TED演讲 大人能从小孩身上学到什么(5)

 But the way progress happens, is because new generations and new eras¹ grow and develop and become better than the previous ones. 但进步是因新的一代人和新的时期而发生，不断的进步和发展，并超越之前的年代。

It's the reason we're not in the Dark Ages anymore. 这就是为什么我们不再处于黑暗时代。

No matter your position or place in life, it is imperative² to create opportunities for children, so that we can grow up to blow you away. 不管在生活中你的位置在哪里，你必须给孩子创造机会。这样他们才能成长并让你扬眉吐气。

Adults and fellow TEDsters, you need to listen and learn from kids, and trust us and expect more from us. 大人和TED观众们，你们需要倾听并向小孩学习，信任我们和对我们怀有更高的期望。

You must lend an ear today, because we are the leaders of tomorrow, which means³ we're going to take care of you when you're old and senile. No, just kidding. 今天你们需要聆听，因为我们是明天的领导，这意味着当你们年老体衰时，我们会照顾你们。哈，只是开玩笑了。

No, really, we are going to be the next generation, the ones who will bring this world forward. 确实，我们将成为推动世界前进的下一代人。

And in case you don't think that this really has meaning for you, remember that cloning⁴ is possible, 而且，假如你认为这对你没有意义的话，不要忘了克隆是可能的，

and that involves going through childhood again, in which case you'll want to be heard, just like my generation. 而这意味着童年可以重来，这种情况下，像我们这一代人一样，你也会希望大人倾听你们的心声。

Now, the world needs opportunities for new leaders and new ideas. Kids need opportunities to lead and succeed. 世界需要产生新的领导人和新想法的机会。小孩需要机会去领导和取得成功。

Are you ready to make the match? Because the world's problems shouldn't be the human family's heirloom. Thank you. 你准备好去促成这一切了吗？因为这个世界的问题，不应该是人类家庭的传家宝。谢谢你们！

 

1 eras   

n.纪元，年代（era的复数形式）

参考例句：

• Stealing salt was considered a major crime during some eras of history. 在某些历史时期，曾把偷盐定为大罪。 来自辞典例句
• Usually, historical eras are defined by accomplishments analyzed with the benefit of contextua1 hindsight. 如何定义具有重在历史意义的时代呢？这取于这时代中所取得的成就对历史语境的事后影响。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 生物技术的世纪

2 imperative   

n.命令，需要；规则；祈使语气；adj.强制的；紧急的

参考例句：

• He always speaks in an imperative tone of voice.他老是用命令的口吻讲话。
• The events of the past few days make it imperative for her to act.过去这几天发生的事迫使她不得不立即行动。

3 means   

n.方法，手段，折中点，物质财富

参考例句：

• That man used artful means to find out secrets.那人使用狡猾的手段获取机密。
• We must get it done by some means or other.我们总得想办法把它干完。

4 cloning   

n.无性（繁殖）系化，纯系化v.（使某物）无性繁殖( clone的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The idea of cloning extinct life forms still belongs to science fiction. 克隆已经灭绝的生物的想法仍旧只限于科幻小说中。 来自辞典例句
• Gene cloning provides a means of purifying and propagating specific DNA segments. 基因克隆化提供了一种纯化和扩增特定DNA片段的方法。 来自辞典例句