Reddit访谈:比尔盖茨谈自己的七件事

 　　After sponsoring his very own Christmas miracle through Reddit's Secret Santa program over the holidays, Bill Gates sat down for one of the site's widely beloved Ask Me Anything sessions.比尔盖茨为了赞助自己的“圣诞奇迹”计划，他在节假日期间参加了Reddit网站的“秘密圣诞老人“活动。之后，比尔盖茨参与了该网站最受欢迎的一个板块”随意问“。

　　In Gates' first interview since transitioning from Microsoft's chairman to a technology advisor² role, he spoke³ about his favorite hobbies and gadgets⁴, offered advice to aspiring⁵ entrepreneurs and reiterated⁶ his commitment to countless⁷ charitable causes across the globe. Here are seven of our favorite takeaways:

　　盖茨首次以技术顾问而不是微软公司董事长的身份接受采访，其中谈论了他的爱好和小玩意，并给企业家们提供了建议，重申了他对世界各地的无数的慈善事业所许下的承诺。

　　下面是笔者认为最有意思的7条引言：

　　His work ethic⁸ has evolved.

　　他的职业道德上升到了更高的层次。

　　"20 years ago I would stay in the office for days at a time and not think twice about it," Gates wrote, "so I had energy and naiveté on my side." Now, however, his sense of time management has mellowed⁹ with age and wisdom. In his new role at Microsoft, Gates explained, "My time will be about two-thirds Foundation and one-third Microsoft. I will focus on product work mostly."

　　"如果在20年前，我坐在办公室里，几乎不会考虑这个问题，"盖茨提到，"所以当时的我是精力充沛和天真的。"不过，到了今天，他的成熟稳重，已经能够帮助他合理分配自己的时间了。以新的角色在微软公司工作，他解释道，"我生命中三分之二的时间用于成立基金会，而成立微软只用了三分之一，大多数情况下我会关注产品质量。"

　　His priciest guilty pleasure? A private plane.

　　价格最昂贵又最让他有罪恶感的奢侈品是什么？一架私人飞机。

　　"I do get to a lot of places for Foundation work I wouldn't be able to go to without it," he reasons. And as for his favorite gadgets, Gates is unsurprisingly a fan of the Surface 2 Pro¹. One luxury Gates has not considered, he says, is artificially prolonging his life. "I wouldn't want to extend my last few years unless that is happening for most people," he says.

　　"我的确去了不少地方成立基金会，因为那些都是不可忽略的地方，"他解释道。至于他最喜爱的小玩意呢，不出意料的，他是一名Surface 2 Pro的狂热爱好者。不过他没有考虑过的一件奢侈品则是，通过人为方式延长寿命。"我不想延长我生命中的最后几年，除非这会对大多数人造成影响。"

　　He believes in technology's ability to change the world.

　　他坚信，技术改造世界。

　　During the AMA, Gates discussed both his work with TerraPower to uncover reliable and low-cost energy alternatives, as well as a proposed new condom design that could utilize¹⁰ nanotubes to reduce thickness. "The idea was that men don't like the current design so perhaps something they would be more open to would allow for less HIV transmission."

　　在美国医学协会（AMA）会议期间，盖茨谈论到他的工作和发现，TerraPower的可靠和低成本的能源替代品,以及提出新的避孕套的设计,可以利用纳米管减少厚度。"也许这个想法目前不会被很多人所接受，但是这将会有助减少艾滋病的传播。"

　　Balancing business and philanthropy has been a process.

　　平衡商业与慈善事业的关系。

　　When asked whether successful business makers¹¹ must first succeed in order to give back, Gates noted¹² that he didn't begin his extensive charitable work until much later in his career. "Just creating an innovative¹³ company is a huge contribution to the world," he said -- though some execs, including Mark Zuckerberg, have admirably thrown philanthropy into the mix early on.

　　当被问及成功的商业人士能否同样慷慨地回馈社会的时候，盖茨表示，他会在职业生涯的后期集中投入于慈善事业之中。"成立一个向全世界作出贡献的有创造力的公司，使之与早期的慈善事业并驾齐驱。"

　　The cloud touts¹⁴ as-yet-untapped potential.

　　云销售仍是可能。

　　"I am excited about how the cloud and new devices can help us communicate and collaborate," Gates said, adding that cloud storage still "needs be a lot richer." Rather than basic information files, Gates envisions the cloud being akin¹⁵ to a colorful historical record, like looking back upon memories from one's childhood.

　　"对于云技术与新设备帮助我们进行合作计划的巨大作用，我感到非常激动，"盖茨表示，云储存仍然"需要更大的储存空间。"相比于原始的文件储存方式，盖茨提出了利用云技术作为彩色储存的载体，正如每个人回顾自己的童年那么精彩。

　　His hobbies are decidedly old-fashioned.

　　爱好很传统。

　　"I am not a huge gamer," Gates admits, adding, "My son knows a LOT more than I do about what is cool on Xbox." His hobbies are more traditional -- including playing bridge and watching his daughter ride horses. Another favored pastime one might not expect? "I do the dishes every night -- other people volunteer, but I like the way I do it."

　　"我不是游戏爱好者"，盖茨补充道，"我的儿子比我更熟悉LOT对Xbox的作用。"相对的，他的兴趣更传统——打桥牌和看着女儿骑马。那么就没有其他的消遣了吗？"我每晚都会洗盘子——别人可能是自愿才会做的，但是我很乐在其中。"

　　Charity is the center of his universe.

　　慈善事业是他的重心。

　　Gates peppered the discussion with references to his tireless charity work throughout. Immediate¹⁶ goals include improving the education system by focusing on helping¹⁷ teachers, and he describes children who die from malnutrition¹⁸ or vaccination¹⁹ deficiencies as "the greatest tragedy." Another issue close to his heart is the "incredible" injustice²⁰ of the immigration system.

　　盖茨在访谈中谈到了他永不疲倦的慈善事业。还有近期目标就是改善教育体制，着重提高教师的素质，并且他说到，孩子们夭折于营养不良和免疫力不足是"最大的悲剧"。而另外一件萦系于心的事情则是"离谱的"移民政策。

　　编后语：读完本文，你是否有这样的感觉：盖茨是一位睿智又友善的朋友。在此，我们并不着重于他创造的财富是否满足公司的发展需求，也不是他所创立的公司能够为社会带来多大的影响。而是他的个人品质和对社会的贡献。尽管有人会说当你拥有了财富就不愁什么东西都得不到了，不过这句话也可以这么理解，当你拥有了财富，你就会发现其实你最想得到的是心灵的安定，更想通过自己的实际行动帮助他人，哪怕只是一点点。而当你看到别人因为你的一点点努力成就了人生，获得了新生，这种成就感才是真正的财富。人最珍贵的就是这一颗赤子之心，我们都应该审视自己，到底我最想要的是什么呢。

1 pro   

n.赞成，赞成的意见，赞成者

参考例句：

• The two debating teams argued the question pro and con.辩论的两组从赞成与反对两方面辩这一问题。
• Are you pro or con nuclear disarmament?你是赞成还是反对核裁军？

2 advisor   

n.顾问，指导老师，劝告者

参考例句：

• They employed me as an advisor.他们聘请我当顾问。
• The professor is engaged as a technical advisor.这位教授被聘请为技术顾问。

3 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

4 gadgets   

n.小机械，小器具（ gadget的名词复数 ）

参考例句：

• Certainly. The idea is not to have a house full of gadgets. 当然。设想是房屋不再充满小配件。 来自超越目标英语 第4册
• This meant more gadgets and more experiments. 这意味着要设计出更多的装置，做更多的实验。 来自英汉非文学 - 科学史

5 aspiring   

adj.有志气的；有抱负的；高耸的v.渴望；追求

参考例句：

• Aspiring musicians need hours of practice every day. 想当音乐家就要每天练许多小时。
• He came from an aspiring working-class background. 他出身于有抱负的工人阶级家庭。 来自辞典例句

6 reiterated   

反复地说，重申( reiterate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• "Well, I want to know about it,'she reiterated. “嗯，我一定要知道你的休假日期，"她重复说。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
• Some twenty-two years later President Polk reiterated and elaborated upon these principles. 大约二十二年之后，波尔克总统重申这些原则并且刻意阐释一番。

7 countless   

adj.无数的，多得不计其数的

参考例句：

• In the war countless innocent people lost their lives.在这场战争中无数无辜的人丧失了性命。
• I've told you countless times.我已经告诉你无数遍了。

8 ethic   

n.道德标准，行为准则

参考例句：

• They instilled the work ethic into their children.他们在孩子们的心中注入了职业道德的理念。
• The connotation of education ethic is rooted in human nature's mobility.教育伦理的内涵根源于人本性的变动性。

9 mellowed   

（使）成熟( mellow的过去式和过去分词 )； 使色彩更加柔和，使酒更加醇香

参考例句：

• She's mellowed over the years. 这些年来他变得成熟了。
• The colours mellowed as the sun went down. 随着太阳的落去，色泽变得柔和了。

10 utilize   

vt.使用，利用

参考例句：

• The cook will utilize the leftover ham bone to make soup.厨师要用吃剩的猪腿骨做汤。
• You must utilize all available resources.你必须利用一切可以得到的资源。

11 makers   

n.制造者，制造商（maker的复数形式）

参考例句：

• The makers of the product assured us that there had been no sacrifice of quality. 这一产品的制造商向我们保证说他们没有牺牲质量。
• The makers are about to launch out a new product. 制造商们马上要生产一种新产品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

13 innovative   

adj.革新的，新颖的，富有革新精神的

参考例句：

• Discover an innovative way of marketing.发现一个创新的营销方式。
• He was one of the most creative and innovative engineers of his generation.他是他那代人当中最富创造性与革新精神的工程师之一。

14 touts   

n.招徕( tout的名词复数 )；（音乐会、体育比赛等的）卖高价票的人；侦查者；探听赛马的情报v.兜售( tout的第三人称单数 )；招揽；侦查；探听赛马情报

参考例句：

• Many vouchers are returned for cash, allowing touts and middle men to make a healthy margin. 许多月饼券都被兑换成现金，这让券贩子和中间商赚取了不蜚的利润。 来自互联网
• Spotting prey, the customary crowd of hustlers and touts swarmed around, jostling for my business. 照例有大群的拉客黄牛在寻觅猎物，他们争相过来抢我的生意。 来自互联网

15 akin   

adj.同族的，类似的

参考例句：

• She painted flowers and birds pictures akin to those of earlier feminine painters.她画一些同早期女画家类似的花鸟画。
• Listening to his life story is akin to reading a good adventure novel.听他的人生故事犹如阅读一本精彩的冒险小说。

16 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

17 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

18 malnutrition   

n.营养不良

参考例句：

• In Africa, there are a lot of children suffering from severe malnutrition.在非洲有大批严重营养不良的孩子。
• It is a classic case of malnutrition. 这是营养不良的典型病例。

19 vaccination   

n.接种疫苗，种痘

参考例句：

• Vaccination is a preventive against smallpox.种痘是预防天花的方法。
• Doctors suggest getting a tetanus vaccination every ten years.医生建议每十年注射一次破伤风疫苗。

20 injustice   

n.非正义，不公正，不公平，侵犯（别人的）权利

参考例句：

• They complained of injustice in the way they had been treated.他们抱怨受到不公平的对待。
• All his life he has been struggling against injustice.他一生都在与不公正现象作斗争。