沈阳派特森口语:日常聊天之学习语言和年龄的关系

实场景：Jessica和peter谈到学习语言和年龄的关系……Peter 抱怨说，自己的记性已不如从前，学起中文来也力不从心。

J: Do you think that age plays a crucial role in language learning? You know, many people believe that when it comes to language learning, it's always “the younger, the better”.
J:你觉得年龄对语言学习来说很重要吗？你知道，很多人认为在语言学习方面，通常是“越年轻越好”。

P: IT IS TRUE. I am living proof of that I think
P:是真的，我自己就是个活生生的例子。

J: But people also say that it's never too late to learn new stuff...
J:但是也有人说什么时候学新事物都不算晚。

P: It is true... But it is a HELL of a lot harder. I can not cope with the pace of classes here. I might have been able to 10 years ago
P:是真的…但是这很难的。我都赶不上这里课程的步调了。或许十年前我还可以。

J: So that really depends...I mean, if you take up something that’s really easy, you can get good at it fairly soon. But if you take up something difficult, like learning a language, it's a different story.
J：所以这确实取决于…我的意思是，如果学些确实很容易的东西，你会很快学好的。但是如果学有难度的东西，比如一门语言，就另当别论了。

P: Yeah but how can you explain the difference in difficulty for me. It is not just the pace and level that is a problem. My memory is not as good as it used to be
P：是的，但是又怎么能说出对我而言，不同难度的差异呢？这不仅是进度和水平的差异，这是个问题，我的记忆力已经不日以前了。

J: The ageing process really takes a toll...
J:年龄确实会影响…

重点口语句型:

play a crucial role in:在……中起到关键的作用

例句：Parents play a crucial role in preparing their child for school.
父母对孩子做好上学的准备起着至关重要的作用。

when it comes to…: 当涉及某事（或做某事）时，当谈到

例句：When it comes to getting things done, he’s useless.
一涉及到做事，他便不中用了。

Be living proof of sth/that… 是……的活生生的例子；是……的有力证明
例句：These figures are living proof of the government's incompetence.
这些数字是对无能的有力证明。

Take up sth: 开始从事

例句：When did he take up football?
他是什么时候开始踢足球的?

take a (heavy) toll on sb/sth: 造成损害，伤害

例句：Illness had taken a heavy toll on her.
疾病对她的身体造成极大地损害。