乔布斯传 第96期:最年轻的亿万富翁
英语课
Baby You're a Rich Man
老兄,你发财了!
Before and after he was rich, and indeed throughout a life that included being both broke and a billionaire, Steve Jobs's attitude toward wealth was complex.
在史蒂夫·乔布斯的一生中,他贫穷过,也富裕过;既做过亿万富翁,也尝过破产的滋味,所以他对待财富的态度是很复杂的。
He was an antimaterialistic hippie who capitalized on the inventions of a friend who wanted to give them away for free,
他是个反对物质主义的嬉皮士,但他把朋友准备免费送出的发明转化成了获利的工具
and he was a Zen devotee who made a pilgrimage to India and then decided 1 that his calling was to create a business.
他是佛教禅宗的狂热信徒,在印度进行过朝圣之旅,但之后又认定创业才是自己的使命。
And yet somehow these attitudes seemed to weave together rather than conflict.
然而,很奇怪的是,这些特性在他身上并没有彼此矛盾,而是完美交织在了一起。
He had a great love for some material objects, especially those that were finely designed and crafted,
他对一些实体物质有着强烈的喜好,尤其是那些设计优雅、工艺精湛的物品,
such as Porsche and Mercedes cars, Henckels knives and Braun appliances, BMW motorcycles and Ansel Adams prints, Bosendorfer pianos and Bang and Olufsen audio equipment.
比如保时捷和奔驰汽车、双立人刀具和博朗电器、宝马摩托车和安塞尔·亚当斯的摄影作品、贝森朵夫钢琴和邦·奥陆芬的音响设备。
Yet the houses he lived in, no matter how rich he became, tended not to be ostentatious and were furnished so simply they would have put a Shaker to shame.
但不管多么富有,乔布斯居住的房子从来都是朴实低调的,家中摆设之简单,即便一个震颤教的教徒看了也会自惭形秽。
Neither then nor later would he travel with an entourage, keep a personal staff, or even have security protection.
他出行的时候从不会有浩浩荡荡的随行人员,他也没有个人助理,甚至从未雇过保镖。
He bought a nice car, but always drove himself.
他买下一辆豪华轿车,但从来都是自己开。
When Markkula asked Jobs to join him in buying a Lear jet, he declined 2 (though he eventually would demand of Apple a Gulfstream to use).
马库拉邀他一起买里尔(Lear)喷气式飞机的时候,他拒绝了(不过后来他要求苹果公司给他购置了一架湾流飞机)。
Like his father, he could be flinty when bargaining with suppliers,
和自己的父亲一样,乔布斯在和供应商讨价还价的时候也十分坚定,
but he didn't allow a craving 3 for profits to take precedence over his passion for building great products.
但他不允许对利润的追求凌驾于他对制造伟大产品的狂热之上。
Thirty years after Apple went public, he reflected on what it was like to come into money suddenly:
在苹果公司上市30年后,他回顾了当年一夜暴富的感受:
I never worried about money.
我从来没有为钱担心过。
I grew up in a middle-class family, so I never thought I would starve.
我成长在一个中产阶鈒家庭,所以我从没担心过会挨饿;
And I learned at Atari that I could be an okay engineer, so I always knew I could get by.
我在雅达利公司的时候,意识到自己是个还不错的工程师,所以我知道自己肯定可以维持生计;
I was voluntarily poor when I was in college and India, and I lived a pretty simple life even when I was working.
我读大学和在印度的时候,自己选择了过苦日子,后来尽管我开始工作了,但我还是过着十分简单的生活。
So I went from fairly poor, which was wonderful, because I didn't have to worry about money, to being incredibly rich, when I also didn't have to worry about money.
我经历过极度贫穷,那种感觉很美好,因为我不用为钱担忧,后来我变得特别有钱了,还是不用为钱担心。
I watched people at Apple who made a lot of money and felt they had to live differently.
我看到苹果公司的一些人,大赚一笔后就觉得自己要过不同的生活。
Some of them bought a Rolls-Royce and various houses, each with a house manager and then someone to manage the house managers.
他们买下劳斯莱斯汽车和许多房子,每所房子都有管家,然后再雇一个人管理所有的管家。
Their wives got plastic surgery and turned into these bizarre 4 people.
他们的妻子去做整形手术,把自己变得稀奇古怪。
That was not how I wanted to live. It's crazy.
这不是我想要的生活方式。这太疯狂了。
I made a promise to myself that I'm not going to let this money ruin my life.
我答应过自己,不会让钱毁了我的生活。
adj.决定了的,坚决的;明显的,明确的
- This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
- There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。
v.辞谢,谢绝(邀请等)( decline的过去式和过去分词 );(道路、物体等)下倾;(太阳)落下;(在品格、价值上)降低
- We asked her to come to our party, but she declined. 我们请她来参加我们的晚会,但是她谢绝了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- He declined to charge his memory with so many details. 他不愿在脑中记这么多细枝末节。 来自《简明英汉词典》
n.渴望,热望
- a craving for chocolate 非常想吃巧克力
- She skipped normal meals to satisfy her craving for chocolate and crisps. 她不吃正餐,以便满足自己吃巧克力和炸薯片的渴望。
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