TED演讲:见证现代奴役的照片(3)

 Many have been tricked by false promises of a good education, a better job, 他们当中很多人都是被虚假承诺所骗轻信所谓好的教育机会、好的工作机会，

only to find that they're forced to work without pay under the threat of violence, and they cannot walk away.  而被迫无偿工作经受暴力威胁，并且无法逃脱。

Today's slavery is about commerce, so the goods that enslaved people produce have value,  今天的奴隶制度关乎商业利益，奴隶制造的商品具有价值，

but the people producing them are disposable.  但是创造价值的人却是被随意处置的。

Slavery exists everywhere, nearly, in the world, and yet it is illegal everywhere in the world.  奴隶制度存在于世上的几乎每一个角落，即使它无论在何处都是违法的。

In India and Nepal, I was introduced to the brick kilns¹.  在印度和尼泊尔，我被带到砖窑里。

This strange and awesome² sight was like walking into ancient Egypt or Dante's Inferno³.  那里的景象极其怪异感觉就像走进了古埃及或者但丁描述的地狱。

Enveloped⁴ in temperatures of 130 degrees, men, women, children, entire families in fact,  在50多摄氏度的高温中，男人，女人，小孩，事实上是一整个家庭，

were cloaked in a heavy blanket of dust, while mechanically stacking bricks on their head,  在厚厚的灰尘笼罩下，机械地把砖块往自己的头顶上垒，

up to 18 at a time, and carrying them from the scorching⁵ kilns to trucks hundreds of yards away.  每次叠上18块然后搬运到离砖窑几百米远的卡车上。

Deadened by monotony and exhaustion,they work silently, doing this task over and over for 16 or 17 hours a day.  单调和疲惫消磨着他们，他们安静着劳动着，一遍又一遍的干着同样的活，一天16到17个小时。

There were no breaks for food, no water breaks,  中途不能休息，不能吃饭，不能喝水，

and the severe dehydration⁶ made urinating pretty much inconsequential.  由于极度的缺水他们基本上也不需要上厕所。

So pervasive⁷ was the heat and the dust that my camera became too hot to even touch and ceased working. 由于那里面的闷热和尘土，我的相机烫得没法拿也无法运转。

1 kilns   

n.窑( kiln的名词复数 )；烧窑工人

参考例句：

• Bricks and earthware articles are baked in kilns. 砖和陶器都是在窑中烧成的。 来自辞典例句
• The bricks are baking in the kilns. ？里正在烧砖。 来自辞典例句

2 awesome   

adj.令人惊叹的，难得吓人的，很好的

参考例句：

• The church in Ireland has always exercised an awesome power.爱尔兰的教堂一直掌握着令人敬畏的权力。
• That new white convertible is totally awesome.那辆新的白色折篷汽车简直棒极了.

3 inferno   

n.火海；地狱般的场所

参考例句：

• Rescue workers fought to get to victims inside the inferno.救援人员奋力营救大火中的受害者。
• The burning building became an inferno.燃烧着的大楼成了地狱般的地方。

4 enveloped   

v.包围，笼罩，包住( envelop的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She was enveloped in a huge white towel. 她裹在一条白色大毛巾里。
• Smoke from the burning house enveloped the whole street. 燃烧着的房子冒出的浓烟笼罩了整条街。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 scorching   

adj. 灼热的

参考例句：

• a scorching, pitiless sun 灼热的骄阳
• a scorching critique of the government's economic policy 对政府经济政策的严厉批评

6 dehydration   

n.脱水，干燥

参考例句：

• He died from severe dehydration.他死于严重脱水。
• The eyes are often retracted from dehydration.眼睛常因脱水而凹陷。

7 pervasive   

adj.普遍的；遍布的，(到处)弥漫的；渗透性的

参考例句：

• It is the most pervasive compound on earth.它是地球上最普遍的化合物。
• The adverse health effects of car exhaust are pervasive and difficult to measure.汽车尾气对人类健康所构成的有害影响是普遍的，并且难以估算。