Lesson 05 Youth
How does the writer like to treat young people?
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.
📝 文章大意
人们总在谈论”青年问题”，作者却怀疑这个问题是否存在：即使有，也是老年人制造出来的。年轻人和老年人一样都是人，唯一的区别是年轻人的好日子在前头，老年人的好日子已经过去了，这也许正是症结所在。作者回忆自己少年时只觉得茫然无措，倒巴不得被人当成”问题”，因为这能给人一种身份感。作者觉得年轻人令人兴奋：他们自由，不汲汲于名利和享受，与生命和万物的本源相连。即使年轻人自负无礼，作者也不会搬出”尊敬长辈”的陈词滥调来自保，而是把他们当作平等的人，与他们辩论。
标题问题的答案：作者把年轻人当作与自己平等的人来对待，认为他们错了就和他们平等地争论。
📚 核心单词
| 单词 | 音标 | 词性 | 含义 | 文中用法 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| take leave to | — | phr. | 冒昧地（做某事） | take leave to doubt |
| fundamental | /ˌfʌndəˈmentl/ | n. | 基本原则（常用复数） | get down to fundamentals |
| glorious | /ˈɡlɔːriəs/ | adj. | 光辉的 | a glorious future |
| splendid | /ˈsplendɪd/ | adj. | 辉煌的，极好的 | a splendid future behind him |
| rub | /rʌb/ | n. | 困难，症结 | that is where the rub is |
| identity | /aɪˈdentəti/ | n. | 身份，特征 | a certain identity |
| dreary | /ˈdrɪəri/ | adj. | 沉闷的，乏味的 | a dreary commitment |
| commitment | /kəˈmɪtmənt/ | n. | 执着，投入 | commitment to mean ambitions |
| mean | /miːn/ | adj. | 卑微的，平庸的 | mean ambitions |
| social climber | — | n. | 想往上爬的人 | anxious social climbers |
| devotion | /dɪˈvəʊʃn/ | n. | 热爱，献身 | no devotion to material things |
| material | /məˈtɪəriəl/ | adj. | 物质的 | material things |
| cosmic | /ˈkɒzmɪk/ | adj. | 宇宙的 | cosmic beings |
| violent | /ˈvaɪələnt/ | adj. | 强烈的 | violent and lovely contrast |
| suburban | /səˈbɜːbən/ | adj. | 郊区的；平庸的 | us suburban creatures |
| conceited | /kənˈsiːtɪd/ | adj. | 自负的 | He may be conceited |
| presumptuous | /prɪˈzʌmptʃuəs/ | adj. | 放肆的，冒昧的 | presumptuous or fatuous |
| fatuous | /ˈfætʃuəs/ | adj. | 愚昧的 | presumptuous or fatuous |
| cliché | /ˈkliːʃeɪ/ | n. | 陈词滥调 | dreary clichés |
📖 难句解析
1. If there is one — which I take leave to doubt — then it is older people who create it, not the young themselves.
- 结构:
If there is one条件句 + 插入语which I take leave to doubt+ 强调句it is ... who ... one= a problem of youth，指代前面的 the problem of youthwhich指代整个 if 从句的内容（”是否真有青年问题”），不是指 onetake leave to doubt= 恕我冒昧地怀疑，措辞礼貌，语气其实很坚决- 译: 如果真有”青年问题”——我可要冒昧表示怀疑——那也是老年人制造出来的，而不是年轻人自己。
2. …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.
- 结构: 两个
has a ... future平行对照，the old one的 one = man before him/behind him：未来在前，未来”在身后”，其实是说老年人的好时光已经过去了glorious与splendid同样是褒义词，用在 behind 的一边就带上了讽刺where the rub is= 症结所在（出自《哈姆雷特》”there’s the rub”）；that指上面这个差别，暗示老年人是嫉妒- 译: 年轻人前面有光辉的未来，老年人身后有辉煌的过去——症结也许就在这里。
3. …I would have been very pleased to be regarded as something so interesting as a problem.
- 结构:
would have been pleased表示对过去的假设（现实中并没有人这样看他） be regarded as= 被看作；so interesting as a problem中so ... as引出比较内容- 把”问题”称作”有趣的东西”，是反话：连被当作问题都求之不得，因为说明有人在意
- 译: 那时要是有人把我看成”问题”这样有意思的东西，我会非常高兴。
4. 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.
For one thing= 首先（列举理由，后面没有再列）a certain identity= 某种身份、存在感the things (that) the young are ... seeking：定语从句，省略了关系代词 thatbe engaged in doing= 忙于做某事- 译: 首先，成为”问题”会给你一种身份，而寻找身份正是年轻人忙着做的事之一。
5. …they have not a dreary commitment to mean ambitions or love of comfort.
- 结构:
have not a ...是较老的否定写法，等于do not have a ... mean在这里是卑微的、小气的（不是”意思”，也不是”刻薄”）commitment to= 对……的执着，to 是介词，后面接名词mean ambitions or love of comfort并列，都是 commitment to 的宾语- 译: 他们不会沉闷乏味地执着于卑微的野心或对安逸的贪恋。
6. It’s as if they were, in some sense, cosmic beings in violent and lovely contrast with us suburban creatures.
as if + 过去式 were：虚拟语气，表示”好像……（其实并不是）”in some sense= 从某种意义上说，是作者的缓和语气in contrast with= 与……形成对照，中间夹了形容词violent and lovelyviolent在此是强烈的，并非”暴力”，与 lovely 并列，是褒义suburban本指郊区的，这里借指安稳、平庸、缺乏想象力的生活- 译: 他们仿佛在某种意义上是宇宙中的生灵，与我们这些郊区居民形成强烈而可爱的对比。
7. …but I do not turn for protection to dreary clichés about respect for elders — as if mere age were a reason for respect.
- 结构:
turn to sth for protection= 求助于某物来保护自己，这里把 for protection 提前了 clichés about respect for elders：指”要尊敬长辈”之类的老生常谈as if mere age were a reason for respect：同第 6 句，虚拟语气，表示作者不认同；mere= 仅仅- 译: 但我不会躲到”要尊敬长辈”这类陈词滥调后面寻求庇护——好像光凭年纪就值得尊敬似的。