偶像励志英语演讲 26:失败的好处和想象的重要性(8)

 　　As long as I live I shall remember walking along an empty corridor and suddenly hearing, from behind a closed door, a scream of pain and horror such as I have never heard since. The door opened, and the researcher poked² out her head and told me to run and make a hot drink for the young man sitting with her. She had just given him the news that in retaliation³ for his own outspokenness⁴ against his country's regime, his mother had been seized and executed.

　　在我的有生之年，我都会记得一件事，当时我正经过一条空旷的走廊，突然听到紧闭着的房门里传出一声痛苦和恐惧的尖叫，那是至今我从未再听过的。那扇门打开了，调查员探出头请我快去给坐在她旁边的年轻男子调一杯热饮料。她刚刚告诉那个年轻人，为报复他对祖国专政的直言批判，他的母亲已被抓走并处决了。

　　Every day of my working week in my early 20s I was reminded how incredibly fortunate I was, to live in a country with a democratically elected government, where legal representation and a public trial were the rights of everyone.

　　在我20多岁的那段日子里，每一天的工作都在提醒我自己是多么幸运，能够生活在一个民主选举的政府领导的国家，人人都享有依法申述与公开审理的权利。

　　Every day, I saw more evidence about the evils humankind will inflict⁶ on their fellow humans, to gain or maintain power. I began to have nightmares, literal nightmares, about some of the things I saw, heard and read.

　　每天，我都能看到更多有关恶人的证据，他们为了获得或维持权力而对自己的同胞实施暴行。我开始做噩梦，真实的噩梦，全都和我的所见所闻有关。

　　And yet I also learned more about human goodness at Amnesty International than I had ever known before.

　　同时在大赦国际我也更多地了解了人类的善良，远比我以前了解的多。

　　Amnesty mobilizes thousands of people who have never been tortured or imprisoned⁷ for their beliefs to act on behalf of those who have. The power of human empathy, leading to collective action, saves lives, and frees prisoners. Ordinary people, whose personal well-being⁸ and securtiy are assured, join together in huge numbers to save people they do not know, and will never meet. My small participation⁹ in that process was one of the most humbling¹⁰ and inspiring experiences of my life.

　　大赦国际动员成千上万没有因为个人信仰而受到折磨或监禁的人，去为那些遭受这种不幸的人奔走。人类的同情心引发了集体行动，拯救生命，使那些被关押的人们得以释放。个人的福祉和安全有保证的普通百姓聚集在一起，携手挽救那些与他们素不相识，也许永远不会见面的人。我的参与虽然微不足道，但那却是我一生中最振奋人心的一次经历。

　　重点讲解：

　　1. poke¹ out

　　（使）（头）伸出；（使）探出；

　　eg. We hadn't been able to poke our heads out and see what was going on.

　　我们无法伸出头去，看看发生了什么。

　　eg. Never poke your head out of a train window.

　　绝不可把你的头伸出火车窗外。

　　2. in retaliation for

　　为了报复……；

　　eg. Police said they believed the attack was in retaliation for the death of the drug trafficker.

　　警察说他们认为这次袭击是针对那个毒犯的死实施的报复。

　　eg. The arson¹¹ was in retaliation for the killing¹² of their friend.

　　恶意纵火是为了替被杀害的朋友报仇。

　　3. inflict on

　　予以（打击）；使遭受（损伤、苦痛等）；

　　eg. Rebels say they have inflicted¹³ heavy casualties on government forces.

　　反叛武装称他们使政府军遭受重创。

　　eg. Don't inflict damage on any person.

　　不要伤害任何人。

　　4. on behalf of

　　代表；

　　eg. Secret Service officer Robin¹⁴ Thompson spoke⁵ on behalf of his colleagues.

　　特工处官员罗宾·汤普森代表他的同僚发表了讲话。

　　eg. I am appealing on behalf of the famine victims.

　　我代表饥民恳求援助。

　　5. well-being

　　健康；安乐；康乐；

　　eg. Singing can create a sense of wellbeing.

　　唱歌能够给人一种心旷神怡的感觉。

　　eg. His work emphasised the emotional as well as the physical well-being of children.

　　他的工作不仅重视孩子们的身体健康，同时也关注他们的情感健康。

　　名人简介：

　　公益事业

　　2012年4月17日，《哈利·波特》英国著名作家J·K·罗琳在官方网站宣布，她正撰写《哈利·波特百科全书》，并会将版税收益全数拨捐慈善机构。此外，罗琳表示现在没有写《哈利·波特》续集的计划。

　　《哈利·波特》系列衍生书《神奇的魁地奇球》《神奇动物在哪里》的收入全部捐赠给慈善事业，并向“多发性硬化症协会”捐赠25万英镑。

1 poke   

n.刺，戳，袋；vt.拨开，刺，戳；vi.戳，刺，捅，搜索，伸出，行动散慢

参考例句：

• We never thought she would poke her nose into this.想不到她会插上一手。
• Don't poke fun at me.别拿我凑趣儿。

2 poked   

v.伸出( poke的过去式和过去分词 )；戳出；拨弄；与（某人）性交

参考例句：

• She poked him in the ribs with her elbow. 她用胳膊肘顶他的肋部。
• His elbow poked out through his torn shirt sleeve. 他的胳膊从衬衫的破袖子中露了出来。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 retaliation   

n.报复，反击

参考例句：

• retaliation against UN workers 对联合国工作人员的报复
• He never said a single word in retaliation. 他从未说过一句反击的话。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 outspokenness   

参考例句：

• He wondered whether his outspokenness a liability to John. 他怀疑自己那么心直口快，是否为成为约翰的包袱。
• He wondered whether his outspokenness might a. to his friend. 他怀疑自己那么心直口快，会否使他朋友背上思想包袱。

5 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。

6 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。

7 imprisoned   

下狱，监禁( imprison的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He was imprisoned for two concurrent terms of 30 months and 18 months. 他被判处30个月和18个月的监禁，合并执行。
• They were imprisoned for possession of drugs. 他们因拥有毒品而被监禁。

8 well-being   

n.安康，安乐，幸福

参考例句：

• He always has the well-being of the masses at heart.他总是把群众的疾苦挂在心上。
• My concern for their well-being was misunderstood as interference.我关心他们的幸福，却被误解为多管闲事。

9 participation   

n.参与，参加，分享

参考例句：

• Some of the magic tricks called for audience participation.有些魔术要求有观众的参与。
• The scheme aims to encourage increased participation in sporting activities.这个方案旨在鼓励大众更多地参与体育活动。

10 humbling   

adj.令人羞辱的v.使谦恭( humble的现在分词 )；轻松打败（尤指强大的对手）；低声下气

参考例句：

• A certain humbling from time to time is good. 不时受点儿屈辱是有好处的。 来自辞典例句
• It has been said that astronomy is a humbling and character-buildingexperience. 据说天文学是一种令人产生自卑、塑造人格的科学。 来自互联网

11 arson   

n.纵火，放火

参考例句：

• He was serving a ten spot for arson.他因纵火罪在服十年徒刑。
• He was arraigned on a charge of arson.他因被指控犯纵火罪而被传讯。

12 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

13 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。

14 robin   

n.知更鸟，红襟鸟

参考例句：

• The robin is the messenger of spring.知更鸟是报春的使者。
• We knew spring was coming as we had seen a robin.我们看见了一只知更鸟，知道春天要到了。