名校励志英语演讲 53:拯救世界 拯救儿童

 　　Previous ages may not have had the wealth we enjoy. Their houses may have lacked electricity, and they squeezed their many kids into small homes without central heating. But those homes had no darkness, nor were they cold. They were lit bright with the glow of love and they were warmed snugly¹ by the very heat of the human heart. Parents, undistracted by the lust² for luxury and status, accorded their children primacy in their lives.

　　前人可能没有我们现在所享有的财富，他们的房子里可能没有电，很多孩子挤在没有中央取暖设施的狭小房间里。但他们不会觉得黑暗，也不会觉得寒冷。爱的光芒照亮了他们的房间，炽热的心灵温暖了他们的身体。父母不会因贪求荣华富贵而分心，也不会因追求身份地位而心烦意乱，孩子才是他们生活中最重要的。

　　As you all know, our two countries broke from each other over what Thomas Jefferson referred to as "certain inalienable rights". And while we Americans and British might dispute the justice of his claims, what has never been in dispute is that children have certain inalienable rights, and the gradual erosion of those rights has led to scores of children worldwide being denied the joys and security of childhood.

　　我们都知道，我们两国曾因托马斯·杰斐逊提出的所谓“几个不可剥夺的权利”而决裂。美国人和英国人也许会争议杰斐逊的主张是否公正，但绝不会有人质疑儿童享有不可剥夺的权利，对这些权利的逐步剥夺已经导致世界上的很多儿童失去了童年的乐趣和安全保障。

　　I would therefore like to propose tonight that we install in every home a Childrenf#39;s Universal Bill of Rights, the tenets of which are:

　　因此，我建议今晚幰们就为每个家庭设立一部“世界儿童人权法案”，其条款如下：

　　1. The right to be loved without having to earn it.

　　1.不用去争取就可以享受的被爱的权利。

　　2. The right to&.bsp;be protected, without having to deserve it.

　　2.不必乞求就可以享有的被保护的权利。

　　3. The right to feel valuable, even if you came into the world with nothing.

　　3. 即使来到这个世界时一无所有，也有被重视的权利。

　　4. The right to be listened to without having to be interesting.

　　4. 即使不引人注意也有被倾听的权利。

　　5. The right to be read a bedtime story, without having to compete with the evening news or Eastenders.

　　5. 不需要与晚间新闻或《东区居民》抗争，就有在睡觉前听一段故事的权利。

　　squeeze

　　vt. 挤；压榨

　　eg. He unctuously³ squeezed out several drops of tears.

　　他假惺惺地挤出了几滴眼泪。

　　snugly

　　adv. 舒适地；贴身地；紧密地

　　eg. He fitted the map snugly into the bag.

　　他把地图整齐地塞进包里.

　　primacy

　　n. 首位；卓越

　　eg. The primacy of the deed is over word and thought.

　　行动胜过语言和思想。

　　erosion

　　n. 侵蚀，腐蚀

　　eg. Soil erosion is a main contributor to water pollution.

　　土壤侵蚀是水污染的一个主要根源。

　　install

　　vt. 任命；安装；设置

　　eg. It has been rather costly⁴ to install the machinery⁵, but it should pay off in the long run.

　　安装这套机械代价很高，但从长远来看它会赚钱的。

　　tenet

　　n. 原则；信条；宗旨

　　eg. I hold to the tenet that theory should be united with practice.

　　我坚持理论和实践必须相结合的原则。

1 snugly   

adv.紧贴地；贴身地；暖和舒适地；安适地

参考例句：

• Jamie was snugly wrapped in a white woolen scarf. 杰米围着一条白色羊毛围巾舒适而暖和。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The farmyard was snugly sheltered with buildings on three sides. 这个农家院三面都有楼房，遮得很严实。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 lust   

n.性(淫)欲；渴(欲)望；vi.对…有强烈的欲望

参考例句：

• He was filled with lust for power.他内心充满了对权力的渴望。
• Sensing the explorer's lust for gold, the chief wisely presented gold ornaments as gifts.酋长觉察出探险者们垂涎黄金的欲念，就聪明地把金饰品作为礼物赠送给他们。

3 unctuously   

adv.油腻地，油腔滑调地；假惺惺

参考例句：

4 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

5 machinery   

n.(总称)机械，机器；机构

参考例句：

• Has the machinery been put up ready for the broadcast?广播器材安装完毕了吗？
• Machinery ought to be well maintained all the time.机器应该随时注意维护。