【一起听英语】退休
人们到了一定岁数后，就会面临退休，退休的年龄每个国家都有所差别......
Neil: Hello, I’m Neil. Welcome to 6 Minute English from bbclearningenglish.com. Finn is
with me today. Hi Finn.
Finn: Hello Neil.
Neil: Let’s begin with a question. It’s about retirement 1 and I would like to know what the
official age of retirement is in Japan.
a) 60
b) 65
c) 70
Finn: I know the Japanese have a reputation for working hard, so let’s say c) 70.
Neil: I will let you know the answer later on. I was asking that question because today we
are talking about when is it time to stop working – another way of saying to stop is
to quit – quitting work.
Finn: Neil, the official word for stopping work is retiring. People take retirement when
they reach an age when they cannot or do not want to work anymore. Are you
thinking about retirement Neil?
Neil: No – like many of us, we still have many years of work still to do. Giving up work –
or retiring – is usually a financial decision.
Finn: You mean you can only do it if you have enough money to live your life without
having to go to work? When would you like to retire Neil?
Neil: I would like to retire at the age of 60. Then I can get my pension 2 – a regular
payment 3 from savings 4 I make each month. And later I will get a state pension – a
payment from the government. How about you Finn?
6 Minute English © bbclearningenglish.com 2013
Page 2 of 4
Finn: It’s not really about the money for me – I just want to work forever. I get job
satisfaction and as long as I enjoy it, I’ll keep doing it.
Neil: Job satisfaction – that is a good reason. I know many people who do their job for the
love of it – but sometimes you have to say enough is enough – you have done
your best and you can't carry on anymore.
Finn: In sport you would say it is time to hang up your boots. In fact there is one very
popular sportsman 5 who retired 6 after a long time in the job. He was the manager of
Manchester United football club, Sir Alex Ferguson.
Neil: Yes, he was manager for 26 years! So, why did he decide to ‘hang up his boots’ and
retire – was he too old?
Finn: He was 71 years old – but is 71 too old to be a football club manager? Let’s hear
from Alex Ferguson talking about some of the reasons that made him think about
retirement. How does he describe his health at the moment?
Sir Alex Ferguson:
As you get older you’re not guaranteed your health, no one is when you get into your seventies. But
touch wood that my health remains 7 for a long time yet. At the moment everything is hunky-dory
but you never know.
Neil: He has a very strong Scottish accent. He said that as we get older our health is not
guaranteed – so we cannot be certain of how long we will stay healthy for.
Finn: Ah, but he says at the moment, his health is hunky-dory! That is a strange
expression. It means it is good and without problems.
Neil: And he said ‘touch wood’ it will remain good for a long time. Why does he say
‘touch wood’?
Finn: It is an informal phrase meaning ‘with luck’ and is said to avoid bad luck. Some
people actually touch a piece of wood when they say it.
Neil: Well, touch wood, we all have good health. So, Sir Alex’s reason for retirement is to
enjoy life while he has good health. A good reason.
Finn: And recently, another person from the world of football said he was retiring. It
doesn’t mean he is never going to work again. Instead, he is giving up playing
professional football.
6 Minute English © bbclearningenglish.com 2013
Page 3 of 4
Neil: You are talking about David Beckham! He’s not really that old is he?
Finn: No – at 38, he’s younger than you! But at that age it’s a level of competition he feels
he can no longer take part in. He’s had a good career and is one of the world’s bestknown
footballers. What do you think of him Neil?
Neil: He was good but not the world’s best. He was probably better known for being a
celebrity 8. Anyway, he just felt the right time in his career to stop.
Finn: But what about people who are in positions that they just can't give up?
Neil: Such as members of the royal family? Being a king or a queen is not a job they
choose to do – it is hereditary 9 – so something passed on from parent to child.
Finn: So, Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands – after 33 years as Queen she recently decided 10
to retire – or a royal way of saying this is to abdicate 11. Speaking through an
interpreter, this is what she said. What has she been given since she announced her
retirement?
Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands:
Since I announced my intention to retire, I have been struck by overwhelming 12 expressions of
heartfelt sympathy. This was accompanied by a broad understanding for the desire to now hand
over my role to the Prince of Orange.
Neil: So, since she announced her abdication 13, she has been struck by overwhelming
expressions of heartfelt sympathy. Now it’s time to give you the answer to today’s
question. Earlier I asked what the official age of retirement is in Japan.
Finn: And I said 70.
Neil: You were wrong. The answer is 60, which was option a)
Neil: Thanks for joining us. Please do listen again to another 6 Minute English.
Both: Bye.
- She wanted to enjoy her retirement without being beset by financial worries.她想享受退休生活而不必为金钱担忧。
- I have to put everything away for my retirement.我必须把一切都积蓄起来以便退休后用。
- The country provided a pension to the old person.国家给老人们提供养老金。
- She went to the company to draw her pension.她去公司领退休金。
- I gave ten pounds in payment for the goods I bought.我买那些东西付了10英镑。
- This last payment will wipe out your debt to me.这最后一笔付款将了结你欠我的债务。
- I can't afford the vacation,for it would eat up my savings.我度不起假，那样会把我的积蓄用光的。
- By this time he had used up all his savings.到这时，他的存款已全部用完。
- His brother is a sportsman of our school.他弟弟是我校的运动员。
- Everybody thinks he is an all-round sportsman.大家认为他是一个全能运动员。
- The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
- Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。
- He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
- The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。
- Tom found himself something of a celebrity. 汤姆意识到自己已小有名气了。
- He haunted famous men, hoping to get celebrity for himself. 他常和名人在一起, 希望借此使自己获得名气。
- The Queen of England is a hereditary ruler.英国女王是世袭的统治者。
- In men,hair loss is hereditary.男性脱发属于遗传。
- This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
- There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。
- The reason I wnat to abdicate is to try something different.我辞职是因为我想尝试些不一样的东西。
- Yuan Shikai forced emperor to abdicate and hand over power to him.袁世凯逼迫皇帝逊位，把政权交给了他。
- The flood was overwhelming and the city was soon drowned.洪水来势凶猛，很快这个城市就被淹没了。
- The act was adopted by an overwhelming majority.该法案以压倒多数通过。
- The officers took over and forced his abdication in 1947.1947年军官们接管了政权并迫使他退了位。
- Abdication is precluded by the lack of a possible successor.因为没有可能的继承人，让位无法实现。