VOA常速英语2014--Teenagers Live Extraordinary Lives to Make a Difference 青少年追寻梦想造就不平凡生活

Teenagers Live Extraordinary Lives to Make a Difference 青少年追寻梦想造就不平凡生活

LOS ANGELES — While most teenagers in the United States spend their time juggling 1 school, home and friends, there are a few who are choosing a different life. They are charting their own path to make a difference in the world. They recently gathered in Los Angeles to discuss their work and what makes each of them unique.

Fifteen-year-old Winter Vinecki has accomplished 2 more than most people have in a lifetime. “I recently completed a marathon on all seven continents and became the youngest person in the world to do so.And I really was doing this for my dad.”

15岁的温蒂尔·维内克已经实现了大多数人穷极一生都无法达成的成就。“我最近完成了一项在七大洲的马拉松,成为世界上从事这一壮举最年轻的人。而且我真的是为了我父亲这样做。”

Vinecki's father was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of prostate cancer when she was nine. He died 10 months later.

维内克9岁的时候，她的父亲被诊断出患有一种罕见的恶性前列腺癌。10个月后就离开了人世。

“When he was first diagnosed, I immediately knew I had to do something to help him. That's when I formed Team Winter for prostate cancer research and awareness 3."

“当他第一次被诊断出这种病的时候,我立刻意识到自己必须做些事情来帮助他。就这样我组建了用于提高前列腺癌意识及病症研究的温蒂尔团队。”

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Through Team Winter and social media, Vinecki has raised close to 500,000. She has also taken prostate cancer awareness worldwide from Kenya to Mongolia through her seven continents marathons.And US by giving talks like this one.

通过温蒂尔团队和社交媒体的努力, 维内克筹集到了将近500000美元。她还通过她的七大洲马拉松从肯尼亚到蒙古提高了对于前列腺癌的全球意识。而且美国也提供给她这样的会谈机会。

At the recent Milken Institute Global Conference in Los Angeles, Vinecki was one of several teenagers who addressed a panel about youth who are living extraordinary lives.

而在最近洛杉矶的米尔肯研究所全球会议上,维内克是青少年小组讲述年轻人造就非凡生活的其中一人。

Another panelist was Jack 4 Andraka, who invented an inexpensive sensor 5 for pancreatic, ovarian and lung cancers when he was 15.

另一位小组成员是在15岁时发明了一种用于胰腺癌、卵巢癌和肺癌价格低廉感应器的杰克·安德拉卡。

“Without Google, Wikipedia, I would have never been able to learn all this stuff I needed for this project. I didn't even know what a pancreas was before developing my test for pancreatic cancer.”

“如果没有谷歌,维基百科,我根本就学不会这些自己需要从这个项目中学到的东西。在为胰腺癌准备测试前我甚至都不知它是什么。”

He currently is filing patents for his latest inventions:inexpensive water-quality devices that help detect and filter out heavy metals and pesticides 6.

他目前正在为自己的最新发明申请专利:帮助检测及过滤重金属和农药的廉价水质设备。

“I hope to see them employed in developing nations such as Bangladesh and parts of China and India, especially as well in parts of Africa where these heavy metal and pesticides and other industrial effluents are a major problem.”

“我希望如孟加拉国及中国和印度部分地区,特别是在非洲的一些地方等的发展中国家能够使用到这些设备,这里重金属和农药及其他工业废水是一个大问题。”

Sixteen-year-old youth activist 7 Mary-Pat Hector saw a problem in her own community. She said too many youth die from gun violence.

而16岁的青年积极分子玛丽·帕特·赫克托耳看到了自己社区的一个问题。她表示太多的年轻人死于枪支暴力。

“It was seeing my friends hurt; it was seeing it on the television constantly. It kind of made me feel like I had to do something about it.”

“亲眼目睹我的朋友受到伤害,电视上屡见不鲜。这让我觉得自己必须做点什么。”

She became the national youth director of one of the largest civil rights organizations in the United States. She also started a campaign which educates youth on the issue of gun violence.

就是这样的原因使她成为了美国最大民权组织之一的国家青年主席。她也开始发起教育青年枪支暴力问题的运动。

“My 8-year-old brother drives me, I think, about how innocent he is. I just want the world to be a better place for him and my children.”

“我8岁的弟弟开车送我,我想,他是无辜的。我只是想让世界成为对他和我的孩子而言一个更好的地方。”

Hector, Andraka, and Vinecki say a combination of supportive parents, the Internet and social media have helped them succeed; but, what's most important comes from within.

赫克托耳，安德拉卡和维内表示父母的支持,互联网和社会媒体相结合已经帮助他们取得了成功,但是,最重要的仍然是源于自己的内心。

“I think the biggest thing for kids and adults is to never let age and gender 8 be a barrier and to not just dream but dream big.”

“我认为对于孩子和成人最重要的事情是不要让年龄和性别成为阻碍,还有不只要怀揣梦想,而且要有很大的憧憬。”

“Never let anyone else tell you no," said Andraka. "Always keep going for your dream, and think if a 15-year-old could do it, just think what you could do.”

“不要让任何人告诉你不可以,” 安德拉卡说道。“总是追寻自己的梦想,认为如果一个15岁的人可以实现,那你也可以。”

They say with that kind of thinking, anything is possible.

他们说有了这样的想法,一切皆有可能。