为什么理解老人是很棒的事

胡杨

They move slowly. They dont listen to pop music. They are so different from you that they seem like they are from another planet1. So why should you get to know them or talk to them？

他们行动缓慢，他们也不听流行音乐。他们和你是如此的不同，以至于看起来像是来自另一个星球。那么，你为什么要去了解他们或与他们交谈呢？

Were talking about old people. The word “old” is a relative2 word. In this article， the older people mean who may be the same age as your grandparents or even older. Some live for over a hundred years. Maybe its an older neighbor with gray hair who is retired3.

我们谈论的是老年人。“老”是一个相对的词。在本文中，老年人指的是和你的祖父母年龄相同甚至更大的人。有些老人能活一百多岁，也许是一个白发苍苍的退休的老邻居。

Maybe you cant visit an elderly person on weekends because of the distance4， but now it is a good time to call them. They may be lonely5 with few or no visitors. They may be your neighbor， but you cannot stay with them. It will bring good luck to you if you talk with old people sometimes.

也許你不能在周末看望老人，因为距离太远，但现在是给他们打电话的好时机。他们可能因为很少或没有人来看望而感到孤独。或许他们是你的邻居，但你不能和他们住在一起。如果你不时和老人聊天，会给你带来好运。

Old people are time travelers.

老年人是时间旅行者。

Its true. Think about a person who is 80 years old. When that a person was a little child， there were no cell phones， Internet， satellites6， or many of the things you use every day. 8o years ago， many people still didnt have ball-point pens or telephones.

这是真的。想想一个80岁的人，当他还是个小孩的时候，没有手机，没有互联网，没有卫星或者你每天使用的许多东西。80年前，许多人还没有圆珠笔或电话。

When you talk to an old person， you can see into the past. You can talk to someone who lived there. How did they visit with friends without mobile phones？ What was life like without TV？ How did they listen to music？ An old person can take you back to a different world. When they talk about the world， they are traveling through time. You are traveling with them.

当你和一个老人谈话时，你可以看到过去。你可以和经历了过去的人交谈。没有手机，他们是如何拜访朋友的？没有电视的生活是什么样的？他们是怎么听音乐的？一个老人可以带你回到一个不同的世界。当他们谈论世界变化的时候，他们是在穿越时间旅行。你在和他们一起旅行。

Old people have learned to live with the hard parts of life.

老年人已经学会了忍受生活的艰难。

They may not know how to repair7 broken computers， but they can help to solve human problems. Old people have had their hearts broken and survived8. Theyve lost loved ones and dear friends. Most of them have moved from their home to somewhere else. They had to struggle9 in life. No matter what you are feeling， an old person can help.

他们可能不知道如何修理坏了的电脑，但他们可以帮助解答人们的问题。老人都有心酸往事，但都挺过来了。他们失去了亲人和朋友，他们中的大多数人已经远离家乡，搬到了其他地方居住。他们不得不在生活中挣扎。不管你现在有什么感受，老人都能够帮助你。

Old people know things you dont know.

老年人知道一些你不知道的事情。

Remember， every life is different， meaning that every old person has different stories in their own head. When you have a question， ask an old person， you could learn a lot.

记住，每个人的人生都是不同的，这意味着每个老人的脑海中都有不同的故事。当你有问题的时候，问一位老人，你可以学到很多东西。

Old people can help you to make big decisions10.

老年人可以帮助你做出重大的决定。

After living for a long time， most people have made a lot of choices11. Some of those choices were positive12. Some were not. You can ask an old person about those bad decisions and what they regret13. They can help you to make better decisions so that when you are an old person， youll be happier.

經过长时间的生活，大多数人做出了无数的选择。有些选择是积极的，有些不是。向一位老人询问那些糟糕的决定，他们因什么而后悔。它们可以帮助你做出更好的决定，这样当你老了的时候，你才会更快乐。

That is your future14. Yes， you will someday be an old person. You will see the world becomes different in ways that you cannot imagine15. By talking to older people， you see into the future： Your future. Why not take a look？

这就是你们的未来。是的，你总有一天会成为一位老人。你会看到世界以你无法想象的方式改变着。通过与年长的人交谈，你看到了未来：你的未来。为什么不看看呢？

（英语原文选自：safesearchkids.com）