豆知识 2011-01-09&01-15 四分钟了解200个国家过去2

 Here we go again. In my lifetime, formercolonies gained independence, and then finally they started to get healthier,and healthier, and healthier. And in the 1970s, then countries in Asia and LatinAmerica started to catch up with the western countries. They became theemerging economies. Some in Africa follows, some Africans were stuck in civilwar and others hit by HIV.

 

And now, we can see the world today, inthe most up-to-date statistics. 

 

Most people today live in the middle, butthere are huge differences at the same time between the best-off countries and theworst-off countries, and there are also huge inequalities within countries. Thesebubbles show country averages, but I can split them. Take China, I can split itinto provinces. There goes Shanghai. It has the same wealth and health as Italytoday. And there is the poor inland province Guizhou. It is like Pakistan. Andif I split it further, the rural parts are like Ghana in Africa.

 

And yet, despite the enormous disparities today, we have seen 200years of remarkable¹ progress. That huge historical gap between the west and therest is now closing. We have become an entirely² new converging³ world. And I seea clear trend into the future, with aid, trade, green technology and peace. It'sfully possible that everyone can make it to the healthy, wealthy corner.

 

Well, what you’ve just seen in the lastfew minutes is a story of 200 countries shown over 200 years and beyond. Itinvolved plotting of 120,000 numbers. Pretty neat, huh?

1 remarkable   

adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的

参考例句：

• She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。
• These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。

2 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

3 converging   

adj.收敛[缩]的，会聚的，趋同的v.（线条、运动的物体等）会于一点( converge的现在分词 )；（趋于）相似或相同；人或车辆汇集；聚集

参考例句：

• Plants had gradually evolved along diverging and converging pathways. 植物是沿着趋异和趋同两种途径逐渐演化的。 来自辞典例句
• This very slowly converging series was known to Leibniz in 1674. 这个收敛很慢的级数是莱布尼茨在1674年得到的。 来自辞典例句