2017年06月四级第1套仔细阅读 Passage 1 原文翻译及答案解析

The phrase almost completes itself: midlife crisis. It's the stage in the middle of the journey when people feel youth vanishing, their prospects narrowing and death approaching.

这个短语几乎自己就能补全：中年危机。这是人生旅程中间的阶段，人们感到青春正在消逝，前景在收窄，死亡在逼近。

There's only one problem with the cliche (套话). It isn't true.

这个套话只有一个问题：它并非事实。

"In fact, there is almost no hard evidence for midlife crisis other than a few small pilot studies conducted decades ago," Barbara Hagerty writes in her new book, Life Reimagined. The vast bulk of the research shows that there may be a pause, or a shifting of gears in the 40s or 50s, but this shift "can be exciting, rather than terrifying".

Barbara Hagerty在她的新书《Life Reimagined》中写道：“事实上，除了几十年前进行的少数小型试点研究外，几乎没有确凿证据支持中年危机。”大量研究表明，在40多岁或50多岁时可能会出现暂停或换挡，但这种转变“可以是令人兴奋的，而非恐怖的”。

Barbara Hagerty looks at some of the features of people who turn midlife into a rebirth. They break routines, because "autopilot is death". They choose purpose over happiness — having a clear sense of purpose even reduces the risk of Alzheimer's disease. They give priority to relationships, as careers often recede (逐渐淡化).

Barbara Hagerty研究了那些将中年转变为重生的人们的一些特征。他们打破常规，因为“自动驾驶等于死亡”。他们选择目标而非幸福——拥有清晰的目标感甚至能降低患阿尔茨海默病的风险。他们优先考虑人际关系，因为职业生涯常常逐渐淡化。

Life Reimagined paints a picture of middle age that is far from gloomy. Midlife seems like the second big phase of decision-making. Your identity has been formed; you've built up your resources; and now you have the chance to take the big risks precisely because your foundation is already secure.

《Life Reimagined》描绘了一幅中年远非阴郁的图景。中年似乎是决策的第二个重要阶段。你的身份已经形成；你已经积累了资源；现在你有机会承担大风险，正是因为你的基础已经稳固。

Karl Barth described midlife precisely this way. At middle age, he wrote, "the sowing is behind; now is the time to reap. The run has been taken; now is the time to leap. Preparation has been made; now is the time for the venture of the work itself."

Karl Barth正是这样描述中年的。他写道，在中年，“播种已成过去；现在是收获的时候。奔跑已经完成；现在是跳跃的时候。准备已经做好；现在是投身于工作本身冒险的时候。”

The middle-aged person, Barth continued, can see death in the distance, but moves with a "measured haste" to get big new things done while there is still time.

Barth继续说，中年人可以看到远处的死亡，但以一种“从容不迫的紧迫感”行动，在时间还充裕时完成重大新事务。

What Barth wrote decades ago is even truer today. People are healthy and energetic longer. We have presidential candidates running for their first term in office at age 68, 69 and 74. A longer lifespan is changing the narrative structure of life itself. What could have been considered the beginning of a descent is now a potential turning point—the turning point you are most equipped to take full advantage of.

Barth几十年前写的内容在今天更为真实。人们健康和精力充沛的时间更长。我们有68岁、69岁和74岁的总统候选人竞选他们的第一个任期。更长的寿命正在改变生活本身的叙事结构。曾经可能被视为下降开始的阶段，现在是一个潜在的转折点——一个你最有能力充分利用的转折点。