Longer life spans and improvements in the health of older people suggest that people over the age of sixty-five can continue to live full and active lives.

In what ways can society benefit from the contribution that older people can make?

老年人寿命的延长和健康状况的改善表明，65岁以上的人可以继续过着充实而积极的生活。

老年人可以在哪些方面从社会中受益？

People today can expect to live longer and healthier lives than people in the past. People often see retirement as a time for relaxation and letting go of the stresses of working life. However, many who reach retirement age are more interested than ever in contributing actively to their communities. This essay will outline two ways in which this interest can benefit society.

Becoming involved in schools is one of the ways in which the life experience of the elderly can be made available to the community. Because families now are often more mobile than in the past, many children do not have regular contact with grandparents. Yet children are often fascinated by stories of life in the past. Inviting local retired people into schools to speak to children can help to maintain a vital link between past and present.

Another way in which society can benefit from a more active older generation is by inviting older employees to remain in work part-time. Older people may not want to or indeed be able to do a full day's work; however, their experience may continue to be valuable to their employers. A good example of this can be seen in one scheme in the UK in which elder employees remained in work as mentors for younger employees.

In my opinion, schools and the workplace are just two of the areas in which those who have reached retirement age can continue to contribute to their communities. As life expectancy improves, the need to maintain an active and socially meaningful life may also increase. Experience suggests that this trend can have benefits for all, not just the elderly.

今天的人比过去的人更长寿、更健康。人们往往把退休看作是放松和摆脱工作生活压力的时候。然而，许多达到退休年龄的人比以往任何时候都更有兴趣为社区做出积极贡献。这篇文章将概述这种兴趣可以造福社会的两种方式。

参与学校活动是老年人的生活经验可以提供给社会的方式之一。因为现在的家庭往往比过去的家庭流动性大，很多孩子与爷爷奶奶没有经常性的接触。然而，孩子们往往会被过去的生活故事所吸引。邀请当地的退休人员到学校为孩子们讲课，有助于保持过去和现在之间的重要联系。

另一个可以让社会受益于更活跃的老一代的方法是邀请老员工继续从事兼职工作。老年人可能不愿意或确实不能做一整天的工作，但是，他们的经验对雇主来说可能仍然是宝贵的。英国的一个计划就是一个很好的例子，在这个计划中，年长的雇员作为年轻雇员的导师继续工作。

我认为，学校和工作场所只是达到退休年龄的人可以继续为社区作出贡献的两个领域。随着预期寿命的提高，保持积极的、有社会意义的生活的需求也可能增加。经验表明，这一趋势对所有人都有好处，而不仅仅是老年人。