英语PK台 第291期:小李子联合国《巴黎气候协定》精彩演讲(2)

 　　Section 2

　　I do not need to tell you these statistics. You know them better than I do, but more importantly, you know what will happen if this scourge¹ is left unchecked. You know that climate change is happening faster than even the most pessimistic of scientists warned us decades ago. It's become a runaway² freight train bringing with it an impending³ disaster for all living things.

　　你们不需要我来援引数据，你们知道的比我清楚，你们心知肚明，如果不加以制止，气候变化速度之快，甚至超过了数十年前最悲观的科学家对我们的警告。它已经成为一列可给所有生命带来灾难的失控货车。

　　Now, think about the shame that each of us will carry when our children and grandchildren look back and realize that we had the means of stopping this devastation⁴, but simply lacked the political will to do so.Yes, we have achieved the Paris Agreement. More countries have come together here to sign this Agreement today than for any other cause in the history of humankind – and that is a reason for hope – but unfortunately, the evidence shows us that it will not be enough. Our planet cannot be saved unless we leave fossil fuels in the ground where they belong.

　　现在再来想想，当我们的子孙回首往事，发现我们拥有遏制这一灾难的手段，但却由于缺乏政治意愿而无所作为，那时候我们每个人会是多么羞愧难当。的确，我们通过了《巴黎协定》，汇集于此签署这项协议的参与国的数量，远超过人类历史上其他伟业，这是我们心存希望的原因之一。然而，不幸的是，证据表明，这还远远不够。除非我们把化石燃料留在它们本应沉睡的地方——地下，我们的地球才能够得救。

　　词汇

　　scourge

　　灾祸，苦难的根源

　　A scourge is something that causes a lot of trouble or suffering to a group of people.

　　e.g. Drugs are a scourge that is devastating⁵ our society.

　　impending

　　即将发生的，迫在眉睫的

　　An impending event is one that is going to happen very soon.

　　e.g. impending danger/disaster/war/famine

　　incinerate

　　焚烧

　　become reduced to ashes;

　　e.g. The cars caught fire on impact and some of the victims were incinerated.

　　astronomically⁷

　　天文数字地；巨大地

　　If you describe an amount, especially the cost of something as astronomical⁶, you are emphasizing that it is very large indeed.

　　e.g. Houses in Beijing are selling for astronomical prices.

1 scourge   

n.灾难，祸害；v.蹂躏

参考例句：

• Smallpox was once the scourge of the world.天花曾是世界的大患。
• The new boss was the scourge of the inefficient.新老板来了以后，不称职的人就遭殃了。

2 runaway   

n.逃走的人，逃亡，亡命者；adj.逃亡的，逃走的

参考例句：

• The police have not found the runaway to date.警察迄今没抓到逃犯。
• He was praised for bringing up the runaway horse.他勒住了脱缰之马受到了表扬。

3 impending   

a.imminent, about to come or happen

参考例句：

• Against a background of impending famine, heavy fighting took place. 即将发生饥荒之时，严重的战乱爆发了。
• The king convoke parliament to cope with the impending danger. 国王召开国会以应付迫近眉睫的危险。

4 devastation   

n.毁坏；荒废；极度震惊或悲伤

参考例句：

• The bomb caused widespread devastation. 炸弹造成大面积破坏。
• There was devastation on every side. 到处都是破坏的创伤。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 devastating   

adj.毁灭性的，令人震惊的，强有力的

参考例句：

• It is the most devastating storm in 20 years.这是20年来破坏性最大的风暴。
• Affairs do have a devastating effect on marriages.婚外情确实会对婚姻造成毁灭性的影响。

6 astronomical   

adj.天文学的，（数字）极大的

参考例句：

• He was an expert on ancient Chinese astronomical literature.他是研究中国古代天文学文献的专家。
• Houses in the village are selling for astronomical prices.乡村的房价正在飙升。

7 astronomically   

天文学上

参考例句：

• The bill was astronomically high. 账单上的金额高得没谱儿。
• They have only been read as the multitude read the stars, at most astrologically, not astronomically. 它们之被群众阅读，有如群众之阅览繁星，至多是从星象学而不是从天文学的角度阅览的。