新闻周刊:名人访谈:如何让美国变得强大(2)

我们失去鲍比已经50年了，因为我们似乎还在努力解决1968年他遇到的一些问题，当时我7岁，因为我们仍然在处理贫穷、不平等、种族主义、不公正、环境退化和持续不断的毫无意义的暴力，正因为如此，有时人们很容易被犬儒主义所吸引，认为希望是傻瓜的游戏。更糟糕的是，媒体四分五裂时，我们的领导人似乎满足于编造他们认为是权宜之计的任何事实时，很多人甚至开始怀疑共识的概念，坚持认为我们能做的最好的事情就是退回到各自的角落，绕着马车转，然后与任何与我们不同的人作战。

Bobby Kennedy’s life reminds us to reject such cynicism. He reminds us that because of the men and women that he helped inspire, because of the ripples² that he sent out, because of the often-unrecognized efforts of union organizers and civil rights workers and peace activists³ and student leaders, things did in fact get better.

鲍比·肯尼迪的一生提醒我们拒绝这种玩世不恭。他提醒我们，因为他帮助激励的男男女女，因为他发出的涟漪，由于工会组织者、民权工作者、和平活动人士和学生领袖的努力（常常得不到承认），情况确实有所好转。

In the years since Bobby’s death, tens of millions would be lifted out of poverty. Around the world, extreme poverty would be slashed⁴, and more girls would begin to gain access to an education. Millions of Americans would be shielded by health insurance that wasn’t available to them before. That progress is fueled—by hope. It’s not fueled by fear. It’s not fueled by cynicism. And this is maybe the most important thing: It’s not dependent on one charismatic leader but, instead, depends on the steady efforts of dreamers and doers from every walk of life, who fight the good fight each and every day even when they’re not noticed.

鲍比死后的几年里，数千万人将摆脱贫困。在世界各地，极端贫困将得到削减，更多女孩将开始获得受教育的机会。数以百万计的美国人将得到他们以前得不到的医保保障。这一进步是由希望推动的。不是由恐惧驱动的。不是愤世嫉俗。这也许是最重要的事情：它不依赖于一个有魅力的领导者，相反，它依赖于各行各业梦想家和实干家的不懈努力，他们每天都在为美好的未来而奋斗，即使没有人注意到他们。

Six years ago, Lucy McBath’s son was shot and killed in the parking lot of a gas station because the kids in the car were playing music too loud, apparently⁵, and she turned her grief into hope and her hope into a seat in the next Congress, running unabashedly against the gun lobby in the great state of Georgia. She won.

六年前，露西·麦克巴斯的儿子在一家加油站的停车场被枪杀，原因是车里的孩子播放音乐的声音太大，接着，她把自己的悲伤变成了希望，把希望变成了下届国会的一个席位，毫不掩饰地与大州乔治亚州的枪支游说团体对抗。她赢了。

And then there are the Parkland students. It hasn’t even been a year since a mass shooting stole 17 lives at their school, but less than a month later those students had helped to raise the age to buy a rifle in Florida. They’d lengthened⁶ waiting periods before purchase. A couple of weeks after that, they’d inspired hundreds of thousands to march in the nation’s capital and all across the country. And, of course, they haven’t won every battle, but online, in the media, in the streets, on college campuses, they have become some of our most eloquent⁷, effective voices against gun violence. And they are just getting started. Who knows what they’re going to do once they can actually rent a car?

这儿还有帕克兰的学生。一年前，一场大规模枪击事件夺走了这个学校17条生命，但不到一个月后，这些学生在佛罗里达帮助提高了购枪年龄。他们延长了购买前的等待时间。此后几个星期，他们鼓舞了数十万人在首都和全国各地游行。当然，不是每一次抗争都能赢，但是在网络上、媒体上、大街上、大学校园里，他们已经成为我们反对枪支暴力的最有力的声音。他们才刚刚开始。一旦他们能租到车，谁会知道他们会怎么做呢？

Ripples of hope. That’s the legacy⁸, that’s the spirit, that Bobby Kennedy captured, standing⁹ on top of a beat-up car 50 years ago. Those are the descendants of the men and women and children who reached up into the sky, trying to get a touch of hope.

希望的涟漪。这是博比·肯尼迪在50年前站在一辆破旧的汽车上所获得的精神遗产。这些人是那些展翅高飞、试图获得一丝希望的男男女女和孩子们的子孙后代。

The 44th president of the United States, Obama was awarded the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Ripple¹ of Hope Award on December 12. This is an excerpt¹⁰ from his speech, shared with Newsweek.

12月12日，美国第44任总统奥巴马被授予罗伯特·肯尼迪人权希望涟漪奖。这是他的演讲节选，由《新闻周刊》分享。

1 ripple   

n.涟波，涟漪，波纹，粗钢梳；vt.使...起涟漪，使起波纹； vi.呈波浪状，起伏前进

参考例句：

• The pebble made a ripple on the surface of the lake.石子在湖面上激起一个涟漪。
• The small ripple split upon the beach.小小的涟漪卷来，碎在沙滩上。

2 ripples   

逐渐扩散的感觉( ripple的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The moon danced on the ripples. 月亮在涟漪上舞动。
• The sea leaves ripples on the sand. 海水在沙滩上留下了波痕。

3 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 slashed   

v.挥砍( slash的过去式和过去分词 )；鞭打；割破；削减

参考例句：

• Someone had slashed the tyres on my car. 有人把我的汽车轮胎割破了。
• He slashed the bark off the tree with his knife. 他用刀把树皮从树上砍下。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

6 lengthened   

（时间或空间）延长，伸长( lengthen的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The afternoon shadows lengthened. 下午影子渐渐变长了。
• He wanted to have his coat lengthened a bit. 他要把上衣放长一些。

7 eloquent   

adj.雄辩的，口才流利的；明白显示出的

参考例句：

• He was so eloquent that he cut down the finest orator.他能言善辩，胜过最好的演说家。
• These ruins are an eloquent reminder of the horrors of war.这些废墟形象地提醒人们不要忘记战争的恐怖。

8 legacy   

n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
• He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。

9 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

10 excerpt   

n.摘录，选录，节录

参考例句：

• This is an excerpt from a novel.这是一部小说的摘录。
• Can you excerpt something from the newspaper? 你能从报纸上选录些东西吗？