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AnandGiridharadas_2015-_两个美国的故事，他们在小店相撞_
'"Where are you from?" said the pale, tattooed man. “你从哪儿来的？“那个脸色苍白,带有纹身的男人问道。
tattooed:v.将花纹刺在…上;给…文身;(tattoo的过去分词和过去式)
'"Where are you from?" ”你从哪儿来的？“
It's September 21, 2001, 10 days after the worst attack on America since World War II. 这是二零零一年,九月二十一日, 是美国在二战后受到的最严重袭击之后的第十天。
Everyone wonders about the next plane. 每个人都怀疑会不会有下一架飞机。
People are looking for scapegoats . 人们在寻找替罪羊。
scapegoats:n.替罪羊,替人顶罪者;替身;vt.使成为…的替罪羊;
The president, the night before, pledges to "bring our enemies to justice or bring justice to our enemies." 总统在前一个晚上宣誓 “把我们的敌人绳之以法或者用正义感召我们的敌人。“
pledges:n.保证,誓言;抵押;抵押品,典当物;vt.保证,许诺;用…抵押;举杯祝…健康; justice:n.公平;公正;司法制度;审判;
And in the Dallas mini-mart, a Dallas mini-part surrounded by tire shops and strip joints a Bangladeshi immigrant works the register . 在达拉斯的一个小店, 这个小店的周围有车胎商店和脱衣舞厅。 一个孟加拉国移民在收款处工作,
Dallas:n.达拉斯(美国城市); strip:n.带; v.夺; adj.脱衣舞的; joints:n.关节; v.接合,联合; (joint的第三人称单数和复数) immigrant:n.(外来)移民;外侨;adj.侨民的; register:v.登记;注册;记录;n.登记簿;登记表;注册簿;
Back home, Raisuddin Bhuiyan was a big man, an Air Force officer. 在家乡,Raisuddin Bhuiyan 是一个魁梧的男人,曾是一个空军军官,
Air Force:n.空军;
But he dreamed of a fresh start in America. 但他梦想在美国有一个新的开始。
If he had to work briefly in a mini-mart to save up for I.T. classes and his wedding in two months, so be it. 他只是想在小杂货店暂时工作,为I.T课程 和两个月后的婚礼存下一些钱,就是这样。
briefly:adv.简要地;简短地;暂时地;
Then, on September 21, that tattooed man enters the mart . 然而,在九月二十一日,那个纹身的男人走进了杂货店。
mart:n.集市;商业中心;
He holds a shotgun . 他举着一把猎枪。
shotgun:n.霰弹猎枪;adj.猎枪的;被迫的;v.用猎枪射击;强迫;
Raisuddin knows the drill: puts cash on the counter. Raisuddin知道该怎么做: 他把现款放到了柜台上。
This time, the man doesn't touch the money. 这一次,这个男人对钱不感兴趣。
'"Where are you from?" he asks. “你从哪儿来的？”他问道。
'"Excuse me?" Raisuddin answers. “对不起？” Raisuddin 回答说。
His accent betrays him. 他的口音出卖了他。
accent:n.口音;重音;强调;特点;重音符号;v.强调;重读;带…口音讲话; betrays:v.出卖;泄露(机密);辜负;(betray的第三人称单数)
The tattooed man, a self-styled true American vigilante , shoots Raisuddin in revenge for 9/11. 纹身的男人,自愿的美国民间复仇者, 为了911复仇而向Raisuddin射击。
self-styled:adj.自称的,自封的; vigilante:n.义务警员;治安维持会成员; revenge:n.报复;复仇;v.报复;替…报仇;洗雪;
Raisuddin feels millions of bees stinging his face. Raisuddin感觉有上百万个蜜蜂在咬噬他的脸。
stinging:v.刺;蜇;叮;(使)感觉刺痛;激怒;使不安;(sting的现在分词)
In fact, dozens of scalding , birdshot pellets puncture his head. 事实上,是几十片滚烫的弹珠粒射入了他的头里。
scalding:adj.滚烫的;灼热的;v.烫伤;(scald的现在分词) birdshot:鸟弹; pellets:n.芯块,小球(pellet的复数);靶丸;v.使形成小球(pellet的第三人称单数); puncture:vt.刺穿;揭穿;削弱;vi.被刺穿;被戳破;n.穿刺;刺痕;
Behind the counter, he lays in blood. 在柜台后面,他倒入了血泊中。
He cups a hand over his forehead to keep in the brains on which he'd gambled everything. 他的一只手罩在前额, 想起他为之孤注一掷的一切。
forehead:n.前额; gambled:v.赌博,打赌;冒风险;以…为赌注;(gamble的过去分词和过去式)
He recites verses from the Koran , begging his God to live. 他背诵可兰经的片段,祈求他的上帝让他活着。
recites:vt.背诵;叙述;列举;vi.背诵;叙述; verses:诗; Koran:n.《可兰经》,《古兰经》(伊斯兰教);
He senses he is dying. 他意识到自己正在死亡。
He didn't die. 但他并没有死去。
His right eye left him. 他失去了右眼,
His fiancée left him. 他的未婚妻离开了他。
His landlord , the mini-mart owner, kicked him out. 他的雇主,杂货店的主人解雇了他。
landlord:n.房东;地主;东家;土地主;
Soon he was homeless and 60,000 dollars in medical debt , including a fee for dialing for an ambulance . 不久他就变成一个无家可归的人而且有6万美元的医疗债务, 还包括叫救护车的费用。
debt:n.债务;借款;罪过; ambulance:n.救护车;
But Raisuddin lived. 但 Raisuddin活了下来。
And years later, he would ask what he could do to repay his God and become worthy of this second chance. 几年以后,他开始问自己怎样去回报他的上帝, 并且让这个重生的机会变得更有价值。
repay:v.偿还;报答;报复; worthy:adj.值得的; n.杰出人物;
He would come to believe, in fact, that this chance called for him to give a second chance to a man we might think deserved no chance at all. 事实上,他开始相信 这个机会是让他给另一个我们认为 不值得再有机会的人一个重生的机会。
deserved:adj.值得的;该奖[罚]的;v.值得;应得;应受;(deserve的过去分词和过去式)
Twelve years ago, I was a fresh graduate seeking my way in the world. 十二年以后, 我是一个初出茅庐的研究生,在这个世上寻找我的道路。
seeking:v.寻找;寻求;谋求;争取;(向人)请求(seek的现在分词)
Born in Ohio to Indian immigrants , 我在俄亥俄的印度移民中出生,
immigrants:n.移民(immigrant的复数);
I settled on the ultimate rebellion against my parents, moving to the country they had worked so damn hard to get out of. 我对父母的一套由衷地反感, 搬到了他们劳心费力离开的国度。
settled:adj.稳定的; v.结束; (settle的过去分词和过去式) ultimate:adj.最终的;极限的;根本的;n.终极;根本;基本原则; rebellion:n.谋反;叛乱;反叛;反抗;叛逆; damn:v.谴责;该死;n.诅咒;adj.可恶的;
What I thought might be a six-month stint in Mumbai stretched to six years. 我原以为只是在孟买六个月的暂留,却延长到了六年。
stint:n.节约;定额,定量;v.节省;限制;紧缩,节省; stretched:v.拉长;撑大;有弹性(或弹力);拉紧;(stretch的过去式和过去分词)
I became a writer and found myself amid a magical story: the awakening of hope across much of the so-called Third World . 我成为一个作家而且发现自己置身于一个神奇的故事中: 来唤醒被称为第三世界的希望。
amid:prep.在…过程中;在…中;四周是; awakening:n.醒悟; v.(使)醒来; adj.唤醒的; so-called:adj.所谓的;号称的; Third World:n.第三世界;
Six years ago, I returned to America and realized something: 六年前,我回到美国并且意识道一些事:
The American Dream was thriving , but only in India. 美国梦非常兴旺, 但只是在印度。
American Dream:n.美国梦(美国人传统的价值观和社会标准,如民主、权利平等和财富); thriving:v.兴旺发达;繁荣;旺盛;茁壮成长;(thrive的现在分词)
In America, not so much. 在美国,却并非如此。
In fact, I observed that America was fracturing into two distinct societies: a republic of dreams and a republic of fears. 实际上,我观察到美国正在破裂 成两个显着的社团: 一个梦想的共和国和一个忧患的共和国。
observed:adj.观察的;观测的;v.观察;遵守;注意到(observe的过去分词形式); fracturing:n.水力压裂;破碎;龟裂;v.使破裂;粉碎(fracture的ing形式); distinct:adj.明显的;独特的;清楚的;有区别的;
And then, I stumbled onto this incredible tale of two lives and of these two Americas that brutally collided in that Dallas mini-mart. 而后我碰巧遇上了这两个人的令人不可思议的故事 这两个美国人在达拉斯小杂货店残酷地相撞,
stumbled:v.绊脚;跌跌撞撞地走;蹒跚而行;(stumble的过去分词和过去式) incredible:adj.难以置信的,惊人的; brutally:adv.残忍地;野蛮地;兽性地; collided:v.碰撞,冲突(collide的过去分词);
I knew at once I wanted to learn more, and eventually that I would write a book about them, for their story was the story of America's fracturing and of how it might be put back together . 我立刻知道我想了解更多的情形。 最终我会写一本有关于他们的书, 因为他们的故事是美国破裂的见证, 并且该如何在让它完整起来。
eventually:adv.最后,终于; put back together:复原;
After he was shot, Raisuddin's life grew no easier. 在Raisuddin被射击后,他的生活更艰难了。
The day after admitting him, the hospital discharged him. 医院在第二天就让他出去,
discharged:v.准许(某人)离开;解雇;释放;排出;(discharge的过去分词和过去式)
His right eye couldn't see. 她的右眼看不见,
He couldn't speak. 他还不能说话。
Metal peppered his face. 金属灼烧了他的脸。
peppered:adj.用胡椒调味的; v.在(食物上)撒胡椒粉(pepper的过去式);
But he had no insurance , so they bounced him. 但他没有医疗保险,于是他们拒绝了他。
insurance:n.保险;保险业;保险费;保费;adj.胜券在握的;
His family in Bangladesh begged him, "Come home." 他的远在孟加拉国的家人求他“回家”
But he told them he had a dream to see about. 但他告诉他们他要实现他的梦想。
He found telemarketing work, then he became an Olive Garden waiter, because where better to get over his fear of white people than the Olive Garden? 他找到了电话营销工作, 后来他又做了橄榄花园餐厅的服务生, 因为让他结束对白种人的恐惧,还有比橄榄花园更好的地方吗？
telemarketing:n.电话推销,电话销售; Olive:n.橄榄;橄榄树;橄榄色;adj.橄榄的;橄榄色的;
(Laughter) （笑声）翻译解释:橄榄花园餐厅是美国连锁意大利餐馆,以中产阶级白人为顾客。
Now, as a devout Muslim, he refused alcohol , didn't touch the stuff . 作为一个虔诚的穆斯林,他拒绝酒精饮品, 从不接触那玩意儿。
devout:adj.虔诚的;衷心的; alcohol:n.酒精;乙醇;含酒精饮料; stuff:n.东西:物品:基本特征:v.填满:装满:标本:
Then he learned that not selling it would slash his pay. 但他后来得知不卖酒会减少他的收入。
slash:n.斜线;伤口;切口;斜线号;撒尿;vt.劈;大幅度削减;大大降低
So he reasoned, like a budding American pragmatist , "Well, God wouldn't want me to starve, would he?" 于是他做了让步,像美国实用主义的萌芽, “嗯,上帝不想让我挨饿,是吗？”
budding:adj.开始发展的;崭露头角的;n.发芽;v.发芽;(bud的现在分词) pragmatist:n.实用主义者;爱管闲事的人;
And before long , in some months, Raisuddin was that Olive Garden's highest grossing alcohol pusher . 不久,在某些月份,Raisuddin成为橄榄花园餐厅 酒精销售总额最高的服务生。
before long:不久以后; grossing:[口语](未扣除各项费用之前)赚得总收入(或毛利); pusher:n.推进器;推进式飞机;推销员;非法销售者;
He found a man who taught him database administration. 他找到了一个男人教他数据库管理。
He got part-time I.T. gigs . 他有了一份I.T半工兼职。
gigs:n.轻便两轮马车; v.用鱼叉捕鱼(gig的三单形式);
Eventually, he landed a six-figure job at a blue chip tech company in Dallas. 最终,他在达拉斯一家蓝筹股公司找到一份6位数字的工作。
chip:v.削,凿;削成碎片;剥落;碎裂;n.[电子]芯片;筹码;碎片;(食物的)小片;薄片;
But as America began to work for Raisuddin, he avoided the classic error of the fortunate : assuming you're the rule, not the exception . 但是当美国开始成全Raisuddin时, 他避免了幸运的古典错误: 设想你就是规则,而不是例外。
classic:n.名著;优秀的典范;adj.最优秀的;第一流的;有代表性的;典型的; fortunate:adj.幸运的;交好运的;吉利的; assuming:conj.假设…为真; adj.傲慢的; v.假定; (assume的现在分词) exception:n.例外;异议;
In fact, he observed that many with the fortune of being born American were nonetheless trapped in lives that made second chances like his impossible. 事实上,他观察到很多幸运的生而为美国人的人们 尽管被困在生活中,但却不可能取得像他一样的第二次机会。
fortune:n.财富;命运;运气;v.给予财富,偶然发生 nonetheless:adv.尽管如此,但是; trapped:adj.受困的;受限制的;v.使落入险境;使陷入困境;(trap的过去分词和过去式)
He saw it at the Olive Garden itself, where so many of his colleagues had childhood horror stories of family dysfunction , chaos , addiction , crime. 他在橄榄花园餐厅看到了这种情况。 很多他一起工作的同事有着很可怕的童年 因为家庭的破灭,混乱,沉溺,犯罪。
colleagues:n.同事;同行(colleague的复数); childhood:n.童年;幼年;孩童时期 horror:n.恐惧;厌恶;震惊;对某事物的强烈畏惧(或憎恨); dysfunction:n.功能紊乱;机能障碍;官能不良;vi.功能失调;出现机能障碍;垮掉; chaos:n.混沌,混乱; addiction:n.瘾;嗜好;入迷;
He'd heard a similar tale about the man who shot him back when he attended his trial. 他参加审判的时候 听到那个射击他的男人有相似的故事.
The closer Raisuddin got to the America he had coveted from afar , the more he realized there was another, equally real, America that was stingier with second chances. Raisuddin 越接近到他从远方觊觎的美国, 他越意识到一个同样真实的美国 吝啬给予它的第二次机会。
coveted:adj.人人向往的;v.渴望;贪求(covet的过去分词和过去式) afar:adv.遥远地;在远处;
The man who shot Raisuddin grew up in that stingier America. 射击Raisuddin的男人成长在一个单亲家庭。
From a distance, Mark Stroman was always the spark of parties, always making girls feel pretty. 从外面看来,马克.斯托曼总是派对上的闪光, 总是让他的女孩们觉得自己很漂亮。
spark:n.火花;电火花;火星;活力;v.引发;触发;冒火花;飞火星;
Always working, no matter what drugs or fights he'd had the night before. 他总是在工作,不管在前一天晚上用过什么药物或者打过架。
no matter what:不管什么…;
But he'd always wrestled with demons . 然而他总是跟魔鬼在赌博。
wrestled:v.摔跤;奋力对付;全力解决;(wrestle的过去分词和过去式) demons:n.恶魔;魔鬼;心魔;邪念;(demon的复数)
He entered the world through the three gateways that doom so many young American men: bad parents, bad schools, bad prisons. 他走进了使很多年轻的 美国人失败的三扇门: 不负责任的父母,坏学校,坏监狱。
doom:n.厄运;毁灭;劫数;死亡;v.使…注定失败(或遭殃、死亡等);
His mother told him, regretfully , as a boy that she'd been just 50 dollars short of aborting him. 他的母亲很懊悔地告诉还是小男孩的他, 她只是缺少50块钱才没有打掉他。
regretfully:adv.懊悔地,遗憾地;抱歉地; aborting:n.异常终止;v.流产(abort的ing形式);
Sometimes, that little boy would be at school, he'd suddenly pull a knife on his fellow classmates. 有时,那个小男孩在学校 会突然对着他的同学抽出一把刀,
Sometimes that same little boy would be at his grandparents', tenderly feeding horses. 而有时同样的这个男孩会在他的祖父母那里 温柔地喂马。
tenderly:adv.温和地;体贴地;柔和地;
He was getting arrested before he shaved , first juvenile , then prison. 在他开始剔毛之前, 还是少年,就去了监狱
shaved:v.剃(须发);(尤指)刮脸;(少量地)削减;(shave的过去分词和过去式) juvenile:adj.青少年的;幼稚的;n.青少年;少年读物;
He became a casual white supremacist and, like so many around him, a drug-addled and absent father. 他变成了一个随意的白人至上主义者。 跟他周围的人一样,没有父亲,滥用毒品。
supremacist:n.至上主义者;adj.至上主义者的; absent:adj.缺席的;缺少的;心不在焉的;茫然的;v.使缺席;
And then, before long, he found himself on death row , for in his 2001 counter-jihad, he had shot not one mini-mart clerk, but three. 不久,他发现他自己在死囚牢房。 因为他2001年的反异教徒,他不是射杀了一个杂货店的收银员, 而是三个。
death row:n.死囚牢房;死囚区;
Only Raisuddin survived. 只有Raisuddin存活下来。
Strangely , death row was the first institution that left Stroman better. 奇怪的是,死囚牢房是 让斯托曼变好的第一个学校。
Strangely:adv.奇怪地;奇妙地;不可思议地; institution:n.制度;建立;(社会或宗教等)公共机构;习俗;
His old influences quit him. 旧有的影响离开了他,
influences:n.影响; v.影响; quit:v.离开;放弃;停止;使…解除;n.离开;[计]退出;adj.摆脱了…的;已经了结的;
The people entering his life were virtuous and caring: pastors , journalists , European pen-pals. 善意和关心的人们进入了他的生命: 牧师,杂志作家,欧洲的笔友,
virtuous:adj.善良的;有道德的;贞洁的;正直的;有效力的; pastors:n.(尤指非英国国教的)牧师;(pastor的复数) journalists:n.新闻记者(journalist的复数);
They listened to him, prayed with him, helped him question himself. 他们听他诉说,与他一同祷告,教他反思。
And sent him on a journey of introspection and betterment . 并且送给他反思和改造的杂志。
journey:n.旅行;行程;vi.旅行; introspection:n.内省;反省; betterment:n.改善,改进;改良;涨价;
He finally faced the hatred that had defined his life. 他最终面对成就他一生的仇恨
finally:adv.终于;最终;(用于列举)最后;彻底地; hatred:n.仇恨;憎恨;厌恶; defined:adj.有定义的,确定的; v.使明确;
He read Viktor Frankl, the Holocaust survivor and regretted his swastika tattoos . 他读了维克托.弗兰克尔的《大屠杀幸存者》 并且悔恨他的卍纹身,
Holocaust:n.大屠杀;毁灭; swastika:纳粹党所用的十字记号(45度°倾斜;代表毁灭的力量); tattoos:n.文身; v.给…文身; (tattoo的第三人称单数和复数)
He found God. 他找到了上帝。
Then one day in 2011, 10 years after his crimes, 在2011年,在他犯罪的十年以后,
Stroman received news. 斯托曼收到消息。
One of the men he'd shot, the survivor, was fighting to save his life. 一个被他射杀的男人,那名幸存者在努力拯救他的生命。
You see, late in 2009, eight years after that shooting, 你看,在2009年,在射杀事件的八年之后,
Raisuddin had gone on his own journey, a pilgrimage to Mecca . Raisuddin自己走上了去麦加朝圣的旅途。
pilgrimage:n.漫游;朝圣之行;vi.朝拜;漫游; Mecca:n.麦加(沙特阿拉伯一座城市);众人渴望去的地方;
Amid its crowds, he felt immense gratitude , but also duty. 置身于朝圣的人群中,他无比感激, 而且也感到肩负重任。
immense:adj.巨大的,广大的;无边无际的;非常好的; gratitude:n.感谢(的心情);感激;
He recalled promising God, as he lay dying in 2001, that if he lived, he would serve humanity all his days. 他回想起2001年当他濒临死亡时面对上帝许下的诺言, 如果他活着,他一生要为人类服务。
recalled:v.记起;回想起;使想到;勾起;召回;(recall的过去分词和过去式) humanity:n.人类;人道;仁慈;人文学科;
Then, he'd gotten busy relaying the bricks of a life. 然后他忙于构建人生,
relaying:n.继电保护; v.分程传递;
Now it was time to pay his debts . 现在就是他向上帝付清他欠款的时候。
debts:n.负债类,债务(debt的复数形式);
And he decided, upon reflection , that his method of payment would be an intervention in the cycle of vengeance between the Muslim and Western worlds. 经过深思熟虑,他决定他的付出方式 是介入穆斯林和西方之间 复仇的怪圈。
reflection:n.反映;沉思;映像;深思; payment:n.付款;支付;收款;款项;报答; intervention:n.介入;调停;妨碍; vengeance:n.复仇;报复;报仇;
And how would he intervene ? 他怎么做呢？
intervene:vi.干涉;调停;插入;
By forgiving Stroman publicly in the name of Islam and its doctrine of mercy . 以以色列的名字和它的仁慈 公开地宽恕斯托曼
in the name of:以…的名义; doctrine:n.主义;学说;教义;信条; mercy:n.仁慈,宽容;怜悯;幸运;善行;
And then suing the state of Texas and its governor Rick Perry to prevent them from executing Stroman, exactly like most people shot in the face do. 然后起诉得克萨斯州及州长里克·佩里 来阻止他们执行斯托曼死刑, 就像大多数的在脸上遭到枪击的人一样。
suing:v.控告:提起诉讼:(sue的现在分词) Perry:n.梨酒; executing:v.(尤指依法)处决,处死;实行;执行;实施;(execute的现在分词)
(Laughter) （笑声）
Yet Raisuddin's mercy was inspired not only by faith . 虽然Raisuddin的仁慈不只是从上帝而来的启示,
inspired:adj.受到启发的; v.鼓舞; (inspire的过去分词和过去式) faith:n.信心;信任;宗教信仰;
A newly minted American citizen, he had come to believe that Stroman was the product of a hurting America that couldn't just be lethally injected away. 作为一个崭新的美国公民,他已经开始相信斯托曼 是美国创伤的产物,并非一针致死注射能带走的。
minted:adj.铸造的;新生产的;薄荷味的;富有的;v.铸币;(mint的过去分词和过去式) lethally:adv.致命地;危害地;极具威胁地; injected:v.(给…)注射(药物等); (inject的过去分词和过去式)
That insight is what moved me to write my book "The True American." 他的慧眼感动了我,让我想写“真正的美国人“ 一书。
insight:n.洞察力;洞悉;
This immigrant begging America to be as merciful to a native son as it had been to an adopted one. 这位移民恳求美国 对待本国的孩子要像对外来的移民一样仁慈。
merciful:adj.仁慈的;慈悲的;宽容的; native:adj.本国的;土著的;天然的;与生俱来的;天赋的;n.本地人;土产;当地居民; adopted:adj.被收养的;被采用的;v.采用;接受;(adopt的过去式和过去分词);
In the mini-mart, all those years earlier, not just two men, but two Americas collided. 早在这些年以前,在小杂货店, 不只是两个男人,而是两个美国的相撞。
An America that still dreams, still strives , still imagines that tomorrow can build on today, and an America that has resigned to fate, buckled under stress and chaos, lowered expectations , an ducked into the oldest of refuges : the tribal fellowship of one's own narrow kind. 一个美国依然有梦,依然努力, 依然想着明天能够建筑在今天之上, 而另一个美国却引咎于命运, 在压力,混乱,无所期待的捆绑下, 躲进古老的避难所: 部落联合的狭隘思想,
strives:奋斗; resigned:adj.逆来顺受的;顺从的;v.辞职;辞去(某职务);(resign的过去分词和过去式) buckled:adj.有扣的; v.用扣子把…扣紧; expectations:n.预料;预期;期待;希望;指望;(expectation的复数) refuges:n.收容所;避难所(refuge的复数);v.避难(refuge的单三形式);提供庇护; tribal:adj.部落的;部族的;n.(尤指南亚的)部落成员; fellowship:n.友谊;奖学金;研究员职位; narrow:adj.狭窄的; v.使窄小; n.峡谷; (场所,物品等的)狭窄部分;
And it was Raisuddin, despite being a newcomer , despite being attacked, despite being homeless and traumatized , who belonged to that republic of dreams 而Raisuddin,不只是一个新来者, 尽管被攻击, 尽管是无家可归和心怀创伤的, 但他属于他那个共和的梦想,
despite:prep.尽管,不管;n.轻视;憎恨;侮辱; newcomer:n.[劳经]新来者;新到的移民; traumatized:adj.心理受到创伤的;v.使受创伤(traumatize的过去式和过去分词);
and Stroman who belonged to that other wounded country, despite being born with the privilege of a native white man. 而斯托曼却属于另一个受伤的国度, 尽管他来自具有优越感的本土白人。
wounded:adj.受伤的; n.伤员; v.使受伤; (wound的过去分词和过去式) privilege:n.特权;优待;v.给与…特权;特免;
I realized these men's stories formed an urgent parable about America. 我意识到这些男人的故事形成了一个关于美国的比喻。
urgent:adj.紧急的;急迫的; parable:n.寓言,比喻;隐晦或谜般的格言;
The country I am so proud to call my own wasn't living through a generalized decline as seen in Spain or Greece, where prospects were dimming for everyone. 那个我如此自豪称为我自己的祖国 没有经过一般 在西班牙和希腊所见到的萧条,在那儿每个人都前景黯淡。
generalized:adj.广义的,普遍的; v.推广(generalize的过去分词); decline:v.下降;衰退;减少;谢绝;n.下降; prospects:n.可能性; v.探矿; (prospect的第三人称单数和复数) dimming:n.调光;变暗;v.变暗(dim的现在分词);
America is simultaneously the most and the least successful country in the industrialized world. 美国在工业化的世界 是一个最成功,同时也是最失败的国家。
simultaneously:adv.同时地; industrialized:adj.工业化的;v.使工业化;将…组成产业(industrialize的过去分词);
Launching the world's best companies, even as record numbers of children go hungry. 具有世界上最好的公司, 同样有许多孩子在挨饿。
Launching:n.发射;开办;起飞;v.开始从事,发起,发动;(launch的现在分词)
Seeing life-expectancy drop for large groups, even as it polishes the world's best hospitals. 看得见预期寿命在广大群体的下降, 却也同样有标榜世界上最好的医院。
life-expectancy:预期寿命; polishes:n.抛光剂(polish的复数形式); v.[机]磨光;
America today is a sprightly young body, hit by one of those strokes that sucks the life from one side, while leaving the other worryingly perfect. 美国的今天是活泼的年轻的身体, 却遭受了一记重击,让生命从一边溜走, 从而留下另一边尽管完美,却让人忧虑。
sprightly:adj.活泼的;愉快的;adv.活泼地; strokes:n.中风; v.轻抚; (stroke的第三人称单数和复数) sucks:v.吮吸;吸;咂;啜;抽吸;抽取;(suck的第三人称单数) worryingly:adv.焦虑地;烦恼地;
On July 20, 2011, right after a sobbing Raisuddin testified in defense of Stroman's life, 二 零一一年,七月二十日,在哭诉之后,Raisuddin 作证为斯托曼的生命辩护,
sobbing:v.哭诉;泣诉;抽噎着说;(sob的现在分词) testified:v.(尤指出庭)作证;证实;证明;见证;(testify的过去式和过去分词)
Stroman was killed by lethal injection by the state he so loved. 斯托曼在他热爱的州被执行了致死注射,
injection:n.注射;大量资金的投入;(液体的)注入;
Hours earlier, when Raisuddin still thought he could still save Stroman, the two men got to speak for the second time ever. 几个小时之前,当Raisuddin 依然在思考他能救下斯托曼, 两个男人有了第二次的谈话。
Here is an excerpt from their phone call. 这是他们电话的摘录。
excerpt:n.摘录,引用;vt.引用,摘录;vi.摘录,引用;
Raisuddin: "Mark, you should know that I am praying for God, the most compassionate and gracious . Raisuddin:“马克,你该知道 我正在向最热忱和最荣耀的主祷告。
compassionate:adj.慈悲的;富于同情心的;vt.同情;怜悯; gracious:adj.亲切的;高尚的;和蔼的;雅致的;int.天哪;哎呀;
I forgive you and I do not hate you. 我原谅你,我不恨你。
forgive:v.原谅;免除(债务,义务等);
I never hated you." 我从来都没有恨过你。“
Stroman: "You are a remarkable person. 斯托曼:“你是一个杰出的男人。
remarkable:adj.卓越的;非凡的;值得注意的;
Thank you from my heart. 我从心底感谢你,
I love you, bro." 我爱你,兄弟。”
Even more amazingly, after the execution , 更令人惊奇的是,在死刑后,
execution:n.执行,实行;完成;死刑;
Raisuddin reached out to Stroman's eldest daughter, Amber , an ex-convinct and an addict. Raisuddin找到斯托曼的 有过定罪前科,而且是个瘾君子大女儿,安泊,
eldest:adj.最年长的;年事最高的(old的最高级);n.最年长者; Amber:adj.琥珀色的;琥珀制的;n.琥珀;琥珀色;vt.使呈琥珀色;
and offered his help. 要求帮助她。
'"You may have lost a father," he told her, "but you've gained an uncle." “你也许失去了一个父亲,” 他对她说, “但是你得到了一个叔叔。”
He wanted her, too, to have a second chance. 他希望她也有第二次机会。
If human history were a parade , 如果人类历史是一次游行,
parade:n.阅兵;游行;炫耀;检阅;v.游行;展览;游行庆祝;游行示威;
America's float would be a neon shrine to second chances. 美国的花车是一个崭新闪亮的第二次机会。
neon:n.霓虹灯;氖(10号元素,符号Ne); shrine:n.圣地;神殿;神龛;圣祠;v.将…置于神龛内;把…奉为神圣;
But America, generous with second chances to the children of other lands, today grows miserly with first chances to the children of its own. 但是美国,慷慨地把第二次机会给了从其他国土来的孩子, 但吝啬地只给他自己的孩子一次机会。
generous:adj.慷慨的,大方的;宽宏大量的;有雅量的; miserly:adj.吝啬的;贪婪的;
America still dazzles at allowing anybody to become an American. 美国还是招摇地允许任何人变成美国公民。
dazzles:n.耀眼的光; v.闪烁;
But it is losing its luster at allowing every American to become a somebody. 但他失去了让任何一个美国人都成功的光亮。
luster:n.[光]光泽;光彩;vi.有光泽;发亮;vt.使有光泽;
Over the last decade, seven million foreigners gained American citizenship . 过去十年,七百万外国人获得了美国公民。
citizenship:n.[法]公民身份,公民资格;国籍;公民权;
Remarkable. 非常好。
In the meanwhile , how many Americans gained a place in the middle class ? 而同时,有多少美国人挤上了中产阶级的班车？
meanwhile:adv.同时,其间;n.其间,其时; middle class:adj.中产阶级的;中层社会的;
Actually, the net influx was negative . 事实上,净流入是负值。
influx:n.流入;汇集;河流的汇集处; negative:adj.[数]负的;消极的;否定的;阴性的;n.否定;负数;[摄]底片;v.否定;拒绝;
Go back further, and it's even more striking: 再往前回顾一下会更令人吃惊。
Since the 60s, the middle class has shrunk by 20 percent, mainly because of the people tumbling out of it. 从六十年代起,中产阶级缩小了百分之二十, 主要是人们达不到那个水平
shrunk:v.收缩(shrink的过去分词); mainly:adv.大多;大部分;主要地;首要地; tumbling:v.(使)跌倒;倒塌;(价格或数量)暴跌;(tumble的现在分词)
And my reporting around the country tells me the problem is grimmer than simple inequality. 我所有的关于这个国家的报告告诉我 问题比简单的不平等更严峻。
grimmer:严酷的;可怕的;不愉快的(grim的比较级);
What I observe is a pair of secessions from the unifying center of American life. 我观察到的是美国生活的两个分裂体系,
secessions:n.脱离;分离; unifying:使统一;(unify的现在分词)使成一体;
An affluent secession of up, up and away, into elite enclaves of the educated and into a global matrix of work, money and connections, and an impoverished secession of down and out into disconnected , dead-end lives that the fortunate scarcely see. 一个是高高在上的富裕体系, 汇集了受过教育的精英阶层, 进入全球的关于工作,金钱和人脉的矩阵, 和一个贫穷的分裂潦倒的体系 在自生自灭,穷途末路的生活里 看不到任何幸运。
affluent:adj.富裕的;丰富的;流畅的;n.支流;富人; elite:n.精英;精华;杰出人物; enclaves:飞地; global:adj.全球的;总体的;球形的; matrix:n.[数]矩阵;模型;[生物][地质]基质;母体;子宫;[地质]脉石; impoverished:adj.穷困的;用尽了的,无创造性的;v.使贫困(impoverish的过去分词); down and out:贫困潦倒的;被击倒不能再战的; disconnected:adj.分离的; v.切断(煤气、水或电的供应); (disconnect的过去式和过去分词) dead-end:无出路的;辣手的;绝境; scarcely:adv.几乎不,简直不;简直没有;
And don't console yourself that you are the 99 percent. 不要安慰你自己你是那个百分之九十九。
console:v.安慰;抚慰;慰藉;n.控制台,操纵台,仪表板;
If you live near a Whole Foods, if no one in your family serves in the military , if you're paid by the year, not the hour, if most people you know finished college, if no one you know uses meth , if you married once and remain married, 如果你住得离“大千超市”很近, 如果你家没人在军队, 你不是按小时付薪而是按年付薪的话, 如果你认识的大多数人都完成了大学课程, 如果你认识的人中没人使用甲基毒品, 如果你只结婚一次而且依然在婚姻之中,
military:adj.军事的;军人的;适于战争的;n.军队;军人; meth:n.甲安菲他明(一种兴奋剂);
if you're not one of 65 million Americans with a criminal record -- if any or all of these things describe you, then accept the possibility that actually, you may not know what's going on and you may be part of the problem. 如果你不是六千五百万的具有犯罪记录的美国人之一－ 如果上述所有的事情都符合你, 那么接受这样一种可能性, 你实际上可能根本不知道到底发生了什么, 你也许就是这问题中的一部分。
describe:v.描述;形容;把…称为;画出…图形;
Other generations had to build a fresh society after slavery , pull through a depression , defeat fascism , freedom-ride in Mississippi. 以前的几代人不得不在奴隶之后建立一个新的社会, 从萧条中走出,反击法西斯 自由飘荡在密西西比。
slavery:n.奴隶制;奴隶身份;蓄奴;adj.流口水的;被口水弄脏的; pull through:n.擦枪筒用的带绳刷子; depression:n.沮丧;洼地;不景气;忧愁; fascism:n.法西斯主义;极端国家主义;
The moral challenge of my generation, I believe, is to reacquaint these two Americas, to choose union over secession once again. 我相信在我这一代人中,道德的挑战 是重新融合这两种美国人, 再一次选择联合而不是分裂。
moral:n.寓意;品行;教益;adj.道德的;道义上的;道德上的;品行端正的; reacquaint:vt.重新认识;
This ins't a problem we can tax or tax-cut away. 这不是我们能够用税收或者减少税收能解决的问题。
It won't be solved by tweeting harder, building slicker apps, or starting one more artisanal coffee roasting service. 它不能够以多用推特或建立更完美的软件而解决, 或启动一个手工咖啡烘焙服务能解决的。
tweeting:吱吱地叫(小鸟鸣叫);在社交网站Twitter上发微博(tweet的现在分词); slicker:n.雨衣;骗子;[机][皮革]刮刀; artisanal:手工艺性的; roasting:adj.用于烘焙的;燥热的;v.烘烤;烘焙;严厉批评;(roast的现在分词)
It is a moral challenge that begs each of us in the flourishing America to take on the wilting America as our own, as Raisuddin tried to do. 这是一个道德挑战需要我们每个人在美国的蓬勃发展中 像Raisuddin努力所做的一样 把凋零的美国当作我们的责任。
flourishing:adj.繁荣的;繁茂的;v.繁荣;兴旺;茁壮成长;(flourish的现在分词) wilting:v.(使)枯萎,凋谢;失去自信;(wilt的现在分词)
Like him, we can make pilgrimages . 像他一样,我们能做一次朝圣。
pilgrimages:v.朝拜;漫游(pilgrimage的三单形式);n.朝圣;漫游(pilgrimage的复数);
And there, in Baltimore and Oregon and Appalachia, find new purpose, as he did. 在巴尔的摩,俄勒冈和阿巴拉契亚地区, 发现新的目标,就像他一样
Baltimore:n.巴尔的摩(美国一座港市); Oregon:n.俄勒冈州(美国州名);
We can immerse ourselves in that other country, bear witness to its hopes and sorrows, and, like Raisuddin, ask what we can do. 我们可以投身于那样的异国, 见证了它的希望和悲伤, 并且像Raisuddin一样,问问我们自己能做什么。
immerse:vt.沉浸;使陷入; witness:n.证人;目击者;证据;v.目击;证明;为…作证;
What can you do? 你能做什么？
What can you do? 你能做什么？
What can we do? 我们能做什么？
How might we build a more merciful country? 我们如何建立一个更仁慈的国家？
We, the greatest inventors in the world, can invent solutions to the problems of that America, not only our own. 我们,世界最伟大的发明者, 能够发明解决美国问题的办法,不只是对我们自己的。
We, the writers and the journalists, can cover that America's stories, instead of shutting down bureaus in its midst . 我们这些作家和杂志作者能够讲述美国的故事, 而不是身在其中,却做个局外人。
bureaus:n.局,处;衣柜;办公桌; midst:n.当中,中间;prep.在…中间(等于amidst);
We can finance that America's ideas, instead of ideas from New York and San Francisco. 我们可以资助美国的梦想, 而不必采纳纽约或旧金山的主意,
finance:n.财政,财政学;金融;v.负担经费,供给…经费;
We can put our stethoscopes to its backs, teach there, go to court there, make there, live there, pray there. 我们就能够针砭时弊, 说教,上法庭,在那儿居住,祈祷。
stethoscopes:[临床]听诊器;
This, I believe, is the calling of a generation. 我相信,这就是召唤
An America whose two halves learn again to stride , to plow , to forge , to dare together. 美国两个分开的一代重组 去一起奋斗,耕耘,开拓,冒险。
stride:n.大步;步幅;进展;v.跨过;大踏步走过;跨坐在…; plow:vi.[农机]犁; vt.[农机]犁; n.[农机]犁; forge:v.锻造; n.锻压;
A republic of chances, rewoven, renewed , begins with us. 一个重新编织,更新的共和的机会 就从我们开始。
renewed:adj.再次发生的; v.重新开始; (renew的过去分词和过去式)
Thank you. 感谢大家
(Applause) （鼓掌）