我們到底能活到幾歲？：英語精讀講義

Hey,

嘿，

Vsauce.

這裡是 Vsauce。

Michael here,

我是 Michael，

and today we are going to talk about time.

今天我們要來聊聊時間。

Specifically,

更具體地說，

how much time we have. 文法

我們擁有多少時間。

What's the oldest a person can ever be? 文法

一個人究竟最多能活到幾歲？

Well, the world record for the world's longest living person 片語搭配

世界最長壽者的紀錄

belongs to Jeanne Calment,

由 Jeanne Calment 保持，

a French woman who lived to be 122. 片語搭配

她是一位活到 122 歲的法國女性。

Right now,

現在，

at this very moment, 片語搭配

就在這一刻，

there are only 37 people alive

世上只有 37 位仍然在世的人

who were born in the 1800s.

出生於 19 世紀。

Those 37 people have lived in three different centuries.

這 37 個人都活過了三個不同的世紀。

But as medical knowledge expands,

但隨著醫學知識不斷拓展，

and our understanding of biology improves,

我們對生物學的了解日益加深，

people are living longer and longer. 文法

人類也活得越來越久。

In fact,

事實上，

scientists believe that based on statistics,

科學家根據統計資料認為，

the first person who will ever live to be 150

史上第一個能活到 150 歲的人

has already been born. 文法

已經出生了。

It could be one of you.

可能就是你們其中的一個人。

But according to the math, 片語搭配

但從數學上來看，

it's probably someone who was born last year.

這個人很可能是去年出生的。

Here's the thing. 表達脈絡

事情是這樣的。

As humans get older, 文法

人類年紀越大，

the likelihood of them dying increases.

死亡的機率就越高。

But there are some types of animals

但有些動物

that have what is called negligible senescence, 用詞

具有所謂的「可忽略衰老」，

also known as biological immortality.

也就是「生物學永生」。

And these types of animals

而這些動物

have never been observed to actually age. 文法

從未被觀察到真正衰老。

Animals like the hydra

像水螅這樣的動物

can only die because of accidents,

只會死於意外、

disease, or predators.

疾病或掠食者。

The world's oldest living individual tree

世界上現存最古老的單株樹木

has clocked in at more than 4,600 years old. 片語動詞

樹齡已經超過 4,600 年。

It's called the Methuselah tree, 文化背景

它叫作「瑪土撒拉樹」，

and it exists somewhere in this forest.

就生長在這片森林裡的某個地方。

Government officials won't actually release its exact location

政府官員不會公布它的確切位置

to protect it from vandalism,

以免它遭到人為破壞，

but it's out there.

但它確實就在那裡。

The lifespan of an organism can be even longer than that

生物的壽命甚至可以比這更長，

if you include clonal colonies. 用詞

只要把無性系群落也算進去。

For instance,

例如，

these quaking pines all look like individual trees, 表達脈絡

這些顫楊看起來都是一棵棵獨立的樹，

but they're actually all clones

但其實它們全都是複製體，

of one genetic code.

擁有同一套遺傳密碼。

They all share a root system,

它們共用一個根系，

and the root system continues to make more trees,

這個根系還會不斷長出更多樹木，

meaning that these trees are all part of the same organism.

也就是說，這些樹全都屬於同一個生物體。

And experts have calculated based on the root system

專家根據這個根系推算，

that this one male quaking pine has been around for at least 片語搭配

這株雄性顫楊至少已經存在了

80,000 years.

8 萬年。

But let's get back to humans. 片語動詞

不過，我們還是回到人類身上。

And rather than talking about how time is, 表達脈絡

與其談論時間是什麼，

let's talk about how time feels.

不如來談談時間給人的感受。

Intense moments of your life are remembered as lasting much longer 文法

回想起來，人生中緊張強烈的時刻似乎持續得更久，

than times that were relatively dull.

遠超過那些相對平淡的時光。

Psychologists say that the reason for this is that our brains 文法

心理學家說，原因在於我們的大腦

take deeper and richer memories

會形成更深刻、更豐富的記憶，

of events that are novel,

尤其是對那些新奇的事件，

or events that are intense,

或是強烈的事件，

than ones that aren't.

而不是那些平淡無奇的事件。

When your experiences are intense and novel,

當你的經歷既強烈又新奇時，

you're not remembering more things about it, 文法

你並不是記住了更多內容，

but you are making more copies.

而是多儲存了幾份記憶副本。

Rather than just making normal memories,

大腦不只是形成一般記憶，

during stress the amygdala gets involved and also remembers things. 片語搭配

在壓力下，杏仁核也會參與並記住事情。

And many people believe that is why

許多人認為，這就是為什麼

intense moments are remembered as lasting longer.

強烈的時刻在記憶中顯得持續更久。

This phenomenon becomes quite mind-blowing on a macro scale. 講解

從宏觀尺度來看，這種現象相當令人震撼。

Think of it this way. 表達脈絡

可以這樣想。

When you are a 1-year-old baby,

當你還是個 1 歲的寶寶時，

1 year represents 100% of your life.

1 年就代表你人生的 100%。

But when you turn 2 years old, 片語搭配

但當你滿 2 歲時，

that second year was only half your life.

第二年只占你人生的一半。

And the next year you live through is only a third of your life. 片語動詞

而你接下來度過的一年，只占人生的三分之一。

And by the time you turn 80, 文法

等你到了 80 歲，

1 year only represents an 80th of your life.

1 年只占你人生的八十分之一。

Those percentages are important

這些百分比很重要，

because they may explain why your childhood feels like it took so long. 文法

因為它們或許能解釋，為什麼童年感覺那麼漫長。

But as you get older,

但隨著年齡增長，

the years seem to fly by. 片語動詞

歲月似乎一轉眼就過去了。

You have more novel experiences when you're young. 用詞

年輕時，你會經歷更多新鮮事物。

You first learn a language. 表達脈絡

你第一次學會一種語言。

You first see your mother.

你第一次見到母親。

You first learn to walk.

你第一次學會走路。

You have your first kiss.

你經歷初吻。

These are all deeply and richly remembered by your brain.

你的大腦會對這些經歷留下深刻而豐富的記憶。

And so later on,

所以到了後來，

it feels as if they took longer to happen. 文法

你會覺得這些事彷彿經歷了更長時間。

Now,

現在，

here's what's really mind-blowing.

真正令人震撼的來了。

Let's look at a graphical representation of the percentage of your life

我們用圖表來看看每一年

that each successive year is.

分別占你人生的百分之幾。

The first year is 100%.

第一年是 100%。

The second year is only half.

第二年只有一半。

The third year is a third.

第三年是三分之一。

And so on,

依此類推，

we'll go all the way out to 80. 片語搭配

一直畫到 80 歲。

Now,

現在，

using this representation,

按照這張圖，

under this model, 片語搭配

在這個模型下，

when you turn 80 years old and look back at your life, 片語動詞

當你 80 歲時回顧一生，

the point that feels like the middle 表達脈絡

感覺上位於人生中點的

isn't your 40s,

並不是 40 多歲，

it's your early 20s.

而是 20 歲出頭。

The good news here is that 表達脈絡

好消息是，

the more novel things you do and things you see 文法

你做的新鮮事、看到的新事物越多，

and places you visit and people you meet,

去過的地方、認識的人越多，

the slower time feels

時間感覺就越慢，

and the more rich it feels.

也會顯得越充實。

So go out there and do something cool.

所以，走出去做點酷事吧。

Do something weird.

做點怪事。

Do something new.

做點新鮮事。

Subscribe to Vsauce if you haven't already.

如果還沒訂閱 Vsauce，記得訂閱。

And as always,

一如往常，

thanks for watching.

感謝收看。