In the past it was not uncommon for a man to die at forty, having lived a full life.But now we consider a lifespan of forty years to be very short.It is not unusual for people to live into their eighties and nineties, and some even reach 100.What’s more, people are living long, healthy lives and are active well into their “golden years”.

　　以前的人活到40岁就过完一生而死亡是很平常的。但是现在，我们认为40岁的寿命很短。人们活到八十几岁、九十几岁，有些甚至到100岁，是很平常的。而且，人们还能活得久而且又健康，精力充沛地迈入他们的“黄金时代”(退休期)。