Does the Secret of Longevity Exist？ 真的有长寿秘诀吗？

张默妍

If theres one thing that most kids tend to have in common， its this： They want to be older. Even though their parents tell them not to wish away their youth2， they look forward to the day when theyll be bigger and older and finally be able to do this or that.

如果有一件事情是大多数孩子们都能够达成共识的，那一定是：他们都想成为大人。即使他们的父母会劝诫他们：“你可别盼着青春转瞬即逝啦！”他们还是会无比期待着他们长大成人的日子。到那时，他们就能做他们想做的事了。

Its hard for most kids to imagine what it will be like to be 20 or 30， let alone 60 or 80. With improvements in nutrition3， medicine， and health care， people live longer today than they did many years ago. As people live longer and longer lives， many are crazy about the ideas of longevity and life expectancy4 . Unluckily， the fountain5 of youth doesnt exist. However， there are many things we can do to help us look young， including lotions6， potions7， and going to the gym， etc. But the things that have a big influence on actually living long go beyond our look.

A key to living long is to live well. Pointers8 for helping us live well include：

1. Stay active and safe；

2. Get enough sleep；

3. Follow healthy habits；

4. Eat well；

5. Be happy.

大多數孩子很难想象他们20岁或30岁时是什么样子，更不用说60岁或80岁了。随着营养、药物和医疗保健的改善，人们的寿命比几十年前更长。随着人们的寿命越来越长，许多人对长寿和预期寿命这些概念非常痴迷。不幸的是，令人长生不老的青春之泉并不存在。然而，我们还是可以做许多事情来让我们看起来显得更年轻，包括用护肤品、保健品和塑身计划。但真正能对长寿起到大作用的是远超出对外表下的这些功夫的。

长寿的关键在于好好生活。有助于我们健康生活的指南有以下几点：

1. 保持活跃与平安；

2. 保证充足的睡眠；

3. 遵从健康习惯；

4. 对吃的有讲究；

5. 保持心情愉快。

As more people live longer， certain groups， such as Guinness World Records， keep track of who holds the latest record as the oldest man or woman in the world. Only people whose age can be verified9 are eligible10 to hold the world record. Today， the oldest living person of Japan named Nabi Tajima is 117-year-old！Life expectancy has risen steadily over the years， thanks to improve-ments in health care and nutrition. Today， men in the United States can expect to live to around 75， while women can expect to live to around 80.

随着长寿的人越来越多，某些组织——如吉尼斯世界纪录，记录了世界上最长寿的男人或女人的最新记录。只有那些年龄经核实合格的人才能保持世界记录。如今，世界上最长寿的人是来自日本的117岁的田岛锅。由于医疗保健和营养方面的改善，预期寿命在过去几年里一直在稳步增长。如今，美国男性的预期寿命为75岁左右，而女性可以活到80岁左右。

Notes：

1. longevity n. 长寿 2. youth n. 青春；年轻；青少年时期

3. nutrition n. 营养 4. expectancy n. 期待

5. fountain n. 喷泉 6. lotion n. 护肤露

7. potion n. 药剂；保健品 8. pointer n. 指标

9. verify v. 核实；证明 10. eligible adj. 合格的