领导人该不该公开健康状况

 　　The president has cancer.

　　总统患上了癌症。

　　It is 31 years since Steven Rosenberg, a member of the surgical¹ team that removed a tumour² from President Ronald Reagan’s colon³, made that announcement to the world.

　　31年前，史蒂文?罗森堡(Steven Rosenberg)向全世界宣布了这一消息。他所在的外科医生团队从美国前总统罗纳德?里根(Ronald Reagan)的结肠中取出了一颗肿瘤

　　What I remember, from watching on television, is not only how calmly definitive⁴ Dr Rosenberg, chief of surgery at the US National Cancer Institute, was, but how clearly he described Reagan’s condition and its consequences.

　　当时我是从电视上看到的，我记得的不仅是美国国家癌症研究所(US National Cancer Institute)外科主任罗森堡当时是多么镇静和确定，还有他多么清晰地描述了里根的身体状况及其后果。

　　领导人该不该公开健康状况

　　There are many forms of cancer, he said.

　　他表示：现在有很多种癌症。

　　As this one had not spread, the president’s chances of living a normal lifespan were excellent.

　　这种癌还没有扩散，总统活到正常寿命的几率很高。

　　Reagan lived another 19 years, dying in 2004 at the age of 93.

　　里根后来又活了19年，于2004年去世，享年93岁。

　　Harold Bornstein, Donald Trump⁵’s doctor, has been less authoritative⁶.

　　唐纳德?特朗普(Donald Trump)的医生哈罗德?伯恩斯坦(Harold Bornstein)则没有那么权威。

　　In a four-paragraph letter, addressed to whom my (sic) concern, which he says he wrote in five minutes while a Trump team car waited outside, he described the Republican candidate’s health as astonishingly excellent and said that he would be the healthiest individual ever elected to the presidency⁸.

　　在一封致窝（原文如此）关心的人的总共4段的信中，他称这位共和党总统候选人的健康状况好得惊人，并表示他将是有史以来当选总统的人中最健康的一位。他表示，他是在5分钟内写完这封信的，当时特朗普团队的一辆汽车在门外等候。

　　Hillary Clinton’s doctor wrote a more detailed⁹ account, mentioning the Democratic candidate’s underactive thyroid and a concussion¹⁰ in 2012, but said she was in excellent physical condition and fit to serve as President of the United States.

　　希拉里?克林顿(Hillary Clinton)的医生描述得比较详细，她提到这位民主党总统候选人患有甲状腺功能减退，在2012年有过一次脑震荡，但她表示，希拉里身体状况非常好，能够担任美国总统一职。

　　The only problem is that the letter was written more than a year ago.

　　唯一的问题在于这封信是一年多前写的。

　　Do we have a right to know the details of our political leaders’ health? And does the same apply to business leaders, responsible for hiring, firing and making potentially far-reaching acquisition and disposal decisions? Should we hear when they become ill?

　　我们是否有权知晓政治领导人的具体健康状况？商界领导人的呢？他们负责招聘和解雇人员、做出可能意义深远的并购和处置决定，当他们生病，我们是否有权知晓？

　　Apple attracted criticism for revealing too little about the pancreatic cancer that killed Steve Jobs, its founder¹¹, in 2011.

　　苹果(Apple)曾因对导致其创始人史蒂夫?乔布斯(Steve Jobs)在2011年去世的胰腺癌透露的信息太少而受到批评。

　　But other chief executives have kept us up to date on their ailments¹².

　　但还有一些首席执行官一直及时向外界披露自己的病情。

　　In 2012, investor¹³ Warren Buffett announced that he had prostate cancer, that he would have daily radiation treatment for two months, but that his condition was not remotely life-threatening or even debilitating¹⁴ in any meaningful way.

　　2012年，投资大师沃伦?巴菲特(Warren Buffett)宣布，他患上了前列腺癌，需要连续两个月每天放疗，但他的身体状况根本不会危及生命甚至不会真正影响他的精力。

　　In 2014, Jamie Dimon, chief executive of JPMorgan Chase, announced that he had throat cancer and, five months later, after treatment, that his tests had come back completely clear.

　　2014年，摩根大通(JPMorgan Chase)首席执行官杰米?戴蒙(Jamie Dimon)宣布，他患上了喉癌，5个月后，在结束治疗后，他表示测试结果显示他已完全康复。

　　Last September, Lloyd Blankfein, chief executive of Goldman Sachs, announced that he had lymphoma.

　　去年9月，高盛(Goldman Sachs)首席执行官劳埃德?布兰克费恩(Lloyd Blankfein)宣布，他罹患淋巴癌。

　　He said he would need several months of chemotherapy and would cut down on his travel but that he would otherwise work substantially as normal.

　　他表示，自己需要接受几个月的化疗，并将减少出差，但他表示将在很大程度上像往常一样工作。

　　He said his condition was highly curable.

　　他表示，他的病情是完全可康复的。

　　Not all business leaders have curable conditions.

　　并非所有商界领袖所患的疾病都能康复。

　　In 2013, SABMiller announced that Graham Mackay, its chief executive, was stepping down three months early after undergoing surgery for a brain tumour.

　　2013年，SABMiller宣布，该公司因为脑瘤接受了手术的首席执行官格雷厄姆?麦凯(Graham Mackay)，将提前3个月离任。

　　Mackay, who was SABMiller’s leading figure as it turned itself from an apartheid-era South African company into an international brewer¹⁵, returned briefly¹⁶ as non-executive chairman.

　　在SABMiller从一家种族隔离时期的南非公司转变为一家国际性酿酒商的过程中，麦凯曾发挥主要作用。提前离任后，他曾以非执行董事长的身份短暂回归。

　　He died that year.

　　他于同年去世。

　　When a previously¹⁷ robust¹⁸ person is suddenly presented with a shocking-sounding medical diagnosis¹⁹, the desire to keep it private is often strong.

　　当之前非常健康的人突然被诊断出患有一种严重疾病时，秘而不宣的愿望通常是很强的。

　　What business is it of anyone else?

　　这关其他人什么事？

　　But in these corporate²⁰ cases, disclosure seems to have been the better option.

　　但在这些公司的例子里，披露消息似乎是更好的选择。

　　If people in the public eye appear to be under-par, as Jobs did, rumours²¹ start.

　　如果这个人在公众的眼中表现得有失水准，就像乔布斯那样，流言就会出现。

　　It is better to get the truth out.

　　把事实公之于众会更好。

　　Apart from stopping the gossip, talking about illness serves two other positive purposes.

　　除了止住流言，谈论病情还有另外两个正面作用。

　　It alerts people, whether employees or not, to possible problems with their own health.

　　它会提醒人们（不管是不是员工）关注他们自己可能的健康问题。

　　Mr Blankfein said he had felt unwell for several weeks before his lymphoma was discovered.

　　布兰克费恩表示，在他被诊断出患有淋巴癌的前几周，他已经感觉不舒服了。

　　Anyone reading that who felt similarly low might be encouraged to make an appointment with their doctor.

　　有类似不适感觉的人听闻此言，可能会马上预约去看医生。

　　It might also aid their discussions with their doctors about what treatment they need, or if they need treatment at all.

　　这还可能有助于他们与医生的讨论：他们需要什么治疗，或者是否需要治疗。

　　Marc Garnick, a Harvard Medical School professor, wrote that if he had had an octogenarian patient with Mr Buffett’s condition, he would have advised active surveillance rather than radiation treatment.

　　哈佛大学医学院(Harvard Medical School)教授马克?加尼克(Marc Garnick)写道，如果他有一位80多岁的病人患上了巴菲特那种病，他会建议积极监测而不是放疗。

　　The second and more important reason for knowing about our leaders’ health is that it breaks down the idea of the all-knowing imperial boss.

　　了解我们的领导人的健康状况的第二个也是更重要的原因是，它打破了认为老板高高在上、无所不知的看法。

　　Leaders, like the rest of us, are incomplete.

　　与我们其他人一样，领袖也并非完人。

　　They are not always at their best.

　　他们并非总是处于最佳状态。

　　Illness reminds us of that.

　　疾病提醒了我们这一点。

　　A chief executive slowing down while having hospital treatment is no bad thing.

　　一位首席执行官放慢工作同时接受医院治疗并非坏事。

　　The next breakthrough will be when companies and their leaders feel they can be equally candid⁷ abut²² depression and mental health.

　　下一个突破将是企业及其领导人认为他们可以对抑郁和心理健康状况同样地开诚布公。

　　If chief executives need to step back because they are ill, they should, if they have done their jobs properly, have deputies who can take over, and teams that can take the strain.

　　如果首席执行官的工作做得到位，当他们因为生病需要退出管理职务时，应该有可以接替他们的副手、可以接过重担的团队。

　　The US presidency is the mightiest²³ post on earth, invested with more authority than any reigning²⁴ monarch’s.

　　美国总统是全世界最有权势的职位，比任何在位统治者的权力都大。

　　Yet no president can function without a strong team, because commanders-in-chief have bad days too, and they suffer health problems.

　　然而，没有一个强有力的团队，任何总统都是无法正常开展工作的，因为即便是三军统帅也有状态不佳的时候，他们也会出现健康问题。

　　As we live longer and work until we are older, top managers, along with everyone else, will discover there is more that can go wrong with their health.

　　随着我们寿命的变长以及退休年龄的延迟，最高管理者以及其他所有人都会发现，他们的身体可能出现更多毛病。

　　There is no shame in that, provided they have people around them to help manage it.

　　只要周围有人帮忙应对，这没有什么丢人的。

　　Mr Trump and Mrs Clinton should provide detailed up-to-date accounts of their health, preferably from doctors who can write in measured, professional tones.

　　特朗普和希拉里应提供有关他们健康状况的最新详细描述，最好由医生以慎重、专业的态度写就

1 surgical   

adj.外科的，外科医生的，手术上的

参考例句：

• He performs the surgical operations at the Red Cross Hospital.他在红十字会医院做外科手术。
• All surgical instruments must be sterilised before use.所有的外科手术器械在使用之前，必须消毒。

2 tumour   

n.(tumor)(肿)瘤，肿块

参考例句：

• The surgeons operated on her for a tumour.外科医生为她施行了肿瘤切除手术。
• The tumour constricts the nerves.肿瘤压迫神经。

3 colon   

n.冒号，结肠，直肠

参考例句：

• Here,too,the colon must be followed by a dash.这里也是一样，应当在冒号后加破折号。
• The colon is the locus of a large concentration of bacteria.结肠是大浓度的细菌所在地。

4 definitive   

adj.确切的，权威性的；最后的，决定性的

参考例句：

• This book is the definitive guide to world cuisine.这本书是世界美食的权威指南。
• No one has come up with a definitive answer as to why this should be so.至于为什么该这样，还没有人给出明确的答复。

5 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

6 authoritative   

adj.有权威的，可相信的；命令式的；官方的

参考例句：

• David speaks in an authoritative tone.大卫以命令的口吻说话。
• Her smile was warm but authoritative.她的笑容很和蔼，同时又透着威严。

7 candid   

adj.公正的，正直的；坦率的

参考例句：

• I cannot but hope the candid reader will give some allowance for it.我只有希望公正的读者多少包涵一些。
• He is quite candid with his friends.他对朋友相当坦诚。

8 presidency   

n.总统(校长，总经理)的职位(任期)

参考例句：

• Roosevelt was elected four times to the presidency of the United States.罗斯福连续当选四届美国总统。
• Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency.两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。

9 detailed   

adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的

参考例句：

• He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
• A detailed list of our publications is available on request.我们的出版物有一份详细的目录备索。

10 concussion   

n.脑震荡；震动

参考例句：

• He was carried off the field with slight concussion.他因轻微脑震荡给抬离了现场。
• She suffers from brain concussion.她得了脑震荡。

11 Founder   

n.创始者，缔造者

参考例句：

• He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
• According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。

12 ailments   

疾病（尤指慢性病），不适( ailment的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His ailments include a mild heart attack and arthritis. 他患有轻度心脏病和关节炎。
• He hospitalizes patients for minor ailments. 他把只有小病的患者也送进医院。

13 investor   

n.投资者，投资人

参考例句：

• My nephew is a cautious investor.我侄子是个小心谨慎的投资者。
• The investor believes that his investment will pay off handsomely soon.这个投资者相信他的投资不久会有相当大的收益。

14 debilitating   

a.使衰弱的

参考例句：

• The debilitating disease made him too weak to work. 这个令他衰弱的病，使他弱到没有办法工作。
• You may soon leave one debilitating condition or relationship forever. 你即将永远地和这段霉运说拜拜了。

15 brewer   

n. 啤酒制造者

参考例句：

• Brewer is a very interesting man. 布鲁尔是一个很有趣的人。
• I decided to quit my job to become a brewer. 我决定辞职，做一名酿酒人。

16 briefly   

adv.简单地，简短地

参考例句：

• I want to touch briefly on another aspect of the problem.我想简单地谈一下这个问题的另一方面。
• He was kidnapped and briefly detained by a terrorist group.他被一个恐怖组织绑架并短暂拘禁。

17 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

18 robust   

adj.强壮的，强健的，粗野的，需要体力的，浓的

参考例句：

• She is too tall and robust.她个子太高，身体太壮。
• China wants to keep growth robust to reduce poverty and avoid job losses,AP commented.美联社评论道，中国希望保持经济强势增长，以减少贫困和失业状况。

19 diagnosis   

n.诊断，诊断结果，调查分析，判断

参考例句：

• His symptoms gave no obvious pointer to a possible diagnosis.他的症状无法作出明确的诊断。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做一次彻底的调查分析。

20 corporate   

adj.共同的，全体的；公司的，企业的

参考例句：

• This is our corporate responsibility.这是我们共同的责任。
• His corporate's life will be as short as a rabbit's tail.他的公司的寿命是兔子尾巴长不了。

21 rumours   

n.传闻( rumour的名词复数 )；风闻；谣言；谣传

参考例句：

• The rumours were completely baseless. 那些谣传毫无根据。
• Rumours of job losses were later confirmed. 裁员的传言后来得到了证实。

22 abut   

v.接界，毗邻

参考例句：

• The two lots are abut together.那两块地毗连着。
• His lands abut on the motorway.他的土地毗邻高速公路。

23 mightiest   

adj.趾高气扬( mighty的最高级 )；巨大的；强有力的；浩瀚的

参考例句：

• \"If thou fearest to leave me in our cottage, thou mightiest take me along with thee. “要是你害怕把我一个人留在咱们的小屋里，你可以带我一块儿去那儿嘛。 来自英汉文学 - 红字
• Silent though is, after all, the mightiest agent in human affairs. 确实，沉默毕竟是人类事件中最强大的代理人。 来自互联网

24 reigning   

adj.统治的，起支配作用的

参考例句：

• The sky was dark, stars were twinkling high above, night was reigning, and everything was sunk in silken silence. 天很黑，星很繁，夜阑人静。
• Led by Huang Chao, they brought down the reigning house after 300 years' rule. 在黄巢的带领下，他们推翻了统治了三百年的王朝。