英语听力精选进阶版 10843

If you were to draw up a list of the most urgent problems facing humanity, what issues would make it onto your list? Global inequality? Poverty? Hunger? Maybe it's climate change? Or the need to promote peace and justice in the world?

如果让你草拟人类面临的最迫切的问题，你的清单上会有哪些话题呢？全球不平等？贫困？饥饿？或者气候变化？或者促进全世界和平与正义的需要？

Imagine that world leaders were gathering¹ at the United Nations to make unprecedented², tangible³ and measurable commitments to tackling all of these problems. Wouldn't such a meeting be so remarkable⁴ and so historic that it would be on the minds of every citizen of the planet?

想象一下，世界领导人在联合国召开会议，制定前所未有的，切实可行的，效果显著的策略来处理所有这些问题。这样的会议是否足够引人注目，具有历史意义，是否能够引起全球每一位公民的关注？

Sadly, it seems not.

悲哀的是，似乎不会。

Global leaders will, in fact, meet in a weeks' time to adopt what are known as the 'Sustainable Development Goals'. They are the successor to the Millennium⁵ Development Goals agreed by the international community in 2000 and they represent the most realistic and unified⁶ approach in human history to tackling these axiomatic⁷ crises.

实际上，一周之后，全球领导人将会召开会议，制定所谓的“可持续发展目标”。这些目标是国际社会于2000年制定的“千年发展目标”的延续，代表了人类历史上解决这些不言自明的问题最现实，最统一的方法。

In 2013, a survey revealed that only 4% of people in the UK had heard of the Millennium Development Goals, I fear that a similar survey about this month's event would show equally disappointing levels of public awareness⁸.

2013年，一项调查披露，英国只有4%的人听说过“千年发展目标”，我担心，关于本月的会议的类似的调查同样也会表明公众关注度令人失望。

Next week, the Jewish community will observe the fast of Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement - the most self-reflective and solemn day on the Jewish calendar.

下周，犹太社会将会庆祝“赎罪日”——犹太日历上自我反思的最严肃的日子。

Our Sages⁹ teach that atonement is only achieved through sincere acknowledgment of past failures and a realistic and resolute¹⁰ intention to avoid repeating them. It is a deeply hopeful message. We can, and often do, succeed second time round.

我们的智者曾教诲我们，只有真诚地意识到过去的错误，有着实际的，坚定的决心来避免重蹈覆辙，赎罪才能实现。这是大有希望的信息。我们能够获得第二次成功。

You may never have heard of the failed business named Traf-O-data, but you're certainly aware of how its founder¹¹, Bill Gates, then went on to create Microsoft. And where would Oprah Winfrey be today if she had been deterred¹² at the age of 22, when she was told she was 'unfit' for television?

你或许从未听说过一家失败的名为Traf-O-data的企业，但是你肯定听说过它的创始人比尔·盖茨，他后来开办了微软公司。还有脱口秀主持人奥普拉，在她22岁的时候，别人告诉她不适合做电视节目，如果当时她踌躇不前，那她现在会在何处？

In the year 2000, the world pledged, among other things, to eradicate¹³ extreme poverty and hunger and to achieve universal primary education. This was an ambitious and brave undertaking¹⁴. Unfortunately, we are still far from delivering on these admirable aspirations¹⁵. The Sustainable Development Goals present us with another opportunity to make good on God's call to us to 'work the earth and protect it'.

2000年，全世界承诺消除极端贫困和饥饿，普及初等教育。这是非常有雄心壮志的事业。不幸的是，我们距离这个宏伟的目标仍然非常遥远。“持续发展目标”再次为我们提供了机会，响应上帝的号召，“热爱地球，保护地球”。

My prayers are with the Heads of State attending the UN Summit. This time round there is no alternative to success. The future of mankind rests upon their shoulders and ours.

我为参加联合国峰会的国家元首们祈祷。这次我们已经没有其他成功的机会了。他们的肩上担负着人类的未来。

As Nelson Mandela put it, "Millions of people in the world's poorest countries remain imprisoned¹⁶, enslaved and in chains. They are trapped in a prison of poverty. It is time to set them free."

就像尼尔逊·曼德拉说过的，“世界上最贫困的国家仍有数百万人被监禁，奴役，被锁链束缚。他们被困在贫穷的监狱了。是时候让他们获得自由了。”

1 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

2 unprecedented   

adj.无前例的，新奇的

参考例句：

• The air crash caused an unprecedented number of deaths.这次空难的死亡人数是空前的。
• A flood of this sort is really unprecedented.这样大的洪水真是十年九不遇。

3 tangible   

adj.有形的，可触摸的，确凿的，实际的

参考例句：

• The policy has not yet brought any tangible benefits.这项政策还没有带来任何实质性的好处。
• There is no tangible proof.没有确凿的证据。

4 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。

5 millennium   

n.一千年，千禧年；太平盛世

参考例句：

• The whole world was counting down to the new millennium.全世界都在倒计时迎接新千年的到来。
• We waited as the clock ticked away the last few seconds of the old millennium.我们静候着时钟滴答走过千年的最后几秒钟。

6 unified   

(unify 的过去式和过去分词)； 统一的； 统一标准的； 一元化的

参考例句：

• The teacher unified the answer of her pupil with hers. 老师核对了学生的答案。
• The First Emperor of Qin unified China in 221 B.C. 秦始皇于公元前221年统一中国。

7 axiomatic   

adj.不需证明的，不言自明的

参考例句：

• It is axiomatic that life is not always easy.生活并不总是一帆风顺，这是明摆着的事实。
• It is axiomatic that as people grow older they generally become less agile.人年纪越大通常灵活性越差，这是不言而喻的。

8 awareness   

n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智

参考例句：

• There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
• Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。

9 sages   

n.圣人( sage的名词复数 )；智者；哲人；鼠尾草（可用作调料）

参考例句：

• Homage was paid to the great sages buried in the city. 向安葬在此城市的圣哲们表示敬意。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Confucius is considered the greatest of the ancient Chinese sages. 孔子被认为是古代中国最伟大的圣人。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

10 resolute   

adj.坚决的，果敢的

参考例句：

• He was resolute in carrying out his plan.他坚决地实行他的计划。
• The Egyptians offered resolute resistance to the aggressors.埃及人对侵略者作出坚决的反抗。

11 Founder   

n.创始者，缔造者

参考例句：

• He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
• According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。

12 deterred   

v.阻止，制止( deter的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• I told him I wasn't interested, but he wasn't deterred. 我已告诉他我不感兴趣，可他却不罢休。
• Jeremy was not deterred by this criticism. 杰里米没有因这一批评而却步。 来自辞典例句

13 eradicate   

v.根除，消灭，杜绝

参考例句：

• These insects are very difficult to eradicate.这些昆虫很难根除。
• They are already battling to eradicate illnesses such as malaria and tetanus.他们已经在努力消灭疟疾、破伤风等疾病。

14 undertaking   

n.保证，许诺，事业

参考例句：

• He gave her an undertaking that he would pay the money back with in a year.他向她做了一年内还钱的保证。
• He is too timid to venture upon an undertaking.他太胆小，不敢从事任何事业。

15 aspirations   

强烈的愿望( aspiration的名词复数 )； 志向； 发送气音； 发 h 音

参考例句：

• I didn't realize you had political aspirations. 我没有意识到你有政治上的抱负。
• The new treaty embodies the aspirations of most nonaligned countries. 新条约体现了大多数不结盟国家的愿望。

16 imprisoned   

下狱，监禁( imprison的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He was imprisoned for two concurrent terms of 30 months and 18 months. 他被判处30个月和18个月的监禁，合并执行。
• They were imprisoned for possession of drugs. 他们因拥有毒品而被监禁。