六十岁重新开始：他成了蔬果采购员 雅思精读

英文原文

来源：A new start after 60: I became a grocer – and feel stronger physically and quieter mentally；The Guardian，Paula Cocozza，2026 年 8 月 24 日。

[1] When Robert Solomon's working hours were cut during the pandemic – he did building management and tech support for a nonprofit organisation – he got an extra job at a food cooperative, helping to stock the store. It was, he says, the most ordinary job, but that's what made it special.

[2] That job ended with the pandemic, but in 2022 he left the nonprofit and hunted for grocery positions. Now, at 71, he is assistant buyer in produce (ie fruit and vegetables) at an independent market in New York. "I love the opportunity to do physical, creative work with my body, hands and mind," he says. "I'm working harder than I have since my 30s, and I love it."

[3] Solomon's favourite time of day is the morning. He often starts at 5.30am or 6am. "I put the rugs back on the floor and the carts out in the yard. And then I start stocking." Certain products make him particularly happy.

[4] "I like fussing up the dandelion greens," he says. (Though dandelions are often considered weeds, both leaves and roots are edible.) "I have a little bucket of water and I swish them around head first so they're fresher again. We have to restock broccoli many times a day, and I like that." When it's in order, "it makes a sea of broccoli". We are speaking on a video call, and Solomon lifts his phone to the camera to show waves of blue-green broccoli heads.

[5] "The work requires good attention," he says.

[6] By "attention" he means his mind doesn't wander too often. "One of the big attractions is that it's a low-fantasy job. I spend most of my time working, not fantasising about what a wonderful job I'm doing and how I'll get famous for it next year.

[7] "My political belief is that all work is important," he says.

[8] Solomon grew up in Brooklyn, five miles from the shop. His mother was a musician turned director of a daycare centre, his father a professor of art history. "They were first-generation immigrants from Russia, and to them it was a step up to be doing something technical or managerial." His father "probably" wanted Solomon to be a scientist.

[9] Solomon left school at 17. He had stints at night school but got his degree at 46"with independent study and life credits". For most of his working life, he was "a house painter, handyman and cabinet maker". After the degree he worked for a neighbour's company that sold energy-efficient lighting solutions, and had two stints at the nonprofit.

[10] Through it all, he says, "I kept trying to change my job to a better job, and it just didn't work for me." At various times he aspired to become a computer programmer, an interfaith minister and a nurse practitioner. "In each case things went terribly wrong."

[11] At an interview to be an emergency medical technician, having scored an A on the course, Solomon was asked if he would cross a picket line. "No way," he said. "My mother would roll over in her grave." He watched his application drop into the bin.

[12] Sometimes Solomon has a feeling his late parents would disapprove of his grocery job. But recently he's remembered one of his mother's sayings when he'd pitch a tantrum: "Stop running around like a chicken with your head cut off!"

[13] Solomon thought that impossible, but she explained that "when she was a girl, they had a little shop on the porch of their home. When my mother would get home, my grandfather would take a break, and if someone came in for a chicken, she would have to kill it."

[14] Solomon doesn't handle poultry, but in his produce work "all these things I learned from her that she didn't mean to teach me are coming back. … She knew how to clean lettuce and she knew how to pick a good apple. I'm like: 'That's how I know all of this.'"

[15] Initially shop work was challenging. On the subway home, it was hard to stand up again. "But now it feels fine," he says. "I feel quieter mentally. My knees hurt less. I feel stronger.

[16] "There are no guarantees on how long I will be able to work. But I think this is the best employment I've had. It's an appreciation of good things."

文章脉络

一篇人物特写：记者用大量直接引语，把「工作」与「身份」两条线交织起来——索洛蒙做过许多职业，最后在蔬果区找到最满意的一份，而这份活计恰好接通了母亲的童年。

阅读提醒：这篇的「事实」几乎都来自受访者的自述，记者没有独立核实他的健康状况或求职经历；引语中的评价属于他本人，不是报道结论。读的时候还要留意，记者的提问没有出现在文中，我们只能从回答的语气推断采访的走向。

地道表达

共 12 条，均可在英文原文中字面检索到；例句为原创，附中文释义。

长难句拆解

破折号插入解释与分词补充

原句：[1] When Robert Solomon's working hours were cut during the pandemic – he did building management and tech support for a nonprofit organisation – he got an extra job at a food cooperative, helping to stock the store.

主干：主句 he got an extra job at a food cooperative；When 从句给出背景。

层次与易错点：两个破折号之间是插入的说明，解释他当时在做什么；句末 helping to stock the store 是现在分词作伴随状语，说明这份额外工作的内容。易错点：插入语把 When 从句和主句隔开，读到 he got 时容易以为句子已结束；helping 的逻辑主语是 he，不是 job。

逻辑关系：时间背景 → 结果。

参考译文：疫情中罗伯特·索洛蒙的工时被削减——他当时为一家非营利机构做楼宇管理和技术支持——于是他又在一家食品合作社找了份兼职，帮忙补货上架。

写作迁移：When the factory closed – it had employed half the town – many workers found jobs in tourism, retraining in their spare time. 工厂关闭时——它曾雇佣了半个镇子的人——许多工人在旅游业找到工作，利用业余时间接受再培训。

分词短语前置与被动语态

原句：[11] At an interview to be an emergency medical technician, having scored an A on the course, Solomon was asked if he would cross a picket line.

主干：主句 Solomon was asked if he would cross a picket line；前置成分给出场景与前提。

层次与易错点：At an interview to be ... 是场景状语，having scored an A 是完成式分词，说明在面试前已经取得的成绩——用完成式是为了强调先后。易错点：这一结构容易与虚拟语气混淆，但它只是陈述事实；if 在此引导宾语从句，意思是「是否」，不是条件。

逻辑关系：让步意味的背景——即便成绩优秀，仍因立场被拒。

参考译文：在应聘急救员的面试中，尽管他在课程中拿了 A，却被问到是否愿意越过罢工纠察线。

写作迁移：At the final round, having passed every test, she was asked whether she would relocate abroad. 在最后一轮，尽管已通过所有测试，她仍被问到是否愿意移居海外。

引语嵌入与定语从句嵌套

原句：[14] Solomon doesn't handle poultry, but in his produce work "all these things I learned from her that she didn't mean to teach me are coming back."

主干：转折并列句。后半句主句是引语中的 all these things ... are coming back。

层次与易错点：I learned from her 与 that she didn't mean to teach me 都修饰 things；didn't mean to 表示「并非有意」。易错点：两个修饰成分连续出现，容易把 that 从句误当成 learned 的宾语；are coming back 是被动语态形式之外的最大干扰项——它是进行时，不是被动。

逻辑关系：转折 + 意外收获。

参考译文：索洛蒙不处理禽类，但在蔬果工作中，「我从她那里学到、而她本来并不打算教我的那些东西，全都回来了。」

写作迁移：The habits I picked up from my father that he never consciously taught me are still with me. 我从父亲那里习得、而他从未刻意教过我的那些习惯，至今仍伴随着我。

冒号引出引语

原句：[12] But recently he's remembered one of his mother's sayings when he'd pitch a tantrum: "Stop running around like a chicken with your head cut off!"

主干：主句 he's remembered one of his mother's sayings；when 从句说明这句俗语出现的场合。

层次与易错点：when he'd pitch a tantrum 中的 'd 是 would，表示过去反复发生的习惯，不是 had；冒号后是俗语原文。易错点：would 表示「过去常常」，与虚拟语气无关；a chicken with your head cut off 是固定比喻，指慌乱乱窜，不宜逐字直译成「被砍头的鸡」。

逻辑关系：举例说明（这句俗语何时被说起）。

参考译文：但最近他想起母亲在他发脾气时常说的一句话：「别像只被砍了头的鸡一样到处乱窜！」

写作迁移：I still hear my grandmother's warning whenever I rush: "Measure twice, cut once." 每当我急躁时，仍会想起祖母的告诫：「量两次，剪一次。」

术语与行业黑话

• produce｜本文含义：蔬果类生鲜（不可数）｜使用背景：零售业行话，报道特意括注「即水果和蔬菜」｜近词辨析：produce 指品类，product 指产品；produce 作名词时不加 s，重音在第一个音节｜可否迁移到雅思：可（购物、饮食话题）。
• food cooperative｜本文含义：由会员共同拥有、共同经营的食品店｜使用背景：美国社区常见的另类零售形态，价格较低、强调本地供应｜近词辨析：与 supermarket 不同，co-op 的所有权在会员而非股东｜可否迁移到雅思：可（社区类话题）。
• nonprofit organisation｜本文含义：非营利机构｜使用背景：美式拼写，英式常写 non-profit 或 charity｜近词辨析：nonprofit 强调不分红，charity 强调公益目的｜可否迁移到雅思：可。
• picket line｜本文含义：罢工时工人组成的纠察线｜使用背景：越过纠察线意味着顶替罢工者上班，在劳工文化中属严重禁忌｜近词辨析：与 strike（罢工本身）不同，picket line 是现场的形式｜可否迁移到雅思：可（劳工类话题）。
• life credits｜本文含义：以工作与生活经历折算的学分｜使用背景：美国部分院校承认成人学习者的经验，用于补足学位要求｜近词辨析：与 work experience（工作经验）不同，它可换算成课程学分｜可否迁移到雅思：不可，属制度细节。
• handyman｜本文含义：什么杂活都做的修理工｜使用背景：常见于家政与租房场景，与专业工种区分｜近词辨析：handyman 做小型维修，plumber、electrician 是持证专职｜可否迁移到雅思：可（职业类话题）。
• interfaith minister｜本文含义：跨信仰牧师，为不同宗教背景的人主持仪式｜使用背景：美国部分神学院培养的独立神职，不隶属单一教派｜近词辨析：与 priest、pastor 不同，它不限定教派｜可否迁移到雅思：不可，需解释背景。

背景补充

• 事实：索洛蒙 2022 年离开非营利组织，转而在纽约一家独立市场做蔬果助理采购（[2]）。这是他「六十岁后重新开始」的起点。
• 事实：他 17 岁离校，46 岁靠独立学习与「生活学分」拿到学位，此前长期做房屋油漆工、修理工与木匠（[9]）。这段经历解释了为什么他反复尝试转行。
• 事实：他的父母是俄罗斯第一代移民，父亲是美术史教授、母亲从乐手转为托儿所主任（[8]）。家庭对「技术或管理类工作」的期待，是他长期想「换个更好的工作」的背景。
• 观点（索洛蒙本人）：他认为所有工作都重要，并把这份工作称为自己做过最好的一份（[7][16]）。这是受访者自述，不是记者核实的结论。
• 事实：这篇属于《卫报》「六十岁后的新开始」系列，文末附有向读者征集类似经历的链接，说明该系列的定位是个人故事而非职业建议。

雅思迁移

写作

题目：Some people think people should retire at a fixed age, while others believe they should be able to work as long as they wish. Discuss both views and give your own opinion.

提纲：

• 立场：应允许自愿延长，但需配套保障。
• 主体一：固定退休年龄便于岗位流动与养老金测算，也保护体力劳动者。
• 主体二：对愿意且有能力工作的人，继续就业带来收入、社交与健康收益。
• 结论：制度上应保留弹性退休，同时防止因经济压力被迫延退。

示范段（79 词）：

A fixed retirement age gives employers predictable staffing and protects people in physically demanding jobs. On the other hand, many older workers remain capable and find that employment gives structure and company, not just income. A flexible system therefore seems fairer than a single cut-off age. The important safeguard is that later retirement should be a genuine choice, rather than something people are forced into because their pension is too small to live on.

阅读

1. 索洛蒙为什么会转到蔬果区工作？ 定位：[1]–[2] 依据："in 2022 he left the nonprofit and hunted for grocery positions" 答案：疫情期间工时被削减后他在食品合作社兼职，体会到这份「最普通的工作」的可贵；疫情结束后离开非营利组织，转而寻找食品零售岗位。

2. 他所说的「低幻想的工作」是什么意思？ 定位：[6] 依据："I spend most of my time working, not fantasising about ... how I'll get famous" 答案：指不需要靠想象自我包装的工作——他把时间花在实际操作上，而不是幻想这份工作会带来名气。

3. 他此前多次转行为什么都没成功？ 定位：[10]–[11] 依据："In each case things went terribly wrong" 答案：据他自述，每次尝试都出了问题；文中举了应聘急救员一例——他拒绝越过罢工纠察线，申请随即落空。

4. 母亲的经历与他的工作有什么关系？ 定位：[13]–[14] 依据："all these things I learned from her that she didn't mean to teach me are coming back" 答案：母亲小时候家里开小店，会杀鸡、洗生菜、挑苹果；她无意中教给他的手艺，如今在蔬果工作中重新派上用场。

5. 他如何描述这份工作带来的变化？ 定位：[15]–[16] 依据："I feel quieter mentally. My knees hurt less. I feel stronger." 答案：起初下班在地铁上难以起身，如今身体更强、膝盖不那么疼、心里更平静；但他也承认无法保证还能工作多久。

口语延伸

Part 2

Describe a person who changed careers later in life. You should say:

• who this person is
• what they did before
• why they changed and explain what you learned from their story.

2 分钟提纲（57 词）：I would talk about a man in his seventies who became a produce buyer after years of odd jobs. He changed because the pandemic cut his hours and he realised he preferred practical work. What struck me was his honesty — he had failed at several careers and still called this the best job he ever had.

Part 3

1. Why do some people change careers in their sixties?（出处：[1]–[2]） 思路：从被动（裁员、健康）与主动（想换活法）两类原因答。 Sometimes it is forced on them by redundancy or poor health. Others simply want a second chapter and are willing to accept lower pay for work they find meaningful.

2. Is physical work undervalued in modern society?（出处：[7]） 思路：承认薪资与声望偏低，再讲其不可替代性。 It often is, despite being essential and hard to automate. Part of the problem is that we measure value by salary rather than by how much a job contributes to daily life.

3. What should employers do to support older workers?（出处：[15]） 思路：讲工时弹性、体力负担与培训。 Flexible hours and lighter physical demands make a real difference. Employers also need to stop assuming that older staff are resistant to learning new systems.