偶像励志英语演讲25:失败的好处和想象的重要性(6)

 　　One of the greatest formative experiences of my life preceded Harry¹ Potter, though it informed much of what I subsequently wrote in those books. This revelation came in the form of one of my earliest day jobs. Though I was sloping off to write storeies during my lunch hours, I paid the rent in my early 20s by working in the research department at Amnesty International's headquarters in London.

　　想象力使我随后写书有了很多的想法，但对我影响最深远的经历发生在写《哈利·波特》之前。这种影响源于我早期的工作经历。在刚二十几岁的时候，为了付房租，我在伦敦大赦国际总部的调查部门工作，但我可以在午餐时间偷偷溜出去写小说。

　　There in my little office I read bastily scribbled² letters smuggled³ out of totalitarian regimes by men and women who were risking imprisonment⁴ to inform the outside world of what was happening to them. I saw photographs of those who had disappeared without trace, sent to Amnesty by their desperate families and friends. I read the testimony⁵ of torture victims and saw pictures of their injuries. I opened handwritten, eye-witness accounts of summary trials and executions, of kidnappings and rapes⁶.

　　在那狭小的办公室里，我看着从集权主义政体偷运出来的信件。写这些信件的人，为了让外界知道他们那里所发生的事情冒着被监禁的危险，用潦草的字迹匆匆写下他们的遭遇，然后再将信件寄给我们。我看过那些由绝望的家人和朋友寄来的无迹可寻的人的照片。我读过被严刑拷打的受害者的证词并看了他们遍体鳞伤的图片。我打开过目击者的手记，描述了对于绑架和强奸案的审判和处决。

　　Many of my co-workers were ex-political prisoners, people who had been displaced from their homes, or fled into exile, because they had the temerity⁷ to speak against their government. Visitors to our office included those who had come to give information, or to try and find out what had happened to those who they had left behind.

　　我的很多同事以前都是政治犯，因为他们敢于批判政府，所以被赶出家门，或被放逐海外。来我们办公室的访客，包括那些前来提供信息的，或想方设法知道那些留下的同志发生了什么事的人。

　　I shall never forget the African torture victim, a young man no older than I was at the time, who had become mentally ill after all he had endured in his homeland. He trembled uncontrollably as he spoke⁸ into a video camera about the brutality⁹ inflicted¹¹ upon him. He was a foot taller than I was, and seemed as fragile as a child. I was given the job of escorting him back to the underground station afterwards, and this man whose life had been shattered by cruelty took my hand with exquisite¹² courtesy, and wished me future happiness.

　　我永远不会忘记那个非籍酷刑受害者，一个当时还没我大的年轻男子，他因在故乡的经历而精神错乱。在摄像机前讲述被残暴地摧残的经历时，他的身体止不住地颤抖。他比我高一英尺，但看上去却像个孩子一样脆弱。随后我遵照组织的安排护送他到地铁站时，这名人生已遭到残酷摧毁的男子彬彬有礼地握着我的手，祝我未来幸福。

　　重点讲解：

　　1. inform sb. of sth.

　　通知；告知某人某事；

　　eg. They would inform him of any progress they had made.

　　他们会把他们取得的任何进步都告诉他。

　　eg. Please inform us of any changes of address.

　　地址若有变动请随时通知我们。

　　2. have the temerity to do sth.

　　胆敢做某事；有勇气做某事；

　　eg. He has even had the temerity to invoke¹³ the names of Martin Luther King Jr and Malcolm X in defence of his actions.

　　他竟然敢搬出马丁·路德·金和马尔科姆·艾克斯的名字来为自己的行为辩解。

　　3. speak against

　　说…的坏话，作不利于…的陈述，发言反对；

　　eg. I will speak against anything I know to be wrong.

　　我会对所有我认为不对的事情直言不讳。

　　eg. He spoke against me behind my back.

　　他背地里说我坏话。

　　eg. A guest can't speak against his host.

　　吃人嘴软。

　　eg. He had the temerity to call me a liar¹⁴!

　　他竟敢说我撒谎！

　　4. leave behind

　　留下；余留；

　　eg. I don't want to leave anything behind.

　　我不想留下任何东西。

　　eg. He left behind an immortal¹⁵ example to all posterity¹⁶.

　　他给后世留下了不朽的典范。

　　5. inflict¹⁰ on/upon

　　予以（打击）；使遭受（损伤、苦痛等）；

　　eg. Don't inflict damage on any person.

　　不要伤害任何人。

　　eg. The punishments inflicted on the children were too severe.

　　对这些孩子的处罚过於严厉。

　　eg. Otherwise we shall certainly inflict upon you very severe punishment.

　　否则我们一定会已很严厉的刑罚加予你。

　　名人简介：

　　成就荣誉

　　相继推出的以男孩哈利·波特为主人公的系列儿童小说，屡屡进入世界各地畅销书排行榜，获英国国家图书奖儿童小说奖、斯马蒂图书金奖章奖，并成为目前世界上最负盛名的儿童文学家。

　　1998年，罗琳被《书商》杂志评选为年度最佳作家。

　　1999年，又被评为英国年度图书奖得主。

　　2001年，凭哈利波特的第四部《哈利波特与火焰杯》获得雨果奖。

　　2010年10月19日，罗琳在丹麦欧登塞市举行的仪式上获颁首届安徒生文学奖；10月20日，英国国家杂志公司发布由英国最具权威杂志编辑评选出的全国100名最具影响力的女性排行榜，罗琳力压贝克汉姆妻子维多利亚和英国女王，摘得桂冠。在颁奖词中，评委会称，罗琳凭借其高超的写作技巧、坚持不懈追求成功的毅力以及热衷慈善的品德获此荣誉。[6]此外，罗琳还被评为英国十大女富豪之一。11月15日，“2010第五届中国作家富豪榜”子榜单在中国最赚钱的外国作家富豪榜首次发布，罗琳以9550万元人民币版税收入问鼎外国作家富豪榜首富宝座。

1 harry   

vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼

参考例句：

• Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天，人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
• Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。

2 scribbled   

v.潦草的书写( scribble的过去式和过去分词 )；乱画；草草地写；匆匆记下

参考例句：

• She scribbled his phone number on a scrap of paper. 她把他的电话号码匆匆写在一张小纸片上。
• He scribbled a note to his sister before leaving. 临行前，他给妹妹草草写了一封短信。

3 smuggled   

水货

参考例句：

• The customs officer confiscated the smuggled goods. 海关官员没收了走私品。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Those smuggled goods have been detained by the port office. 那些走私货物被港务局扣押了。 来自互联网

4 imprisonment   

n.关押，监禁，坐牢

参考例句：

• His sentence was commuted from death to life imprisonment.他的判决由死刑减为无期徒刑。
• He was sentenced to one year's imprisonment for committing bigamy.他因为犯重婚罪被判入狱一年。

5 testimony   

n.证词；见证，证明

参考例句：

• The testimony given by him is dubious.他所作的证据是可疑的。
• He was called in to bear testimony to what the police officer said.他被传入为警官所说的话作证。

6 rapes   

n.芸苔( rape的名词复数 )；强奸罪；强奸案；肆意损坏v.以暴力夺取，强夺( rape的第三人称单数 )；强奸

参考例句：

• The man who had committed several rapes was arrested. 那个犯了多起强奸案的男人被抓起来了。 来自辞典例句
• The incidence of reported rapes rose 0.8 percent. 美国联邦调查局还发布了两份特别报告。 来自互联网

7 temerity   

n.鲁莽，冒失

参考例句：

• He had the temerity to ask for higher wages after only a day's work.只工作了一天，他就蛮不讲理地要求增加工资。
• Tins took some temerity,but it was fruitless.这件事做得有点莽撞，但结果还是无用。

8 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

9 brutality   

n.野蛮的行为，残忍，野蛮

参考例句：

• The brutality of the crime has appalled the public. 罪行之残暴使公众大为震惊。
• a general who was infamous for his brutality 因残忍而恶名昭彰的将军

10 inflict   

vt.(on)把…强加给，使遭受，使承担

参考例句：

• Don't inflict your ideas on me.不要把你的想法强加于我。
• Don't inflict damage on any person.不要伤害任何人。

11 inflicted   

把…强加给，使承受，遭受( inflict的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• They inflicted a humiliating defeat on the home team. 他们使主队吃了一场很没面子的败仗。
• Zoya heroically bore the torture that the Fascists inflicted upon her. 卓娅英勇地承受法西斯匪徒加在她身上的酷刑。

12 exquisite   

adj.精美的；敏锐的；剧烈的，感觉强烈的

参考例句：

• I was admiring the exquisite workmanship in the mosaic.我当时正在欣赏镶嵌画的精致做工。
• I still remember the exquisite pleasure I experienced in Bali.我依然记得在巴厘岛所经历的那种剧烈的快感。

13 invoke   

v.求助于(神、法律)；恳求，乞求

参考例句：

• Let us invoke the blessings of peace.让我们祈求和平之福。
• I hope I'll never have to invoke this clause and lodge a claim with you.我希望我永远不会使用这个条款向你们索赔。

14 liar   

n.说谎的人

参考例句：

• I know you for a thief and a liar!我算认识你了，一个又偷又骗的家伙！
• She was wrongly labelled a liar.她被错误地扣上说谎者的帽子。

15 immortal   

adj.不朽的；永生的，不死的；神的

参考例句：

• The wild cocoa tree is effectively immortal.野生可可树实际上是不会死的。
• The heroes of the people are immortal!人民英雄永垂不朽！

16 posterity   

n.后裔，子孙，后代

参考例句：

• Few of his works will go down to posterity.他的作品没有几件会流传到后世。
• The names of those who died are recorded for posterity on a tablet at the back of the church.死者姓名都刻在教堂后面的一块石匾上以便后人铭记。