你將如何死去？：英語精讀講義

Surveys show that most people want to die quickly in their sleep and without notice,

調查顯示，大多數人都希望毫無預兆地在睡夢中迅速離世，

but the odds of that happening for you are incredibly low. 片語搭配

但這種事發生在你身上的機率低得驚人。

So, when the time comes, 片語搭配

那麼，當那一刻到來時，

how are you most likely to die?

你最有可能怎麼死去？

In 1901,

1901年，

the average life expectancy of humans was 31 years old,

人類的平均預期壽命是31歲，

and in just over 100 years,

而僅僅過了一百多年，

that average has gone up to 71. 片語動詞

這一平均值就升到了71歲。

If you live in a developed nation like France or Canada,

如果你生活在法國或加拿大這樣的已開發國家，

you'll likely live closer to 82,

你很可能會活到接近82歲，

while developing or majority world countries like Rwanda 用詞

而盧安達這類開發中國家，或者說「多數世界」國家的人們

age to 64 on average.

平均能活到64歲。

And many of these people die in weird ways,

而且，其中許多人死得很離奇，

including 27 people from selfie-related accidents in 2015.

比如2015年就有27人死於自拍相關意外。

One man died of heart failure and exhaustion

一名男子因心臟衰竭和精疲力竭而喪命，

after playing StarCraft for 50 hours on end, 慣用語

原因是他連續玩了50個小時的《星海爭霸》，

and annually 100 people die in Russia

而在俄羅斯，每年有100人

from falling ice,

因墜落的冰塊而死，

not to mention about 70 children will choke to death 講解

更別提每年大約有70名兒童

on hot dogs every year.

會被熱狗噎死。

But if we use the United States as an example of the Western World,

不過，如果用美國來代表西方世界，

we had over 318 million people living in 2014,

2014年，美國居住著超過3.18億人，

of which more than 2.6 million died. 文法

其中超過260萬人去世。

Almost half of these people died of heart disease or cancer, 片語搭配

這些死者中，近一半死於心臟病或癌症，

which is much different than 100 years ago

這和100年前大不相同，

when most people died from tuberculosis and influenza.

當時大多數人死於肺結核和流感。

Scientific advancements such as antibiotics and vaccines

抗生素和疫苗等科學進步

have allowed us to die less often of the flu or TB, 文法

讓我們不再那麼容易死於流感或肺結核，

and even decreased how often we die of cancer. 文法

甚至也降低了我們死於癌症的機率。

In the 1970s,

1970年代，

the survival rate from cancer was only 50%. 用詞

癌症患者的存活率只有50%。

Today, that has increased to 68%

如今，這一比例已升至68%，

with 15.5 million cancer survivors

目前有1550萬名癌症倖存者

alive in the US today.

生活在美國。

Thanks, science. 語氣意圖

謝謝你，科學。

Unfortunately, both heart disease and cancer aren't sudden killers

遺憾的是，心臟病和癌症通常都不會讓人突然死亡，

and involve mostly long-drawn-out deaths. 用詞

它們帶來的大多是漫長而煎熬的死亡過程。

In fact,

事實上，

60% of deaths in a hospital are attributed to one of these,

醫院裡的死亡病例中，有60%歸因於這兩種疾病之一，

with one in 10 of those individuals 文法

而這些患者中，每10人就有1人

being in a hospital for a month or more.

會住院一個月或更久。

Of course,

當然，

sudden deaths do happen 文法

突然死亡也確實會發生，

with over 136,000 people dying of unintentional injuries or accidents

有超過13.6萬人死於非蓄意傷害或意外事故，

in 2014 in the US.

這是2014年美國的統計資料。

The media can also affect our fear and anxiety

媒體也會影響我們心中的恐懼和焦慮，

of death from strange causes.

讓我們害怕因離奇原因而死。

After all, 表達脈絡

畢竟，

not one person died of a shark attack

沒有一個人死於鯊魚攻擊，

in the US during 2014,

至少2014年的美國是如此，

but 38 people were killed by dogs that year.

但那一年卻有38人被狗攻擊致死。

Many fear biking within a city,

很多人害怕在城市裡騎自行車，

but you're more likely to die walking as a pedestrian 文法

但以行人身分走路時，你其實更可能喪命：

with 6,200 pedestrians killed

有6200名行人死亡，

and only 900 killed in bike accidents.

而死於自行車意外的只有900人。

For every one person that dies in a terrorist attack, 文法

每有1人死於恐怖攻擊，

80 will die from alcoholism.

就有80人死於酗酒。

In fact,

事實上，

a majority of terrorist activity in the West

西方的大多數恐怖活動

is caused by lone wolf attackers, 文化背景

都是由「獨狼」式攻擊者發動的，

of which 80% were not Islamic fundamentalists, 表達脈絡

其中80%並非伊斯蘭基本教義派人士，

but instead political extremists,

而是政治極端分子、

nationalists, racial, and religious supremacists.

民族主義者，以及種族和宗教至上主義者。

On a worldwide scale in 2015, 表達脈絡

從全球來看，2015年

78% of all terrorist deaths occurred in just five countries:

所有恐怖主義相關死亡中，有78%僅發生在五個國家：

Afghanistan,

阿富汗、

Iraq,

伊拉克、

Nigeria,

奈及利亞、

Pakistan,

巴基斯坦

and Syria.

以及敘利亞。

Where you live has a big impact on how you're likely to die, 講解

你住在哪裡，會極大影響你最可能如何死去，

too.

這也是一個重要因素。

In the 34 poorest countries,

在最貧窮的34個國家，

you're most likely to die of respiratory problems,

你最可能死於呼吸系統疾病，

not from cigarettes,

這不是因為香菸，

but from ingesting smoke while cooking.

而是因為烹調時吸入了煙霧。

Females in Japan are less likely to die of heart disease

日本女性死於心臟病的機率較低，

and live to 87 years old on average

平均壽命可達87歲，

compared to 80 years old for American females.

而美國女性為80歲。

This is often attributed to the Japanese diet. 片語搭配

這通常被歸因於日本人的飲食習慣。

In the future,

未來，

we'll likely not only live longer, 文法

我們可能不僅會活得更久，

but potentially know exactly how and when we'll die.

甚至可能確切知道自己會在何時、以何種方式死去。

In fact,

事實上，

a recent computer software has been developed

最近有人開發出一款電腦軟體，

that has been shown to estimate how and when you'll die 文法

據證實，它能預測你會在何時、以何種方式死去，

with 96% accuracy 片語搭配

準確率高達96%，

based on medical history, 片語搭配

依據包括病史、

lifestyle,

生活方式

and many other factors.

以及許多其他因素。

The question is, 表達脈絡

問題是，

do you want to know how and when you'll die?

你想知道自己會在何時、以何種方式死去嗎？

Let us know in the comments below.

歡迎在下方留言告訴我們。

You can also find out the top five regrets people have before dying

你還可以了解人們臨終前最常有的五大遺憾，

in our AsapTHOUGHT video.

內容就在我們的AsapTHOUGHT影片中。

Link in the description for that video.

該影片的連結在說明欄中。

And subscribe for more weekly science videos.

訂閱我們的頻道，每週觀看更多科學影片。