双语阅读：人的寿命是否有极限

 　After celebrating her 60th year on the throne in style this past week, Britain's Queen Elizabeth II can now look forward to breaking some more records. She is already, at 86, Britain's oldest monarch¹ (were she to die now, her son would immediately be the 12th oldest). On Sept. 10, 2015, she would pass Queen Victoria to become the longest-reigning monarch in British history. To beat Louis XIV (who succeeded to the throne at the age of 4) for the longest reign² in European history, she would have to live to 98.          在风风光光庆祝完自己登基60周年后，英国女王伊丽莎白二世（Queen Elizabeth II）现在可以期待打破更多纪录了。86岁的她已经是英国历史上最年长的君主了（如果她现在离世，她的儿子就会立即成为第12年长的君主）。到2015年9月10日，她将会超越维多利亚女王（Queen Victoria），成为英国历史上在位时间最长的君主。要打败四岁时继承王位的路易十四（Louis XIV）成为欧洲历史上在位时间最长的君主，她需要活到98岁。

　　Elizabeth II is still going strong, but the maximum human lifespan isn't rising at anything like the rate of average life expectancy³, which is rushing upward globally at the rate of about three months a year, mainly because of progress against premature⁴ mortality. Indeed, we may already have hit some kind of limit for maximum lifespan -- perhaps because natural selection, with its strict focus on reproductive success, has no particular need to preserve genes⁵ that would keep us going to 150.          伊丽莎白二世身体依然很硬朗，但人类最长寿命并不像平均预期寿命一样在不断增长，后者在全球范围内以每年约三个月的幅度在增长，主要是由于对抗过早死亡方面取得的进展。的确，我们或许已经达到了某种最长寿命的极限，这可能是因为严格以繁殖成功为中心的自然选择过程没有必要特别保存能让我们活到150岁的基因。

近代关于人类寿命极限的研究

　　The oldest woman in the world, Besse Cooper, a retired⁶ schoolteacher in Georgia, will be 116 on Aug. 26, according to the Gerontology Research Group, an organization that studies aging issues. That's a great age, but it's a hefty six years short of the record: 122 years and 164 days, set by Jeanne Calment of France in 1997. In other words, if Mrs. Cooper can get there, Mrs. Calment's record will have stood for 21 years; if she can't, maybe longer.          根据研究老龄化问题的老年学研究组织（Gerontology Research Group）的数据，世界最长寿的女性、来自佐治亚州的退休教师贝斯?库珀（Besse Cooper）将在8月26日年满116岁。这是很长寿的年纪了，但是依然比世界纪录小六岁多：122岁零164天，它是由法国的雅娜?卡尔芒（Jeanne Calment）创下的纪录。换句话说，如果库珀能活到这个年纪，那么卡尔芒的纪录就保持了21年，如果活不到，可能保持的时间会更长。

最长寿的女性——雅娜 卡尔芒　　

　　That's a long time, considering that there are now nearly a half million centenarians alive in the world. That number has been going up 7% a year, but the number of those over 115 is not increasing.          这会是漫长的一段时间，因为目前全世界有近50万百岁老人在世。这个数字在以每年7%的幅度增长，但115岁以上老人的人数并没有增加。

　　If Mrs. Cooper does not take the record, there are only two other 115-year-olds alive to take on the challenge, and one of them is a man: Jiroemon Kimura, a retired postman from Kyoto. He's within seven months of beating the age record for his sex, set by Christian⁷ Mortensen, who died in 1998. But Mr. Kimura is less likely than a woman to make 122, and there are fewer women over 115 today (two) than there were in 2006 (four) or even 1997 (three).          如果库珀没有刷新纪录，就只有两位在世的115岁老人接受这项挑战，其中一位是男性：来自日本京都的退休邮差木村次郎右卫门（Jiroemon Kimura）。他还有七个月就将打破由1998年去世的克里斯蒂安?莫滕森（Christian Mortensen）创下的男性最长寿命纪录。但木村次郎右卫门活到122岁的可能性没有女性大，而目前超过115岁的女性（两位）没有2006年（四位）多，甚至还不如1997年（三位）。

　　At least two people died after their 110th birthdays in the 1800s, if you're willing to trust the birth certificates. So the increase of 12 years in maximum life expectancy during the 20th century was just one-third as large as the increase in average life expectancy during the period (36 years).          从出生证明来看，19世纪至少有两个人在110岁生日后逝世。因此，20世纪最长寿命12年的增长幅度只不过是同期平均寿命增幅（36年）的三分之一。

　　In 2002, James Vaupel of the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research in Rostock, Germany, startled demographers⁸ by pointing out that every estimate published of the level at which average life expectancy would level out has been broken within a few years. Jay Olshansky of the University of Illinois, however, argues that since 1980 this has no longer been true for already-old people in rich countries like the U.S.: Official estimates of remaining years of life for a woman aged⁹ 65 should be revised downward.          2002年，德国罗斯托克马克斯-普朗克人口研究所（Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research）的詹姆斯?沃佩尔（James Vaupel）指出，每次公开发布的对平均寿命趋稳水平的估计都会在几年内被打破，这令人口统计学家感到吃惊。然而，伊利诺伊大学（University of Illinois）的杰伊?奥尔山斯基（Jay Olshansky）则认为，从1980年开始，在美国等富裕国家，这种规律已经不适用于已经进入高龄的老人了：官方对年龄在65岁的女性剩余寿命的估算应该下调。

　　Thanks to healthier lifestyles, more and more people are surviving into old age. But that is not incompatible¹⁰ with there being a sort of expiration¹¹ date on human lifespan. Most scientists think the decay of the body by aging is not itself programmed by genes, but the repair mechanisms¹² that delay decay are. In human beings, genes that help keep you alive as a parent or even grandparent have had a selective advantage through helping¹³ children thrive, but ones that keep you alive as a great-grandparent -- who likely doesn't play much of a role in the well-being¹⁴ and survival of great-grandchildren -- have probably never contributed to reproductive success.          由于生活方式越来越健康，活到高龄的人越来越多。但这与人类寿命存在某种期限并不矛盾。大多数科学家认为，人体随年龄增大而衰老本身并不是由基因决定的，但延缓衰老的修复机制却是由基因决定的。对人类来说，帮助人作为父母甚至祖父母活着的基因有助于孩子健壮成长因而具备了选择性优势，但帮助人作为曾祖父母活着的基因可能永远都不会有助于繁殖成功，因为曾祖父母在曾孙的健康和生存上可能发挥不了什么作用。

　　In other words, there is perhaps no limit to the number of people who can reach 90 or 100, but getting more than a handful of people past 120 may never be possible, and 150 is probably unattainable, absent genetic¹⁵ engineering -- even for a monarch.          换句话说，活到90岁或100岁者的人数或许没有上限，但让一大批人活到120岁以上或许永远都不可能实现，没有遗传工程的帮助，人是很难活到150岁的，即便君主也做不到。

1 monarch   

n.帝王，君主，最高统治者

参考例句：

• The monarch's role is purely ceremonial.君主纯粹是个礼仪职位。
• I think myself happier now than the greatest monarch upon earth.我觉得这个时候比世界上什么帝王都快乐。

2 reign   

n.统治时期，统治，支配，盛行；v.占优势

参考例句：

• The reign of Queen Elizabeth lapped over into the seventeenth century.伊丽莎白王朝延至17世纪。
• The reign of Zhu Yuanzhang lasted about 31 years.朱元璋统治了大约三十一年。

3 expectancy   

n.期望，预期，（根据概率统计求得）预期数额

参考例句：

• Japanese people have a very high life expectancy.日本人的平均寿命非常长。
• The atomosphere of tense expectancy sobered everyone.这种期望的紧张气氛使每个人变得严肃起来。

4 premature   

adj.比预期时间早的；不成熟的，仓促的

参考例句：

• It is yet premature to predict the possible outcome of the dialogue.预言这次对话可能有什么结果为时尚早。
• The premature baby is doing well.那个早产的婴儿很健康。

5 genes   

n.基因( gene的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• You have good genes from your parents, so you should live a long time. 你从父母那儿获得优良的基因，所以能够活得很长。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Differences will help to reveal the functions of the genes. 它们间的差异将会帮助我们揭开基因多种功能。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 生物技术的世纪

6 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

7 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

8 demographers   

n.人口统计学( demography的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Demographers, however, point out that the'single" trend will have a profound effect on American institutions. 不过，人口学家们指出，“单身”趋势将对美国的公共机构产生深远的影响。 来自时文部分
• Selectivity of human migration long been the focus of demographers and economists. 人口迁移的选择性一直以来都是人口学家和经济学家关注的焦点。 来自互联网

9 aged   

adj.年老的，陈年的

参考例句：

• He had put on weight and aged a little.他胖了，也老点了。
• He is aged,but his memory is still good.他已年老，然而记忆力还好。

10 incompatible   

adj.不相容的，不协调的，不相配的

参考例句：

• His plan is incompatible with my intent.他的计划与我的意图不相符。
• Speed and safety are not necessarily incompatible.速度和安全未必不相容。

11 expiration   

n.终结，期满，呼气，呼出物

参考例句：

• Can I have your credit card number followed by the expiration date?能告诉我你的信用卡号码和它的到期日吗?
• This contract shall be terminated on the expiration date.劳动合同期满，即行终止。

12 mechanisms   

n.机械( mechanism的名词复数 )；机械装置；[生物学] 机制；机械作用

参考例句：

• The research will provide direct insight into molecular mechanisms. 这项研究将使人能够直接地了解分子的机理。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He explained how the two mechanisms worked. 他解释这两台机械装置是如何工作的。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

14 well-being   

n.安康，安乐，幸福

参考例句：

• He always has the well-being of the masses at heart.他总是把群众的疾苦挂在心上。
• My concern for their well-being was misunderstood as interference.我关心他们的幸福，却被误解为多管闲事。

15 genetic   

adj.遗传的，遗传学的

参考例句：

• It's very difficult to treat genetic diseases.遗传性疾病治疗起来很困难。
• Each daughter cell can receive a full complement of the genetic information.每个子细胞可以收到遗传信息的一个完全补偿物。