2010年考研经典短文背诵:第24期

范文：

The cartoon displays a very special and thought-provoking soccer game: the four goals are kept by an old man’s three sons and one daughter, while the old man himself becomes the ball, being kicked among the four corners by his “beloved” children. It is clearly indicated that none of them is willing to spare a tiny portion of time and money to repay their old father who have raised them.

Through the artistic presentation, we can be easily reminded of a popular phenomenon in today’s society, that is, disrespect towards elders and shirking of the responsibility of nursing aging parents. The boosting economic development in China sadly witnesses a deterioration of the public awareness of filial duty, which had taken an indispensable position in traditional Chinese values for thousands of years. However, as the society grows more benefit-oriented, the once unbroken bond between parents and children is fundamentally shaken and begins to collapse.

In my point of view, the trend goes quite against the genuine and original purpose of our pursuit of wealth and welfare, that is, to shape a rich life both materially and mentally. Thinking of the love we received from our parents when swaggering babies, we must realize that repaying parents by a happy life with financial and psychological support is not only a duty that should not be shrugged off, but a key element to achieve a harmonious society.
　　
译文：
　　
这幅漫画展示了一场特殊而又发人深省的足球赛：四个球门由一个老人的三个儿子和一个女儿分别把守，而老人自己则是那个足球，在四个角落之间被他“亲爱的”孩子们踢来踢去。很显然，哪个孩子都不愿意花一点点时间和金钱来报答曾经抚育他们成长的老父亲。
　　
这幅图以艺术的方式提醒我们当今社会的一个普遍现象，那就是人们对老人的不尊敬、以及逃避赡养父母的责任。中国经济的迅速发展却带来了人们孝顺意识减退，这是让人悲哀的、也极具讽刺意味，因为赡养老人的责任在中国几千年的传统价值中占有重要的地位。但是，随着社会上追求利益的风气日益盛行，父母和子女之间那种曾经无法割裂的关系却受到了根本性的动摇。
　　
我认为这种趋势与我们追求财富和利益的初衷是违背的，我们的目的是达到物质和精神的双丰收。想一想当我们还是蹒跚学步的孩子时父母曾给我们的爱，我们应该意识到回报给父母金钱和精神上的幸福生活不仅仅是我们无法推却的责任，也是我们实现和谐社会的重要因素。