English essays.docx
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English essays.docx
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Englishessays
Contents
Introduction
PartOne:
Growth
LessonOne:
TextAHowtoGrowOldbyBertrandRussell
TextBUniversityDaysbyJamesThurber
LessonTwo:
TextAYouthbySamuelUllman
TextBAdvicetoYouthbyMarkTwain
LessonThree:
TextADreamChildrenbyCharlesLamb
TextBInSearchofOurMothers’GardensbyAliceWalker
PartTwo:
Nature
LessonOne:
TextAOncemoretotheLake(Part1)byE.B.White
TextBOncemoretotheLake(Part2)byE.B.White
LessonTwo:
TextATheFoxbyD.H.Laurence
TextBTheDeathoftheMothbyVirginiaWoolf
LessonThree:
TextATheGreatBarnbyThomasHardy
TextBTheSongoftheRiverbyWilliamS.Maugham
PartThree:
Love
LessonOne:
TextATheNightingaleandtheRosebyOscarWilde
TextBTheBestKindofLovebyAnettePaxmanBowen
LessonTwo:
TextAALoveLetterbyJohnKeats
TextBInSearchofLostTimebyMarcelProust
LessonThree:
TextAThreePassionsbyBetrandRussel
TextBOfLovebyFancisBacon
PartFour:
TheArtofLiving
LessonOne:
TextAOnGettingofftoSleepbyJ.B.Priestley
TextBTheArtoflivingbyJ.B.Priestley
LessonTwo:
TextATheBeautyIndustrybyAldousHuxley
TextBWorkbyBertrandRussell
LessonThree:
TextATheRewardsofLivingaSolitaryLifebyMaySarton
TextBSolitudebyHenryDavidThoreau
PartFive:
Humanity
LessonOne:
TextAALettertoLordChesterfieldbySamuelJohnson
TextBAModestProposalbyJonathanSwift
LessonTwo:
TextASelectedSnobberiesbyAldousHuxley
TextBOfBeautybyFrancisBacon
LessonThree:
TextATheSeeingSeeLittlebyHelenKeller
TextBShootinganElephantbyGeorgeOrwell
PartOne:
Growth
LessonOne
TextA:
HowtoGrowOldbyBertrandRussell
Inspiteofthetitle,thisarticlewillreallybeonhownottogrowold,which,atmytimeoflife,isamuchmoreimportantsubject.Myfirstadvicewouldbetochooseyourancestorscarefully.Althoughbothmyparentsdiedyoung,Ihavedonewellinthisrespectasregardsmyotherancestors.Mymaternalgrandfather,itistrue,wascutoffintheflowerofhisyouthattheageofsixty-seven,butmyotherthreegrandparentsalllivedtobeovereighty.OfremoterancestorsIcanonlydiscoveronewhodidnotlivetoagreatage,andhediedofadiseasewhichisnowrare,namely,havinghisheadcutoff.Agreat-grandmotherofmine,whowasafriendofGibbon,livedtotheageofninety-two,andtothelastdayremainedaterrortoallherdescendants.Mymaternalgrandmother,afterhavingninechildrenwhosurvived,nowwhodiedininfancy,andmanymiscarriages,assoonasshebecameawidowdevotedherselftowomen’shighereducation.ShewasoneofthefoundersofGirtonCollege,andworkedhardatopeningthemedicalprofessiontowomen.SheusedtorelatehowshemetinItalyandelderlygentlemanwhowaslookingverysad.Sheinquiredthecauseofhismelancholyandhesaidthathehadjustpartedfromhistwograndchildren.“Goodgracious,”sheexclaimed,“Ihaveseventy-twograndchildren,andifIweresadeachtimeIpartedfromoneofthem,Ishouldhaveadismalexistence!
”“Madrresnaturale,”hereplied.Butspeakingasoneoftheseventy-two,Ipreferherrecipe.Aftertheageofeightyshefoundshehadsomedifficultyingettingtosleep,soshehabituallyspentthehoursfrommidnightto3a.m.inreadingpopularscience.Idonotbelievethatsheeverhadtimetonoticethatshewasgrowingold.This,Ithink,istheproperrecipeforremainingyoung.Ifyouhavewideandkeeninterestsandactivitiesinwhichyoucanstillbeeffective,youwillhavenoreasontothinkaboutthemerelystatisticalfactofthenumberofyearsyouhavealreadylived,stilllessoftheprobablebrevityofyourfuture.
Asregardshealth,IhavenothingusefultosaysinceIhavelittleexperienceofillness.IeatanddrinkwhateverIlike,andsleepwhenIcannotkeepawake.Ineverdoanythingwhateveronthegroundthatitisgoodforhealth,thoughinactualfactthethingsIlikedoingaremostlywholesome.
Psychologicallytherearetwodangerstobeguardedagainstinoldage.Oneoftheseisundueabsorptioninthepast.Itdoesnotdotoliveinmemories,inregretsforthegoodolddays,orinsadnessaboutfriendswhoaredead.One’sthoughtsmustbedirectedtothefuture,andtothingsaboutwhichthereissomethingtobedone.Thisisnotalwayseasy;one’sownpastisagraduallyincreasingweight.Itiseasytothinktooneselfthatone’semotionsusedtobemorevividthantheyare,andone’smindmorekeen.Ifthisistrueitshouldbeforgotten,andifitisforgottenitwillprobablynotbetrue.
Theotherthingtobeavoidedisclingingtoyouthinthehopeofsuckingvigourfromitsvitality.Whenyourchildrenaregrownuptheywanttolivetheirownlives,andifyoucontinuetobeasinterestedinthemasyouwerewhentheywereyoung,youarelikelytobecomeaburdentothem,unlesstheyareunusuallycallous.Idonotmeanthatoneshouldbewithoutinterestinthem,butone’sinterestshouldbecontemplativeand,ifpossible,philanthropic,butnotundulyemotional.Animalsbecomeindifferenttotheiryoungassoonastheiryoungcanlookafterthemselves,buthumanbeings,owingtothelengthofinfancy,findthisdifficult.
Inthinkthatasuccessfuloldageiseasiestforthosewhohavestrongimpersonalinterestsinvolvingappropriateactivities.Itisinthisspherethatlongexperienceisreallyfruitful,anditisinthisspherethatthewisdombornofexperiencecanbeexercisedwithoutbeingoppressive.Itisnousetellinggrown-upchildrennottomakemistakes,bothbecausetheywillnotbelieveyou,andbecausemistakesareanessentialpartofeducation.Butifyouareoneofthosewhoareincapableofimpersonalinterests,youmayfindthatyourlifewillbeemptyunlessyouconcernyourselfwithyourchildrenandgrandchildren.Inthatcaseyoumustrealizethatwhileyoucanstillrenderthemmaterialservices,suchasmakingthemanallowanceorknittingthemjumpers,youmustnotexpectthattheywillenjoyyourcompany.
Someoldpeopleareoppressedbythefearofdeath.Intheyoungthereisajustificationforthisfeeling.Youngmenwhohavereasontofearthattheywillbekilledinbattlemayjustifiablyfeelbitterinthethoughtthattheyhavebeencheatedofthebestthingsthatlifehastooffer.Butinanoldmanwhohasknownhumanjoysandsorrows,andhasachievedwhateverworkitwasinhimtodo,thefearofdeathissomewhatabjectandignoble.Thebestwaytoovercomeit—soatleastitseemstome—istomakeyourinterestsgraduallywiderandmoreimpersonal,untilbitbybitthewallsoftheegorecede,andyourlifebecomesincreasinglymergedintheuniversallife.Anindividualhumanexistenceshouldbelikeariver—smallatfirst,narrowlycontainedwithinitsbanks,andrushingpassionatelypastrocksandoverwaterfalls.Graduallytherivergrowswider,thebanksrecede,thewatersflowmorequietly,andintheend,withoutanyvisiblebreak,theybecomemergedinthesea,andpainlesslylosetheirindividualbeing.Theman,who,inoldage,cansseehislifeinthisway,willnotsufferfromthefearofdeath,sincethethingshecaresforwillcontinue.Andif,withthedecayofvitality,wearinessincreases,thethoughtofrestwillnotbeunwelcome.Ishouldwishtodiewhilestillatwork,knowingthatotherswillcarryonwhatIcannolongerdo,andcontentinthethoughtthatwhatwaspossiblehasbeendone.
CulturalNotes
BertrandRussellwasaBritishphilosopherandmathematicianwhocombinedscholarshipwithliteraryskillandhadararetalentforpopularizationbothinwritingandasabroadcaster.
Thisessaywaswritteninhislateyears,whichmainlyconcernshowtoliveintheoldage.Itwasnotwrittenfromaverysternphilosophicalperspective,instead,heexpoundedhisviewsonlifeandoldageinaverysimpleandhumorouslanguage.
Writer’sCraft
Atthebeginningoftheessay,hefirstofalltalksaboutthesituationofhisfamily,likeanagedmanconverseamicablywithyou,fullofwisdomandhumor.Thetitleishowtogrowold,literally,itmeanshowtolivealongerlife,whichactuallyisaparadox.Asamatteroffact,theessayistalkingabouthowtoliveapleasantandfulfillinglifewhenpeopleareaged.
InRussell’sview,threeelementsmatteralot:
geneticelement,physiologicalelementandpsychologicalelement.Inlightofthesethreeelements,heraisedthreeadvice:
selectyourancestorwithdiscretion;youmaythinkitisalittleridiculous.Howcanweselectourancestors,butactuallyitcontainssomedeepreasons.AsillustratedinourChinesemedicine,peoplecongenitallydeficientareinferiortothosecongenitallysufficientinsomerespects.Secondly,keepyourselfhealthy.Theauthoradvocatestolivealongwithyournaturaldesire.Eatwhenyouwanttoeatandsleepwhenyouwanttosleep.Thirdly,attachgreatimportancetoyourpsychologicalhealth.Indoingso,youhavetopayattentiontotwobadhabits:
oneistheexcessiveindulgenceintherecollectionofthepast,theotheristheover-careaboutyourchildren.Topreventthesetwo,anoldmanhadbettercultivatehisinterestandenlargethescopeofhorizon.Theoldmanshouldcaremoreabouttheothersandthesociety.Onlyinthisway,thepersonallifecanbecolorful.
Thewholeessaywaswritteninclearorderandsuccinctlanguage.
TranslationAppreciation
题目虽然这样写,实际上本文所要谈的却是人怎样才可以不老。
对于像我这样年纪的人来说,这个问题就更是重要得多了。
我的头一条忠告是,你可得要挑选好你的先人啊。
我的父母年纪轻轻就去世了,可是说到祖辈,我还是选的不错的。
我外祖父固然是在风华正茂之年就弃世了,当时他只有六十七岁,但是我的祖父,祖母和外祖母却都或到了八十以上。
再往远一点说,在我的先人之中,我发现只有一位活得不长,他得了一种现在已不多见的病,那就是头让人砍掉了。
我的一位曾祖母,和吉本事朋友,活到九十二岁,她直到临终都使儿孙望而生畏。
我外祖母有九个孩子活了下来,有一个孩子很小就死了,她还流产过多次。
丈夫一死,她就致力于女子高等教育。
她是戈
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