評(píng)論
打印
People are living longer
人們現(xiàn)在越活越久
and societies are getting grayer.
社會(huì)也逐漸變得老齡化
You hear about it all the time.
你可能總是聽到別人這么說
You read about it in your newspapers.
你也從報(bào)紙上如是讀到
You hear about it on your television sets.
從電視上看到
Sometimes I'm concerned
有時(shí)候我很擔(dān)心
that we hear about it so much
我們聽過長壽太多次
that we've come to accept longer lives
以至于人們帶著自滿
with a kind of a complacency,
甚至安逸的情緒開始接受
even ease.
長壽的事實(shí)
But make no mistake,
但是請(qǐng)別搞錯(cuò)
longer lives can
長壽能夠 --
and, I believe, will
而且我相信，它肯定會(huì) --
improve quality of life
改善所有年齡的人們的
at all ages.
生活品質(zhì)
Now to put this in perspective,
現(xiàn)在讓我們先拉個(gè)遠(yuǎn)景
let me just zoom out for a minute.
從宏觀的角度來看
More years were added
人們的
to average life expectancy
平均壽命
in the 20th century
在整個(gè)20世紀(jì)增加的年數(shù)
than all years added
要比
across all prior millennia
上千年來
of human evolution combined.
人類進(jìn)化過程中所增加的總和還要多
In the blink of an eye,
就在眨眼之間
we nearly doubled the length of time
我們已經(jīng)將我們的壽命
that we're living.
延長了一倍
So if you ever feel like you don't have this aging thing quite pegged,
所以，如果你覺得你對(duì)變老這件事并不關(guān)心
don't kick yourself.
不要自責(zé)
It's brand new.
這個(gè)話題太新了
And because fertility rates fell
因?yàn)樵谕粫r(shí)期內(nèi)
across that very same period
生育率下降了
that life expectancy was going up,
平均壽命增加了
that pyramid
那個(gè)用來表示
that has always represented the distribution of age in the population,
人口年齡分布的金字塔形
with many young ones at the bottom
底部的年輕人口總是很多
winnowed to a tiny peak of older people
延伸到老齡人口的尖頂
who make it and survive to old age
那些是成功存活到高齡的人
is being reshaped
（人口金字塔）形狀發(fā)生了改變
into a rectangle.
變成了長方形
And now, if you're the kind of person
如果你是那種
who can get chills from population statistics,
對(duì)人口統(tǒng)計(jì)感到恐懼的人
these are the ones that should do it.
這些變化應(yīng)該會(huì)讓你感到難受
Because what that means
因?yàn)檫@變化表明
is that for the first time in the history of the species,
在人類種族歷史上頭一回
the majority of babies born
大多數(shù)
in the Developed World
在發(fā)達(dá)國家出生的嬰兒
are having the opportunity
有機(jī)會(huì)
to grow old.
活到老年
How did this happen?
這是怎么發(fā)生的？
Well we're no genetically hardier than our ancestors were
我們并不是在基因上
10,000 years ago.
比一萬年前的祖先強(qiáng)壯
This increase in life expectancy
平均壽命的增加
is the remarkable product of culture --
全要?dú)w功于文化 --
the crucible
一個(gè)包含了
that holds science and technology
科學(xué)和技術(shù)
and wide-scale changes in behavior
以及廣泛的（社會(huì)）行為改變的熔爐
that improve health and well-being.
導(dǎo)致人們的健康和福利的增進(jìn)
Through cultural changes,
通過文化的改變
our ancestors
我們的祖先
largely eliminated early death
大幅度地消除了早亡
so that people can now live out their full lives.
所以現(xiàn)在的人可以走完完整的一生
Now there are problems associated with aging --
老齡化催生了很多問題
diseases, poverty, loss of social status.
疾病、貧困、社會(huì)地位的喪失
It's hardly time to rest on our laurels.
這可不是坐享榮譽(yù)的時(shí)候
But the more we learn about aging,
不過當(dāng)我們研究的越多
the clearer it becomes
老齡化就變得越清晰
that a sweeping downward course
把它說成是一條單純的下坡路
is grossly inaccurate.
是非常不準(zhǔn)確的
Aging brings some rather remarkable improvements --
衰老也帶來一些非同凡響的進(jìn)步
increased knowledge, expertise --
知識(shí)的增加，專業(yè)的精深
and emotional aspects of life improve.
人生的情緒層面也有所提升
That's right,
這句話很對(duì)
older people are happy.
老年人是快樂的
They're happier than middle-aged people,
他們比中年人更快樂
and younger people certainly.
更理所當(dāng)然地比年輕人更快樂
