日本专家建议老人自杀解决老龄化

日本专家建议日本老年人集体自杀以避免成为国家负担的消息在社交媒体平台上引发热议。据了解，此言论出自耶鲁大学日本籍助理教授成田悠辅（Yusuke Narita），相关言论在2021年、2023年就引发争议。

今天你练听力了吗？

🤔️小作业：

1. What is the author's likely purpose in presenting both supporters and critics of Prof Narita's statements?

A. To emphasize the popularity of extreme ideologies in academia

B. To provide a balanced view of a polarizing public debate

C. To ridicule generational conflicts in Japanese society

D. To warn readers about the dangers of metaphor in public discourse

无注释原文：

Old people should embrace 'mass suicide', says Yale professor

From: The Telegraph, 12 February 2023

Old people in Japan should kill themselves to avoid burdening the state, a professor at Yale University has said.

Yusuke Narita, an assistant professor of economics, has also suggested that euthanasia could be made compulsory.

Last year, official statistics in Japan revealed that over-75s accounted for 15 per cent of the country's population for the first time. Those over 65 account for 29.1 per cent of the total, making the Japanese population the oldest in the world.

“I feel like the only solution is pretty clear,” said Mr Narita, 37. “In the end, isn't it mass suicide and mass 'seppuku' of the elderly?” – referring to the act of disembowelment employed by dishonoured Samurai in the late 19th century.

Prof Narita told The New York Times his comments had been taken out of context, adding that they related to demands for older people in leadership positions to make way for the younger generation. He said his primary concern was how old people dominated positions of influence in Japanese society.

The references to “mass suicide” and “mass seppuku” touched a raw nerve in a country which honoured kamikaze pilots during the Second World War.

Prof Narita insisted his remarks about mass suicide were a metaphor, adding: “I should have been more careful about their potential negative connotations. After some self-reflection, I stopped using the words last year.”

His controversial remarks have generated a large following on social media, as well as triggering an angry backlash.

Masato Fujisaki, a Newsweek Japan columnist, said Prof Narita's supporters “believed old people should just die already and social welfare should be cut”.

Masaki Kubota, another journalist, described the remarks as irresponsible, adding that people believe: “Oh, my grandparents are the ones who are living longer, and we should just get rid of them.”

Others fear that Prof Narita is rekindling views that have gained some currency in Japan where deference towards older generations is waning. In 2013 Taro Aso, the country's finance minister, said the elderly should “hurry up and die” to spare the nation the cost of their medical care.

The Telegraph had not received a reply to a request for comment from Prof Narita on Sunday night.

- ◆ -

注：完整题目见本文开头；中文文本为机器翻译并非一一对应，仅供参考

含注释全文：

Old people should embrace 'mass suicide', says Yale professor

From: The Telegraph

Old people in Japan should kill themselves to avoid burdening the state, a professor at Yale University has said.

耶鲁大学一位教授声称，日本老年人应当选择自我了结，以避免成为国家的负担。

Yusuke Narita, an assistant professor of economics, has also suggested that euthanasia could be made compulsory.

该教授名为成田悠辅（Yusuke Narita），是一名经济学助理教授，他还提出可强制实施安乐死。

euthanasia /ˌjuː.θəˈneɪ.zi.ə/ 表示“安乐死”，英文解释为“the act of killing someone who is very ill or very old so that they do not suffer any more”举个🌰：Although some people campaign for the right to euthanasia, it is still illegal in most countries. 尽管一些人发起运动争取安乐死的权利，但在大多数国家中实施安乐死仍是违法行为。

compulsory /kəmˈpʌl.sər.i/ 表示“必须做的；强制性的；必修的”，英文解释为“If something is compulsory, you must do it because of a rule or law.”举个🌰：Swimming was compulsory at my school. 在我们学校，游泳是必修课。

Last year, official statistics in Japan revealed that over-75s accounted for 15 per cent of the country's population for the first time. Those over 65 account for 29.1 per cent of the total, making the Japanese population the oldest in the world.

去年，日本官方统计数据显示，75岁以上人口首次超过日本总人口的15%，65岁以上人群已达29.1%，日本成为世界上人口老龄化最严重的国家。

表示“统计数据；统计资料”，英文解释为“information based on a study of the number of times something happens or is present, or other numerical facts”举个🌰：Statistics show/suggest that women live longer than men. 统计资料显示女性比男性寿命长。

“I feel like the only solution is pretty clear,” said Mr Narita, 37. “In the end, isn't it mass suicide and mass 'seppuku' of the elderly?” – referring to the act of disembowelment employed by dishonoured Samurai in the late 19th century.

37岁的成田悠辅表示：“我觉得唯一的解决办法很明确，不就是老年人的集体自杀和‘切腹’吗？”——这里的“切腹”是指19世纪末日本武士在失去荣誉时采用的剖腹自尽行为。

disembowel /ˌdɪs.ɪmˈbaʊ.əl/ 作动词，表示“除去（动物）的内脏；（尤指旧时作为刑罚）开（人）的膛”，英文解释为“to remove the stomach and bowels from a dead animal, or to kill a person in this way, especially in the past as a punishment”

Prof Narita told The New York Times his comments had been taken out of context, adding that they related to demands for older people in leadership positions to make way for the younger generation. He said his primary concern was how old people dominated positions of influence in Japanese society.

成田悠辅教授在接受《纽约时报》采访时表示，外界曲解了他的言论，他的原意是批评老年人在领导层中占据要职，应当为年轻人让位。他强调，他关注的是日本社会中老年人长期垄断话语权的问题。

表示“脱离上下文”，英文解释为“If words are used out of context, only a small separate part of what was originally said or written is reported, with the result that their meaning is not clear or is not understood.”举个🌰：The reporter took my remarks completely out of context. 记者引用我的话完全是断章取义。

🎬 电影《钢铁侠2》（Iron Man 2）台词中提到：You do understand that reading a single paragraph out of context does not reflect ... 你知道，如果脱离上下文只读一段是不能体现...

🎬 电影《凯文怎么了》（We Need to Talk About Kevin）台词中提到：Listen buddy, it's easy to misunderstand something when you hear it out of context. 如果你听到的东西脱离了上下文就很容易产生误解。

🎬 电影《三代人》（3 generations）台词中提到：This is not helpful, you can't take things out of context. 这样做没用，你不能断章取义。

The references to “mass suicide” and “mass seppuku” touched a raw nerve in a country which honoured kamikaze pilots during the Second World War.

在日本这个二战时曾推崇神风特攻队的国家，“集体自杀”“集体切腹”的表述无疑触动了社会敏感神经。

reference /ˈref.ər.əns/ 可作动词，也可作名词，1）表示“提到；谈到；论及”，英文解释为“a mention of something”举个🌰：Knowing what had happened, I avoided making any reference to (= mentioning) weddings. 因为我知道发生了什么，所以就避开不谈婚礼的事儿。

2）表示“引文出处；参考书目；参考文献”，英文解释为“a writer or a book, article, etc. that is mentioned in a piece of writing, showing you where particular information was found”

hit/touch a (raw) nerve表示“触到痛处”，英文解释为“to upset someone”举个🌰：She touched a raw nerve when she mentioned that job he didn't get. 她提到那份他没有得到的工作，触到了他的痛处。

Prof Narita insisted his remarks about mass suicide were a metaphor, adding: “I should have been more careful about their potential negative connotations. After some self-reflection, I stopped using the words last year.”

成田悠辅教授坚称，“集体自杀”只是一个比喻性用法，“我本应意识到这些词语可能产生的负面联想。经过反思，我从去年起就不再使用这些说法了。”

insist /ɪnˈsɪst/ 表示“坚持说，强调；坚决要求”，英文解释为“to say firmly or demand forcefully, especially when others disagree with or oppose what you say”举个🌰：He still insists (that) he did nothing wrong. 他仍坚称自己没有做错任何事。

metaphor /ˈmet.ə.fɔːr/ 表示“暗喻；隐喻”，英文解释为“a word or phrase used to describe sb/sth else, in a way that is different from its normal use, in order to show that the two things have the same qualities and to make the description more powerful”如：a game of football used as a metaphor for the competitive struggle of life 用来喻指生活中的激烈斗争的一场足球比赛，举个🌰：Metaphor and simile are the most commonly used figures of speech in everyday language. 隐喻和明喻是日常语言中最常用的修辞手法。

表示“内涵意义；含义；隐含意义”，英文解释为“The connotations of a particular word or name are the ideas or qualities which it makes you think of.”举个🌰：It's just one of those words that's got so many negative connotations. 它只是那些有很多负面内涵意义的词之一。

His controversial remarks have generated a large following on social media, as well as triggering an angry backlash.

他这些充满争议的言论在社交平台引发大量关注，也引起了强烈的反对声音。

trigger /ˈtrɪɡ.ər/ 1）作动词，除了表示“发动；引起；触发”，英文解释为“to make sth happen suddenly”举个🌰：Nuts can trigger off a violent allergic reaction. 坚果可以引起严重的过敏反应。

2）作名词，表示“扳机”，英文解释为“The trigger of a gun is a small lever which you pull to fire it.”举个🌰：A man pointed a gun at them and pulled the trigger. 一个男人用枪指着他们，扣动了扳机。

类似的还有：

📍stir表示“激发，激起（强烈的感情）；引起（强烈的反应）”，英文解释为“to make someone have a strong feeling or reaction”举个🌰：The poem succeeds in stirring the imagination. 这首诗能够激发起想象力。

📍provoke也表示“激起，引起”，英文解释为“to cause a reaction or feeling, especially a sudden one”，如：provoke debate/discussion 激起辩论/讨论。

📍spur 鼓动；激励；鞭策；刺激；鼓舞”，英文解释为“If one thing spurs you to do another, it encourages you to do it.”举个🌰：It's the money that spurs these fishermen to risk a long ocean journey in their flimsy boats. 是金钱驱使这些渔民驾驶单薄的小船冒险出海远航。

🎬电影《龙之心3：巫师的诅咒》（Dragonheart 3: The Sorcerer's Curse）中的台词提到：To spur the clans to war. 激励部族发起战争。

backlash /ˈbæk.læʃ/ 表示“强烈抵制，集体反对”，英文解释为“a strong negative reaction by a large number of people, for example to sth that has recently changed in society”如：the backlash against xx 对xx的强烈反对。

📺美剧《无耻之徒》（Shameless）第一季中的台词提到：There will be a backlash if people don't stop 字幕组翻译为：如果人们不停止...的话，迟早会出大事。

Masato Fujisaki, a Newsweek Japan columnist, said Prof Narita's supporters “believed old people should just die already and social welfare should be cut”.

《新闻周刊》日本版专栏作家藤崎雅人表示，成田悠辅教授的支持者“认为老人就应该去死，社会福利也该削减”。

columnist /ˈkɒl.əm.nɪst/ 表示“（报纸、杂志的）专栏作家”，英文解释为“someone who writes a regular article for a newspaper or magazine”如：a gossip/sports columnist 漫谈/体育专栏作家。

Masaki Kubota, another journalist, described the remarks as irresponsible, adding that people believe: “Oh, my grandparents are the ones who are living longer, and we should just get rid of them.”

另一位记者久保田正树称这些言论极不负责任，并指出有人可能因此觉得：“啊，我的祖父母就是那群活太久的人，那干脆清除他们好了。”

Others fear that Prof Narita is rekindling views that have gained some currency in Japan where deference towards older generations is waning. In 2013 Taro Aso, the country's finance minister, said the elderly should “hurry up and die” to spare the nation the cost of their medical care.

还有人担心，成田悠辅教授正在重提一种在日本渐有市场的观点：尊老传统正在式微。早在2013年，日本时任财政大臣麻生太郎就曾说过，老人应“赶紧去死”，为国家节省医疗费用。

rekindle /ˌriːˈkɪn.dəl/ 表示“重新激起；重新唤起”，英文解释为“to make someone have a feeling that they had in the past”举个🌰：The holiday was a last chance to rekindle their love. 这次休假是使他们重新燃起爱情之火的最后一次机会。

🎬电影《消失的爱人》（Gone Girl）中的台词提到：Reboot, retool, rekindle, whatever! 重启 重组 重燃 随便什么词。

wane /weɪn/ 作动词，表示“衰减；减弱”，英文解释为“to become weaker in strength or influence”举个🌰：By the late 70s the band's popularity was beginning to wane. 上世纪70年代末，这支乐队的人气开始下滑。

The Telegraph had not received a reply to a request for comment from Prof Narita on Sunday night.

截至周日晚间，《每日电讯报》尚未收到成田悠辅教授就置评请求的回复。

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