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1、第十九篇ProlongingHumanLife Prolonginghumanlifehasincreasedthesizeofthehumanpopulation.Manypeoplealivetodaywouldhavediedofchildhooddiseasesiftheyhadbeenborn100yearsago.Becausemorepeoplelivelonger,therearemorepeoplearoundatanygiventime.Infact,itisadecreaseindeathrates,not
2、anincreaseinbirthrates,thathasledtothepopulationexplosion. Prolonginghumanlifehasalsoincreasedthedependencyload.Inallsocieties,peoplewhoaredisabledortooyoungortoooldtoworkaredependentontherestofsocietytoprovideforthem.Inhuntingandgatheringcultures,oldpeoplewhocouldno
3、tkeepupmightbeleftbehindtodie.Intimesoffamine,infantsmightbeallowedtodiebecausetheycouldnotsurviveiftheirparentsstarved,whereasiftheparentssurvivedtheycouldhaveanotherchild.Inmostcontemporarysocieties,peoplefeelamoralobligationtokeeppeoplealivewhethertheycanworkornot.
4、Wehaveagreatmanypeopletodaywholivepasttheageatwhichtheywanttoworkorareabletowork;wealsohaveruleswhichrequirepeopletoretireatacertainage.Unlessthesepeoplewereabletosavemoneyfortheirretirement,somebodyelsemustsupportthem.IntheUnitedStatesmanyretiredpeopleliveonsocialsec
5、uritycheckswhicharesolittlethattheymustliveinnearpoverty.Olderpeoplehavemoreillnessthanyoungormiddle-agedpeople;unlesstheyhavewealthorprivateorgovernmentinsurance,theymustoften"goonwelfare"iftheyhaveaseriousillness. Whenolderpeoplebecomesenileortooweakandilltocarefor
6、themselves,theycreategraveproblemsfortheirfamilies.Inthepastandinsometraditionalcultures,theywouldbecaredforathomeuntiltheydied.Today,withmostmembersofahouseholdworkingorinschool,thereisoftennooneathomewhocancareforasickorweakperson.Tomeetthisneed,agreatmanynursinghom
7、esandconvalescenthospitalshavebeenbuilt.Theseareoftenprofit-makingorganizations,althoughsomearesponsoredbyreligiousandothernonprofitgroups.Whileafewoftheseinstitutionsarcgood,mostofthemaresimply"dumpinggrounds"forthedyinginwhich"care"isgivenbypoorlypaid,overworked,and
8、under-skilledpersonnel.词汇：dependency/di'pend?nsi/n.依赖性contemporary/k?n'temp?r?ri/α.现代的obligation/,?bli'ɡei??n/n.义务insurance/
