名校励志英语演讲 32:如何解决这个世界上最严重的不平等?

 　　But complexity¹ makes it hard to mark a path of action for everyone who cares—and makes it hard for their caring to matter.

　　但是，世界的复杂性使得我们很难找到对全世界每一个有爱心的人都有效的行动方法，因此人类对他人的关心往往很难产生实际效果。

　　Cutting through complexity to find a solution runs through four predictable stages: determine a goal, find the highest-leverage approach, deliver the technology ideal for that approach, and in the meantime, use the best application of the technology you already have —whether it's something sophisticated, like a new drug, or something simple, like a bednet.

　　从这个复杂的世界中找到解决办法，可以分为四个步骤：确定目标，找到最高效的方法，提供适用于那个方法的理想技术，最后利用现有的最佳技术，不管它是复杂的新药物，还是最简单的蚊帐。

　　The AIDS epidemic² offers an example. The broad goal, of course, is to end the disease. The highest-leverage approach is prevention. The ideal technology would be a vaccine³ that gives lifetime immunity⁴ with a single dose. So governments, drug companies, and foundations are funding vaccine research. But their work is likely to take more than a decade, so in the meantime, we have to work with what we have in hand —and the best prevention approach we have now is getting people to avoid risky⁵ behavior.

　　艾滋病就是一个例子。毫无疑问，总的目标是彻底消灭这种疾病。最高效的方法是预防。最理想的技术是发明一种疫苗，只要注射一次，就可以终生免疫。所以，政府、制药公司、基金会都在资助疫苗研究。但是，这样的研究工作很可能十年之内都无法完成。因此，与此同时，我们必须使用现有的技术，目前最有效的预防方法就是设法让人们避免那些危险的行为。

　　Pursuing that goal starts the four-step cycle again. This is the pattern. The crucial thing is to never stop thinking and working—and never do what we did with malaria⁶ and tuberculosis⁷ in the 20th century —which is to surrender to complexity and quit.

　　要实现那个新的目标，又可以采用新的四步循环。这是一种模式。关键是永远不要停止思考和行动。我们千万不能再犯上个世纪在疟疾和肺结核上犯过的错误，那时我们因为它们太复杂而放弃采取行动。

　　sophisticated

　　adj. 复杂的

　　eg. This process ought to be highly sophisticated.

　　这个过程应该是非常复杂的。

　　bednet

　　n. 蚊帐

　　eg. Like 82% of children in her country, she sleeps under a bednet.

　　象该国比例占82%的儿童一样，他睡觉时有一顶蚊帐。

　　epidemic

　　n. [病理学]流行病，传染病；（流行病的）迅速传播

　　eg. An epidemic broke out.

　　一种流行病突然开始流行。

　　vaccine

　　n. 疫苗

　　eg. The vaccine was used to protect the whole population against infection.

　　这种疫苗用以为全体居民预防传染病。

　　immunity

　　n. 免疫力

　　eg. The vaccine provides effective immunity within one week for 95% of persons vaccinated⁸.

　　该疫苗可使95%的接种者在一周内产生有效免疫力。

　　tuberculosis

　　n. 肺结核

　　eg. Tuberculosis can be reactivated by overwork.

　　肺结核病可以由于过度劳累而复发。

1 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。

2 epidemic   

n.流行病；盛行；adj.流行性的，流传极广的

参考例句：

• That kind of epidemic disease has long been stamped out.那种传染病早已绝迹。
• The authorities tried to localise the epidemic.当局试图把流行病限制在局部范围。

3 vaccine   

n.牛痘苗，疫苗；adj.牛痘的，疫苗的

参考例句：

• The polio vaccine has saved millions of lives.脊髓灰质炎疫苗挽救了数以百万计的生命。
• She takes a vaccine against influenza every fall.她每年秋季接种流感疫苗。

4 immunity   

n.优惠；免除；豁免，豁免权

参考例句：

• The law gives public schools immunity from taxation.法律免除公立学校的纳税义务。
• He claims diplomatic immunity to avoid being arrested.他要求外交豁免以便避免被捕。

5 risky   

adj.有风险的，冒险的

参考例句：

• It may be risky but we will chance it anyhow.这可能有危险，但我们无论如何要冒一冒险。
• He is well aware how risky this investment is.他心里对这项投资的风险十分清楚。

6 malaria   

n.疟疾

参考例句：

• He had frequent attacks of malaria.他常患疟疾。
• Malaria is a kind of serious malady.疟疾是一种严重的疾病。

7 tuberculosis   

n.结核病，肺结核

参考例句：

• People used to go to special health spring to recover from tuberculosis.人们常去温泉疗养胜地治疗肺结核。
• Tuberculosis is a curable disease.肺结核是一种可治愈的病。

8 vaccinated   

[医]已接种的，种痘的，接种过疫菌的

参考例句：

• I was vaccinated against tetanus. 我接种了破伤风疫苗。
• Were you vaccinated against smallpox as a child? 你小时候打过天花疫苗吗？