Race Against Time 與時間賽跑
Race Against Time 與時間賽跑
英語學習點: Old Age Vocabulary 和老齡有關的詞匯
Fauja Singh is the world's oldest marathon runner.
When it comes to running marathons, eight hours, 25 minutes and 16 seconds is not a world record.
This was the time it took Fauja Singh to complete the Toronto Waterfront Marathon on Sunday.
But Singh, born in India, is no spring chicken – he's 100 years old and his recent feat has made him the world's oldest marathon runner.
As an athlete, Singh was a late starter. In his late 80s, after the deaths of his wife and son, he decided he was not yet over the hill and took up running.
For Singh, being 100 is just a number. There aren't many centenarians in quite such rude health, but they are on the increase. Life expectancy in the UK today is around 80 but a total of 12,640 men and women are now centenarians compared with just 2,500 in 1980, according to official statistics.
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In Britain, pensioners that reach this landmark age receive a congratulatory telegram from the Queen, herself an 86-year-old senior citizen.
Retailers and public services are having to adapt to this aging society. New figures reveal the amount of money spent annually by people over 65 in the UK is nearing the ￡100 billion (1 trillion yuan) mark. A whole sector of the economy is now catering to the needs of the grey pound.
Why do some people live to such a ripe old age? Scientists in Amsterdam may have come a little closer to discovering the secret to longevity; they've encoded the entire DNA sequence of a woman who lived to 115.
Of course, they could just ask Fauja Singh what his secret is. The old boy puts his long life down to ginger curry, tea and "being happy".
Glossary 詞匯表 (收聽發(fā)音, 請單擊英語單詞)
- no spring chicken 原意指童子雞，(喻）上了年紀的人
- a late starter 起步較晚的人
- to be over the hill 不禮貌的表達，指走下坡路，走向衰老
- (age) is just a number 年齡只是一個數字，喻年齡不代表什么，關鍵的是一個人的心態(tài)
- a centenarian 百歲老人
- to be in rude health 身體健壯
- life expectancy 平均壽命
- a pensioner 領養(yǎng)老金者，委婉指老年人
- a landmark age 有特殊意義的歲數
- a senior citizen 65歲以上的老年公民
- the aging society 老年社會
- the grey pound 灰色英鎊，指老年群體的消費力
- a ripe old age 老年，晚年
- longevity 長壽
- an old boy 男性老人
- to put something down to something 為什么事情做出解釋
