时间状语从句，主谓结构.

#### A run-down watch is still a watch and can be rewound.

并列句，前句为主系表结构，后句为主谓结构.

#### An old watch, by contrast, becomes so worn and unreliable that it eventually is not worth mending.

复合句，主句为主系表结构，后面是 so…that 的结果状语从句，也为主系表结构. old 的斜体为教材本身所加.

#### But a watch could never repair itself—it does not consist of living parts, only of metal, which wears away by friction.

复合句，主句为主谓宾结构，中间破折号部分为插入语，主谓宾结构，补充说明. which 引导的定语从句为主谓结构，修饰 itself，也就是主语 a watch.

#### We could, at one time, repair ourselves— well enough, at least, to overcome all but the most instantly fatal illnesses and accidents.

简单句，主谓宾结构.

#### Between twelve and eighty years we gradually lose this power; an illness which at twelve would knock us over, at eighty can knock us out, and into our grave.

复合句，以分号分成前后两句，前句主谓宾结构，后句实际上是并列结构，and 后面有省略，can knock us into our grave，所以 and 前的 out 跟 knock 一起作谓语，后面 into our grave 则作宾补. 后句有一个 which 引导的定语从句修饰 illness，为主谓宾结构.

这句话的意思是，同样的疾病，12 岁只是让我们病倒，病完就好了，没什么问题，而80 岁再得，可能会要了我们命，比如12 岁的感冒发烧，虽然病倒了，全身无力，但不至于致命，而80 岁的感冒发烧就要格外注意了.

#### If we could stay as vigorous as we are at twelve, it would take about 700 years for half of us to die, and another 700 years for the survivors to be reduced by half again.

复合句，主句为主谓宾结构，句首是 if 引导的条件状语从句，为主系表结构，该从句中又包括一个 as 引导的比较状语从句，为主系表结构.

教材中第二个700 后面漏掉了 years，省略用法一般不会把单位省略掉. 原著中有 years，此处予以补上. 这句的翻译，简单点说就是我们每隔700 年才会死一半.

有学者对于700 年的计算过程进行了猜测：

Dr. Comfort does not show how he arrived at this figure. The death rate (1981, all causes) (for the 10-14 year age group) is 29.6 per 100,000 per year. This rate does not yield Dr. Comfort's result. He would have had to use (pre-1964 statistical) figures (that may include \[much] higher childhood disease mortality.)

也就是说，按照该学者1981 年的10-14 岁孩子组别的死亡率，十万分之29.6 来算，700 年，表面上是29.6 乘以700，死20,720 人，但其实每年基数都在减少，所以死的人并没有这么多，更是不到一半50,000 人. 所以可能是因为1964 年之前的数据，死亡率要高一些，才能得出700 年死一半的计算结论.

\[1] Hugh Hixon. Misadventure as a Cause of Death in a Long-Lived Population. Cryonics, May 1988. https://alcor.org/Library/html/MisadventureAsACauseOfDeath.html

## 学完这一课

用have yet to说明一项仍未完成的发展。

[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158—163页，2022年2月第2版。*