名校励志英语演讲 36:如何解决这个世界上最严重的不平等?

 　　Members of the Harvard Family: Here in the Yard is one of the great collections of intellectual talent in the world.

　　哈佛大家庭的成员们，这个院子里在场的人们，你们是全世界最有智力的人类群体之一。

　　For what purpose?

　　我们可以做些什么？

　　There is no question that the faculty¹, the alumni, the students, and the benefactors² of Harvard have used their power to improve the lives of people here and around the world. But can we do more? Can Harvard dedicate its intellect to improving the lives of people who will never even hear its name?

　　毫无疑问，哈佛的老师、校友、学生以及哈佛的资助者，已经用他们的能力改善了全世界各地人们的生活。但是，我们还能够做更多吗？哈佛的人们能将他们的智慧用来帮助那些甚至从来没有听到过"哈佛"这个名字的人吗？

　　Let me make a request of the deans and the professors - the intellectual leaders here at Harvard: As you hire new faculty, award tenure³, review curriculum, and determine degree requirements, please ask yourselves:

　　请允许我向各位院长和教授提出一个请求——你们是哈佛的智力领袖，当你们雇用新的老师、授予终身教职、评估课程、决定学位颁发标准的时候，请问你们自己如下的问题：

　　Should our best minds be dedicated⁴ to solving our biggest problems?

　　我们最优秀的人才是否更加应该致力于解决我们最大的问题？

　　Should Harvard encourage its faculty to take on the world's worst inequities? Should Harvard students learn about the depth of global poverty ... the prevalence of world hunger ... the scarcity⁵ of clean water ...the girls kept out of school ... the children who die from diseases we can cure?

　　哈佛是否应该鼓励它的老师去研究解决世界上最严重的不平等？哈佛的学生是否应了解全球那些极端的贫穷......世界性的饥荒......清洁的水资源的缺乏......无法上学的女童......死于可治愈疾病的儿童？

　　tenure

　　n. 任期

　　eg. She felt the insecurity of her tenure of her brother's hospitality.

　　她感到，她在她弟弟府上的居留权已朝不保夕。

　　curriculum

　　n. 课程

　　eg. We shall have to design a new curriculum for the third year.

　　我们得设计出三年级的新课程。

　　be dedicated to

　　致力于，献身于

　　eg. The monument be dedicated to the memory of the national hero.

　　这座碑是为纪念那位民族英雄而建造的。

　　prevalence

　　n. 普遍，流行

　　eg. The prevalence of cigarette smoking was much higher in lower social groups.

　　吸烟在低层社会群体中更为盛行。

　　scarity

　　n. 不足；缺乏

　　eg. Firewood scarity offers the most visible and dramatic example of deforestation's effects.

　　薪材短缺是毁林后果的最明显和最引人注目的实例。

　　rhetorical

　　adj. 修辞的

　　eg. The Grand Design reached its rhetorical apogee⁶.

　　宏伟计划达到口头上的高潮。

1 faculty   

n.才能；学院，系；(学院或系的)全体教学人员

参考例句：

• He has a great faculty for learning foreign languages.他有学习外语的天赋。
• He has the faculty of saying the right thing at the right time.他有在恰当的时候说恰当的话的才智。

2 benefactors   

n.捐助者，施主( benefactor的名词复数 )；恩人

参考例句：

• I rate him among my benefactors. 我认为他是我的一个恩人。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• We showed high respect to benefactors. 我们对捐助者表达了崇高的敬意。 来自辞典例句

3 tenure   

n.终身职位；任期；(土地)保有权，保有期

参考例句：

• He remained popular throughout his tenure of the office of mayor.他在担任市长的整个任期内都深得民心。
• Land tenure is a leading political issue in many parts of the world.土地的保有权在世界很多地区是主要的政治问题。

4 dedicated   

adj.一心一意的；献身的；热诚的

参考例句：

• He dedicated his life to the cause of education.他献身于教育事业。
• His whole energies are dedicated to improve the design.他的全部精力都放在改进这项设计上了。

5 scarcity   

n.缺乏，不足，萧条

参考例句：

• The scarcity of skilled workers is worrying the government.熟练工人的缺乏困扰着政府。
• The scarcity of fruit was caused by the drought.水果供不应求是由于干旱造成的。

6 apogee   

n.远地点；极点；顶点

参考例句：

• The orbit of the artificial satellite has an apogee of 200 miles from the earth.这个人造卫星的轨道，其最远点在离地球200英里的地方。
• Apogean tides occur when the moon is at the apogee of its orbit.远月潮在月球位于其轨道的最远点时发生。