TED演讲: 我们需要钱来进行援助 那么就来印钞吧(1)

 Thirteen years ago,  十三年前,

we set ourselves a goal to end poverty.  我们设了一个目标， 结束贫困。

After some success,  在取得一些小成功后，

we've hit a big hurdle¹.  我们遇到了瓶颈。

The aftermath of the financial crisis has begun to hit aid payments,  财政危机的后果开始冲击救助款项，

which have fallen for two consecutive² years.  而且连续两年都在减少。

My question is whether the lessons learned from saving the financial system can be used to help us overcome that hurdle and help millions. 我的问题就是， 从挽救财政系统中得到的这些教训能否用来帮助我们克服这瓶颈,也帮助数以百万的人民。

Can we simply print money for aid?  我们是否能直接印钞以提供救助呢？

Surely not.  当然不可以。

It's a common reaction.  这是人们正常的反应

It's a quick talk.  这是一个短对话。

Others channel John McEnroe.  人们和约翰?麦肯罗的对话。

You cannot be serious!  你开玩笑的吧！

Now, I can't do the accent, but I am serious,  我没办法模仿他的口音， 但我是认真的，

thanks to these two children,  多亏了这两个孩子，

who, as you'll learn, are very much at the heart of my talk. 等下你们就会知道， 他们是我这个演讲的中心。

On the left, we have Pia.  左边这个女孩，名叫皮娅。

She lives in England.  她住在英格兰。

She has two loving parents,  她的双亲都很和蔼可亲，

one of whom is standing³ right here.  其中一个，就站在这里。

Dorothy, on the right,  桃乐茜，右边的孩子，

lives in rural Kenya.  住在肯尼亚农村。

She's one of 13,000 orphans⁴ and vulnerable children who are assisted by a charity that I support. 她是一万三千孤儿和弱势儿童中的一员,她在接受我所资助的 一个慈善机构的帮助。

I do that because I believe that Dorothy, like Pia, 我这么做，是因为我相信桃乐茜，像皮娅一样，

deserves the best life chances that we can afford to give her. 值得拥有我们能给予她的最好的生活条件。

You'll all agree with me, I'm sure.  我相信你们会同意我的话的。

The U.N. agrees too.  联合国也这么认为。

Their overriding⁵ aim for international aid is to strive for a life of dignity for all. 他们对于国际援助的最高目标就是为所有人争取生命的尊严。

But,and here's that hurdle can we afford our aid aspirations⁶? 但，这儿出现了瓶颈,我们能负担得起这样的援助渴望吗？

History suggests not.  历史告诉我们，不能。

In 1970, governments set themselves a target to increase overseas aid payments to 0.7 percent of their national income. 在1970年，政府们给自己定了个目标要增加海外的救助款项,增加到占国民收入的0.7%。

As you can see, a big gap opens up between actual aid and that target.  在这里你能看到， 在实际救助和目标之间出现了一个大的空缺。

But then come the Millennium⁷ Development Goals,  接着，出来了千年发展目标，

eight ambitious targets to be met by 2015. 要在2015年前要完成八大目标。

If I tell you that just one of those targets is to eradicate⁸ extreme hunger and poverty,  如果我告诉你们，其中一个目标就是要消除极度饥饿和贫困，

you get a sense of the ambition.  你们会觉得这雄心勃勃。

There's also been some success.  还是取得一些成功的。

The number of people living on less than $1.25 a day has halved⁹.  每天生活费低于1.25美金的人数已经减少了一半。

But a lot remains¹⁰ to be done in two years.  当然未来的两年还有很多的事要做。

One in eight remain hungry.  还有八分之一的人口处于饥饿的水平。

In the context of this auditorium,  拿这个讲厅打个比方，

the front two rows aren't going to get any food.  前两排的观众将得不到任何食物。

We can't settle for that,  这点我们没法满足，

which is why the concern about the eighth goal,  这就是为什么第八个目标，

which relates to funding,  是如此的麻烦，

which I said at the beginning is falling,  因为它涉及到资金，

is so troubling.  就是我开头说的开始在减少的资金。

So what can be done?  那么，我们能做什么呢？

Well, I work in financial markets,  嗯，我从事金融市场工作，

not development.  不是发展研究。

1 hurdle   

n.跳栏，栏架；障碍，困难；vi.进行跨栏赛

参考例句：

• The weather will be the biggest hurdle so I have to be ready.天气将会是最大的障碍，所以我必须要作好准备。
• She clocked 11.6 seconds for the 80 metre hurdle.八十米跳栏赛跑她跑了十一秒六。

2 consecutive   

adj.连续的，联贯的，始终一贯的

参考例句：

• It has rained for four consecutive days.已连续下了四天雨。
• The policy of our Party is consecutive.我党的政策始终如一。

3 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。

4 orphans   

孤儿( orphan的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The poor orphans were kept on short commons. 贫苦的孤儿们吃不饱饭。
• Their uncle was declared guardian to the orphans. 这些孤儿的叔父成为他们的监护人。

5 overriding   

a.最主要的

参考例句：

• Development is of overriding importance. 发展是硬道理
• My overriding concern is to raise the standards of state education. 我最关心的是提高国民教育水平。

6 aspirations   

强烈的愿望( aspiration的名词复数 )； 志向； 发送气音； 发 h 音

参考例句：

• I didn't realize you had political aspirations. 我没有意识到你有政治上的抱负。
• The new treaty embodies the aspirations of most nonaligned countries. 新条约体现了大多数不结盟国家的愿望。

7 millennium   

n.一千年，千禧年；太平盛世

参考例句：

• The whole world was counting down to the new millennium.全世界都在倒计时迎接新千年的到来。
• We waited as the clock ticked away the last few seconds of the old millennium.我们静候着时钟滴答走过千年的最后几秒钟。

8 eradicate   

v.根除，消灭，杜绝

参考例句：

• These insects are very difficult to eradicate.这些昆虫很难根除。
• They are already battling to eradicate illnesses such as malaria and tetanus.他们已经在努力消灭疟疾、破伤风等疾病。

9 halved   

v.把…分成两半( halve的过去式和过去分词 )；把…减半；对分；平摊

参考例句：

• The shares have halved in value . 股价已经跌了一半。
• Overall operating profits halved to $24 million. 总的营业利润减少了一半，降至2，400 万元。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。