时间:2018-12-11 作者:英语课 分类:六分钟英语


英语课

Alice: Hello! I’m Alice and this is 6 Minute English. I’m joined today by

Abdu. Hi Abdu.

Abdu: Hi Alice.

Alice: Today we’re talking about ageing populations, pensions and retirement 1.

I’m going to start by asking you Abdu – what age do you expect to retire?

Abdu: I’m planning to retire around 65 to 70.

Alice: And do you have a pension?

Abdu: Unfortunately not.

Alice: I’ve also got a third question – according to the United Nations

in 1950, 8% of the world’s population was over 60 years old. Currently

11% of the world’s population is over 60. Any guesses what percentage

will be over 60 in 2050?

Abdu: I’m not sure – it looks like it’s going up? I would guess 15%.

Alice: Have a think about it and I’ll let you know at the end of the programme.

There are lots of terms for people who have reached retirement age.

Official terms in British English are ‘OAP – which stands for old aged 2

pensioner’ and in American English ‘Senior Citizen’ or ‘Senior’.

Abdu: You hear the term OAP less frequently these days in the UK. It doesn’t

sound as respectful perhaps as ‘Senior Citizen’.

Alice: In many countries, economists 3 and politicians are talking about the impact of

an ageing population. In many countries around the world people are living

longer and will spend more time in retirement. Experts are worried about how

we will pay for the health and services for an increasing number of people in

retirement.

Abdu: Some people save money in pension plans or retirement funds as they’re

called in the United States. What’s interesting is how many people don’t have

pensions despite the warnings given by governments about saving for

retirement. According to a BBC survey, only 2 out of every 10 people around

the world have a pension.

Alice: We asked people if they were scared about getting old and not having enough

money to live on. Here’s what they said:

Extract 1:

Goodness there’s a question – I currently have a pension in my job so I’m not too

worried that way and I’m also hoping to save for my retirement and for later years by

owning property and renting that out and selling it on when I need more income. I’m

not fussed about getting old –we all have to get older sometime, you know, so I’m not

scared about it. Life is life and that’s the way life should be. I’m not scared about getting

older or being unemployed 4, at all. Not very scared – I’m more scared about getting older

than being unemployed. Terrified. Absolutely terrified – I don’t know what’s going to

happen in the future. I’m really worried and I really need to sort that out.

Alice: Some people have other plans for how they will survive financially when

they retire. One man said he was hoping to save for retirement by

owning property and renting it out or selling it when he needs more

i

ncome.

Abdu: And one man said he was terrified – very very frightened about what’s

going to happen in the future because he hasn’t thought about planning

for retirement

Alice: In some countries the age of retirement is being increased so that

people will work longer before they collect their pensions. This is very

controversial in some societies.

Abdu: In France people went on strike to complain about proposals to

increase the retirement age from 60 to 62

Alice: And in the UK, some people in their 20s and 30s are annoyed that they

may have to work longer than people in previous generations –

especially those born in the 1940s and 50s who are sometimes called

the baby boomer generation.

Abdu: The baby boomers – people born between the years of 1945 and 1964

after the Second World War, when there was a large increase in the

number of children born.

Alice: Here’s Rosamund Irwin, a 26-year-old journalist, talking to her father

Nigel, a 60-year-old lawyer. She thinks life is going to be very difficult

for young people in the future:

Extract 2:

Well, I think the baby boomers are guilty of great generational injustice 5. What they’ve

done to the future is they have had the very advantageous 6 position of having access to

very generous pensions. They’ve had cheap housing when they came out of university

and they didn’t pay to go to university. This problem that arises is because of changes in

demographics, and the expectation that we’ll all live longer and I think that the next

generation has every prospect 7 of living longer, than we baby boomer generation. And so

if they want to complain that they’ve got to work longer to earn those pensions it’s

because they will live longer overall.

Alice: So Rosamund Irwin says it’s unfair that her generation will have to

work longer than her parents did. She says there is generational injustice.

Abdu: She says her parent’s generation started from an advantageous position.

Alice: They have generous pensions and had cheap housing compared to today.

But her father says his generation shouldn’t be blamed. He thinks

the problem arises because of changes in demographics. In this case,

that’s the spread of ages across the population, the fact that there are

more older people than there were before.

Abdu: But he says that younger people have every prospect of living longer.

Alice: I think he means that the younger generation should be grateful that

they will live longer than people have ever done before – but they

will have to pay for it. So have you had a thought about our question at

the beginning of the programme Abdu? What percentage of the world’s

population will be over the age of 60 in 2050?

Abdu: I’m sticking with my original answer – 15%.

Alice: Actually, it’s a bit higher. By the middle of this century, the United

Nations estimates that 22% of people will be over the age of 60.

Well that’s all we’ve got time for today. Thanks for joining us and see

you next time.

Alice/Abdu: Bye!(本文由在线英语听力室整理编辑)






点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  






1
retirement
TWoxH
  
 


n.退休,退职


参考例句:





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。












2
aged
6zWzdI
  
 


adj.年老的,陈年的


参考例句:





He had put on weight and aged a little.他胖了,也老点了。
He is aged,but his memory is still good.他已年老,然而记忆力还好。












3
economists
2ba0a36f92d9c37ef31cc751bca1a748
  
 


n.经济学家,经济专家( economist的名词复数 )


参考例句:





The sudden rise in share prices has confounded economists. 股价的突然上涨使经济学家大惑不解。
Foreign bankers and economists cautiously welcomed the minister's initiative. 外国银行家和经济学家对部长的倡议反应谨慎。 来自《简明英汉词典》












4
unemployed
lfIz5Q
  
 


adj.失业的,没有工作的;未动用的,闲置的


参考例句:





There are now over four million unemployed workers in this country.这个国家现有四百万失业人员。
The unemployed hunger for jobs.失业者渴望得到工作。












5
injustice
O45yL
  
 


n.非正义,不公正,不公平,侵犯(别人的)权利


参考例句:





They complained of injustice in the way they had been treated.他们抱怨受到不公平的对待。
All his life he has been struggling against injustice.他一生都在与不公正现象作斗争。












6
advantageous
BK5yp
  
 


adj.有利的;有帮助的


参考例句:





Injections of vitamin C are obviously advantageous.注射维生素C显然是有利的。
You're in a very advantageous position.你处于非常有利的地位。












7
prospect
P01zn
  
 


n.前景,前途;景色,视野


参考例句:





This state of things holds out a cheerful prospect.事态呈现出可喜的前景。
The prospect became more evident.前景变得更加明朗了。













1 retirement
n.退休,退职
  • 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。
2 aged
adj.年老的,陈年的
  • He had put on weight and aged a little.他胖了,也老点了。
  • He is aged,but his memory is still good.他已年老,然而记忆力还好。
3 economists
n.经济学家,经济专家( economist的名词复数 )
  • The sudden rise in share prices has confounded economists. 股价的突然上涨使经济学家大惑不解。
  • Foreign bankers and economists cautiously welcomed the minister's initiative. 外国银行家和经济学家对部长的倡议反应谨慎。 来自《简明英汉词典》
4 unemployed
adj.失业的,没有工作的;未动用的,闲置的
  • There are now over four million unemployed workers in this country.这个国家现有四百万失业人员。
  • The unemployed hunger for jobs.失业者渴望得到工作。
5 injustice
n.非正义,不公正,不公平,侵犯(别人的)权利
  • They complained of injustice in the way they had been treated.他们抱怨受到不公平的对待。
  • All his life he has been struggling against injustice.他一生都在与不公正现象作斗争。
6 advantageous
adj.有利的;有帮助的
  • Injections of vitamin C are obviously advantageous.注射维生素C显然是有利的。
  • You're in a very advantageous position.你处于非常有利的地位。
7 prospect
n.前景,前途;景色,视野
  • This state of things holds out a cheerful prospect.事态呈现出可喜的前景。
  • The prospect became more evident.前景变得更加明朗了。
学英语单词
acetylglucosaminide
air-taxis
assubjugated
atriopore
average wage expended on a product
be in conference
buildingmotion
burnt pine
census of trade
chandrakant
chlorofibre
cold-emulsion
committal in civil proceedings
complex phaser
cooled detector radiometer
crosstalk volume
cryogenic technique
dehydromorphine
dilatancy theory
dishele
documentation and maintenance quality assurance
down-play
emergency panel
engine management
epiphyllum oxypetalum (dc.) haw
ergasiatrics
feigner
fimbriated hymen
fin-stabilized ke ammunition
financial futures
Formiga, Pta.da
genus cerastess
guaranteed arrival
Guéra, Préfect.du
hand-ruff
heman
hot-guy
hydroxyl ion overtone absorption
ichnotaxon
interactive marketing
international Morse code
isopropyl benzene
kulturbahnhof
Lagonegro
Laguerre, Edmond-Nicolas
lecture chart
low plane of nutrition
lower order byte
madrick
maevia
malacology
maltotrioses
mannitol salt agar
meliandiol
military postures
model view controller
moment of silence
musculus splenius cervicis
NE by N
nodaviruses
noradrenergic neuron
normal revenue and expenditure
North Saskatchewan R.
odontosteresis
oestridge
osteochondritis dissecans
outs-of-school
oxepinac
patching cord
perezone
Piersol's points
postreduction
pteryla (pl.pterylae)
quick change artist
qwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmmnbvcxzlkjhgfdsapoiuytrewq
race a bill through the house
radiation accident
rawi
red-necks
reservoir permeability
rivel-ravel
run-off plate
setazindol
shot cold hardening
skeeds
small-tonnage ship
smiledons
stewed chicken and rice in cream
syntaphilin
tapered chord
tetrahedral toolmaker's straight edge
timber crib cofferdam
travel message
tryste
Tuningen
two lanes canal
wanite
water absorption
Widener University
Wyszynski
zhaos
zk