名校励志英语演讲 23:失败的额外收益和想象力的重要性

 　　I might be tempted¹ to envy people who can live that way, except that I do not think they have any fewer nightmares than I do. Choosing to live in narrow spaces leads to a form of mental agoraphobia, and that brings its own terrors. I think the wilfully² unimaginative see more monsters. They are often more afraid. What is more, those who choose not to empathise enable real monsters. For without ever committing an act of outright³ evil ourselves, we collude with it, through our own apathy⁴.

　　我可能会受到诱惑，去嫉妒那样生活的人。但我不认为他们做的噩梦会比我更少。选择生活在狭窄的空间会导致不敢面对开阔的视野，那种生活同样会有恐惧。我认为不愿展开想象的人会看到更多的怪兽，他们往往更会感到害怕。而且，那些没有同情心的人会激活真正的怪兽。因为尽管他们自身没有作恶，但他们对于罪恶无动于衷，这已足以证明他们成为作恶者的共谋。

　　One of the many things I learned at the end of that Classics corridor down which I ventured at the age of 18, in search of something I could not then define, was this, written by the Greek author Plutarch: What we achieve inwardly will change outer reality.

　　18岁时，为了追寻我当时还无法解释的东西，我踏上了学习古典文学的征途并汲取了许多知识，其中一点便是希腊作家普鲁塔克所说：我们的内在修养将会改变外在的现实。

　　That is an astonishing statement and yet proven a thousand times every day of our lives. It expresses, in part, our inescapable connection with the outside world, the fact that we touch other people’s lives simply by existing.

　　那是一个惊人的论断，在我们生活的每一天里被无数次证实。它在某种程度上说明了我们与外部世界有无法脱离的联系，只要我们活着，就会对其他人的生活有影响。

　　But how much more are you, Harvard graduates of 2008, likely to touch other people’s lives? Your intelligence, your capacity for hard work, the education you have earned and received, give you unique status, and unique responsibilities. Even your nationality sets you apart. The great majority of you belong to the world’s only remaining superpower. The way you vote, the way you live, the way you protest, the pressure you bring to bear on your government, has an impact way beyond your borders. That is your privilege, and your burden.

　　但是，哈弗大学2008届的毕业生们，你们会对其他人的生活产生多大的影响呢？你们的智慧、你们应对高难度工作的能力以及你们所接受的教育赋予了你们独特的地位和责任。甚至你们的国籍也让你们与众不同，你们中的绝大多数人都属于这个世界上唯一的超级大国。你们投票的方式，你们抗议的方式，以及你们给政府带来的压力，都会产生超越国界的影响力。这是你们的特权，更是你们的责任。

　　agoraphobia

　　n. 旷野恐怖；陌生环境恐怖症

　　eg. 1.Learning and understanding agoraphobia facts can be tricky⁵.

　　认识和理解广场恐怖症的真相是棘手的。

　　willfully

　　adv. 故意地

　　eg. He will never set you at defiance⁶ or willfully injure you.

　　他决不会违抗你，或者存心伤害你。

　　collude

　　vt. 勾结；共谋

　　eg. Prosecutors⁷ have argued that they need to be detained so that they do not collude with witnesses.

　　检控官对此的解释是关押他们是为了防止他们与证人串通。

　　apathy

　　n. 冷漠，漠不关心

　　eg. His apathy necessitates⁸ stimulation⁹.

　　有必要刺激一下他的冷漠。

　　inwardly

　　adv. 思想上；在内部

　　eg. Perhaps Mr Obama inwardly cringes at the personality cult¹⁰ that surrounds him.

　　也许奥巴马在内心里对围绕他的个人崇拜是畏惧的。

　　inescapable

　　adj. 不可避免的；逃脱不了的

　　eg. When we analyzed¹¹ all this information, the conclusion was inescapable.

　　我们分析了所有这些情况后，得出了必然的结论。

1 tempted   

v.怂恿（某人）干不正当的事；冒…的险（tempt的过去分词）

参考例句：

• I was sorely tempted to complain, but I didn't. 我极想发牢骚，但还是没开口。
• I was tempted by the dessert menu. 甜食菜单馋得我垂涎欲滴。

2 wilfully   

adv.任性固执地；蓄意地

参考例句：

• Don't wilfully cling to your reckless course. 不要一意孤行。 来自辞典例句
• These missionaries even wilfully extended the extraterritoriality to Chinese converts and interfered in Chinese judicial authority. 这些传教士还肆意将"治外法权"延伸至中国信徒，干涉司法。 来自汉英非文学 - 白皮书

3 outright   

adv.坦率地；彻底地；立即；adj.无疑的；彻底的

参考例句：

• If you have a complaint you should tell me outright.如果你有不满意的事，你应该直率地对我说。
• You should persuade her to marry you outright.你应该彻底劝服她嫁给你。

4 apathy   

n.漠不关心，无动于衷；冷淡

参考例句：

• He was sunk in apathy after his failure.他失败后心恢意冷。
• She heard the story with apathy.她听了这个故事无动于衷。

5 tricky   

adj.狡猾的，奸诈的；(工作等)棘手的，微妙的

参考例句：

• I'm in a rather tricky position.Can you help me out?我的处境很棘手，你能帮我吗？
• He avoided this tricky question and talked in generalities.他回避了这个非常微妙的问题，只做了个笼统的表述。

6 defiance   

n.挑战，挑衅，蔑视，违抗

参考例句：

• He climbed the ladder in defiance of the warning.他无视警告爬上了那架梯子。
• He slammed the door in a spirit of defiance.他以挑衅性的态度把门砰地一下关上。

7 prosecutors   

检举人( prosecutor的名词复数 )； 告发人； 起诉人； 公诉人

参考例句：

• In some places,public prosecutors are elected rather than appointed. 在有些地方，检察官是经选举而非任命产生的。 来自口语例句
• You've been summoned to the Prosecutors' Office, 2 days later. 你在两天以后被宣到了检察官的办公室。

8 necessitates   

使…成为必要，需要( necessitate的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The increase in population necessitates a greater food supply. 人口的增加需要更多食物供应。
• Your proposal necessitates borrowing money. 你的提议使借款成为必要。

9 stimulation   

n.刺激，激励，鼓舞

参考例句：

• The playgroup provides plenty of stimulation for the children.幼儿游戏组给孩子很多启发。
• You don't get any intellectual stimulation in this job.你不能从这份工作中获得任何智力启发。

10 cult   

n.异教，邪教；时尚，狂热的崇拜

参考例句：

• Her books aren't bestsellers,but they have a certain cult following.她的书算不上畅销书，但有一定的崇拜者。
• The cult of sun worship is probably the most primitive one.太阳崇拜仪式或许是最为原始的一种。

11 analyzed   

v.分析( analyze的过去式和过去分词 )；分解；解释；对…进行心理分析

参考例句：

• The doctors analyzed the blood sample for anemia. 医生们分析了贫血的血样。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The young man did not analyze the process of his captivation and enrapturement, for love to him was a mystery and could not be analyzed. 这年轻人没有分析自己蛊惑著迷的过程，因为对他来说，爱是个不可分析的迷。 来自《简明英汉词典》