这极有可能会要了你的命：英语精读讲义

This episode is sponsored by Bill and Melinda Gates. 短語搭配

本集由比尔·盖茨和梅琳达·盖茨赞助。

I have some bad news for you.

我有个坏消息要告诉你。

We're all going to die. 表達脈絡

我们都会死。

In fact, 1.8 people die every second. 表達脈絡

事实上，平均每秒有1.8人死亡。

The main way of knowing how you're going to die is based on your age. 短語搭配

判断你会怎么死，最主要的依据就是你的年龄。

So here are the statistics of how you're likely going to die.

所以，下面用统计数据来看看，你最有可能会怎么死。

Let's move in reverse 習語

我们按年龄从大到小来看，

and begin with those who are 70 plus years old.

先从70岁以上的人群开始。

This is the age bracket 用詞

这个年龄段

accounting for nearly half of all deaths worldwide. 短語動詞

占全球死亡总人数的近一半。

And the leading cause of death in this age group 短語搭配

而这个年龄段的首要死因

is overwhelmingly heart disease.

毫无疑问是心脏病。

If you're between the ages of 45 to 64 in the US, 語法

如果你在美国，年龄介于45至64岁，

cancer is the leading cause of death.

那么首要死因就是癌症。

In 2016, globally 8.9 million deaths were attributed to cancers, 短語搭配

2016年，全球有890万人死于癌症，

which is 5.7 million more than in 1990.

比1990年多出570万人。

Wait, why has cancer increased so much? 表達脈絡

等等，为什么癌症死亡人数增加了这么多？

It's because as our population grows and lifespans increase, 語法

这是因为，随着人口增长和寿命延长，

so do the cancer rates.

癌症发病率也会随之上升。

If you die between the age of 25 and 44,

如果你在25至44岁之间去世，

the most common cause of death in America uh is from unintentional poisoning.

在美国，最常见的死因，呃，是意外中毒。

This may sound strange,

这听起来可能很奇怪，

but it's because unintentional poisoning as a term 用詞

但这是因为，“意外中毒”这个术语

includes deaths related to overdosing on drugs. 短語搭配

也包括与药物过量有关的死亡。

Dying due to drug use in the US has tripled since 1999 to 2016, 語法

从1999年到2016年，美国的药物相关死亡人数增至原来的三倍，

largely due to the opioid crisis. 講解

这主要是阿片类药物危机所致。

The data now coming in from 2017 短語動詞

目前陆续公布的2017年数据

indicates that it is the worst year in US history for overdose fatalities.

显示，2017年是美国历史上药物过量死亡人数最多的一年。

In fact, in 2017,

事实上，2017年，

the death toll from drugs is higher 講解

因药物而死亡的人数

than US military casualties in the Vietnam and Iraq war combined.

比越南战争和伊拉克战争中美军伤亡人数的总和还多。

But this is not the case around the world. 短語搭配

但世界各地并非都是如此。

In South Africa,

在南非，

the number one killer for this age group is HIV/AIDS,

这个年龄段的头号杀手是HIV／艾滋病，

and in Brazil, it's homicide.

而在巴西，则是他杀。

Between 15 to 24 years old in the US,

在美国15至24岁的人群中，

the leading cause of death is motor vehicle accident.

首要死因是机动车交通事故。

Crash risk is particularly high

车祸风险特别高的时期，

within the first few months of obtaining a license.

是拿到驾照后的头几个月。

Also, 53% of these fatalities occur on a Friday, Saturday, or Sunday

此外，53%的相关死亡发生在周五、周六或周日，

with male driver death rates being twice as high as their female counterparts. 講解

男性驾驶员的死亡率是女性驾驶员的两倍。

Teens also have the lowest incidence of wearing a seatbelt,

青少年系安全带的比例也是最低的，

are more likely to speed,

他们也更容易超速，

and leave a smaller space between drivers.

而且与其他车辆之间留的距离也更短。

For ages 5 to 14,

对于5至14岁的儿童，

the leading cause of death is malaria.

首要死因是疟疾。

Malaria is the result of single-celled parasitic microorganisms called Plasmodia

疟疾是由一种名为疟原虫的单细胞寄生微生物引起的，

that are transmitted via mosquitoes. 用詞

这种微生物通过蚊子传播。

The complexity of the malaria parasite makes developing a vaccine very difficult, 語法

疟原虫十分复杂，因此疫苗研发非常困难，

but a recent trial is showing promising results. 短語搭配

但最近一项试验的结果令人鼓舞。

5.4 million children under the age of five died in 2017.

2017年，有540万名五岁以下儿童死亡。

The leading cause of death was a variety of neonatal disorders.

首要死因是各种新生儿疾病。

Though tragic, 語法

尽管这令人悲痛，

the death rate among children has dropped dramatically. 短語搭配

但儿童死亡率已经大幅下降。

In 1990,

1990年，

one in 11 children under five passed away, 講解

每11名五岁以下儿童中就有1名死亡，

but in 2017,

但到了2017年，

the number was one in 26.

这一比例降至每26人中有1人。

So how you will die greatly depends on when you will die. 表達脈絡

所以，你会怎么死，很大程度上取决于你何时死。

If you make it to old age, 習語

如果你活到老年，

heart disease will likely do you in. 短語動詞

心脏病很可能会要了你的命。

That being said, 表達脈絡

话虽如此，

100 years ago,

100年前，

influenza was the leading cause of death.

流感才是首要死因。

So who knows how we will die in the future.

所以，谁知道未来我们会怎么死呢？

But we can do better and science can help.

但我们可以做得更好，而科学能助我们一臂之力。

By reviewing over 40,000 DNA samples voluntarily submitted, 語法

通过分析4万多份自愿提交的DNA样本，

geneticists have discovered a link between premature births 短語搭配

遗传学家发现，早产

and the genes that process the mineral selenium.

与参与矿物质硒代谢的基因存在关联。

The study found that expectant mothers who carry the gene 用詞

研究发现，携带这种基因的孕妇

were more likely to give birth early. 語法

更有可能早产。

15 million babies are born premature every year,

每年有1500万名婴儿早产，

and understanding what causes prematurity is hugely important

弄清早产的原因极为重要，

as these babies in low-income countries are at much higher risk of death. 短語搭配

因为在低收入国家，这些婴儿的死亡风险要高得多。

This issue and potential solution is one of the fascinating and surprising issues

这个问题及其潜在解决方案，是众多引人入胜又出人意料的议题之一，

you can read about in Bill and Melinda Gates' annual letter at gatesletter.com.

你可以前往gatesletter.com，在比尔·盖茨和梅琳达·盖茨的年度公开信中读到相关内容。

This year, they're sharing the surprises they've encountered in their work,

今年，他们分享了工作中遇到的种种意外发现，

including the fact that toilets haven't changed in a century 語法

包括马桶一个世纪以来都没有改变，

and that textbooks are becoming obsolete,

教科书正逐渐被淘汰，

and the surprising reasons these two pieces of information are actually really important. 短語搭配

以及为什么这两件事其实非常重要——背后的原因同样出人意料。

You're going to want to learn about how these surprising moments 語氣意圖

你一定会想知道，这些意外发现

are prodding them to help make the world a better place. 用詞

如何促使他们努力让世界变得更美好。

So go check out gatesletter.com

所以，快去gatesletter.com看看吧，

and subscribe for more weekly science videos every Thursday.

也别忘了订阅频道，每周四收看更多科学视频。