英语口语·吉米老师说

今年英国女王伊丽莎白二世 95 岁了，她是英国在位时间最长的君主，那她是如何保持健康长寿的呢？和吉米老师一起看看 BBC 是怎么说的吧~

人物·舞台传奇

本文整理自网络，版权归 BBC 所有。

今年，英国女王伊丽莎白二世 95 岁了。在她 90 岁那年，一档名为《Our Queen at 90》的纪录片应运而生。在庆祝女王生日的同时，BBC 也讨论了能延缓衰老和保持健康长寿的方法。

Our Queen at 90

我们九十岁的女王

When is it time to slow down? Is it when you reach middle age, when you can draw your pension or even later? Queen Elizabeth II turned 90 this year and there are not many signs that she's taking it easy. Last year alone the monarch carried out over 300 engagements.

什么时候该慢下来?是当你到了中年，可以领取养老金的时候，还是更晚?英国女王伊丽莎白二世今年90岁了，但没有多少迹象表明她会过得轻松。仅去年一年，女王就执行了300多次任务。

Longevity has long been a topic of discussion in Britain. 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. 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. You are more likely to have a strong immune system and are less likely to develop chronic diseases."

在英国，长寿一直是一个讨论的话题。什么可能让我们活得更长?牛津大学人口老龄化研究所的萨拉·哈珀教授表示，你的长寿有一半以上的机会取决于运气。她说:“如果你的父母和祖父母都能活到八九十岁，那你就有可能遗传了好的基因。这样你就更有可能拥有强大的免疫系统，患慢性疾病的可能性就更小了。”

Lucky you, then. But don't rely on that because bad habits can spoil everything. Half of long-term smokers die prematurely. Smoking causes heart disease, lung cancer and other illnesses. 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.

你很幸运。但是不要依赖这些，因为坏习惯会毁掉一切。半数长期吸烟者过早死亡。吸烟会导致心脏病、肺癌和其他疾病。英国国民健康服务机构(National Health Service)表示，不良饮食和缺乏锻炼会导致肥胖，这会使你的预期寿命缩短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. 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?

但能活多久不值得你紧张。压力会缩短人的寿命。发表在《英国医学杂志》上的一项研究发现，即使是轻微的压力也会使心脏病发作和中风的风险增加20%，你不想这样吧，不是吗?

After you've ticked all the boxes - genes, healthy living, keeping cool - you might have almost guaranteed a long life. But for what? That's the final piece of the jigsaw. Having a purpose in life can also make you live longer. Some people engage in charity work to keep active, others get involved in initiatives in their community. It gives them a reason to wake up in the morning - even if the joints creak a little. Professor Harper says that caring for others can make you feel valued.

在你满足所有的条件之后——基因、健康生活、保持冷静——长寿对你来说几乎是可以保证的。但长寿是为了什么?这是拼图的最后一块。人生有目标也能让你活得更久。有些人参与慈善工作以保持活跃，其他人则参与社区的活动。这给了他们一个在早上醒来的理由——即使关节有一点吱吱作响。哈珀教授说，关心他人会让你觉得自己很有价值。

It must feel good to be appreciated – by people around you, by a nation. Happy 90th birthday, Your Majesty!

被周围的人感激，被一个国家感激，感觉一定很好。90岁生日快乐，陛下!

词汇：

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

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健康生活，便能长寿！