2022Theprocessofageing新概念英语课程Theprocessofageing新概念英语课程Theprocessofageing苍老过程Firstlistenandthenanswerthefollowingquestion.听录音，然后回答以下问题。Whatisoneofthemostunpleasantdiscoverieswemakeaboutourselvesaswegetolder?Attheageoftwelveyears,thehumanbodyisatitsmostvigorous.Ithasyettoreachitsfullsizeand第1页共27页strength,anditsownerhisorherfullintelligence;butatthisagethelikelihoodofdeathisleast.Earlier,wewereinfantsandyoungchildren,andconsequentlymorevulnerable;later,weshallundergoaprogressivelossofourvigourandresistancewhich,thoughimperceptibleatfirst,willfinallybecomesosteepthatwecanlivenolonger,howeverwellwelookafterourselves,andhoweverwellsociety,andourdoctors,lookafterus.Thisdeclineinvigourwiththepassingoftimeiscalledageing.Itis第2页共27页oneofthemostunpleasantdiscoverieswhichweallmakethatwemustdeclineinthisway,thatifweescapewars,accidentsanddiseaseweshalleventually'dieofoldage',andthatthishappensataratewhichdifferslittlefrompersontoperson,sothatthereareheavyoddsinfavourofourdyingbetweentheagesofsixty-fiveandeighty.Someofuswilldiesooner,afewwilllivelonger--onintoaninthortenthdecade.Butthechancesareagainstit,andthereisavirtuallimitonhowlongwecan第3页共27页hopetoremainalive,howeverluckyandrobustweare.Normalpeopletendtoforgetthisprocessunlessanduntiltheyareremindedofit.Wearesofamiliarwiththefactthatmanages,thatpeoplehaveforyearsassumedthattheprocessoflosingvigourwithtime,ofbecomingmorelikelytodietheolderweget,wassomethingself-evident,likethecoolingofahotkettleorthewearing-outofapairofshoes.Theyhavealsoassumedthatallanimals,andprobablyotherorganismssuchastrees,oreventheuniverse第4页共27页itself,mustinthenatureofthings'wearout'.Mostanimalswecommonlyobservedoinfactageaswedo,ifgiventhechancetolivelongenough;andmechanicalsystemslikeawoundwatch,orthesun,doinfactrunoutofenergyinaccordancewiththesecondlawofthermodynamics(whetherthewholeuniversedoessoisamootpointatpresent).Butthesearenotanalogoustowhathappenswhenmanages.Arun-downwatchisstillawatchandcanberewound.Anoldwatch,bycontrast,becomessowornandunreliablethatit第5页共27页eventuallyisnotworthmending.Butawatchcouldneverrepairitself--itdoesnotconsistoflivingparts,onlyofmetal,whichwearsawaybyfriction.Wecould,atonetime,repairourselves--wellenough,atleast,toovercomeallbutthemostinstantlyfatalillnessesandaccidents.Betweentwelveandeightyyearswegraduallylosethispower;anillnesswhichattwelvewouldknockusover,ateightycanknockusout,andanother700forthesurvivorstobereducedbyhalfagain.第6页共27页人体在12岁时是生命力最旺盛的时期。虽然这个时期人的身材、体力和智力还有待发展和完善，但在这个年龄死亡的可能性最小。再早一些，我们是幼儿和小孩子，身体较脆弱；再迟一些，我们就要经验生命力和反抗力逐步衰退的过程。虽然这个过程起初难以觉察，但最终会急转直下，不管我们怎样细心照料我们自己，不管社会和医生怎样对我们进行细心照看，我们也无法再活下去了。生命力随着时间的流失而衰退叫做苍老。人类发觉的最不开心的一个事实是：人必定会苍老。既使我们能避开斗争、意外的事故和各种疾病，我们最终也第7页共27页会“老死”；苍老的速度在人与人之间相差甚微，我们最可能死亡的年龄在65至80岁之间，有些人会死得早一些，少数人寿命会长一些--活到八十几岁或九十几岁，但这种可能性很小。不管我们多么幸运，多么健壮，我们所希望的长寿事实上是有限度的。苍老的过程，不经提起，正常人简单遗忘；一经提示，才会记起我们对人总是要苍老的现象并不生疏，多年来就已相识到。生命随...
