The tallest men in the world are Dutch, while the tallest women come from Latvia.
全球最高男子都是荷兰人，而最高女子都来自拉脱维亚。
That finding comes from a new British study. It also found that East Timor is home to some of the shortest men on our planet, while the shortest women are in Guatemala.
该发现来自于英国一项新的研究。该研究还发现，全球最矮的一些男性来自于东帝汶，而最矮的女性在危地马拉。
Scientists from Imperial College of London studied height measurements for young adults over the past century. The scientists found that between 1914 and 2014, people in some countries have grown taller while average height shrank in other areas.
英国帝国理工学院对过去一个世纪的年轻人身高进行了研究。科学家们发现，在1914年到2014年期间，一些国家人们的身高长高了，而另外一些地区的平均身高则有所降低。
The study found that Dutch men now have an average height of more than 182 centimeters. Among Latvian women, the average height is 170 centimeters. Those numbers represent an increase for both countries since 1914.
该研究发现，目前荷兰男性的平均身高为182厘米以上。而拉脱维亚女性的平均身高为170厘米。这些数字代表这两个国家从1914年以来平均身高都有所增加。
The question to ask is, why?
为什么会这样呢？
Philip Wilkens is from Amsterdam, the largest city in The Netherlands. He thinks diet and exercise might explain, in part, why Dutch men are so tall.
菲利普·威尔肯斯（Philip Wilkens）来自荷兰最大的城市阿姆斯特丹。他认为饮食和锻炼可能是荷兰男子都那么高大的部分原因。
"Maybe they eat more potatoes? Maybe they eat more bread than other people? We are sportsmen so we do a lot of sports. Maybe that's why we grow a little faster."
他说，“也许是因为他们吃了更多土豆？也许是比其他人吃了更多面包？我们都是运动爱好者，所以我们运动量很大。也许这就是为什么我们长得稍微更快。”
He might have a point. Scientists agree that sport has something to do with how tall a person is.
他说得可能有点道理。科学家们也认为运动和人的身高有关系。
Silvija Umbrasko is from Riga Stradins University in Latvia.
Silvija Umbrasko来自于拉脱维亚的里加斯坦丁斯大学。
She says that the height of women can be increased by playing sports and through exercises. She adds that sports such as basketball, volleyball and even handball help a young person grow "because of the stretching exercises that are used."
她说，女性身高可以通过运动和锻炼提高。她补充说，篮球、排球、甚至是手球等运动都有助于年轻人长高，因为这些运动需要做一些伸展运动。
Experts agree that physical activity is important for physical growth. Other studies have explored possible links between a lack of emotional attention and physical growth. But scientists also add that growth depends mostly on diet and environmental and genetic factors.
专家们一致认为体育锻炼对身体发育来说非常重要。另一些研究已经探索了缺乏情感关注和身体发育之间可能存在的联系。但是科学家们还补充说，发育主要取决于饮食、环境因素和遗传因素。
Sanda is a tall woman from Latvia's capital, Riga.
Sanda是来自拉脱维亚首都里加的一名高个女子。
She says, "I'm so used to my height that I don't pay attention to it. However, I've heard that guys like tall girls; so it is a good thing."
她说，“我习惯了自己的身高，因此并没怎么关注它。不过我听说小伙子们喜欢高个女孩，所以个子高是好事。”
In 2014, the top 10 tallest nations for men and women were mainly in Europe. Many scientists believe that people in Europe have grown taller in recent years because of improved nutrition.
2014年身高最高的十个国家主要在欧洲。许多科学人都认为，由于营养改善，欧洲人最近几年身高有所增加。
However, the average height in many African and Middle Eastern nations has declined since 1914. In East Timor, the average man is 160 centimeters tall. Many people also are short in Yemen, Laos, Madagascar and a number of Asian and African countries.
然而自1914年以来许多非洲和中东国家的平均身高则有所下滑。东帝汶男性平均身高为160厘米。也门、老挝、马达加斯加以及一些亚洲和非洲国家的身高也不高。
The British scientists say that the United States reached a plateau in growth about 20 years ago. In other words, the average of height of young adults has changed little during that period.
英国科学家们表示，美国在大约20年前身高陷入停滞。换句话说，年轻人的平均身高在此期间变化不大。
But really, who cares? Is there a good reason for being tall?
但是说真的谁在乎呢？有什么充分理由要长那么高呢？
According to some earlier studies, the answer could be, yes.
根据一些早前的研究，这个答案是肯定的。
For example, one study explored the relationship between a person's height and their future earnings. American researchers led this investigation. They found that "taller workers receive a notable wage or earnings premium in developing economies." Their findings were reported in the Journal of Human Capital.
例如，一项研究探索了人们的身高和未来收入的关系。美国研究人员主导了这项研究。他们发现，“发展中国家个子较高的员工获得了显著的收入溢价。”这项研究结果发表在《人力资源》杂志上。
I'm Anna Matteo.
我是安娜·马特奥。(51VOA.COM对本文翻译保留全部权利，未经授权请勿转载，违者必究！)