Living Longer

In the past it was not uncommon for a man to die at forty, having lived a full life. But now we consider a lifespan of forty years to be very short. It is not unusual for people to live into their eighties and nineties, and some even reach 100. What’s more, people are living long, healthy lives and are active well into their “golden years”.

Mankind’s longevity is due mainly to advances in science and technology. Medical breakthroughs have eradicated many fatal diseases that were once common. Perhaps more importantly, better general health means that people are less likely to contract infections in the first place. Better health also helps people prevent slowly debilitating conditions, such as heart disease, which can take their lives at an early age. And as civilization has advanced, our living environment and sources of food have become more sanitary. Furthermore, work is now safer and not as taxing on the human body. We do not wear out after just a few years of very hard work.

There are many reasons why people are now living longer than ever before. But what is more important is that they are living better as they live longer. It is my opinion that we have scientific and technological development to thank for this progress.

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活得更久

以前的人活到40歲就過完一生而死亡是很平常的。但是現在，我們認為40歲的壽命很短。人們活到八十幾歲、九十幾歲，有些甚至到100歲，是很平常的。而且，人們還能活得久而且又健康，精力充沛地邁入他們的“黃金時代”（退休期）。

人類會長壽主要是因為科學及科技的進步。醫學上的重大突破已經根除了以前十分普遍的致命疾病。而更重要的也許是，大眾健康的改善首先意味著人們不大可能得傳染病。人們變得更健康也有助于預防罹患一些會使身體狀況日益衰弱的疾病，例如心臟病。這些疾病常會奪走年輕的生命。又因為文明的進步，我們的生活環境以及食物來源已經變得比較衛生。此外，現在的工作比較安全，且對人體而言沒有那么繁重。我們不會因為只辛苦工作幾年就變得疲憊不堪。