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Why life expectancy in America is down again
為什麼美國人口預期壽命再次下降

Overall life expectancy in America fell fractionally in 2017, from 78.7 to 78.6 years, according to data published recently by the US Centres for Disease Control. Underlying the drop was a bad year for influenza and a slight increase in the toll of Alzheimer’s disease. But more significant was an increase in suicides and overdoses, which added 2.4 more deaths per 100,000 Americans.
根據美國疾病控制中心最近公佈的資料，2017 年美國的總體預期壽命從 78.7 歲略微下降到 78.6 歲。下降的深層原因在於去年糟糕的流感，和阿爾茨海默症患者死亡率的略微上升。但更顯著的原因是自殺和過量服藥（導致死亡）的增加，這使得每 10 萬個美國人中增加了 2.4 人死亡。

The figures make dramatic reading. In 1999, suicide took the lives of 10.5 Americans out of every 100,000. That increased to 14 in 2017. In the intervening years, death rates from drug overdoses surged from 6.1 to 21.7 per 100,000. Overdose deaths climbed 256% over that period.
相關資料讀起來是驚人的。1999 年，每 10 萬人中有 10.5 人死於自殺；到 2017 年，自殺人數增加到了 14 個。同期，藥物過量致死率從每 10 萬人中有 6.1 人猛增到 21.7 人，因過量服藥而死亡的人數在這段時間裡上升了 256%。

Over the longer term, suicide rates are now at a historical high, but only a little higher than they were in 1950. But drug-overdose rates, which were well below five per 100,000 people between 1950 and 1990, climbed above that rate by the turn of the century, and then spiked dramatically, reaching above 20 deaths per 100,000 in 2017.
從更長遠來看，自殺率現在達到了有史以來的最高點，但其實僅略高於 1950 年的水平。而在 1950 年至 1990 年期間，10 萬人裡僅有不到 5 人因過量服藥死亡，在上世紀末這一比例被超過，隨後急劇上升，到 2017 年，10 萬人中有超過 20 人死於藥物過量。

Christopher Ruhm, an economist at the University of Virginia, points to the importance of public health efforts to control the opioid epidemic. The recent experience of Dayton, Ohio backs him up: over the past year, opioid deaths have more than halved. Public health experts attribute that to a combination of Medicaid expansion; declining street availability of some of the most addictive opioids; and post-treatment support for recovering addicts.
克里斯托弗·魯姆，一位來自弗吉尼亞大學的經濟學家，指出來自公共衛生方面的努力對控制阿片類藥物的泛濫十分關鍵。最近俄亥俄州代頓市的經歷佐證了他的觀點：在過去一年裡，代頓市的阿片類藥物死亡人數減少了一半以上。公共衛生專家將此歸功於醫療補助計劃的擴大、一些易上癮阿片類藥物街頭供應量的下降、以及對戒毒者的後續治療支援。

In October, new legislation made it through Congress and was signed by President Donald Trump. It should help increase access to addiction treatment, and help rein in the over-prescription of opioids.
今年 10 月，由唐納德·特朗普總統簽署的新法案在（美國）國會通過。它應有助於增加人們獲得成癮治療的機會，並有助於控制阿片類藥物的過量開藥。

—————文章來源 / 經濟學人

重點詞彙
life expectancy/ˈlaɪf ɪkspektənsi/
n.（尤指人的）預期壽命

fractionally/ˈfrækʃənəli/
adv. 微小地；極少地

• Could you just move a fraction to the right? (n.)
• a fractional increase (adj.)

underlie/ˌʌndərˈlaɪ/
v. 是…的深層原因；對…有重大影響

• Psychological problems very often underlie physical disorders.

influenza/ˌɪnfluˈenzə/
n. 流感（flu 的正式說法）

overdose/ˈoʊvərdoʊs/
n. 過量服藥

• an overdose of sleeping pills

make (for) adj. reading
（文字、資料等）讀起來怎麼樣

• The story made (for) interesting reading.

take (sb’s) life
殺死某人

• Take his life.
• take one’s own life

intervening/ˌɪntərˈviːnɪŋ/
adj. 發生於其間的

• international

surge/sɜːrdʒ/
v. 激增，陡增，劇烈上升

• house prices have surged
• a surge in house prices (n.)

historical/historic high/hɪˈstɔːrɪkl haɪ, hɪˈstɔːrɪk haɪ/
n. 歷史新高，歷史最高紀錄

the turn of sth.
轉變時期；轉折點

• the turn of the tide

spike/spaɪk/
v. （通常指在下跌前的）上升至非常高的數量，價格或程度

• The jobless rate spiked to a five-year high.
• price spikes (n.)

point to
指出（重要性）

opioid epidemic
阿片類藥物氾濫

• a flu epidemic
• the gun epidemic

halve/hæv/
v. 減半；使減半

• halve the potato

back sb. up
支援，幫助某人；為某人作證

• Nothing to do with me! Xueli will back me up.

Medicaid/ˈmedɪkeɪd/
n. （美國面向窮人的）醫療補助制度

make it through
通過；熬過，挺過（難關）

• You made it, bro!
• She wouldn’t make it through the night.

rein in
抑制，控制；約束

• rein in a horse
• rein in our curiosity

over-prescription /ˈoʊvər prɪˈskrɪpʃn/
n.（沒有必要的）開藥過量

• prescription drug

Alzheimer’s disease/ˈæltshaɪmərz dɪziːz/
n. 阿爾茨海默病，老年痴呆症