Unit 9 How to Grow Old.docx

Unit 9 How to Grow Old.docx

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Unit9HowtoGrowOld

Unit9HowtoGrowOld

LearningObjectives

●Rhetoricalskill:

metaphor

●Keylanguage&grammarpoints

●Writingstrategies:

metaphorforthethemeoftheessay

●Theme:

howtokeepyoungandfacedeath

SectionOnePre-readingActivities

I.PictureActivation

Doyoufind“growingold”aterrifyingprocess?

Whyorwhynot?

II.Pre-readingQuestions

1.AnagingpopulationhasbecomeaseriousprobleminChina,especiallyinbigcitieslikeShanghai.Afterdecadesofhardwork,oldpeopledeservetoliveahappylifeintheirtwilightyears.DoyouthinkoldpeopleinChinaaretakengoodcareof?

Whatdoyourgrandparentsusuallydoeveryday?

Dotheyenjoytheirlife?

Openfordiscussion.

2.Withtheimprovementoflivingstandardsandmedicalservices,nowpeoplehavealongerlifeexpectancythanbefore.Inthisconnection,somepeopleproposethatourretirementageshouldbepostponed.Doyouagreewiththisidea?

Openfordiscussion.

SectionTwoGlobalReading

I.TextIntroduction

ThisisoneoftheessaysinBertrandRussell’sPortraitsfromMemory,whichwaspublishedin1956.Asisindicatedinthetitle,theessaydealswiththeissueofaging.Inalightandhumorousstyle,theauthorturnsthissocialissueintoapersonaldiscussionontwotopics:

Howtokeeponeselfpsychologicallyyoungandhowtoperceivedeathinone’soldage.

II.CultureNotes

Gibbon（Paragraph1）

EdwardGibbon（1737–1794）,Englishhistorian.HewroteTheHistoryoftheDeclineandFalloftheRomanEmpire（1776–1788）.

GirtonCollege（Paragraph1）

ThefirstresidentialcollegeforwomenofCambridgeUniversity,itwasestablishedin1869.ItisabouttwoandahalfmilesnorthwestofthecenterofCambridgenexttothevillageofGirton.Itbecamemixedin1977withthearrivalofthefirstmaleFellowsandmaleundergraduateshavebeenadmittedsince1979.

III.Author

BertrandRussell（1872-1970）wasaBritishphilosopherandmathematicianwhocombinedscholarshipwithliteraryskillandhadararetalentforpopularizationbothinwritingandasabroadcaster.Onpoliticsandeducationheheldunorthodoxopinions.In1918hewasgalledforpacifism.Undeterredbyage,hewasactiveinnucleardisarmamentdemonstrations,whichledtoanotherspellinprison.

HeleftCambridgeinthesummerof1894

Intheautumnof1920hewenttoChinatolectureonphilosophyatthePekingUniversity,analyzingthestrengthandweaknessesofthatancientcivilizationattemptingtoindustrialize,andwarnedofthedangersofimperialpowersinterferinginChinaaffairs.

In1950,RussellwasawardedtheNobelPrizeinLiterature,"inrecognitionofhisvariedandsignificantwritingsinwhichhechampionshumanitarianidealsandfreedomofthought."

IV.StructuralAnalysis

Part1

（Paras.1-2）descriptionofthehealthylifestyleofauthor’sancestorsandhimself,whichreflectshisattitudetowardslife

Part2

（Paras.3-4）twothingselderlypeopleshouldavoid,namelylivinginmemoriesandclingingtoyouth

Part3

（Paras.5-6）importanceofdevelopingimpersonalinterests,andacorrectattitudetowardsdeathinoldage

SectionThreeDetailedReading

HOWTOGROWOLD

BertrandA.Russell

1.Inspiteofthetitle,thisarticlewillreallybeonhownottogrowold,which,atmytimeoflife,isamuchmoreimportantsubject.Myfirstadvicewouldbe,tochooseyourancestorscarefully.Althoughbothmyparentsdiedyoung,Ihavedonewellinthisrespectasregardsmyotherancestors.Mymaternalgrandfather,itistrue,wascutoffintheflowerofhisyouthattheageofsixty-seven,butmyotherthreegrandparentsalllivedtobeovereighty.OfremoterancestorsIcanonlydiscoveronewhodidnotlivetoagreatage,andhediedofadiseasewhichisnowrare,namely,havinghisheadcutoff.Agreat-grandmotherofmine,whowasafriendofGibbon,livedtotheageofninety-two,andtoherlastdayremainedaterrortoallherdescendants.Mymaternalgrandmother,afterhavingninechildrenwhosurvived,onewhodiedininfancy,andmanymiscarriages,assoonasshebecameawidowdevotedherselftowomen’shighereducation.ShewasoneofthefoundersofGirtonCollege,andworkedhardatopeningthemedicalprofessiontowomen.SheusedtorelatehowshemetinItalyanelderlygentlemanwhowaslookingverysad.Sheinquiredthecauseofhismelancholyandhesaidthathehadjustpartedfromhistwograndchildren.“Goodgracious,”sheexclaimed,“Ihaveseventy-twograndchildren,andifIweresadeachtimeIpartedfromoneofthem,Ishouldhaveadismalexistence!

”“Madresnaturale,”hereplied.Butspeakingasoneoftheseventy-two,Ipreferherrecipe.Aftertheageofeightyshefoundshehadsomedifficultyingettingtosleep,soshehabituallyspentthehoursfrommidnightto3a.m.inreadingpopularscience.Idonotbelievethatsheeverhadtimetonoticethatshewasgrowingold.This,Ithink,istheproperrecipeforremainingyoung.Ifyouhavewideandkeeninterestsandactivitiesinwhichyoucanstillbeeffective,youwillhavenoreasontothinkaboutthemerelystatisticalfactofthenumberofyearsyouhavealreadylived,stilllessoftheprobablebrevityofyourfuture.

2.Asregardshealth,IhavenothingusefultosaysinceIhavelittleexperienceofillness.IeatanddrinkwhateverIlike,andsleepwhenIcannotkeepawake.Ineverdoanythingwhateveronthegroundthatitisgoodforhealth,thoughinactualfactthethingsIlikedoingaremostlywholesome.

3.Psychologicallytherearetwodangerstobeguardedagainstinoldage.Oneoftheseisundueabsorptioninthepast.Itdoesnotdotoliveinmemories,inregretsforthegoodolddays,orinsadnessaboutfriendswhoaredead.One’sthoughtsmustbedirectedtothefuture,andtothingsaboutwhichthereissomethingtobedone.Thisisnotalwayseasy;one’sownpastisagraduallyincreasingweight.Itiseasytothinktooneselfthatone’semotionsusedtobemorevividthantheyare,andone’smindmorekeen.Ifthisistrueitshouldbeforgotten,andifitisforgottenitwillprobablynotbetrue.

4.Theotherthingtobeavoidedisclingingtoyouthinthehopeofsuckingvigourfromitsvitality.Whenyourchildrenaregrownuptheywanttolivetheirownlives,andifyoucontinuetobeasinterestedinthemasyouwerewhentheywereyoung,youarelikelytobecomeaburdentothem,unlesstheyareunusuallycallous.Idonotmeanthatoneshouldbewithoutinterestinthem,butone’sinterestshouldbecontemplativeand,ifpossible,philanthropic,butnotundulyemotional.Animalsbecomeindifferenttotheiryoungassoonastheiryoungcanlookafterthemselves,buthumanbeings,owingtothelengthofinfancy,findthisdifficult.

5.Ithinkthatasuccessfuloldageiseasiestforthosewhohavestrongimpersonalinterestsinvolvingappropriateactivities.Itisinthisspherethatlongexperienceisreallyfruitful,anditisinthisspherethatthewisdombornofexperiencecanbeexercisedwithoutbeingoppressive.Itisnousetellinggrown-upchildrennottomakemistakes,bothbecausetheywillnotbelieveyou,andbecausemistakesareanessentialpartofeducation.Butifyouareoneofthosewhoareincapableofimpersonalinterests,youmayfindthatyourlifewillbeemptyunlessyouconcernyourselfwithyourchildrenandgrandchildren.Inthatcaseyoumustrealisethatwhileyoucanstillrenderthemmaterialservices,suchasgivingthemanallowanceorknittingthemjumpers,youmustnotexpectthattheywillenjoyyourcompany.

6.Someoldpeopleareoppressedbythefearofdeath.Intheyoungthereisajustificationforthisfeeling.Youngmenwhohavereasontofearthattheywillbekilledinbattlemayjustifiablyfeelbitterinthethoughtthattheyhavebeencheatedofthebestthingsthatlifehastooffer.Butinanoldmanwhohasknownhumanjoysandsorrows,andhasachievedwhateverworkitwasinhimtodo,thefearofdeathissomewhatabjectandignoble.Thebestwaytoovercomeit—soatleastitseemstome—istomakeyourinterestsgraduallywiderandmoreimpersonal,untilbitbybitthewallsoftheegorecede,andyourlifebecomesincreasinglymergedintheuniversallife.Anindividualhumanexistenceshouldbelikeariver—smallatfirst,narrowlycontainedwithinitsbanks,andrushingpassionatelypastrocksandoverwaterfalls.Graduallytherivergrowswider,thebanksrecede,thewatersflowmorequietly,andintheend,withoutanyvisiblebreak,theybecomemergedinthesea,andpainlesslylosetheirindividualbeing.Themanwho,inoldage,canseehislifeinthisway,willnotsufferfromthefearofdeath,sincethethingshecaresforwillcontinue.Andif,withthedecayofvitality,wearinessincreases,thethoughtofrestwillnotbeunwelcome.Ishouldwishtodiewhilestillatwork,knowingthatotherswillcarryonwhatIcannolongerdo,andcontentinthethoughtthatwhatwaspossiblehasbeendone.

I.Analysis

Paragraph1Analysis

Inthisparagraphtheauthorbeginstheessaywithahumorousanswertothequestion“hownottogrowold”—“tochooseyourancestorscarefully.”Thenhetellsussomeanecdotesaboutoneofhisancestors—hismaternalgrandmother,whoenjoyedalonglifepartlybecauseshehadahealthyattitudetowardslife.

Paragraph2Analysis

Inthisparagraphtheauthorgivesusaverybriefdescriptionofhishealthylifestyle,whichreflectshisattitudetowardslife.

Paragraphs3-4Analysis

Aftertalkingabouthisancestors’longevityandhisownhealthylifestyle,theauthordirectshisdiscussiontothetwothingselderlypeopleshouldavoid,namelylivinginmemoriesandclingingtoyouth,whichareinterrelated,becauseundueabsorptioninth