新概念英語第四冊(含lrc文本)Lesson 37 The process of ageing

[ti:δ?] [ar:] [al:] [by:https://www.lrc.com.cn] [00:02.35]Lesson 37 [00:04.10]The process of ageing [00:12.40]What is one of the most unpleasant discoveries we make about ourselves [00:17.21]as we get older? [00:21.92]At the age of twelve years,the human body is at its most vigorous. [00:27.51]It has yet to reach its full size and strength, [00:30.54]and its owner his or her full intelligence: [00:34.45]but at this age the likelihood of death is least. [00:39.21]Earlier,we were infants and young children, [00:42.30]and consequently more vulnerable; [00:45.71]later,we shall undergo a progressive loss of our vigour and resistance [00:50.28]which,though imperceptible at first [00:53.20]will finally become so steep that we can live no longer, [00:57.31]however well we look after ourselves, [00:59.35]and however well society,and our doctors,look after us. [01:04.09]This decline in vigour with the passing of time is called ageing. [01:10.09]It is one of the most unpleasant discoveries which we all make [01:14.21]that we must decline in this way,that if we escape wars,accidents and diseases [01:21.25]we shall eventually'die of old age', [01:24.94]and that this happens at a rate which differs little from person to person, [01:30.25]so that there are heavy odds in favour of our dying between the ages of 65 and 80. [01:37.32]Some of us will die sooner,a few will live longer--on into a ninth or tenth decade. [01:44.32]But the chances are against it, [01:46.27]and there is a virtual limit on how long we can hope to remain alive, [01:50.65]however lucky and robust we are. [01:54.13]Normal people tend to forget this process unless and until they are reminded of it. [02:00.31]We are so familiar with the fact that man ages, [02:03.08]that people have for years assumed that the process of losing vigour with time, [02:07.94]of becoming more likely to die the older we get,was something self-evident [02:13.03]like the cooling of a hot kettle or the wearing-out of a pair of shoes. [02:18.33]They have also assumed that all animals, [02:20.93]and probably other organisms such as trees,or even the universe itself, [02:26.42]must in the nature of things 'wear out'. [02:30.49]Most animals we commonly observe do in fact age as we do, [02:34.97]if given the chance to live long enough; [02:37.15]and mechanical systems like a wound watch,or the sun, [02:41.44]do in fact run out of energy in accordance with the second law of thermodynamics [02:47.53](whether the whole universe does so is a moot point at present) [02:52.10]But these are not analogous to what happens when man ages. [02:57.32]A run-down watch is still a watch and can be rewound. [03:01.66]An old watch,by contrast, [03:03.80]becomes so worn and unreliable that it eventually is not worth mending. [03:09.06]But a watch could never repair itself-- [03:12.20]it does not consist of living parts,only of metal,which wears away by friction. [03:19.53]We could,at one time,repair ourselves--well enough,at least, [03:23.92]to overcome all but the most instantly fatal illnesses and accidents. [03:29.41]Between twelve and eighty years we gradually lose this power; [03:33.90]an illness which at 12 would knock us over,at 80 can knock us out,and into our grave. [03:42.00]If we could stay as vigorous as we are at twelve, [03:45.61]it would take about 700 years for half of us to die, [03:49.50]and another 700 for the survivors to be reduced by half again.

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