2016年12月的一场雅思写作考试中的话题是跟老年人ageing的问题，所以今天沈阳环球教育（原环球教育）龙珠老师跟大家分析一篇2015年《经济学人》杂志中9月的一篇文章，正好说的就是这个Ageing问题，以作为词汇和文章的积累。

　　The state is unprepared for rising numbers of old people living alone

　　LIU CAIPING is a former maths teacher, now 71, who has lived alone in the western city of Xi'an since her husband died last year. The radio is her steadfast1 companion. Her eyesight is failing and she rarely goes out. Like many city residents, her former neighbours have scattered, and her two daughters are far away. When she can no longer cope on her own she will go to a nursing home, she says. That option remains extremely rare for old Chinese. And that highlights the problem: China is struggling to cope with a rapidly ageing society and a rising number of elderly people living by themselves.

　　单词解析：

　　1.steadfast: staying the same for a long time and not changing quickly or unexpectedly 长期不变的；坚定的，不动摇的

　　e.g. The group remained steadfast in its support for the new system, even when it was criticized in the newspapers. 这个团体始终坚定不移地支持新体制，即使遭到报纸批评的时候也毫不动摇。

　　For most of the past two millennia the family has been central to how Chinese have seen themselves-and the state has been seen as a family writ2 large. Filial3 piety4 was somewhere near the heart of a Confucian order regulating society, and the family was an extended, stable unit of several generations under one roof. A very common saying encapsulated5 it all: yang er fang lao-"raise children for your old age".

　　单词解析：

　　2.writ: in a very clear strong form明摆着的

　　e.g. This is an example of bureaucracy writ large. 这是典型的官僚主义的实例。

　　3.filial: relating to the relationship of a son or daughter to their parents子女的; 孝顺的

　　4.piety: when you behave in a way that shows respect for your religion虔诚，虔敬

　　5.encapsulate: to express or show the most important facts about something 扼要表述；压缩

　　e.g. The words of the song neatly encapsulate the mood of the country at that time. 这首歌的歌词言简意赅地概括了该国当时的氛围。

　　句子分析结构

　　1.The radio is her steadfast companion. 这句话让人感受到了独居老人的悲凉。

　　2.Her eyesight is failing and she rarely goes out.

　　failing eyesight 下降的视力 这是个固定搭配

　　3.When she can no longer cope on her own she will go to a nursing home, she says.

　　her own 代替了herself

　　cope on one's own 生活自理

　　4.And that highlights the problem: China is struggling to cope with a rapidly ageing society and a rising number of elderly people living by themselves.

　　highlight 强调

　　近义:stress, emphasize, lay stress on, underline, accent等

　　point out emphatically强调指出

　　declare强调说明

　　lay undue stress on special circumstances不适当地强调情况特殊

　　lay stress on the importance强调重点

　　an emphatic opinion强调意见

　　emphasize the important role of science and technology强调科学技术的重要作用

　　5.For most of the past two millennia the family has been central to how Chinese have seen themselves-and the state has been seen as a family writ large.

　　从国家传统文化上分析现代问题，点出“家国一体”的特征。

　　6.Filial piety was somewhere near the heart of a Confucian order regulating society, and the family was an extended, stable unit of several generations under one roof.

　　简要介绍孝在文化中的地位和传统大家庭的特征。

　　以上便是今天沈阳环球教育老师的分享，希望同学们能有所收获！