Living to 100 and Beyond
Would
you like to live to 100 ? Many people would. Some have dreamed of living even
longer – perhaps forever. We know this has long been a popular idea because
many culture have legends[1]
about ways to avoid growing old.
In
Europe in the 1400s, people heard stories about a wonderful spring[2]
somewhere in Eastern Asia. Drinking the water from this spring was supposed to
make a person young again. It is likely
that the Spanish explorer[3]
Juan Ponce de Leon heard these stories. Maybe they were on his mind when he sailed
to the Americas with Colombus. After arriving in Puerto Rico, Ponce de Leon
heard about an island with a similar
spring. So, he decided to look for it, and he invested in three ships. In 1513,
he went searching for the island, but he ended up in Florida, never finding the
island or the people now call the “Fountain of Youth.” When Ponce de Leon died
eight years later, he was 61 years old. That may seem young, but it was
actually a very long life for a man of his time and his way of life.
Not
long ago, scientists generally
agreed that the human body could not possibly
last more than 120 years. Nobody believes 120 to be the limit anymore. People
have already lived beyond the age. A Japanese man, Shigechiyo Izumi,
lived to almost 121, and woman in france, Jeanne Louise Calment, made it to 122. People in many parts of
the world are living longer lives now than people did in the past. This is
partly because of better public health and safer water supplies. Greater understanding
of how to treat heart problems has
made a big difference as well. Scientist
are learning more all the time about how we can live longer, healthier lives.
Maybe someday they will even invent a pill to stop the aging process completely.
While
you are waiting for that wonderful pill, there are things you can do to increase
your life expectancy You just have to follow these three simple rules :
Rule #1 : Threat your body well.
Your
everyday lifestyle influences how
long you will live. For example, smoking can take years off your life. (Even if
it doesn’t make you sick, smoking will affect your skin and make you look
older.) So don’t smoke, get enough sleep, and lead an active life. Be sure to eat
right too. In other words, eat the kinds of food that are good for you, and don’t
eat too much.
Rule #2 : Don’t take risks.
Forget
about motorcycles and take the bus. Wear your seat belt when you travel by car.
Also, choose a nice, safe job. Don’t go to sea and work o a fishing boat-that’s dangerous way to make a living. If Ponce de Leon had followed Rule #2, he might had
lived many more years. Instead, he ended
up fighting Native Americans in Florida and died off his injuries.
Rule #3 : Choose your parents
carefully.
You
stay his one is not so simple ? That’s true. However about 70 % of your life expectancy depends on your genes,[4]
and you get your genes from your parents. Genes control your hair and eye color
and much, much more. If people in your family usually live long lives, then the
chances are good that you will, too.
Scientist
have already found genes that influences the aging process in fruit flies and
in one kind of worm. By changing these genes, they have managed to double the time that these flies and worms can live.
Of course they are looking for ways to do that for humans as well.
Some
final advice for everyone who wants to live to 100: It helps to be born in
Australia or Japan, and it helps to be born female. Only one in 10,000 people
in the United States lives to be 100, but people in Australia and Japan
generally do better. The average Australian or Japanese man can expect to see age
77, while his sister can expect to reach 83. here
Sumber : Password 2 ( A reading and Vocabulary Text, page : 158 & 159) by Linda Butler
Sumber : Password 2 ( A reading and Vocabulary Text, page : 158 & 159) by Linda Butler
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