乔布斯传 第4期:前言(4)

 　　This is a book about the roller-coaster life and searingly intense personality of a creative entrepreneur whose passion for perfection and ferocious¹ drive revolutionized six industries:

　　这是一本关于一个富有创造力的企业家的书，关于他过山车一般的人生，关于他炽热强烈的个性。他对完美的狂热以及积极的追求彻底变革了六大产业：

　　personal computers, animated² movies, music, phones, tablet computing³, and digital publishing.

　　个人电脑、动画电影、音乐、移动电话、平板电脑和数字出版。

　　You might even add a seventh, retail⁴ stores, which Jobs did not quite revolutionize but did reimagine.

　　你可能还会想到第七个产业：连锁商店。对于零售连锁产业他算不上彻底变革，但的确重新描绘了这个产业的画面。

　　In addition, he opened the way for a new market for digital content based on apps rather than just websites.

　　此外，他通过开发应用程序，为数字内容开辟了一个全新的市场，而不再像以前一样只能依赖网站。

　　Along the way he produced not only transforming products but also, on his second try,

　　随着时间的推移，他不仅制造出革命性的产品，还在自己的第二次努力下成就了一家充满生命力的公司，

　　a lasting⁵ company, endowed with his DNA⁶, that is filled with creative designers and daredevil engineers who could carry forward his vision.

　　这家公司继承了他的基因，集中了一群极富想象力的设计师和大胆创新的工程师，他们能够将他的设想发扬光大。

　　In August 2011, right before he stepped down as CEO, the enterprise he started in his parents’ garage became the world’s most valuable company.

　　在2011年8月乔布斯卸任苹果公司CEO的时候，这家最初在他父母车库里建立起来的公司，已经成为全世界最富有的企业。

　　This is also, I hope, a book about innovation.

　　我希望这也能是一本关于创新的书。

　　At a time when the United States is seeking ways to sustain its innovative⁷ edge, and when societies around the world are trying to build creative digital-age economies,

　　如今，美国正在寻找方法保持自身的创新优势，全世界都在努力建设创造性的数字时代经济，

　　Jobs stands as the ultimate icon⁸ of inventiveness, imagination, and sustained innovation.

　　乔布斯成为了创造力、想象力以及持续创新的终极标志。

　　He knew that the best way to create value in the twenty-first century was to connect creativity with technology,

　　他深知21世纪创造价值的最佳途径就是将创造力与科技结合起来，

　　so he built a company where leaps of the imagination were combined with remarkable⁹ feats¹⁰ of engineering.

　　所以他创建了一家公司，在这里，想象力的跳跃与高超的工程学技术被结合到一起。

　　He and his colleagues at Apple were able to think differently:

　　他和他的同事们能够以全新的方式思考：

　　They developed not merely modest product advances based on focus groups, but whole new devices and services that consumers did not yet know they needed.

　　他们开发的并非是针对目标人群的普通产品改进，而是消费者还没有意识到其需求的全新设备和服务。

　　He was not a model boss or human being, tidily packaged for emulation¹¹.

　　他不是众人尽可效仿的模范老板，或是人类楷模。

　　Driven by demons¹², he could drive those around him to fury and despair.

　　他就像被恶魔驱使一样，可以让身边的人狂怒和绝望。

　　But his personality and passions and products were all interrelated, just as Apple’s hardware and software tended to be, as if part of an integrated system.

　　但他的个性、激情与他的产品之间是相互关联的，就好像苹果的硬件和软件一样，各为整体系统的一部分。

　　His tale is thus both instructive and cautionary, filled with lessons about innovation, character, leadership, and values.

　　因此，他的故事既有启发性，也有告诫意义，其中充满了创新、品质、领导力和价值观方面的经验。

　　Shakespeare’s Henry V—the story of a willful and immature¹³ prince who becomes a passionate¹⁴ but sensitive, callous¹⁵ but sentimental¹⁶, inspiring but flawed king—begins with the exhortation¹⁷

　　莎士比亚的《亨利五世》——一个关于任性幼稚的哈尔王子成长为狂热又敏感、冷漠又感性、鼓舞人心又并不完美的君主的故事——开头就是一段呼唤：

　　“O for a Muse¹⁸ of fire, that would ascend¹⁹ the brightest heaven of invention.”

　　“啊！光芒万丈的缪斯女神，你登上了无比辉煌的幻想的天堂！”

　　For Steve Jobs, the ascent²⁰ to the brightest heaven of invention begins with a tale of two sets of parents,

　　而对于史蒂夫·乔布斯来说，那光明的创新天堂之旅，始于他的两对父母，

　　and of growing up in a valley that was just learning how to turn silicon²¹ into gold.

　　以及一个学习如何点石成金的山谷。

1 ferocious   

adj.凶猛的，残暴的，极度的，十分强烈的

参考例句：

• The ferocious winds seemed about to tear the ship to pieces.狂风仿佛要把船撕成碎片似的。
• The ferocious panther is chasing a rabbit.那只凶猛的豹子正追赶一只兔子。

2 animated   

adj.生气勃勃的，活跃的，愉快的

参考例句：

• His observations gave rise to an animated and lively discussion.他的言论引起了一场气氛热烈而活跃的讨论。
• We had an animated discussion over current events last evening.昨天晚上我们热烈地讨论时事。

3 computing   

n.计算

参考例句：

• to work in computing 从事信息处理
• Back in the dark ages of computing, in about 1980, they started a software company. 早在计算机尚未普及的时代（约1980年），他们就创办了软件公司。

4 retail   

v./n.零售；adv.以零售价格

参考例句：

• In this shop they retail tobacco and sweets.这家铺子零售香烟和糖果。
• These shoes retail at 10 yuan a pair.这些鞋子零卖10元一双。

5 lasting   

adj.永久的，永恒的；vbl.持续，维持

参考例句：

• The lasting war debased the value of the dollar.持久的战争使美元贬值。
• We hope for a lasting settlement of all these troubles.我们希望这些纠纷能获得永久的解决。

6 DNA   

(缩)deoxyribonucleic acid 脱氧核糖核酸

参考例句：

• DNA is stored in the nucleus of a cell.脱氧核糖核酸储存于细胞的细胞核里。
• Gene mutations are alterations in the DNA code.基因突变是指DNA密码的改变。

7 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。

8 icon   

n.偶像，崇拜的对象，画像

参考例句：

• They found an icon in the monastery.他们在修道院中发现了一个圣像。
• Click on this icon to align or justify text.点击这个图标使文本排齐。

9 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。

10 feats   

功绩，伟业，技艺( feat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• He used to astound his friends with feats of physical endurance. 过去，他表现出来的惊人耐力常让朋友们大吃一惊。
• His heroic feats made him a legend in his own time. 他的英雄业绩使他成了他那个时代的传奇人物。

11 emulation   

n.竞争；仿效

参考例句：

• The young man worked hard in emulation of his famous father.这位年轻人努力工作，要迎头赶上他出名的父亲。
• His spirit of assiduous study is worthy of emulation.他刻苦钻研的精神，值得效法。

12 demons   

n.恶人( demon的名词复数 )；恶魔；精力过人的人；邪念

参考例句：

• demons torturing the sinners in Hell 地狱里折磨罪人的魔鬼
• He is plagued by demons which go back to his traumatic childhood. 他为心魔所困扰，那可追溯至他饱受创伤的童年。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 immature   

adj.未成熟的，发育未全的，未充分发展的

参考例句：

• Tony seemed very shallow and immature.托尼看起来好像很肤浅，不夠成熟。
• The birds were in immature plumage.这些鸟儿羽翅未全。

14 passionate   

adj.热情的，热烈的，激昂的，易动情的，易怒的，性情暴躁的

参考例句：

• He is said to be the most passionate man.据说他是最有激情的人。
• He is very passionate about the project.他对那个项目非常热心。

15 callous   

adj.无情的，冷淡的，硬结的，起老茧的

参考例句：

• He is callous about the safety of his workers.他对他工人的安全毫不关心。
• She was selfish,arrogant and often callous.她自私傲慢，而且往往冷酷无情。

16 sentimental   

adj.多愁善感的，感伤的

参考例句：

• She's a sentimental woman who believes marriage comes by destiny.她是多愁善感的人，她相信姻缘命中注定。
• We were deeply touched by the sentimental movie.我们深深被那感伤的电影所感动。

17 exhortation   

n.劝告，规劝

参考例句：

• After repeated exhortation by his comrades,he finally straightened out his thinking.经过同志们再三劝导，他终于想通了。
• Foreign funds alone are clearly not enough,nor are exhortations to reform.光有外资显然不够，只是劝告人们进行改革也不行。

18 muse   

n.缪斯（希腊神话中的女神），创作灵感

参考例句：

• His muse had deserted him,and he could no longer write.他已无灵感，不能再写作了。
• Many of the papers muse on the fate of the President.很多报纸都在揣测总统的命运。

19 ascend   

vi.渐渐上升，升高；vt.攀登，登上

参考例句：

• We watched the airplane ascend higher and higher.我们看着飞机逐渐升高。
• We ascend in the order of time and of development.我们按时间和发展顺序向上溯。

20 ascent   

n.(声望或地位)提高；上升，升高；登高

参考例句：

• His rapid ascent in the social scale was surprising.他的社会地位提高之迅速令人吃惊。
• Burke pushed the button and the elevator began its slow ascent.伯克按动电钮，电梯开始缓慢上升。

21 silicon   

n.硅(旧名矽)

参考例句：

• This company pioneered the use of silicon chip.这家公司开创了使用硅片的方法。
• A chip is a piece of silicon about the size of a postage stamp.芯片就是一枚邮票大小的硅片。