新概念英语第四册自学导读：四:第十一课论老之将至

11-4. But in an old man who has known human joys and sorrows, and has achieved whatever work it was in him to do, the fear of death is somewhat abject and ignoble.

【译文】但对于经历了人世悲欢、履行了个人职责的老人，害怕死亡就有些可怜且可耻了。

【讲解】whatever work it was in him to do作achieved的宾语从句。这里的in表示能力。in him即他有能力。whatever work相当于any work，作do的宾语。it是形式主语，to do才是真正的主语。who has known…him to do为定语从句，修饰an old man， has known和has achieved为who的并列谓语。

【单词和短语】

abject：可鄙的，卑鄙的（an abject action or expression shows that your feel very ashamed），

例如：
an abject coward 可鄙的懦夫

an abject fear 卑怯

abject另一常见意为“绝望无助的，凄苦可怜的（the state of being extremely poor, unhappy, unsuccessful etc）”，

例如：
abject poverty 赤贫
abject failure 惨败

ignoble：卑鄙的；不光彩的；可耻的（ignoble thoughts, feelings, or actions are ones that you should feel ashamed or embarrassed about），

例如：
an ignoble purpose 卑鄙的目的
There’s something cowardly and ignoble about such an attitude.
这样的态度有点怯懦可鄙。

11-5. The best way to overcome it—so at least it seems to me—is to make your interests gradually wider and more impersonal, until bit by bit the walls of the ego recede, and your life becomes increasingly merged in the universal life.

【译文】克服这种恐惧的最佳办法是——至少我这样看——逐渐扩大你的兴趣范围并不为个人情感所左右，直至像一堵高墙的自我一点一点离开你，而你的生活则越来越融合于大众的生活之中。

【讲解】so at least it seems to me系插入语，是倒装语序，自然语序是at least it seems so to me，这里的it指整个句子。overcome后的it指fear of death。to make your interests…impersonal作表语。the walls of the ego系暗喻（metaphor）修辞手法，意为“像一堵高墙的自我”。

【单词和短语】

impersonal：非个人的；非特指某一个人的；不受个人感情（或偏见）影响的，客观的（not showing any feelings of sympathy, friendliness, etc），

例如：
The teacher’s criticism of the class was impersonal.
教师对班级的批评并非针对某个同学。
impersonal assessment 客观的评价

11-6. An individual human existence should be like a river—small at first, narrowly contained within its banks, and rushing passionately past boulders and over waterfalls.

【译文】每个人的生活都应像河水一样——开始是涓涓细流，限制在狭窄的两岸之间，然后热烈地冲过巨石，滑下瀑布。

【讲解】an individual human…a river是明喻（simile）修辞手法，small at first…over waterfalls构成延伸比喻（extended metaphor），延伸比喻是把原比喻加以延伸，对原比喻作进一步说明。这里的破折号引出说明语。

【单词和短语】

passionately的形容词形式为passionate，的名词形式为passion。