【每日翻译】How to live longer 怎么才能长寿

When is it time to slow down? Is it when you reach middle age, when you can draw your pension or even later? Queen Elizabeth II turned 90 this year and there are not many signs that she's taking it easy. Last year alone the monarch carried out over 300 engagements.

什么时候该慢下来？是当你到了中年，或者你能够领取退休金还是更晚的时候？今年伊丽莎白二世已经90岁了，还没有什么迹象显示她放松下来。去年一年，君主就主持了300多场婚礼。

Longevity has long been a topic of discussion in Britain. What's likely to make us live longer? According to Professor Sarah Harper, from the Oxford Institute of Population Ageing, just over half your chances of living a long life come down to luck. She says: "If you have parents and grandparents who made it into their eighties and nineties there's a chance you have inherited good genes. You are more likely to have a strong immune system and are less likely to develop chronic diseases."

长寿一直是英国讨论的话题，什么能让我们活得更久呢？根据牛津人口老龄化研究所的莎拉哈珀教授所研究，超过一半的长寿者归结于运气，她说：“如果你的父母情和你的爷爷奶奶们能到80多岁和90多岁，你有机会继承这种好的基因，你更可能有一个强大的免疫系统，不太可能发展慢性疾病。”

Lucky you, then. But don't rely on that because bad habits can spoil everything. Half of long-term smokers die prematurely. Smoking causes heart disease, lung cancer and other illnesses. A poor diet and lack of exercise can lead to obesity, which reduces your life expectancy by between three and 10 years, says the National Health Service in Britain.

然而，你虽然幸运，但是你不要依赖这个，因为怀的生活习惯会破坏这一切。一半以上的长期吸烟者会过早的死亡。吸烟会引起心脏病，肺癌以及其他的并，过度节食、缺少锻炼会导致肥胖，会减少3年至10年的预期寿命，英国国家卫生局说。

But it's not worth stressing out about how long you're going to stick around. Stress can take years off someone's life. A study published in the British Medical Journal found even low-level stress raises the risk of heart attacks and strokes by 20% and you don't want that, do you?

但是强调你准备活多久不值得的，压力会使人减少几年寿命，发表在英国医学杂志上的一项研究发现即使低水平的压力也会提高心脏病和中风概率的风险20%，你不想这样，对吗？

After you've ticked all the boxes- genes, healthy living, keeping cool- you might have almost guaranteed a long life. But for what? That's the final piece of the jigsaw. Having a purpose in life can also make you live longer. Some people engage in charity work to keep active, others get involved in initiatives in their community. It gives them a reason to wake up in the morning - even if the joints creak a little. Professor Harper says that caring for others can make you feel valued.

当你符合所有的条件——基因，健康生活习惯，保持冷静之后，你几乎可以保证长寿，但是为了什么？这是拼图积木的最后一块，生活有目标也可以使你长寿，一些人积极投身到慈善事业保持生活积极，有一些人参与社区活动，给自己一个早起的理由，即使关节咔嚓一点。哈珀教授说关心他人可能使自己活得更加有价值。

It must feel good to be appreciated – by people around you, by a nation. Happy 90th birthday, Your Majesty!

被你周围的人和一个国家所赏识，感觉一定很好，陛下90岁生日快乐！