- Published on
意大利人的长寿之谜
- Authors
意大利有世界上年龄最大的人口之一，其中包括许多个百岁老人群体，吸引了寻找青春之泉的研究人员。
双语精读
"For studying aging, Italy is just incredible," said Dr. Valter Longo, a youthful 56, at the lab he runs at a cancer institute in Milan, where he will speak at an aging conference this month.
“对于研究衰老，意大利是一个绝佳的地方，”现年56岁而且看起来很年轻的瓦尔特·隆戈博士在由他管理的实验室里说，这个实验室位于米兰的一个癌症研究所，他将于本月在米兰的一场衰老研究会议上发表讲话。
Italy has one of the world's oldest populations, including multiple pockets of centenarians who tantalize researchers searching for the fountain of youth.
意大利有世界上年龄最大的人口之一，其中包括许多个百岁老人群体，他们吸引了寻找青春之泉的研究人员。
Dr. Longo, who is also a professor of gerontology and director of the U.S.C. Longevity Institute in California, has long advocated longer and better living through eating Lite Italian, one of a global explosion of Road to Perpetual Wellville theories about how to stay young in a field that is itself still in its adolescence.
隆戈博士是南加州大学的老年学教授和寿命研究中心的主任，他一直主张通过吃低热量意大利食物来延长寿命和促进健康，这是在全球范围内突然涌现的关于如何永葆青春的类似《窈窕疯人院》的理论之一，但这个领域的研究本身都尚且处于青春期。
In addition to identifying genes that regulate aging, he has created a plant- and nut-based diet with supplements and kale crackers that mimics fasting to, he argues, allow cells to shed harmful baggage and rejuvenate, without the downside of actually starving.
除了识别调节衰老的基因外，隆戈还创造了一种以植物和坚果为基础，再加上补充剂和羽衣甘蓝饼干的饮食，这种饮食可以模拟断食，他认为这样就能让细胞摆脱有害的包袱并重焕活力，而且不会有真正挨饿带来的危害。
His private foundation, also based in Milan, tailors diets for cancer patients, but also consults for Italian companies and schools, promoting a Mediterranean diet that is actually foreign to most Italians today.
他的私人基金会也设在米兰，为癌症患者量身定制饮食，但也为意大利公司和学校提供咨询服务，推广地中海饮食，其实如今的大多数意大利人对这种饮食并不熟悉。
He added that many Italian children, especially in the country's south, are obese, bloated on what he calls the poisonous five Ps - pizza, pasta, protein, potatoes and pane (or bread).
他补充说，许多意大利儿童，特别是南部的儿童，都患有肥胖症，因为吃他所说的有毒五P（披萨、意大利面、蛋白质、土豆和面包）而身材发胖。
In recent years, wellness articles have conquered newspaper home pages and Fountains-of-Youth workout and diet ads featuring insanely fit middle-aged people teem on the social media feeds of not insanely fit middle-aged people.
近年来，关于保健的文章已经占领了报纸主页，青春之泉健身广告和饮食广告上都是一些看起来超级健康的中年人，这种广告充满了那些不是超级健康的中年人的社交媒体推送。
But even as concepts like longevity, intermittent fasting and biological age - you're only as old as your cells feel! - have gained momentum, governments like Italy's are fretting over a creakier future in which booming populations of old people drain resources from the dwindling young.
但虽然长寿、轻断食和生理年龄（细胞的年龄才是你的年龄）之类的概念日益流行，意大利等国政府也依然在为老龄化更严重的未来而担忧，将来越来越多的老年人口会从越来越少的年轻人那里耗尽资源。
And yet many scientists, nutritionists and longevity fanatics the world over continue to stare longingly toward Italy, seeking in its deep pockets of centenarians a secret ingredient to long life.
然而，世界各地的许多科学家、营养学家和长寿狂热分子仍在充满渴望地注视着意大利，希望从该国百岁老人群体里寻找长寿的秘诀。
Dr. Longo wonders whether Italy's centenarians had been protected from later disease by a starvation period and old-fashioned Mediterranean diet early in life, during rural Italy's abject war-era poverty.
隆戈在想，意大利的百岁老人在晚年没有生病，是不是因为在意大利战争时期农村非常穷苦，这些老人当时经常饿肚子、吃老式地中海饮食。
Then a boost of proteins and fats and modern medicine after Italy's postwar economic miracle protected them from frailty as they got older and kept them alive. It could, he said, be a "historical coincidence that you'll never see again."
然后，在意大利战后发生了经济奇迹，蛋白质、脂肪和现代医学的发展保护了他们，使他们不会随着年龄的增长而变得虚弱，并使他们的寿命延长。他说，这可能是“你再也见不到的历史巧合”。
词汇预习
economic [高考]
美[ˌiːkəˈnɑːmɪk] | 英[ˌiːkəˈnɒmɪk]
adj. 经济的，经济学的；有利可图的；节约的
biological [高考]
美[ˌbaɪəˈlɑːdʒɪkl] | 英[ˌbaɪəˈlɒdʒɪkl]
adj. 生物的；生物学的
explosion [高考]
美[ɪkˈsploʊʒn] | 英[ɪkˈspləʊʒn]
n. 爆炸；爆炸声；激增；爆发
poverty [高考]
美[ˈpɑːvərti] | 英[ˈpɒvəti]
n. 贫困；贫乏；劣质
miracle [高考]
美[ˈmɪrəkl] | 英[ˈmɪrəkl]
n. 奇迹
regulate [高考]
美[ˈreɡjuleɪt] | 英[ˈreɡjuleɪt]
vt. 调整；校准；管理；控制
multiple [高考]
美[ˈmʌltɪpl] | 英[ˈmʌltɪpl]
adj. 多种多样的；许多的 n. 倍数；并联
protein [高考]
美[ˈproʊtiːn] | 英[ˈprəʊtiːn]
n. 蛋白质
downside [高考]
美[ˈdaʊnsaɪd] | 英[ˈdaʊnsaɪd]
n. 下降趋势（价格方面）；消极面；负面
drain [高考]
美[dreɪn] | 英[dreɪn]
v. 排出；排干；喝光；耗尽 n. 下水道；消耗
boost [高考]
美[buːst] | 英[buːst]
v. 提高；增加；鼓励；举起；为...做宣传 n. 增加；推进；鼓励
media [高考]
美[ˈmiːdiə] | 英[ˈmiːdiə]
n. 传播媒介；(medium的复数)媒体；新闻媒介
stare [高考]
美[ster] | 英[steə(r)]
v.凝视；盯着看；注视 n.凝视；注视
starvation [高考]
美[stɑːrˈveɪʃn] | 英[stɑːˈveɪʃn]
n. 饿死；饥饿
adolescence [高考]
美[ˌædəˈlesns] | 英[ˌædəˈlesns]
n. 青春期（一般指13～16岁的发育期）
coincidence [高考]
美[koʊˈɪnsɪdəns] | 英[kəʊˈɪnsɪdəns]
n. 巧合；一致；同时发生
baggage [高考]
美[ˈbæɡɪdʒ] | 英[ˈbæɡɪdʒ]
n. 行李
living [高考]
美[ˈlɪvɪŋ] | 英[ˈlɪvɪŋ]
adj. 活着的；生动的 n. 生活；生计
nut [高考]
美[nʌt] | 英[nʌt]
n. 坚果；果仁 n. 螺母；螺帽；难对付的人(事) vi. 采坚果
incredible [高考]
美[ɪnˈkredəbl] | 英[ɪnˈkredəbl]
adj. 难以置信的；惊人的
era [高考]
美[ˈɪrə] | 英[ˈɪərə]
n. 纪元；时代；年代
where [高考]
美[wer] | 英[weə(r)]
adv. 在哪里；在那个地方 conj. 在 ... 地方
shed [四级]
美[ʃed] | 英[ʃed]
vt. 除掉；使脱落；使流出；使清晰 n. 小屋；车棚
youthful [四级]
美[ˈjuθfəl] | 英[ˈju:θfl]
adj. 年轻的；有青春活力的；年轻人的；(地质学)幼年期的
pane [四级]
美[pen] | 英[peɪn]
n. 窗玻璃；方框；方格 v. 嵌窗玻璃
longevity [四级]
美[lɔːnˈdʒevəti] | 英[lɒnˈdʒevəti]
n. 长寿；寿命
pizza [四级]
美[ˈpiːtsə] | 英[ˈpiːtsə]
n. 比萨饼
old-fashioned [四级]
美[ˈoldˈfæʃənd] | 英[ˈəuldˈfæʃənd]
adj. 老式的；老派的；守旧的 n. 古典鸡尾酒
obese [四级]
美[oʊˈbiːs] | 英[əʊˈbiːs]
adj. 极肥胖的
middle-aged [四级]
美[ˌmɪdl ˈeɪdʒd] | 英[ˌmɪdl ˈeɪdʒd]
adj. 中年的
foreign to [四级]
美[ˈfɔrɪn tu] | 英[ˈfɔrin tu:]
和 ... 无关的
momentum [六级]
美[moʊˈmentəm] | 英[məˈmentəm]
n. 势头；动力；（物理）动量
tantalize [专四]
美[ˈtæntəlaɪz] | 英[ˈtæntəlaɪz]
v. （以可望而不可即之物）逗引或招惹（人或动物）；使着急
Mediterranean [专四]
美[ˌmɛdɪtəˈreniən, -ˈrenjən] | 英[ˌmedɪtəˈreɪniən]
adj. 地中海的 n. 地中海
teem [专四]
美[tiːm] | 英[tiːm]
v. 充满；富于；把……倒空；倾泻
rejuvenate [专八]
美[rɪˈdʒuvəˌnet] | 英[rɪˈdʒu:vəneɪt]
v. 使 ... 年轻； 使 ... 恢复精神； 变年轻
abject [专八]
美[ˈæbˌdʒɛkt, æbˈdʒɛkt] | 英[ˈæbdʒekt]
adj. 卑贱的；不幸的；可怜的
intermittent [专八]
美[ˌɪntərˈmɪtənt] | 英[ˌɪntəˈmɪtənt]
adj. 间歇的；断断续续的
postwar [考研]
美[ˈpostˈwɔr] | 英['pəʊst'wɔ:]
adj. 战后的
workout [考研]
美[ˈwɜːrkaʊt] | 英[ˈwɜːkaʊt]
n. 健身；练习；考验
booming [雅思]
美[ˈbuːmɪŋ] | 英[ˈbuːmɪŋ]
adj. 兴旺的；繁荣的；轰隆作响的
重点讲解
“For studying aging, Italy is just incredible,” said Dr. Valter Longo, a youthful 56, at the lab he runs at a cancer institute in Milan, where he will speak at an aging conference this month.
“对于研究衰老，意大利是一个绝佳的地方，”现年56岁而且看起来很年轻的瓦尔特·隆戈博士在由他管理的实验室里说，这个实验室位于米兰的一个癌症研究所，他将于本月在米兰的一场衰老研究会议上发表讲话。
pocket n. （与周围不同的）小群落，小区域
【例】a pocket of poverty within a generally affluent area
富裕地方的一小块贫困地区
a cultural pocket where a minority language is still spoken
使用少数民族语言的一个文化不同的小区域
【近义词】enclave n. 飞地；孤立地区
tantalize v. 招引；诱惑
【例】She was tantalized by the idea of moving abroad, although she knew it was not feasible at the moment.
她对移居国外的想法感到非常向往，尽管她知道目前这无法实现。
【拓展】Tantalus 坦塔罗斯（古希腊神话）
Italy has one of the world’s oldest populations, including multiple pockets of centenarians who tantalize researchers searching for the fountain of youth.
意大利有世界上年龄最大的人口之一，其中包括许多个百岁老人群体，他们吸引了寻找青春之泉的研究人员。
pocket n. （与周围不同的）小群落，小区域
【例】a pocket of poverty within a generally affluent area
富裕地方的一小块贫困地区
a cultural pocket where a minority language is still spoken
使用少数民族语言的一个文化不同的小区域
【近义词】enclave n. 飞地；孤立地区
tantalize v. 招引；诱惑
【例】She was tantalized by the idea of moving abroad, although she knew it was not feasible at the moment.
她对移居国外的想法感到非常向往，尽管她知道目前这无法实现。
【拓展】Tantalus 坦塔罗斯（古希腊神话）
Dr****.**** Longo,**** who is**** also**** a professor of**** gerontology and director**** of**** the U.S.C.**** Longevity Institute in**** California****,**** has long**** advocated longer**** and better**** living**** through eating**** Lite**** Italian,**** one of**** a global**** explosion of**** Road**** to**** Perpetual Wellville theories**** about how to**** stay**** young in**** a field that**** is**** itself**** still in**** its adolescence.****
隆戈博士是南加州大学的老年学教授和寿命研究中心的主任，他一直主张通过吃低热量意大利食物来延长寿命和促进健康，这是在全球范围内突然涌现的关于如何永葆青春的类似《窈窕疯人院》的理论之一，但这个领域的研究本身都尚且处于青春期。
In addition to identifying genes that regulate aging, he has created a plant- and nut-based diet with supplements and kale crackers that mimics fasting to, he argues, allow cells to shed harmful baggage and rejuvenate, without the downside of actually starving.
除了识别调节衰老的基因外，隆戈还创造了一种以植物和坚果为基础，再加上补充剂和羽衣甘蓝饼干的饮食，这种饮食可以模拟断食，他认为这样就能让细胞摆脱有害的包袱并重焕活力，而且不会有真正挨饿带来的危害。
shed v. 去除；摆脱；脱落
【例】to shed leaves/the skin 落叶/蜕皮
to shed the old habit 改掉旧习惯
to shed 100 jobs 裁撤100个岗位
rejuvenate v. 重新变得年轻；恢复活力
【例】The mountain air will rejuvenate you.
山间的空气将使你恢复活力。
the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation
中华民族的伟大复兴
【拓展】juvenile adj. 少年的；未成年的
tailor v. 专门制作；订做
【例】a novel tailored to a young audience
为迎合年轻读者群而写的小说
【近义词】customize/adapt/personalize v. 订制/使适应/个性化
consult v. 咨询；请教
【例】to consult your lawyer 咨询你的律师
【拓展】consultant n. 顾问；咨询公司
【辨析】counsel v. 提供专业咨询
【例】The lawyer counseled her client on the case.
律师就这个案件给她的客户提供了咨询建议。
His private foundation, also based in Milan, tailors diets for cancer patients, but also consults for Italian companies and schools, promoting a Mediterranean diet that is actually foreign to most Italians today.
他的私人基金会也设在米兰，为癌症患者量身定制饮食，但也为意大利公司和学校提供咨询服务，推广地中海饮食，其实如今的大多数意大利人对这种饮食并不熟悉。
shed v. 去除；摆脱；脱落
【例】to shed leaves/the skin 落叶/蜕皮
to shed the old habit 改掉旧习惯
to shed 100 jobs 裁撤100个岗位
rejuvenate v. 重新变得年轻；恢复活力
【例】The mountain air will rejuvenate you.
山间的空气将使你恢复活力。
the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation
中华民族的伟大复兴
【拓展】juvenile adj. 少年的；未成年的
tailor v. 专门制作；订做
【例】a novel tailored to a young audience
为迎合年轻读者群而写的小说
【近义词】customize/adapt/personalize v. 订制/使适应/个性化
consult v. 咨询；请教
【例】to consult your lawyer 咨询你的律师
【拓展】consultant n. 顾问；咨询公司
【辨析】counsel v. 提供专业咨询
【例】The lawyer counseled her client on the case.
律师就这个案件给她的客户提供了咨询建议。
He added that many Italian children, especially in the country’s south, are obese, bloated on what he calls the poisonous five Ps — pizza, pasta, protein, potatoes and pane (or bread).
他补充说，许多意大利儿童，特别是南部的儿童，都患有肥胖症，因为吃他所说的有毒五P（披萨、意大利面、蛋白质、土豆和面包）而身材发胖。
bloat v. 使膨胀；使臃肿
【例】Her features had been bloated by years of drinking.
她酗酒多年，已变得面部浮肿。
【近义词】swell v. 膨胀；肿胀
teem v. 充满；大量存在
【例】Good ideas teem in her head.
她的头脑里好主意极多。
【搭配】teem with sth 充满某物
In recent years, wellness articles have conquered newspaper home pages and Fountains-of-Youth workout and diet ads featuring insanely fit middle-aged people teem on the social media feeds of not insanely fit middle-aged people.
近年来，关于保健的文章已经占领了报纸主页，青春之泉健身广告和饮食广告上都是一些看起来超级健康的中年人，这种广告充满了那些不是超级健康的中年人的社交媒体推送。
bloat v. 使膨胀；使臃肿
【例】Her features had been bloated by years of drinking.
她酗酒多年，已变得面部浮肿。
【近义词】swell v. 膨胀；肿胀
teem v. 充满；大量存在
【例】Good ideas teem in her head.
她的头脑里好主意极多。
【搭配】teem with sth 充满某物
But even as concepts like longevity, intermittent fasting and biological age — you’re only as old as your cells feel! — have gained momentum, governments like Italy’s are fretting over a creakier future in which booming populations of old people drain resources from the dwindling young.
但虽然长寿、轻断食和生理年龄（细胞的年龄才是你的年龄）之类的概念日益流行，意大利等国政府也依然在为老龄化更严重的未来而担忧，将来越来越多的老年人口会从越来越少的年轻人那里耗尽资源。
creaky adj.
1. 吱吱嘎嘎的
【例】a creaky old chair 嘎吱作响的旧椅子
2. 老朽的
【例】the creaky economic structure 老朽过时的经济结构
【拓展】creak v. 发出嘎吱的声音
【辨析】crack v. 破裂
drain v. 流光；使枯竭
【例】The swimming pool drains very slowly.
游泳池里的水排得很慢。
to drain my savings/energy 花光我的积蓄/耗尽我的精力
【拓展】draining adj. 令人精疲力尽的
fanatic n. 着迷的人；狂热的人
【例】a football fanatic 狂热的球迷
【近义词】enthusiast n. 爱好者；热衷者
【拓展】fanatical adj. 狂热的；着迷的
And yet many scientists, nutritionists and longevity fanatics the world over continue to stare longingly toward Italy, seeking in its deep pockets of centenarians a secret ingredient to long life.
然而，世界各地的许多科学家、营养学家和长寿狂热分子仍在充满渴望地注视着意大利，希望从该国百岁老人群体里寻找长寿的秘诀。
creaky adj.
1. 吱吱嘎嘎的
【例】a creaky old chair 嘎吱作响的旧椅子
2. 老朽的
【例】the creaky economic structure 老朽过时的经济结构
【拓展】creak v. 发出嘎吱的声音
【辨析】crack v. 破裂
drain v. 流光；使枯竭
【例】The swimming pool drains very slowly.
游泳池里的水排得很慢。
to drain my savings/energy 花光我的积蓄/耗尽我的精力
【拓展】draining adj. 令人精疲力尽的
fanatic n. 着迷的人；狂热的人
【例】a football fanatic 狂热的球迷
【近义词】enthusiast n. 爱好者；热衷者
【拓展】fanatical adj. 狂热的；着迷的
Dr. Longo wonders whether Italy’s centenarians had been protected from later disease by a starvation period and old-fashioned Mediterranean diet early in life, during rural Italy’s abject war-era poverty.
隆戈在想，意大利的百岁老人在晚年没有生病，是不是因为在意大利战争时期农村非常穷苦，这些老人当时经常饿肚子、吃老式地中海饮食。
abject adj. 凄惨的；绝望的
【例】an abject failure/misery 惨败/极度悲惨
【近义词】wretched/hopeless adj. 悲惨的/绝望的
frailty n. 虚弱；衰弱
【例】physical frailty 身体的虚弱
human frailty 人性的弱点
【拓展】fragile adj. 易碎的；脆弱的
【近义词】weakness n. 虚弱；弱点
coincidence n.
1. 巧合
【例】by sheer coincidence 纯属巧合
2. 同时发生
【例】the coincidence of inflation and unemployment
通货膨胀与失业的并存
【拓展】coincide with sth 与某事同时发生
【拓展】incident n. 发生的事件
Then a boost of proteins and fats and modern medicine after Italy’s postwar economic miracle protected them from frailty as they got older and kept them alive. It could, he said, be a “historical coincidence that you’ll never see again.”
然后，在意大利战后发生了经济奇迹，蛋白质、脂肪和现代医学的发展保护了他们，使他们不会随着年龄的增长而变得虚弱，并使他们的寿命延长。他说，这可能是“你再也见不到的历史巧合”。
abject adj. 凄惨的；绝望的
【例】an abject failure/misery 惨败/极度悲惨
【近义词】wretched/hopeless adj. 悲惨的/绝望的
frailty n. 虚弱；衰弱
【例】physical frailty 身体的虚弱
human frailty 人性的弱点
【拓展】fragile adj. 易碎的；脆弱的
【近义词】weakness n. 虚弱；弱点
coincidence n.
1. 巧合
【例】by sheer coincidence 纯属巧合
2. 同时发生
【例】the coincidence of inflation and unemployment
通货膨胀与失业的并存
【拓展】coincide with sth 与某事同时发生
【拓展】incident n. 发生的事件
课后练习
Why is Italy considered a great location for studying aging?
A. Because it hosts the most advanced laboratories in Europe.
B. Because it has one of the oldest populations in the world.
C. Because it is home to the largest cancer research institute.
D. Because it has witnessed an explosion of relevant theories.
What approach does Dr. Valter Longo advocate for achieving longer and better living?
A. Strict fasting and high-intensity exercise.
B. Genetic modification to extend lifespan.
C. A low-calorie Italian diet consisting of vegetable and nuts.
D. A medical treatment to rejuvenate cells and improve health.
What concern is highlighted by Italy's government?
A. The challenge of addressing the obesity of Italian children.
B. The obsession of people with the method of longevity.
C. The lack of scientific research on longevity and aging.
D. The social implications of an aging population on young people.
What hypothesis does Dr. Valter Longo suggest about the longevity of Italy's centenarians?
A. They achieved longevity solely through exercise and modern diets.
B. Their longevity is due to genetic factors unique to the Italian population.
C. They benefited from advanced medical treatments throughout their lives.
D. They were protected by a combination of early-life diet and post-war boom.