新型抗衰老药或延长人类寿命至120岁

 　　Do you ever think that it's kinda crazy that we can order pizza from our cellphones and yet no one can figure out how to stop (or at least slow) the inevitable¹ march towards death? Well, you're not alone.

　　你是否想过，人类已经发展到可以用手机订披萨的程度，为什么却无法阻止（或减慢）自身走向死亡的步伐？好吧，并不是只有你一个人这么想过。

　　Science has been trying to figure out this whole aging thing for a long time now, and a new development just could be one of those watershed² moments in history.

　　长久以来，科学界一直在试图解开人类衰老的谜团。而一项最新的研究成果或有望成为改变历史的分水岭之一。

　　According to the New Zealand Herald³, a new anti-aging drug is going to be tested on human subjects starting next year. The potential result of this could mean that we, human beings, could extend our life spans to 120 years of age and be in good health to the very end.

　　据《新西兰先锋报》报道，一种新型抗衰老药物将于明年开始在人体上进行试验。可能的结果是，我们人类的寿命因此延长至120年，而且在寿终正寝前一直保持健康。

　　新型抗衰老药或延长人类寿命至120岁

　　The drug in question is a widely used diabetes⁴ pill called Metformin and costs mere⁵ cents to make. Metformin helps to increase oxygen flow on the cellular⁶ level, thereby⁷ slowing the necessary cell divisions that keep our bodies both functioning correctly but ultimately lead to aging.

　　这种药物名为“甲福明”，是一种被广泛使用的抗糖尿病药，制造成本不过几分钱。甲福明能促进氧在细胞内的循环流动，进而降低细胞分裂的速度——细胞分裂在保证我们身体正常运转的同时，也是导致我们衰老的罪魁祸首。

　　Belgian researchers have tested the drug on roundworms, and have had positive results so the next step is to do a human trial.

　　比利时研究者已将该药物在蛔虫身上进行了试验，取得了积极的效果，下一步就是人体试验。

　　"I have been doing research into aging for 25 years and the idea that we would be talking about a clinical trial in humans for an anti-aging drug would have been thought inconceivable," says aging expert Professor Gordon Lithgow.

　　研究衰老的专家戈登·利思戈教授说：“我研究衰老25年了。我们将要在人体上进行的抗衰老药临床试验，此前一直被认为是不可想象的。”

　　"But there is every reason to believe it's possible. The future is taking the biology that we've now developed and applying it to humans."

　　“但我们现在有理由相信这种试验是可行的。未来方向是把我们研发出来的各种生物机理应用于人体。”

　　Let's just hope that cosmetic⁸ surgery can keep apace of these new developments.

　　但愿我们的整容术能跟得上这些最新的科学发展。

　　Vocabulary

　　roundworms：蛔虫

　　inconceivable：不可思议的；难以置信的

　　cosmetic surgery：整容手术

1 inevitable   

adj.不可避免的，必然发生的

参考例句：

• Mary was wearing her inevitable large hat.玛丽戴着她总是戴的那顶大帽子。
• The defeat had inevitable consequences for British policy.战败对英国政策不可避免地产生了影响。

2 watershed   

n.转折点，分水岭，分界线

参考例句：

• Our marriage was at a watershed.我们的婚姻到了一个转折关头。
• It forms the watershed between the two rivers.它成了两条河流的分水岭。

3 herald   

vt.预示...的来临，预告，宣布，欢迎

参考例句：

• In England, the cuckoo is the herald of spring.在英国杜鹃鸟是报春的使者。
• Dawn is the herald of day.曙光是白昼的先驱。

4 diabetes   

n.糖尿病

参考例句：

• In case of diabetes, physicians advise against the use of sugar.对于糖尿病患者，医生告诫他们不要吃糖。
• Diabetes is caused by a fault in the insulin production of the body.糖尿病是由体內胰岛素分泌失调引起的。

5 mere   

adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过

参考例句：

• That is a mere repetition of what you said before.那不过是重复了你以前讲的话。
• It's a mere waste of time waiting any longer.再等下去纯粹是浪费时间。

6 cellular   

adj.移动的；细胞的，由细胞组成的

参考例句：

• She has a cellular telephone in her car.她的汽车里有一部无线通讯电话机。
• Many people use cellular materials as sensitive elements in hygrometers.很多人用蜂窝状的材料作为测量温度的传感元件。

7 thereby   

adv.因此，从而

参考例句：

• I have never been to that city,,ereby I don't know much about it.我从未去过那座城市，因此对它不怎么熟悉。
• He became a British citizen,thereby gaining the right to vote.他成了英国公民，因而得到了投票权。

8 cosmetic   

n.化妆品；adj.化妆用的；装门面的；装饰性的

参考例句：

• These changes are purely cosmetic.这些改变纯粹是装饰门面。
• Laughter is the best cosmetic,so grin and wear it!微笑是最好的化妆品，所以请尽情微笑吧！