1.02 真·活到老学到老：意大利爷爷96岁大学毕业

精选 | 真·活到老学到老：意大利爷爷96岁大学毕业

2021.01.02

覃晔

难度：CSE6

课程导读

今年夏天，一位名叫朱塞佩·帕特诺的意大利老人在自己97岁生日之前获得了学士学位，成为了意大利有史以来年龄最大的大学毕业生。帕特诺爷爷为何会决定在晚年步入大学校园？他的下一步计划是什么？一起来听今天的讲解。

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本篇课程首发于2020年9月30日

英文原文

It's Never Too Late to Pursue a Dream, a Graduate Says. He Can Back It Up.

一名毕业生说：追梦永不晚。他可以为此证明。

By Elisabetta Povoledo

Six weeks shy of his 97th birthday, Giuseppe Paternò fulfilled the dream of a lifetime: He got a university degree.

还有六周就要过97岁生日的朱塞佩·帕特诺终于得偿毕生所愿：取得了学士学位。

Mr. Paternò's graduation has inspired news coverage around the world, partly because of his age. But he has also drawn attention because his life story speaks of commitment, a theme that has resonated as millions of schoolchildren in Italy and elsewhere face extraordinary uncertainty amid the coronavirus pandemic.

帕特诺的毕业引发了世界各地的媒体报道，有部分原因是他的年龄。但他之所以引人关注，是因为他的人生故事体现了笃定的精神。这引起了共鸣，因为意大利等各国的数百万学童都在疫情之中面临着由未知带来的强烈不安。

Born in Palermo in 1923, the first of seven children in a "very poor family," Mr. Paternò began working soon after finishing elementary school. It was only after he retired, in the mid-1980s, that he returned to his books.

1923年，帕特诺出生于意大利巴勒莫，家庭穷苦，而他是七个孩子里的老大。小学毕业不久后，他便开始工作，直到1980年代中期退休之后，才又重新捡起了书本。

"His story is proof that dreams can come true and that you can remain young - if not in age at least in spirit - if you cultivate interests," said Rossella Cancila, his thesis adviser and a professor of history at the University of Palermo.

罗塞拉·坎西拉是巴勒莫大学的历史教授，也是帕特诺的毕业论文导师。她说：“他的故事证明了梦想可以成为现实，而且只要一个人能培养自己的兴趣，就算年岁会增加，但在精神状态上也能永葆青春。”

Italy's university system is based on a three-year degree, followed by a two-year master's course. University officials are hoping that Mr. Paternò will continue his studies.

意大利的大学体系里，最基本的是3年制的学士学位，之后是2年制的硕士课程。学校的负责人们都希望帕特诺继续他的学业。

He isn't so sure. "I have to confess that in this moment, I don't know whether I would tackle it with the same spirit," he said, noting that all the attention had been a bit wearying. Still, Mr. Paternò said, he would probably enroll anyway. "I want to keep my options open.”

但他自己还没想好。他说：“我得承认，我不确定我现在还能否拿出同样的干劲儿去应对学业。” 他表示，最近的关注让自己有些疲惫，但他应该会先入学，因为他要保留选择的余地。

片尾曲：Young At Heart

演唱：Frank Sinatra