名校励志英语演讲 30:如何解决这个世界上最严重的不平等?

 　　If we can find approaches that meet the needs of the poor in ways that generate¹ profits for business and votes for politicians, we will have found a sustainable way to reduce inequity in the world. This task is open-ended. It can never be finished. But a conscious effort to answer this challenge will change the world.

　　如果我们能够找到这样的方法，既可以帮到穷人，又可以为商人带来利润，为政治家带来选票，那么我们就找到了一种可持续的减少世界上不平等现象的发展道路。这是一项永无止境的任务。它不可能完全完成，但是任何有意识地解决这一问题的尝试都可以改变这个世界。

　　I am optimistic that we can do this, but I talk to skeptics who claim there is no hope. They say: "Inequity has been with us since the beginning, and will be with us until the end—because people just…don't…care." I completely disagree.

　　我们可以做到这个，对于这一点我很乐观。但是，我与宣称没有希望的怀疑主义者谈论时，他们说：“不平等从人类诞生的第一天就存在，到人类灭亡的最后一天也将存在。——因为人类根本不在乎这个问题。”我完全不能同意这种观点。

　　I believe we have more caring than we know what to do with.

　　我相信，问题不是我们不在乎，而是不知道怎么做。

　　All of us here in this Yard, at one time or another, have seen human tragedies that broke our hearts, and yet we did nothing—not because we didn't care, but because we didn't know what to do. If we had known how to help, we would have acted.

　　此刻在这个院子里的所有人，生命中总有这样或那样的时刻，目睹人类的悲剧，感到万分伤心。但是我们什么也没做，并非我们无动于衷，而是因为我们不知道做什么和怎么做。如果我们知道怎样做才会有所帮助，那么我们就会采取行动。

　　The barrier to change is not too little caring; it is too much complexity³.

　　改变世界的阻碍，并非人类的冷漠，而是世界实在太复杂。

　　To turn caring into action, we need to see a problem, see a solution, and see the impact. But complexity blocks all three steps.

　　为了将关心转变为行动，我们需要发现问题，找到解决问题的方法，并评估其造成的影响。但是世界的复杂性使得所有这些步骤都难以做到。

　　Even with the advent⁴ of the Internet and 24-hour news, it is still a complex enterprise⁵ to get people to truly see the problems.

　　即使有了互联网和24小时直播新闻，让人们真正发现问题所在，仍然十分困难。

　　approach

　　n. 方法；途径；接近

　　eg. A storm is approaching.

　　暴风雨即将来临。

　　open-ended

　　adj. 无止境的；开放式的

　　eg. What investors⁶ need is an open-ended vehicle.

　　投资者需要的是一种开放式投资工具。

　　conscious

　　adj. 自觉的，意识到的

　　eg. She became conscious of an inequality.

　　她有了一种相形见绌的感觉。

　　skeptic²

　　n. 怀疑者，怀疑论者

　　eg. He is a perspicacious⁷ skeptic who makes no claim to be able to explain the world.

　　他是一个怀疑者和洞察者，而并不声称他能解释世界。

　　tragedy

　　n. 悲剧

　　eg. Tragedy is a type of literature that involves death, suffering or disaster."

　　悲剧作品是文学的一种，内容常涉及死亡，不幸和灾难。

　　complexity

　　n. 复杂，复杂性

　　eg. The situation presents great complexity.

　　形势显得极为复杂。

　　with the advent of

　　随着……的出现

　　eg. With the advent of electricity, streetcars and subways were introduced in many large cities."

　　随着电力时代来临，许多大型城市引进了有轨电车和地下铁。

　　enterprise

　　n. 事业；企业；进取心；事业心

　　eg. All our capital is locked up in that enterprise.

　　我们的资金全部搁死在那个企业了。

1 generate   

vt.生成，产生（光、热、电等）导致

参考例句：

• We need someone to generate new ideas.我们需要有人出新主意。
• This book will continue to generate excitement for a long time.这本书将在很长一段时间里继续使人们为之激动。

2 skeptic   

n.怀疑者，怀疑论者，无神论者

参考例句：

• She is a skeptic about the dangers of global warming.她是全球变暖危险的怀疑论者。
• How am I going to convince this skeptic that she should attention to my research?我将如何使怀疑论者确信她应该关注我的研究呢？

3 complexity   

n.复杂(性)，复杂的事物

参考例句：

• Only now did he understand the full complexity of the problem.直到现在他才明白这一问题的全部复杂性。
• The complexity of the road map puzzled me.错综复杂的公路图把我搞糊涂了。

4 advent   

n.(重要事件等的)到来，来临

参考例句：

• Swallows come by groups at the advent of spring. 春天来临时燕子成群飞来。
• The advent of the Euro will redefine Europe.欧元的出现将重新定义欧洲。

5 enterprise   

n.企业单位，商业公司，事业，计划

参考例句：

• They are determined to carry forward the enterprise.他们决心把事业进行下去。
• The enterprise has excellent prospects.这家企业的远景极其美好。

6 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

7 perspicacious   

adj.聪颖的，敏锐的

参考例句：

• It is very perspicacious of you to find the cause of the trouble so quickly.你真是明察秋毫，问题的原因这么快就找出来了。
• He's an impartial and perspicacious judge.这位法官明镜高悬。