原文

People are always talking about 'the problem of youth'. If there is one -- which I take leave to doubt -- then it is older people who create it, not the young themselves. Let us get down to fundamentals and agree that the young are after all human beings -- people just like their elders. There is only one difference between an old man and a young one: the young man has a glorious future before him and the old one has a splendid future behind him: and maybe that is where the rub is.

When I was a teenager, I felt that I was just young and uncertain -- that I was a new boy in a huge school, and I would have been very pleased to be regarded as something so interesting as a problem. For one thing, being a problem gives you a certain identity, and that is one of the things the young are busily engaged in seeking.

I find young people exciting. They have an air of freedom, and they not a dreary commitment to mean ambitions or love of comfort. They are not anxious social climbers, and they have no devotion to material things. All this seems to me to link them with life, and the origins of things. It's as if they were, in some sense, cosmic beings in violent and lovely contrast with us suburban creatures. All that is in my mind when I meet a young person. He may be conceited, ill-mannered, presumptuous or fatuous, but I do not turn for protection to dreary cliches about respect of elders -- as if mere age were a reason for respect. I accept that we are equals, and I will argue with him, as an equal, if I think he is wrong.

FIELDEN HUGHES from Out of the Air, The Listener

译文

人们总是在谈论“青年问题”。如果真有这样一个问题——这一点我倒要表示怀疑——那么,是老年人制造了它,而不是年轻人自己。让我们回到根本上来,一致承认年轻人终究是人——和他们的长辈一样的人。老人和年轻人之间只有一个区别:年轻人面前有一个光辉的未来,而老人身后有一个辉煌的过去;也许问题就在这里。

当我还是个少年时,我觉得自己只是年轻而迷惘——就像在一个巨大的学校里是个新来的孩子,我会很高兴被视为一个如此有趣的问题。另一方面,做一个问题能给你某种身份认同,而这正是年轻人忙于追求的东西之一。

我发现年轻人令人兴奋。他们有一种自由的气息,并没有对卑劣野心的沉闷承诺或对舒适的热爱。他们不是急于攀登社会阶梯的人,也没有对物质东西的狂热追求。这一切在我看来,将他们与生活和事物的起源联系起来。仿佛在某种意义上,他们是宇宙般的存在,与我们这些郊区生物形成强烈而美丽的对比。当我遇到一个年轻人时,所有这些都在我的脑海中。他可能自负、没有礼貌、狂妄或愚蠢,但我不会求助于那些陈腐的关于尊重长者的陈词滥调——仿佛年龄本身就是尊重的理由。我承认我们是平等的,如果我认为他错了,我会像平等的人一样与他争论。

FIELDEN HUGHES from Out of the Air, The Listener

词汇表

youth

名词
英:/juːθ/
美:/juːθ/
定义
1. 青春期或青年人 - The period of life between childhood and adulthood, or young people as a group.

例子: The problems of youth are often discussed in society.

例子: In his youth, he traveled the world and had many adventures.

2. 年轻的状态 - The quality or state of being young.

例子: She retains the youth and energy of her teenage years.

例子: The fountain of youth is a mythical concept in literature.

近义词
adolescence: 特指青春期阶段,强调生理和心理变化,而 'youth' 更广泛地包括年轻群体。
youngster: 更口语化,常用于指代具体年轻人,带有轻快或亲切的语气,与 'youth' 的抽象性不同。
juvenile: 更正式,常用于法律或社会语境,指未成年者,相比 'youth' 更具负面或中性 connotation。
反义词:
adulthood, maturity, old age
用法
常用于讨论社会问题或个人发展,常见搭配如 'problems of youth',在正式语境中出现,文化背景中常与活力和挑战相关。
形式:
复数: youths, 其他: 无明显动词或形容词形式,但可作为形容词如 'youth culture'

关键句型 "It is [noun] who [clause]"

定义

这个句型是一种强调结构,用于突出句子的主语或关键信息。基本结构是:It is [noun](强调的主语)+ who(关系代词)+ [clause](从句,描述主语的行为)。例如,在文章中,“It is older people who create it” 强调了“older people”是问题的真正来源。这种句型常见于英语口语和写作中,用于加强表达的焦点。根据《剑桥英语语法手册》,它属于强调句(cleft sentences)的形式,帮助说话者突出特定元素,而非简单陈述。

它常用于辩论或解释中,让句子更有力。

用法

此句型主要用于强调主语,让听者或读者注意到特定的部分,而非整个句子。使用场景包括讨论责任、原因或身份,例如在文章里作者用它来强调谁制造了“青年问题”。规则:It is 后跟被强调的名词,然后用 who 引导一个从句,该从句通常是主语从句。Who 这里代替了关系代词,表示人。

在语法体系中,它与一般强调句相关,但与简单句不同,它将信息“切开”以突出重点。横向比较:与 “Who creates it? Older people do.” 相比,这个句型更正式和结构化;与 “The ones who create it are older people” 相比,它更直接地强调主语,提供更强的对比效果。同时,它与条件句或虚拟语气结合时,能增强表达的逻辑性,比如在辩论中链接原因和结果。另外,与 “It was [noun] that [clause]” 类似,但 who 专用于人,而 that 可用于物,建立跨语法点的联系,如帮助学生过渡到其他关系从句。

总之,这个句型在英语中位置重要,因为它能使语言更精确和说服力强,尤其在议论文中。

注意事项

学生常犯的错误包括:误用 whothat,如 “It is older people that create it”,这在非正式语境中可行,但会削弱强调效果;另一个是忘记从句的完整性,例如说 “It is older people who create” 而缺少宾语,造成句子不完整。纠正建议:总是确保从句有完整的谓语和宾语,并练习在上下文中使用。常见偏误还包括在非人主语时误用 who,如 “It is the problem who causes trouble” 应改为 “that causes trouble”。

提供具体例句:

错误示例:It is the young who creates the problem.  // 错误:谓语动词未与主语一致,应为 creates。
正确示例:It is the young who create the problem.  // 正确:主谓一致。

记住,语调上要稍作停顿在 "It is" 后,以突出强调。

练习

一个原创例子:假设在讨论家庭责任时,你可以说:“It is my parents who support me through college.” 这贴近实际生活场景,如家庭对话中。学生可以替换 [noun] 为其他如 “my friends” 并改变 [clause] 为 “who help me in tough times”,变成 “It is my friends who help me in tough times”。

通过这种替换,学生能练习在日常对话中应用,例如在朋友聚会或写作日记时。这不仅加深理解,还鼓励创造性地构建句子,逐步掌握强调的技巧。

额外内容

背景知识:这个句型源于英语的强调结构,历史可追溯到古英语时期,用于口头辩论以增强说服力。在文化上,英语国家如英国的演讲中常用它来突出观点,对比分析:与中文的“正是[noun] [clause]”类似,但英语通过语法结构(如 "It is")实现强调,而非词汇。相比法语的强调句,它更简单易学,无需复杂的动词变位。通过学习此句型,学生能更好地理解英语中信息优先级的表达方式,并扩展到更高级的写作技巧,如在作文中用它来强化论点。