TED演讲：用"云"建立一所学校(7)

 　　The children came rushing, said, "What's all this?" 孩子们涌了过来问：“这些都是什么？”

　　So I said, "It's very topical, very important. But it's all in English." 我说：“这些都是热门的，重要的东西。但都是英文写的。”

　　So they said, "How can we understand such big English words and diagrams and chemistry?" 他们就说：“我们怎么可能懂这么多英语单词还有图表和化学？”

　　So by now, I had developed a new pedagogical method, so I applied¹ that.  那时候，我已经学会一种新的教育方法，于是我用了。

　　I said, "I haven't the foggiest idea."  "And anyway, I am going away."  我说：“我一点儿都不知道。”“反正，我要走了。”

　　So I left them for a couple of months. They'd got a zero. I gave them a test.  所以我离开他们几个月。我以为他们会得零分。我给他们作了一次测验。

　　I came back after two months and the children trooped in and said, "We've understood nothing." 两个月之后我回去了，孩子们成群结队地跑来说：“我们什么都没搞明白。”

　　"Well, what did I expect?"  “好吧，我能期望什么呢？”

　　So I said, "Okay, but how long did it take you before you decided² that you can't understand anything?" 我说：“但是你们花了多长时间得出的结论说你们什么都搞不懂呢？”

　　So they said, "We haven't given up. We look at it every single day." 他们说：“我们还没放弃。我们每天都研究它。”

　　So I said, "What? You don't understand these screens and you keep staring at it for two months? What for?" 我说：“什么？你们看不懂这些屏幕但你们还是盯着看了两个月？为什么？”

　　So a little girl who you see just now, she raised her hand, and she says to me in broken Tamil and English, she said,  有个小姑娘，就是你们刚才看到的，她举起了手，用泰米尔语夹杂着蹩脚的英语说：

　　"Well, apart from the fact that improper³ replication of the DNA⁴ molecule⁵ causes disease, we haven't understood anything else." “唔，除了不恰当的复制DNA分子会导致疾病，别的我们都不知道了。”

1 applied   

adj.应用的；v.应用，适用

参考例句：

• She plans to take a course in applied linguistics.她打算学习应用语言学课程。
• This cream is best applied to the face at night.这种乳霜最好晚上擦脸用。

2 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

3 improper   

adj.不适当的，不合适的，不正确的，不合礼仪的

参考例句：

• Short trousers are improper at a dance.舞会上穿短裤不成体统。
• Laughing and joking are improper at a funeral.葬礼时大笑和开玩笑是不合适的。

4 DNA   

(缩)deoxyribonucleic acid 脱氧核糖核酸

参考例句：

• DNA is stored in the nucleus of a cell.脱氧核糖核酸储存于细胞的细胞核里。
• Gene mutations are alterations in the DNA code.基因突变是指DNA密码的改变。

5 molecule   

n.分子，克分子

参考例句：

• A molecule of water is made up of two atoms of hygrogen and one atom of oxygen.一个水分子是由P妈̬f婘̬ 妈̬成的。
• This gives us the structural formula of the molecule.这种方式给出了分子的结构式。