偶像励志英语演讲 第93期:如何解决这个世界最严重的不平等(3)

　　What I remember above all about Harvard was being in the midst of so much energy and intelligence. It could be exhilarating, intimidating 1, sometimes even discouraging, but always challenging. It was an amazing privilege, and though I left early, I was transformed by my years at Harvard, the friendships I made, and the ideas I worked on.

不管怎样，我对哈佛的回忆主要与充沛的精力和智力活动有关。哈佛的生活令人愉快，也令人感到有压力，有时甚至会感到泄气，但永远充满了挑战。在哈佛生活是一种吸引人的特殊待遇，虽然我离开得比较早，但是我在这里的经历、在这里结识的朋友、在这里发展起来的一些想法，永远地改变了我。

But taking a serious look back...I do have one big regret.

但是，如果现在认真的回忆起来，我确实有一个很大的遗憾。

I left Harvard with no real awareness 2 of the awful inequities in the world-the appalling 3 disparities of health, and wealth, and opportunity that condemn 4 millions of people to lives of despair.

我离开哈佛的时候，根本没有意识到这个世界是多么的不平等——人类在健康、财富和机遇上的不平等大得可怕，它们使得无数的人被迫生活在绝望之中。

I earned a lot here at Harvard about new ideas in economics and politics. I got great exposure to the advances being made in the sciences.

我在哈佛接受了很多经济学和政治学的新思想。我也了解了很多科学上的新进展。

But humanity's greatest advances are not in its discoveries, but in how those dicoveries are applied 5 to reduce inequity. Whether through democracy, strong public education, quality health care, or broad economic opportunity-reducing inequity is the highest human achievement.

但是，人类最大的进步并不来自于这些发现，而是来自于那些发现如何有助于减少人类不平等。不管通过何种手段——民主制度、健全的公共教育体系、高质量的医疗保健、还是广泛的经济机会——减少不平等才是人类最大的成就。

I left campus knowing little about the millions of young people cheated out of educational opportunities here in this country. And I knew nothing about the millions of people living in unspeakable poverty and disease in developing countries.

我离开校园的时候，根本不知道在这个国家里，有几百万的年轻人无法获得接受教育的机会。我也不知道，发展中国家里有无数的人们生活在无法形容的贫穷和疾病之中。

It took me decades to find out.

我花了几十年才明白了这些事情。

重点讲解：

1. above all

首先；尤其是；

eg. Social services departments must accept, above all, the role of the parents.

社会服务部门必须认可的，首先是父母的角色。

eg. Children should learn above all how to observe good manners at table.

小孩首先应学会餐桌礼仪。

2. in the midst of

在…中；

eg. We are in the midst of one of the worst recessions for many, many years.

我们正处在多年来最严重的一次经济衰退之中。

eg. Eleanor arrived in the midst of a blizzard 6.

埃莉诺在暴风雪大作时到达。

3. condemn to

使陷入（不愉快的境地）；

eg. Their lack of qualifications condemned 7 them to a lifetime of boring, usually poorly-paid work.

没有学历使他们一辈子都得从事枯燥乏味而且通常报酬很低的工作。

eg. Not to educate to child is to condemn him to repetitious ignorauce.

不对儿童进行教育就等于让儿童沦入世世代代的愚昧状态。

4. apply to

适用；适合；

eg. The rules of safe driving apply to everyone.

安全驾驶之规则适用于每个人。

eg. Underline the following that apply to you.

在符合自身情况的项下画线。

5. find out

（尤指特意通过努力）发现，找出，查明；

eg. Yesterday, the men's families held a news conference in their campaign to find out the truth.

昨天，这些男子的家人举行了记者招待会，以发起查明真相的运动。

eg. We'd better find out how the land lies before taking any action.

我们最好把情况弄清楚再采取行动。