第37课

旁白 neutral

At the age of twelve years, the human body is at its most vigorous.

在十二岁时，人体处于最旺盛的状态。

旁白 neutral

It has yet to reach its full size and strength, and its owner his or her full intelligence: but at this age the likelihood of death is least.

它尚未达到完全的体型和力量，其主人也尚未达到完全的智力：但在此时，死亡的可能性最小。

旁白 neutral

Earlier, we were infants and young children, and consequently more vulnerable;

早些时候，我们是婴儿和幼儿，因此更容易受到伤害；

旁白 neutral

later, we shall undergo a progressive loss of our vigour and resistance which, though imperceptible at first

之后，我们将经历活力和抵抗力的逐渐丧失，这起初虽然难以察觉，

旁白 neutral

will finally become so steep that we can live no longer,

但最终会变得如此迅速，以至于我们无法再活下去，

旁白 neutral

however well we look after ourselves, and however well society, and our doctors, look after us.

无论我们如何精心照顾自己，也无论社会和医生如何精心照顾我们。

旁白 neutral

This decline in vigour with the passing of time is called ageing.

随着时间的推移，这种活力的衰退被称为衰老。

旁白 neutral

It is one of the most unpleasant discoveries which we all make that we must decline in this way, that if we escape wars,

我们都发现了一个最令人不快的现实，那就是我们必然会以这种方式衰老，如果我们能够幸免于战争、

旁白 neutral

accidents and diseases we shall eventually 'die of old age', and that this happens at a rate which differs little from person to person,

事故和疾病，最终我们将“老死”，而且这个过程的速度人与人之间差异很小，

旁白 neutral

so that there are heavy odds in favour of our dying between the ages of 65 and 80.

因此，我们很可能在65到80岁之间去世。

旁白 neutral

Some of us will die sooner, a few will live longer -- on into a ninth or tenth decade.

我们中有些人会更早去世，少数人会活得更久——进入第九或第十个十年。

旁白 neutral

But the chances are against it,

但这种机会渺茫，

旁白 neutral

and there is a virtual limit on how long we can hope to remain alive, however lucky and robust we are.

而且我们能期望活多久，无论我们多么幸运和健壮，都有一个实际的限制。

旁白 neutral

Normal people tend to forget this process unless and until they are reminded of it.

除非被提醒，否则常人往往会忘记这个过程。

旁白 neutral

We are so familiar with the fact that man ages, that people have for years assumed that the process of losing vigour with time,

我们对人会衰老这一事实非常熟悉，以至于人们多年来一直认为，随着时间流逝而失去活力，

旁白 neutral

of becoming more likely to die the older we get, was something self-evident

年纪越大越可能死亡的过程，是理所当然的事情，

旁白 neutral

like the cooling of a hot kettle or the wearing-out of a pair of shoes.

就像热水壶变凉或鞋子磨损一样。

旁白 neutral

They have also assumed that all animals,

他们还假设所有动物，

旁白 neutral

and probably other organisms such as trees, or even the universe itself, must in the nature of things 'wear out'.

以及其他生物，如树木，甚至宇宙本身，按照事物的本性都必然会“耗尽”。

旁白 neutral

Most animals we commonly observe do in fact age as we do,

我们通常观察到的大多数动物，如果活得足够长，

旁白 neutral

if given the chance to live long enough;

确实会像我们一样衰老；

旁白 neutral

and mechanical systems like a wound watch, or the sun,

而像上弦的钟表或太阳这样的机械系统，

旁白 neutral

do in fact run out of energy in accordance with the second law of thermodynamics (whether the whole universe does so is a moot point at present).

确实会根据热力学第二定律耗尽能量（整个宇宙是否如此，目前尚无定论）。

旁白 neutral

But these are not analogous to what happens when man ages.

但这些与人类衰老时发生的情况并不相似。

旁白 neutral

A run-down watch is still a watch and can be rewound.

一只停走的表仍然是一只表，可以重新上弦。

旁白 neutral

An old watch, by contrast, becomes so worn and unreliable that it eventually is not worth mending.

相比之下，一只旧表会变得磨损不堪，不可靠，最终不值得修理。

旁白 neutral

But a watch could never repair itself--it does not consist of living parts, only of metal, which wears away by friction.

但是表永远无法自我修复——它不包含活体部分，只有金属，金属会因摩擦而磨损。

旁白 neutral

We could, at one time, repair ourselves--well enough, at least, to overcome all but the most instantly fatal illnesses and accidents.

我们曾经能够自我修复——至少足以克服除了最即刻致命的疾病和事故之外的所有情况。

旁白 neutral

Between twelve and eighty years we gradually lose this power;

在十二岁到八十岁之间，我们逐渐失去这种能力；

旁白 neutral

an illness which at 12 would knock us over, at 80 can knock us out, and into our grave.

一种在12岁时会让我们病倒的疾病，在80岁时可能就会让我们倒下，并送入坟墓。

旁白 neutral

If we could stay as vigorous as we are at twelve,

如果我们能像十二岁时那样充满活力，

旁白 neutral

it would take about 700 years for half of us to die, and another 700 for the survivors to be reduced by half again.

大约需要700年我们中一半的人才会去世，再过700年，幸存者数量才会再次减少一半。