英语词类手册  第四章 英语数词 第三节 英语时间及年龄表示法㈦

 

编者  四川大竹 张有樑

 

（续前： 三、英语中的年龄表达方式 2.用介词短语等表年龄 ⑴含或不含age的at短语）

⑵表年龄的介词in短语

①用in one’s teens表“十几岁”——从13岁到19岁，常用 in one’s teens【below twenty(20岁以下)】——常作状语，也可用作表语。

例：He won distinction even in his teens. 他少年时就已成名。

She began writing poetry in her teens. 她从十几岁开始写诗。

She devoted herself to tennis in her teens. 她在少年时代热衷于网球。

She married while still in her teens. 她未满20岁就结了婚。【still仍还是】

I met a young lady who was still in her teens. 我见到一位尚不满二十的年轻女子。

That is why she left her hometown in her teens. 那就是她十几岁离开家乡的原因。

Bill Gates founded Microsoft Corporation while he was in his teens.

比尔·盖茨在他十几岁时创建了微软公司。

 

②用in one’s+基数词-s——二十岁以上就用in one’s (twenties／thirties／... nineties)表示。

例：Miss Louise is still in her twenties. 露易斯小姐才二十几岁。

The man started going bald in his twenties. 那人二十几岁便开始谢顶。

He went to America for further education in his twenties. 他二十几岁时去美国深造。

Jack’s brother is already in his thirties. 杰克的哥哥已经三十多岁了。

He was elected as the chairman when he was in his thirties. 他在30多岁时被选为主席。

Our English teacher is approximately in her forties. 我们英语老师有40岁模样。

She turned out to be a maiden lady in her fifties. 原来她是一位50来岁的未婚妇女。

Joanna is in her sixties, but she is aging well. 乔安娜六十多岁了，但保养得很好。

Though in his eighties, he is blessed with good health. 尽管他八十多岁了,身体却很好。

Now that he is in his nineties, his days are numbered. 他已90多岁了，死期不远了。

 

③be+in+one’s+ early／late +复数形式基数词——复数基数词包含teens。

例：Music wasn't really my bag in my early teens. 我十几岁时音乐真的不是我的强项。

The woman is in her late 40s, and she’s still single. 那女人都快50岁了，仍然单身。

You look quite young. You must be in your mid 40s. 你看上去挺年轻的，也就40岁吧。

He was in his late 30s when he moved to England. 他迁往英国的时候已经三十七、八了。

When I was in my early teens, I once stayed with my family in the mountains for summer holiday. 我十四、五岁时，曾和家人一起在山里度过暑假。

At the time, I was in my early 30s and wanted to do something that would utilize my creative capabilities.

当时我三十岁刚出头，很想做点什么可以好好利用上我那创造力的事。

 

⑶表年龄的介词of短语

①“of +基数词”——用作后置定语，修饰前面的名词。

例：A boy of eighteen is approaching manhood. 十八岁的男孩接近成年。

A boy of sixteen is often as tall as his father. 16岁的男孩常常长得和他父亲一样高。

He died a martyr to the revolution at the age of 26. 在26岁时他为革命壮烈牺牲了。

Though he is an old man of sixty, he still works in the fields.

尽管他是一位六十岁的老人,但他仍然下地劳动。

Ten more years passed before, in 1928, women of twenty-one could vote.

又过了十年，也就是1928年，21岁的妇女才能参加选举。

 

②基数词+years of age：

例：His father is close on ninety years of age. 他的父亲将近九十岁。

The children average seven years of age. 这些孩子平均年龄为7岁。

The child is six, going on seven years of age. 这个孩子现在六岁，快到七岁了

One would guess him to be seventy years of age. 人们会以为他有七十岁了。

Nobody under 18 years of age is allowed in a bar. 任何18岁以下的人都不许进入酒吧。

Torture should not be inflicted upon a minor under fourteen years of age.

拷问不得施加于十四岁以下的未成年人。

 

⑷其它表年龄的方式

①只用一个基数词——得有前后文句意的陪衬。

例：Forty-seven, fat and fading fast. 现年四十七岁，身体肥胖，并且体力迅速衰弱。

Jeff, 30, teaches in both Qinghua High School and Qinghua Junior School.

杰夫今年三十岁，同时执教于清华高中和清华初中。

The maid was an elderly woman…nearer 70 than 60…a faithful family retainer of many years’ standing. 这个女人上年纪了，将近七十，是一位服伺多年的忠实仆人。

When the snows of December did arrive, our children…David,ten, and Dawn, 12…were excited.

腊月天降瑞雪的时候，我们的孩子——大卫，十岁，道恩，十二岁——兴奋极了。

 

②序数词+ birthday：

例：In 2009, we ushered in the great country of her 60th birthday.

2009年，我们伟大的祖国迎来了她的60岁生日。

Best wishes to my dearest grandmother for your 60th birthday.

最好的祝福给我60大寿的最亲爱的外婆。

She died last Monday. It was only one day shy of her 50th birthday.

她上周一去世，只差一天就过上50岁生日了。

Not long ago, I helped Mother celebrate her 62nd birthday.

不久前，我帮妈妈庆祝了她的六十二岁生日

On Sept. 5, 2002, Haimowitz is celebrating his 100th birthday.

2002年9月5日，海莫威茨在庆祝他的百岁寿辰。

This year is the 100th birthday of Pablo Neruda (1904-1973).

他，就是聂鲁达(1904-1973)；今年是他的百年诞辰。

 

3. 英语表年龄结构的用例

⑴对年龄的询问与回答——询问年龄通常用如下句式，回答①②③常用“I am…”，回答④常用“She is…”或“Her age is…”【若是旁问男性年龄，将she或her改成he或his即可】

①How old are you? 你多大了?——最通常的问法。

②What age are you? 您贵庚几何?——较文雅的问法。

③What is your age? 你多大年纪了?——较通常问法。【②的变式问法】

④What’s her age? 她芳龄多少?——专用于旁问他人年龄。【由③变用物主代词】

答例：我十三岁。【可用于答①②③问法】／

译：I’m thirteen.

I’m thirteen years old.

I’m thirteen years of age.

I’m aged thirteen.

又答：I am twenty-one years old. 我二十岁了。

My age is fifty-five. 我今年(的年纪)是五十五岁。

She is forty years old．她40岁了。【答④可用】

The girl is aged ten【= ten years old】. 那个女孩十岁。

That boy is about ten years old. 那个男孩大约有十岁。

The boy is short of 11 years old. 那个小男孩不足11岁。

The young woman is about 25 years old.  那个少妇大约25岁。

The report said that Cameroonian women were aged 62 years.

报告说，这名喀麦隆妇女现年62岁。

又例：—How old are you? 你多大年纪？

—I am twenty (years old). 我二十岁。

—How old is your sister? 你的姊妹多大了？

—She is thirteen years old. 她十三岁。

—How old is John? 约翰几岁了？

—He is only one year old. 他才一岁。

再问：At what age did your sister entere high school to read?

你妹妹是多少岁考上高中读书的?

答例：She entered high school to read at sixteen. 她是十六岁时考入高中读书的。

She entered high school to read at the age of sixteen.

She entered high school to read at at sixteen years of age.

She entered high school to read in her sixteenth year.

类例：He is now officially retired at age 34. 现在34岁的他已正式退休。

I went abroad to study at twenty／at twenty years of age．

我20岁时就出国去深造了。

 

⑵对不确年龄的表达

①表同龄同岁的说法——表“与…同龄”用“as old as”、“the same as…”、“…of your age”等结构。

例：我与你同岁。

译：I am as old as you．

I am the same as you．

I am of your age．

又例：They two are of an age. 他们两人同岁。

They were the same age. 他们同龄。

His two sons look the same age. 他的两个儿子看起来一般年纪。

He prefers to assort with people of his own age. 他更喜欢与自己的同龄人交往。

 

②对大致年龄的推测表述

例：She’s a school-age child. 她是个学龄儿童。

My brother is in his teens．我弟弟十来岁了。

She is seventy something. 她大约七十岁左右。

It was difficult to tell his exact age. 很难判断他的确切年龄。

Weeks seemed a man of middle age. 威克斯好像是位中年男子。

She’s in her teens. 她现年十几岁。／她正处于青少年时期。

He is tall for a boy of his age. 就他这个年龄的男孩来说，他算高的。

He looks to be a young man of twenty. 他看起来就像一个20岁的青年。

She looked perhaps somewhat older than her age. 她看上去可能比实际年龄要大些。

His age, she thought, could be rather over thirty than under it.

她觉得他很可能三十岁了，不可能不到三十。

 

⑶表大概年纪的说法——用介词about(大约／大概…岁)、above(在…岁以上)、below(在…岁以下)、under(不满…岁)等表大约年纪。

①“be about+年龄”——大致多少岁。

例：He is about twenty. 他大约二十岁。

I should guess his age at about 30. 我猜她30岁。

His father is about 50 years old. 他父亲有50岁光景。

I think the man is about sixty years old. 我想那人有六十多岁了。

He was a shrimp of a boy, about six years old. 他是个六岁左右的小家伙。

 

②若说“已经／过…多岁”【超过某一岁数段】用——more than...／above...／over...等表示。

例：我已经二十多岁了。

译：I’m in my twenties.

I’m more than twenty.

I’m over twenty (years old).

I’m on the wrong side of twenty.

又例：They are children above six years old. 他们是六岁以上的孩子。

I am sure he is over／more than forty (years old)．我肯定他超过40岁了。

 

③表示“不满…岁”——不到某一岁数段。

例：他不到四十岁。

译：He is below forty.

He is hardly forty.

He is hard upon forty.

He is not yet turned forty.

He is on the right side of forty.

He is on the sunny side of forty.

又例：She is still in her teens. 她还不到二十岁。

The boy is short of 10 years old. 那个小男孩不足10岁。

They are all children under five years old．他们都是不满五岁的孩子。

 

④“快到／将近／差不多…岁”【接近某一岁数段】用get on for...或nearly...等来表示。

例：他快到八十岁了。

译：He is in his late seventies.

He is going on for eighty.

He is getting on towards eighty.

He is getting on for eighty.

He is going to be eighty.

He is nearly eighty years old.

He can not be much below eighty.

又例：He is getting on for sixty．／He is nearly sixty．他快60岁了。

A boy of eighteen is approaching manhood. 18岁的男孩接近成年。

The old woman is getting on towards seventy-five. 那老太已接近75岁。

 

⑤表一个人“年迈”用(be) advanced in years。

例：My grandfather is advanced in years．我爷爷年事已高。

Although advanced in years she is still very much alive. 她虽已年迈，但仍很活跃。

He is advanced in years, but he has good hearing and eyesight.

他虽年纪高迈，但仍耳不聋，眼不花。

As he was advanced in years, his life was far from satisfactory.

随着年岁增高, 他的生活越来越不如意了。

 

⑥表人或物的“长寿”，可用long-lived或a great age。

例：You will live to a great age．你会长寿。

Her father lived to a great age. 他父亲活到很大年纪。

My grandfather lived to a great age. 我爷爷活到高龄。

Benjamin Britten did not live to a great age. 本杰明·布里顿并未活到很大的年纪。

He had a great age, even in front of children did not. 他年纪很大了，跟前连个儿女也没有。

The proton and electron are certainly long - lived. 质子与电子当然可算长寿了。

Move a healthy source, is also a long - lived secret. 动是健康的源泉，也是长寿的秘诀。

Dinosaurs were a very long-lived and diverse group of animals.

恐龙是一个经历了漫长的年代而且有着很多分支的种群。

The flowers may only last a day but the plants are long-lived.

这些花也许只开一天，但植物本身却生长期长。

Shakespeare：Broadminded’s long lived, sorrowbes enough fatal.

莎士比亚说：旷达者长寿、忧伤足以致命。

 

（英语词类手册第四章英语数词第三节续完）