We are able to live longer人类长寿不再是梦想

We are able to live longer
人类长寿不再是梦想
原文
译文
TO live forever was the dream of many emperors in ancient China. People were ordered to call them Wansui, which means 10,000 years, but no human could live that long. How long can humans really live? According to the latest scientific discovery, humans are able to live up to the age of 120 or perhaps even longer.
中国古代的很多皇帝都梦想长生不老。他们命令人们喊他们“万岁”，意思是活到10000岁，但没有人能活那么久。人究竟能活多久呢？科学家最新发现，人能够活到120岁，甚或更长。
Several recent studies showed that our life span can be extended far beyond normal limits. Cynthia Kenyon, a professor at the University of California in San Francisco, doubled the life of a worm from two weeks to a month. By changing the function of a single gene, known as daf-2, the scientist not only added extra days to the worm’s life but also kept it as healthy as worms which were half its age.
最近，有几项研究都表明，我们的寿命可以延长，能够远远超出通常的寿限。旧金山市加利福尼亚大学的辛西娅·凯尼恩教授，将一种线虫的生命从两星期延长到一个月，提高了一倍。这位科学家通过改变一种叫做daf-2的基因，不仅延长了线虫的生存时日，还使它和寿命只有它一半的线虫一样健康。
There are two similar genes in the bodies of mammals. By changing the function of one gene, scientists extended the life of a mouse by 18 per cent (or 4.5 months). Another gene is called IGF-1. Researchers still don’t know how it affects our body. But by reducing its functions, the life of a mouse increases by 33 per cent (or 8.6 months). The average life span of a mouse is 26 months.
所有的哺乳动物体内都有两种相似的基因。科学家通过使其中一种基因发生突变，将一只老鼠的寿命增加了18%（即4.5个月）。另外一种基因叫做IGF-1。研究人员仍然还未弄清它对我们的身体有何影响。但是，若减缓它的机能，老鼠的寿命能提高33％（即8.6个月）。而老鼠的平均寿命是26个月。
In the experiment of extending life, an ancient saying, “you are what you eat,” also seems to be true. Vegetables contain fewer calories than meat, and help to prolong life, scientists say. Research has found that taking in fewer calories affects our lives in a similar way to reducing IGF-1.
说起延长寿命，有一句古老的谚语似乎一语中地：“吃什么就是什么”。科学家认为，蔬菜含有的卡路里比肉少，这有助于延长寿命。调查还发现，摄入卡路里减少，和降低IGF-1一样，对我们的寿命有相似的影响。
US biologist John Phelan suggests low calorie diets could increase human life span, but there is no proof yet.
美国生物学家约翰·菲兰提出，低卡路里的饮食能增加人类寿命，但是目前还没有证据。
Researchers are still waiting for the results of a study started in 1987. Monkeys are fed with low calorie food to see what happens. A monkey’s typical life span is 40 years, so there is a little while to wait.
研究人员仍然在等待自1987年开始的一项研究结果。他们给猴子进食低卡路里的食物，以观察状况。猴子的寿命一般是40年，看来他们还要等一段时间了。
In China, average life expectancy has now reached 70, double that of 1949. Increasing the length of our lives may bring us closer to the dreams of our ancient emperors. But it may also cause social problems such as housing and employment, social scientists have warned.
中国人的平均寿命现在达到了70岁，是1949年的两倍。社会学家发出警告，虽然生命长度的增加使我们更加接近古代皇帝的梦想。但是，这也可能会引发一些社会问题，比如住房和就业问题。
(from page 6, 21st Century Teens Senior Edition Issue No.201)