More colloquial ones

1. ______________________ in the shops

2. ______________________ stop working

3. ______________________ slow down

4. ______________________ getting old

5. ______________________ looking for

6. ______________________ stop

7. ______________________ getting near

8. ______________________ show

9. ______________________ is about

10. ____________________ we’ll probably see

Eternal Youth: New Developments in Anti-Ageing Process

Even if we have an extremely healthy diet and lifestyle, the human body is programmed to live at a maximum of 120 years, and usually less. We all have a biological clock inside us. It determines the moment when our organs cease to function properly. This is because our cells stop to renew themselves. This is the moment when we begin to suffer from diseases of old age. However, advance in DNA research are beginning to give information about the secrets of the ageing process. By the end of this century we could have the power of life over death.

It is a fact that some organisms, such as reptiles, appear to live indefinitely. We do not see 500-year alligators because in the wild their life is always in danger. When they are kept in zoos they do not seem to age at all. The same is true about some fish. The existence of animals with no fixed lifespan indicates that an age gene really exists. The scientists are searching for it. It may retard or repair damage to the body which is caused by ageing.

Another new area of research involves the oxidation theory. It says that ageing is caused by the same process that makes iron rust. In experiments, the lifespans of some animals were made longer with the help of anti-oxidants. Anti-oxidants are already used in face creams and other cosmetics, and in medicines. They are going to play an important role in keeping people physically young.

Perhaps organ replacement which we are likely to see will halt the ageing process. In 10-15 years’ time injured bones and organs will be replaced with the organs grown in laboratories. By 2050 perhaps every organ, except the brain, will have become commercially available. It may one day be possible to grow new organs inside our body to replace worn-out ones.

Suddenly immortality seems within reach. We can begin to imagine a future where we are born, we grow to maturity, but we never grow old and die. But do we really want to live forever?