名校励志英语演讲 31:如何解决这个世界上最严重的不平等?

 　　When an airplane crashes, officials immediately call a press conference. They promise to investigate, determine the cause, and prevent similar crashes in the future.

　　当一架飞机坠毁了，官员们会立刻召开新闻发布会，他们承诺进行调查，下定决心找到原因以防止将来再次发生类似事故。

　　But if the officials were brutally¹ honest, they would say: "Of all the people in the world who died today from preventable causes, one half of one percent of them were on this plane. We're determined² to do everything possible to solve the problem that took the lives of the one half of one percent."

　　但是如果那些官员敢说真话，他们就会说：“在今天，世界所有由于可以避免的原因而死亡的人之中，只有0.5%的死者来自于这次空难。我们下定决心尽一切努力，调查这个0.5%的死亡原因。”

　　The bigger problem is not the plane crash, but the millions of preventable deaths.

　　显然，问题不是这次空难，而是其他几百万可以预防的死亡事件。

　　We don't read much about these deaths. The media covers what's new – and millions of people dying is nothing new. So it stays in the background, where it's easier to ignore. But even when we do see it or read about it, it's difficult to keep our eyes on the problem. It's difficult to look at suffering if the situation is so complex that we don't know how to help. And so we look away.

　　我们并没有很多机会了解这些死亡事件。媒体总是报告新闻，几百万人将要死去并非新闻。如果没有人报道，那么这些事件就很容易被忽视。另一方面，即使我们确实目睹了事件本身或者看到了相关报道，我们也很难持续关注这些事件。看着他人受苦是令人痛苦的，何况问题又如此复杂，我们根本不知道如何去提供援助。所以我们会转移视线。

　　If we can really see a problem, which is the first step, we come to the second step: cutting through the complexity³ to find a solution.

　　就算我们真正发现了问题所在，也不过是迈出了第一步，接着还有第二步：那就是从复杂的世界中找到解决办法。

　　Finding solutions is essential if we want to make the most of our caring. If we have clear and proven answers anytime an organization or individual asks "How can I help？" then we can get action – and we can make sure that none of the caring in the world is wasted.

　　如果我们要让关心落到实处，我们就必须找到解决办法。如果我们有一个清晰可靠的答案，那么无论何时当任何组织和个人发出“我如何能提供帮助”的疑问的时候，我们就可以采取行动。我们就能够保证不浪费一丁点全世界人类对他人的关心。

　　investigate

　　vi. 调查；研究

　　eg. We should not jump to conclusions. Let's investigate first.

　　我们不应草率下结论， 还是先调查一下吧。

　　in the background of

　　在幕后

　　eg. His tower can be seen in the background of this early sketch⁴.

　　从这幅前期草稿的背景中可以看到他的宝塔。

　　proven

　　adj. 被证实的

　　eg. He has proven his ability to weather a storm and come out on top,important for any celebrity⁵.

　　他已证明了自己经受风雨出人头地的能力，这是成为名流的关键。

1 brutally   

adv.残忍地，野蛮地，冷酷无情地

参考例句：

• The uprising was brutally put down.起义被残酷地镇压下去了。
• A pro-democracy uprising was brutally suppressed.一场争取民主的起义被残酷镇压了。

2 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

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 sketch   

n.草图；梗概；素描；v.素描；概述

参考例句：

• My sister often goes into the country to sketch. 我姐姐常到乡间去写生。
• I will send you a slight sketch of the house.我将给你寄去房屋的草图。

5 celebrity   

n.名人，名流；著名，名声，名望

参考例句：

• Tom found himself something of a celebrity. 汤姆意识到自己已小有名气了。
• He haunted famous men, hoping to get celebrity for himself. 他常和名人在一起, 希望借此使自己获得名气。