第1440期:How to live longer

When is it time to slow down? Is it when you reach middle age, when you can draw your pension or even later? 

什么时候该放慢脚步？是到中年，可以领取养老金，还是更晚？

Queen Elizabeth II turned 90 this year and there are not many signs that she's taking it easy. 伊丽莎白二世女王今年已经 90 岁了，没有多少迹象表明她在放松。

Last year alone the monarch carried out over 300 engagements.

仅去年一年，君主就进行了 300 多次约会。

Longevity has long been a topic of discussion in Britain.

长寿一直是英国人讨论的话题。 

What's likely to make us live longer? According to Professor Sarah Harper, from the Oxford Institute of Population Ageing, just over half your chances of living a long life come down to luck. 

什么可能让我们活得更久？根据牛津人口老龄化研究所的莎拉哈珀教授的说法，超过一半的长寿机会归结为运气。

She says: "If you have parents and grandparents who made it into their eighties and nineties there's a chance you have inherited good genes. 

她说：“如果你的父母和祖父母都活到了八九十岁，那么你就有可能继承了良好的基因。

You are more likely to have a strong immune system and are less likely to develop chronic diseases."

你更有可能拥有强大的免疫系统，并且不太可能患上慢性疾病。”

Lucky you, then. But don't rely on that because bad habits can spoil everything.

 那你走运。但不要依赖这一点，因为坏习惯会破坏一切。

Half of long-term smokers die prematurely. Smoking causes heart disease, lung cancer and other illnesses.

一半的长期吸烟者过早死亡。吸烟会导致心脏病、肺癌和其他疾病。 

A poor diet and lack of exercise can lead to obesity, which reduces your life expectancy by between three and 10 years, says the National Health Service in Britain.

英国国家卫生服务局表示，不良饮食和缺乏运动会导致肥胖，从而使您的预期寿命缩短 3 到 10 年。

But it's not worth stressing out about how long you're going to stick around. Stress can take years off someone's life. 

但不值得强调你要坚持多久。压力可以使一个人的生命减少数年。

A study published in the British Medical Journal found even low-level stress raises the risk of heart attacks and strokes by 20% and you don't want that, do you?

发表在英国医学杂志上的一项研究发现，即使是低水平的压力也会使心脏病发作和中风的风险增加 20%，你不希望这样，是吗？

After you've ticked all the boxes - genes, healthy living, keeping cool - you might have almost guaranteed a long life. 

在你勾选了所有的选项之后——基因、健康的生活、保持凉爽——你几乎可以保证长寿。

But for what? That's the final piece of the jigsaw. Having a purpose in life can also make you live longer. 

但为了什么？这是拼图的最后一块。拥有人生目标也可以让你活得更久。

Some people engage in charity work to keep active, others get involved in initiatives in their community.

有些人从事慈善工作以保持活跃，其他人则参与社区的倡议。 

It gives them a reason to wake up in the morning - even if the joints creak a little.

这让他们有理由在早上醒来——即使关节有点吱吱作响。 

Professor Harper says that caring for others can make you feel valued.

哈珀教授说，关心他人可以让你感到被重视。

It must feel good to be appreciated – by people around you, by a nation. 

被你周围的人、一个国家的人欣赏一定感觉很好。

Happy 90th birthday, Your Majesty!

陛下，90 岁生日快乐！

词汇表

middle age  中年
draw your pension  领取退休金
take it easy  放松，不拼命工作
longevity  长寿
ageing  年老的，衰老的
chances  可能性，机会
inherit  继承
immune system  免疫系统
chronic disease  慢性疾病
bad habit  坏习惯
prematurely  过早的
life expectancy  （人的）预期寿命
to stick around  停留，（此处指）活着
stroke  中风
tick all the boxes  符合所有条件，满足所有的标准
keep cool  保持冷静
jigsaw  拼图玩具
charity work  公益劳动，慈善工作