TED演讲:我们不要一成不变的教育(2)

 　　You know, I grew up in the inner¹ city, 要知道，我是在市区长大的，

　　and there were kids who were failing in schools 56 years ago when I first went to school, 当时，很多学生在学业上就已经一事无成了，那可是在56年前，当时我刚开始读书，

　　and those schools are still lousy today, 56 years later. 而那些学校在56年后的今天仍然还很糟糕、很烂。

　　And you know something about a lousy school? 各位知道烂了这么多年的学校的是什么样子的吗？

　　It's not like a bottle of wine. Right? 这可不像陈年老酒（年份越老越好）。对吧？

　　Where you say, like, '87 was like a good year, right? 如果是陈酒，1987年的就是一瓶好酒，对吧？

　　That's now how this thing -- I mean, every single year, it's still the same approach², right? 我的意思是说我们的学校年复一年地在使用相同的教学方法，对吧？

　　One size fits all, if you get it, fine, and if you don't, tough³ luck. Just tough luck. 千人一面的，如果它适合你，那还好，但如果不合适呢，那你可要倒大霉了。你肯定会倒大霉的。

　　Why haven't we allowed innovation⁴ to happen? 可我们为什么不创新呢？

　　Do not tell me we can't do better than this. 你可别告诉我：“没有什么比现在的体系更好的了。”

　　Look, you go into a place that's failed kids for 50 years, and you say, "So what's the plan?" 想想看，你进入一所50年来从没有让学生们学有所成的学校，你问校方：“你们的教学计划是什么？”

　　And they say, "We'll, we're going to do what we did last year this year." 他们告诉你：“我们今年的教学计划和去年的一样。”

　　What kind of business model is that? Banks used⁵ to open and operate between 10 and 3. 那是一种什么样的运作模式啊？过去，银行的营业时间一般是上午10点到下午3点。

　　They operated 10 to 3. They were closed for lunch hour. 他们上午10点到下午3点营业，可午餐时还关门。

　　Now, who can bank between 10 and 3? The unemployed⁶. 但谁会在上午10点到下午3点之间上银行呢？除非他是无业游民。

　　They don't need banks. They got no money in the banks. 可这些人不需要银行啊。他们没钱存银行。

　　Who created that business model? Right? And it went on for decades⁷. You know why? 那是谁创造了这种业务模式呢？是吧？可就这样，它也运作了好几十年。为什么呢？

　　Because they didn't care. It wasn't about the customers. It was about bankers. 因为他们不在乎我们。他们不在乎顾客。这是银行家们的事。

　　They created something that worked for them. 它们只为自己着想。

　　How could you go to the bank when you were at work? 在上班时间你怎么可能去银行呢？

　　It didn't matter. And they don't care whether or not Geoff is upset he can't go to the bank. 可是，没关系。他们不在乎我Geoff是否因为不能在这个时间段去银行而感到爽与不爽。

　　Go find another bank. They all operate the same way. Right? 你可以去找另一家银行啊，可所有银行都是这样的营业时间啊，对吧？

　　Now, one day, some crazy banker had an idea. 然后，某一天，某个疯子银行家突发奇想。

　　Maybe we should keep the bank open when people come home from work. 或许我们应该在人们不上班的时间也对外营业吧。

　　They might like that. What about a Saturday? What about introducing technology? 顾客们可能会喜欢这样子的呢。星期六（营业）怎么样呢？又或者，引入新技术怎么样呢？

1 inner   

adj.内部的，里面的；内在的，内心的；精神的

参考例句：

• The label is on the inner side of the box.标签贴在盒子内侧。
• Other people seek the mountains for renewal of their inner lives.另一些人到深山中去，寻求新的精神生活。

2 approach   

n.接近，逼近，走进，方法，步骤，途径，通路；vt.接近，动手处理；vi.靠近

参考例句：

• They are very scientific in their approach.他们的方法很科学。
• Our approach drove away the wild animals.我们一走近，野兽全都跑开了。

3 tough   

adj.坚硬的，咬不动的；棘手的，难办的；强健的，吃苦耐劳的；粗暴的，凶恶的

参考例句：

• The meat was so tough that I simply couldn't get it down.这肉太老了，我简直咽不下去。
• When there's a tough job,he always rushes to do it.什么时候有重活，他都抢着干。

4 innovation   

n.改革，革新，新观念，新方法，新发明

参考例句：

• There are all sorts of possibilities for technical innovation.技术革新的门道很多。
• An enterprise should encourage innovation.企业应鼓励创新。

5 used   

adj.用旧了的，旧的；习惯于…；过去惯/经常

参考例句：

• I used to work until nearly 6:00 o'clock each day.我过去常常工作到6:00左右。
• He used to walk anywhere from two to five miles an hour.他过去经常一小时走二至五英里。

6 unemployed   

adj.失业的，没有工作的；未动用的，闲置的

参考例句：

• There are now over four million unemployed workers in this country.这个国家现有四百万失业人员。
• The unemployed hunger for jobs.失业者渴望得到工作。

7 decades   

十年，十年间( decade的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The middle decades of the 19th century marked a watershed in Russia's history. 19世纪中叶标志着俄国历史的转折点。
• The Empress Dowager of the Qing Dynasty attended to state affairs for several decades. 清朝慈禧太后垂帘听政几十年。