返回首页

MalcolmGladwell_2013S-_不为人知的《大卫与哥利亚》的故事_
So I wanted to tell a story that really obsessed me when I was writing my new book, and it's a story of something that happened 3,000 years ago, when the Kingdom of Israel was in its infancy . 我给大家讲个故事 我给大家讲个故事 它发生在 3000年前 那时以色列王国才刚刚诞生
obsessed:v.使痴迷;使迷恋;使着迷;(obsess的过去式和过去分词) Israel:n.以色列(亚洲国家);犹太人,以色列人; infancy:n.初期;婴儿期;幼年;
And it takes place in an area called the Shephelah in what is now Israel. 这个故事发生在一个叫示非拉的地方 就是现在的以色列
And the reason the story obsessed me is that 这个故事让我着迷的原因是
I thought I understood it, and then I went back over it and I realized that I didn't understand it at all. 我以为我读懂了,但当我再回顾时 我发现我一点也没读懂这个故事
Ancient Palestine had a -- along its eastern border, there's a mountain range. 在古代巴勒斯坦的东部边界 有一条山脉
eastern:adj.东方的;向东的;东部的;东方国家的;n.东方人;东正教信徒;
Still same is true of Israel today. 今天的以色列也还有这条山脉
And in the mountain range are all of the ancient cities of that region , so Jerusalem , Bethlehem , Hebron. 这片区域的所有古城都在这条山脉里 比如耶路撒冷,伯利恒,希伯伦
region:n.地区;范围;部位; Jerusalem:n.耶路撒冷(以色列首都); Bethlehem:n.伯利恒(耶稣降生地);
And then there's a coastal plain along the Mediterranean , where Tel Aviv is now. 然后沿着地中海 还有一个海岸平原,就是现在的特拉维夫市
coastal:adj.沿海的;海岸的; Mediterranean:n.地中海;adj.地中海的;
And connecting the mountain range with the coastal plain is an area called the Shephelah, which is a series of valleys and ridges that run east to west, 连接这条山脉和海岸平原的地方 就叫做示非拉 实际上就是一连串东西走向的山谷山脊
series:n.系列,连续;[电]串联;级数;丛书; ridges:n.带钢单向皱纹;
and you can follow the Shephelah, go through the Shephelah to get from the coastal plain to the mountains. 你可以穿过示非拉 从海岸平原到山里去
And the Shephelah, if you've been to Israel, you'll know it's just about the most beautiful part of Israel. 如果你去过以色列,你就会知道 示非拉算是以色列最美的地方了
It's gorgeous , with forests of oak and wheat fields and vineyards . 十分漂亮,有橡树林 有麦田,还有葡萄园
gorgeous:adj.华丽的,灿烂的;极好的; oak:n.橡树;橡木色;橡木家具;adj.栎树的;栎木制的; vineyards:n.(为酿酒而种植的)葡萄园;酿酒厂;(vineyard的复数)
But more importantly, though, in the history of that region, it's served, it's had a real strategic function, and that is, it is the means by which hostile armies on the coastal plain find their way, get up into the mountains and threaten those living in the mountains. 更重要的是,这片区域在历史上 起着战略性的作用 也就是说,海岸平原上的敌人 可以通过这里 登上山脉,威胁到山里的居民
strategic:adj.战略上的,战略的; hostile:adj.敌意的; n.敌对分子;
And 3,000 years ago, that's exactly what happens. 而在3000年前,确实发生了这种事
The Philistines , who are the biggest of enemies of the Kingdom of Israel, are living in the coastal plain. 腓力斯人,是以色列王国 最大的敌人 他们住在海岸平原上
Philistines:n.非利士人(Philistine的复数形式,爱琴海中的岛民);
They're originally from Crete. They're a seafaring people. 他们祖先来自克里特岛,是航海的民族
originally:adv.原来;起初; seafaring:adj.航海的;n.航海业;海上航行;
And they may start to make their way through one of the valleys of the Shephelah up into the mountains, because what they want to do is occupy the highland area right by Bethlehem and split the Kingdom of Israel in two. 他们会通过 示非拉的一条山谷 进入到山里 因为他们想占领伯利恒旁边那片高原地区 将以色列王国一分为二
occupy:v.占据,占领;居住;使忙碌; highland:n.高地;高原;苏格兰高地;adj.高地的;高原的;苏格兰高地的; split:v.分离;使分离;劈开;离开;分解;n.劈开;裂缝;adj.劈开的;
And the Kingdom of Israel, which is headed by King Saul, obviously catches wind of this, and Saul brings his army down from the mountains and he confronts the Philistines in the Valley of Elah, one of the most beautiful of the valleys of the Shephelah. 当时以色列王国的国王,索尔 已经提前收到风声 所以索尔带着他的军队下山 在示非拉最美的山谷之一 -- 以拉谷 遭遇腓力斯人
confronts:v.使…无法回避;降临于;处理;面对;对抗;(confront的第三人称单数)
And the Israelites dig in along the northern ridge, and the Philistines dig in along the southern ridge, and the two armies just sit there for weeks and stare at each other, because they're deadlocked . 然后以色列人沿着北边的山脊掘壕固守 腓力斯人则守在南边的山脊 双方僵持了数周 大眼瞪小眼,因为他们都陷入僵局了
Israelites:n.以色列人(Israelite的复数形式); stare:v.凝视;盯着看;注视;n.凝视; deadlocked:adj.僵持的;陷入僵局的;v.使僵持(deadlock的过去分词);
Neither can attack the other, because to attack the other side you've got to come down the mountain into the valley and then up the other side, and you're completely exposed . 谁都无法攻击到对方,因为如果要攻击对方 就得先从山脊下到山谷里来 然后再上到对方那里去,这样就完全暴露了自己
exposed:adj.无遮蔽的; v.暴露; (expose的过去分词和过去式)
So finally , to break the deadlock, the Philistines send their mightiest warrior down into the valley floor, and he calls out and he says to the Israelites, "Send your mightiest warrior down, and we'll have this out, just the two of us." 所以最后,为了打破僵局 腓力斯人派出了他们最勇猛的战士 来到了山谷里,大声叫喊 他对以色列人挑衅 “把你们最强的战士叫下来 就我们俩,来决一死战。”
finally:adv.终于;最终;(用于列举)最后;彻底地; mightiest:强大的;有力的(mighty的最高级); warrior:n.勇士;
This was a tradition in ancient warfare called single combat . 这是古代战争的一种传统,叫单一作战
warfare:n.战争;冲突; single combat:n.一对一的搏斗(通常用武器);
It was a way of settling disputes without incurring the bloodshed of a major battle. 它可以解决纠纷 避免战争中血流成河的局面
settling:n.安置;固定;沉淀物;移居;v.解决;安居;(settle的现在分词) disputes:n.争论(dispute的复数);v.争论(dispute的单数第三人称); incurring:n.招致(遭受); bloodshed:n.流血;杀戮;
And the Philistine who is sent down, their mighty warrior, is a giant . 腓力斯人派出的 是他们最强壮的战士,是个巨人
mighty:adj.强而有力的;巨大的;非凡的;adv.非常;很;极其; giant:n.巨人;伟人;巨兽;adj.巨大的;特大的
He's 6 foot 9. 身高接近2米1
He's outfitted head to toe in this glittering bronze armor , and he's got a sword and he's got a javelin and he's got his spear. He is absolutely terrifying . 他从头到脚都装备着闪亮的青铜铠甲 手持利剑和标枪 还有一支矛,威风凛凛
outfitted:n.机构;用具;全套装备;vi.得到装备;vt.配备;供应; toe:n.脚趾;鞋头;v.用脚趾踩;用脚尖踢; glittering:adj.闪闪发光的;v.闪闪发光;(glitter的现在分词); bronze:n.青铜; adj.青铜色的; vt.镀青铜于; vi.变成青铜色,被晒黑; armor:n.[军]装甲;盔甲;v.为…装甲; javelin:n.标枪,投枪; absolutely:adv.绝对地;完全地; terrifying:adj.令人恐惧的;骇人的;极大的;v.使害怕,使恐怖;(terrify的现在分词)
And he's so terrifying that none of the Israelite soldiers want to fight him. 他太可怕了,以至于没有一个以色列战士敢去迎战
It's a death wish , right? There's no way they think they can take him. 这不找死吗,对吧？他们觉得肯定打不赢他
death wish:n.(常指无意识的)死亡愿望;
And finally the only person who will come forward is this young shepherd boy, and he goes up to Saul and he says, "I'll fight him." 最后唯一一个自告奋勇的人 是个牧童 他走到索尔面前,说,“我去会会他。”
shepherd:vt.牧羊;带领;指导;看管;n.牧羊人;牧师;指导者;
And Saul says, "You can't fight him. That's ridiculous . 索尔说,“你打不过的,别闹了
ridiculous:adj.可笑的;荒谬的;
You're this kid. This is this mighty warrior." 你只是个小孩,对方可是猛将啊。”
But the shepherd is adamant . He says, "No, no, no, you don't understand, I have been defending my flock against lions and wolves for years. I think I can do it." 但这个牧童很固执,连说,“不不不, 你不知道,我为了保护我的羊群 经常和狮子狼群周旋,我可以的。”
adamant:adj.固执的,坚强的;坚定不移的;坚硬无比的;n.坚硬的东西;坚石; flock:v.聚集;群集;蜂拥;n.(羊或鸟)群;(尤指同类人的)一大群;
And Saul has no choice. He's got no one else who's come forward. 索尔没办法,因为除了他,没人敢去了
So he says, "All right." 所以他同意了,“好吧。”
And then he turns to the kid, and he says, "But you've got to wear this armor. You can't go as you are." 所以他同意了,“好吧。” “但你得穿上这铠甲,你不能就这么去。”
So he tries to give the shepherd his armor, and the shepherd says, "No." 然后就准备给他穿上铠甲 这是牧童拒绝了,“不。”
He says, "I can't wear this stuff ." 他说,“我不穿这个。”
stuff:n.东西:物品:基本特征:v.填满:装满:标本:
The Biblical verse is, "I cannot wear this for I have not proved it," 圣经中的原话是,“吾,未曾披甲而战,故,不着甲。”
Biblical:adj.圣经的;依据圣经的(等于biblical); verse:n.诗,诗篇;韵文;诗节;vi.作诗;vt.使熟练,使精通;
meaning, "I've never worn armor before. You've got to be crazy." 意思就是,“我从来就没穿过铠甲,万一不适应怎办。”
So he reaches down instead on the ground and picks up five stones and puts them in his shepherd's bag and starts to walk down the mountainside to meet the giant. 然后他就蹲到地上 捡了五颗石子 放进了他的牧羊包里 然后就下山找巨人去了
mountainside:山腰,山坡,
And the giant sees this figure approaching , and calls out, "Come to me so I can feed your flesh to the birds of the heavens and the beasts of the field." 巨人看到他来了 挑衅说,“过来吧,我要把你的肉 献给天上的鸟儿和地里的野兽。”
approaching:v.靠近,接近;接洽;建议;要求;(approach的现在分词) flesh:n.肉;肉体;v.喂肉给…;发胖;
He issues this kind of taunt towards this person coming to fight him. 他对这个前来和他单挑的年轻人 大肆嘲讽
issues:n.重要议题;争论的问题;v.宣布;公布;发出;(issue的第三人称单数和复数) taunt:n.嘲弄;讥讽;vt.奚落;逗弄;adj.很高的;
And the shepherd draws closer and closer, and the giant sees that he's carrying a staff. 牧童越来越接近巨人了 而巨人看到他只扛着一根牧羊棒
That's all he's carrying. 他只带了这个
Instead of a weapon, just this shepherd's staff, and he says -- he's insulted -- "Am I a dog that you would come to me with sticks?" 没有武器,只有这根牧羊棒 然后巨人就羞辱他 “我是条狗吗？你拿这些打狗棒来干啥啊？”
insulted:v.辱骂;侮辱;冒犯;(insult的过去分词和过去式)
And the shepherd boy takes one of his stones out of his pocket, puts it in his sling and rolls it around and lets it fly and it hits the giant right between the eyes -- right here, in his most vulnerable spot -- and he falls down either dead or unconscious , and the shepherd boy runs up and takes his sword and cuts off his head, and the Philistines see this and they turn and they just run. 这时牧童从他的袋子里 取出了一块石头,放在他的投石绳上 抡了几圈绳子,然后甩出了石头 石头直直地砸在巨人的眉间 那里是他最脆弱的部位 巨人应声而倒,也不知是死了还是晕了 牧童就赶紧跑过去,拿起他的剑 把他的头砍了下来 腓力斯人见状,都吓得促慌而逃
sling:n.[机]吊索;投石器;抛掷;v.用投石器投掷;吊起; vulnerable:adj.易受攻击的,易受…的攻击;易受伤害的;有弱点的; unconscious:adj.无意识的;失去知觉的;未发觉的;
And of course, the name of the giant is Goliath and the name of the shepherd boy is David, and the reason that story has obsessed me over the course of writing my book 这个巨人的名字,叫做哥利亚 而这个牧童,叫做大卫 在我写书的过程中 这个故事之所以让我着迷
is that everything I thought I knew about that story turned out to be wrong. 就是因为我发现自己对这个故事的理解 都是错的
So David, in that story, is supposed to be the underdog , right? 在这个故事里,大卫是不被看好的,对吧？
supposed:adj.误信的;所谓的;v.认为;假设;设想;(suppose的过去分词和过去式) underdog:n.比赛中不被看好者;失败者;受压迫者;斗败了的狗;
In fact, that term, David and Goliath , has entered our language as a metaphor for improbable victories by some weak party over someone far stronger. 事实上,“大卫和哥利亚”这个短语 已经被我们用来比喻 出人意料的胜利 以弱胜强
David and Goliath:adj.强弱悬殊;以弱战强; metaphor:n.暗喻,隐喻;比喻说法; improbable:adj.不大可能的,未必确实的;不可信的;
Now why do we call David an underdog? 那么我们为什么不看好大卫呢？
Well, we call him an underdog because he's a kid, a little kid, and Goliath is this big, strong giant. 首先我们不看好他,因为他是个孩子 只是个小孩,而哥利亚是强壮的巨人
We also call him an underdog because Goliath is an experienced warrior, and David is just a shepherd. 所以我们不看好他 哥利亚可是个英勇善战的战士 大卫只是个牧童罢了
But most importantly, we call him an underdog because all he has is -- it's that Goliath is outfitted with all of this modern weaponry , this glittering coat of armor and a sword and a javelin and a spear, and all David has is this sling. 但我们不看好他的最重要的原因是 哥利亚全身上下都武装着 先进的武器装备 闪亮的青铜铠甲 利剑,标枪和长矛 而大卫就只有一条投石绳
weaponry:n.兵器,武器(总称);
Well, let's start there with the phrase "All David has is this sling," 我们再看一下这句话 “大卫就只有一条投石绳,”
because that's the first mistake that we make. 这就是我们所犯的第一个错误所在
In ancient warfare, there are three kinds of warriors . 在古代战争中,有三种士兵
warriors:n.(尤指旧时的)武士,勇士,斗士(warrior的复数)
There's cavalry , men on horseback and with chariots . 一是骑兵,驾车骑在马背上
cavalry:n.骑兵;装甲兵;装甲部队; horseback:n.马背;峻峭的山脊;adv.在马背上;adj.性急的;草率的;未经充分考虑的; chariots:n.战车(chariot的复数形式); v.用战车运送;
There's heavy infantry , which are foot soldiers, armed foot soldiers with swords and shields and some kind of armor. 二是重步兵,就是步兵 武装上剑和盾 还有铠甲
infantry:n.步兵;步兵团; shields:n.盾牌; v.屏蔽; (shield的第三人称单数)
And there's artillery , and artillery are archers, but, more importantly, slin gers. 第三则是炮兵,这里指弓兵 还有不容忽视的投石兵
artillery:n.火炮;大炮;炮队;炮术; gers.:n.热尔省(法国省份);
And a slinger is someone who has a leather pouch with two long cords attached to it, and they put a projectile , either a rock or a lead ball, inside the pouch, and they whirl it around like this and they l et on e of the cords go, and the effect is to send the projectile forward towards its target. 投石兵的武器,就是一个皮囊 两端有长绳系着 他们把石弹或铅弹放进皮囊 然后像这样挥舞着 再放掉一根绳 就可以把弹物抛出 击中目标
leather:n.皮革;皮革制品;v.用皮革包盖;抽打;adj.皮的;皮革制的; pouch:n.小袋;育儿袋;烟草袋;vi.成袋状;vt.使成袋状;把…装入袋中; cords:n.(结实的)粗线,细绳;灯芯绒裤子;(cord的复数) attached:adj.依恋;v.重视;把…固定;(attach的过去分词和过去式) projectile:adj.抛射的; n.射弹;
That's what David has, and it's important to understand that that sling is not a slingshot . 大卫用的就是这个,但必须强调一点 投石绳并不是弹弓
slingshot:n.弹弓;
It's not this, right? It's not a child's toy. 不是这样的,对吧？它不是个玩具
It's in fact an incredibly devastating weapon. 它其实是十分致命的武器
incredibly:adv.难以置信地;非常地; devastating:adj.毁灭性的; v.毁灭; (devastate的现在分词)
When David rolls it around like this, he's turning the sling around probably at six or seven revolutions per second, and that means that when the rock is released , it's going forward really fast, probably 35 meters per second. 当大卫这样抛旋的时候 速度大约可以达到 每秒六到七圈 这就意味着,当石头被释放出去的时候 它的速度是非常快的 大概每秒35米
revolutions:n.革命,转数(revolution的复数形式); released:v.释放;使免除;已发布;(release的过去分词和过去式)
That's substantially faster than a baseball thrown by even the finest of baseball pitchers . 这比最好的棒球手 投出的球的速度快得多
substantially:adv.实质上;大体上;充分地; pitchers:n.水罐(pitcher的复数);瓷渣;
More than that, the stones in the Valley of Elah were not normal rocks. They were barium sulphate , which are rocks twice the density of normal stones. 另外,以拉谷的石头 不是普通的石头,他们是硫酸钡 密度是普通石头的两倍
barium:n.[化学]钡(一种化学元素); sulphate:n.硫酸盐;vt.使与硫酸化合;vi.硫酸盐化; density:n.密度;
If you do the calculations on the ballistics , on the stopping power of the rock fired from David's sling, it's roughly equal to the stopping power of a [.45 caliber] handgun . 如果你根据弹道学的理论去计算 大卫投出的那个石头的制动能力 基本上相当于 一把口径为0.45的手枪
ballistics:n.发射学,弹道学; roughly:adv.粗糙地;概略地; handgun:n.手枪;
This is an incredibly devastating weapon. 这可是置人于死地的武器
Accuracy , we know from historical records that slingers -- experienced slingers could hit and maim or even kill a target at distances of up to 200 yards. 精确度,我们从历史记录上可以看出 投石手——经验丰富的投石手 可以射伤甚至射死远达200码外的人
Accuracy:n.[数]精确度,准确性; historical:adj.历史的;史学的;基于史实的; maim:vt.使残废;
From medieval tapestries , we know that slingers were capable of hitting birds in flight. 从中世纪的一些挂毯上,我们得知 投石手能击中空中飞翔的鸟儿
medieval:adj.中世纪的;原始的;仿中世纪的;老式的; tapestries:n.挂毯(tapestry的复数);v.饰以织锦画(tapestry的第三人称单数形式); capable:adj.能干的,能胜任的;有才华的;
They were incredibly accurate . 他们的精准度相当高
accurate:adj.精确的;
When David lines up -- and he's not 200 yards away from Goliath, he's quite close to Goliath -- when he lines up and fires that thing at Goliath, he has every intention and every expectation 大卫抡绳子时,离哥利亚还不到200码 离得很近 当他抡起绳子朝哥利亚投石时 他已经打算好了
intention:n.意图;目的;意向;愈合; expectation:n.预料;预期;期待;希望;指望;
of being able to hit Goliath at his most vulnerable spot between his eyes. 就是要击中哥利亚最脆弱的部位 也就是他的眉心
If you go back over the history of ancient warfare, you will find time and time again that slingers were the decisive factor against infantry in one kind of battle or another. 如果回顾古代战争史 你会经常发现 投石手是抗击步兵的决定性因素 不管是什么战争
time and time again:一次次;一次又一次;多次;不断地; decisive:adj.决定性的;果断的,坚定的; factor:n.因素;要素;[物]因数;代理人;v.做代理商;v.把…作为因素计入;
So what's Goliath? He's heavy infantry, and his expectation when he challenges the Israelites to a duel is that he's going to be fighting another heavy infantryman . 那哥利亚属于什么类别呢？他是重步兵 他向以色列士兵挑战时 预想的对手是另一名重步兵
duel:n.决斗;斗争,抗争;vi.决斗; infantryman:n.步兵;
When he says, "Come to me that I might feed your flesh to the birds of the heavens and the beasts of the field," 当他说,“过来吧,我要把你的肉 献给天上的鸟儿和地里的野兽,”
the key phrase is "Come to me." 他的关键词是“过来吧”
Come up to me because we're going to fight, hand to hand , like this. 快过来,我们单挑 面对面,就像这样
Come up to:v.达到;等于; hand to hand:adj.极接近的;白刃战的;传递到手的;
Saul has the same expectation. 索尔也是同样的想法
David says, "I want to fight Goliath," 大卫说,“让我去会会哥利亚,”
and Saul tries to give him his armor, because Saul is thinking, "Oh, when you say 'fight Goliath,' you mean 'fight him in hand-to-hand combat,' infantry on infantry." 索尔试图给他穿上铠甲 因为索尔想,“噢,你说你要去‘会会’他 就是指‘面对面地徒手决战’ 步兵间的决斗。”
hand-to-hand:adj.极接近的;白刃战的;传递到手的;
But David has absolutely no expectation. 但大卫当然不是这样想的
He's not going to fight him that way. Why would he? 他肯定不会用这样的战术,为什么要这样呢
He's a shepherd. He's spent his entire career using a sling to defend his flock against lions and wolves. 他是个牧童,他一直以来 都是用投石绳保护自己的羊群,驱赶狮子和狼群
career:n.职业;事业;生涯;经历;
That's where his strength lies. 这也是他的优势所在
So here he is, this shepherd, experienced in the use of a devastating weapon, up against this lumbering giant weighed down by a hundred pounds of armor and these incredibly heavy weapons that are useful only in short-range combat. 所以他是一个,经验丰富的牧羊人 能使用致命的武器 击败笨拙的巨人 哪怕巨人穿上百斤重甲 手持重型武器 而这些重装备却只在近距搏斗中有优势
lumbering:adj.笨拙的; n.伐木业; v.伐树; short-range:adj.短射程的;短期间的;
Goliath is a sitting duck . He doesn't have a chance. 哥利亚基本就是坐以待毙,他没有机会出手
a sitting duck:易捕获的猎物;容易被打击的对象;
So why do we keep calling David an underdog, and why do we keep referring to his victory as improbable? 那么为什么我们总是不看好大卫 总是认为他不可能胜利呢？
referring:v.引用;提到;将…归因于…;把…提交;(refer的现在分词)
There's a second piece of this that's important. 另外还有一点很重要
It's not just that we misunderstand David and his choice of weaponry. 我们不仅误解了大卫 和他选择的武器
misunderstand:v.误解;误会;
It's also that we profoundly misunderstand Goliath. 同时我们也高估了哥利亚
profoundly:adv.深刻地;深深地;极度地;
Goliath is not what he seems to be. 哥利亚其实没那么可怕
There's all kinds of hints of this in the Biblical text, things that are in retrospect quite puzzling and don't square with his image as this mighty warrior. 在圣经中有不少的暗示 很多东西回想起来都模棱两可 而且和他强大的战士的形象并不相符
hints:n.暗示,提示(hint的复数形式);v.暗示,示意(hint的单三形式); retrospect:n.回顾,追溯;vi.回顾,追溯;回想;vt.回顾;追忆; puzzling:adj.使为难的;费解的;v.迷惑;使困惑;(puzzle的现在分词)
So to begin with, the Bible says that Goliath is led onto the valley floor by an attendant . 首先,圣经说哥利亚 是被一个侍从带到山谷底下的
Bible:n.有权威的书; attendant:adj.伴随的;侍候的;n.服务员,侍者;随员,陪从;
Now that is weird , right? 这有点奇怪,对吧？
weird:adj.奇怪的;奇异的;离奇的;n.命运;宿命;命运女神;
Here is this mighty warrior challenging the Israelites to one-on-one combat. 他可是强壮的战士 向以色列人单挑的战士
one-on-one:adj.一对一的;直接对立的;adv.一对一;面对面;n.一对一的比赛;
Why is he being led by the hand by some young boy, presumably , to the point of combat? 为什么要由 可能还是个小男孩的侍从 带到战场上呢？
presumably:adv.大概;推测起来;可假定;
Secondly, the Bible story makes special note of how slowly Goliath moves, another odd thing to say when you're describing the mightiest warrior known to man at that point. 第二,圣经故事里强调 哥利亚行动缓慢 用这来描述当时无人不晓的战士 不是很奇怪吗
odd:adj.古怪的;奇数的;n.奇数; describing:v.描述;形容;把…称为;做…运动;(describe的现在分词)
And then there's this whole weird thing about how long it takes Goliath to react to the sight of David. 而最奇怪的是 哥利亚花了很长时间 才发现大卫
react:v.起反应;回应;(对食物等)有不良反应,过敏;起化学反应;
So David's coming down the mountain, and he's clearly not preparing for hand-to-hand combat. 大卫下山 并没有准备徒手搏斗
There is nothing about him that says, "I am about to fight you like this." 书中没有记载说他 “我就准备这样和你打”
He's not even carrying a sword. 他甚至连剑都没带
Why does Goliath not react to that? 哥利亚为什么对此毫无反应呢？
It's as if he's oblivious to what's going on that day. 他好像没有意识到发生了什么
oblivious:adj.遗忘的;健忘的;不注意的;不知道的;
And then there's that strange comment he makes to David: "Am I a dog that you should come to me with sticks?" 还有他对大卫奇怪的嘲讽: “我是条狗吗？你拿这些打狗棒来干啥啊？”
Sticks? David only has one stick. 这些？大卫只带了一根而已
Well, it turns out that there's been a great deal of speculation within the medical community over the years about whether there is something fundamentally wrong with Goliath, an attempt to make sense of all of those apparent anomalies . 多年来,医学界 一直对此颇有猜测 是不是哥利亚 本身就有问题 他们试图去解释这些明显的反常现象
a great deal of:大量; speculation:n.投机;推测;思索;投机买卖; community:n.社区;[生态]群落;共同体;团体; fundamentally:adv.从根本上;基础地;重要地 attempt:n.企图,试图;攻击;v.企图,试图;尝试; make sense of:搞清…的意思; apparent:adj.显然的;表面上的; anomalies:n.异常现象,反常现象(anomaly复数形式);
There have been many articles written. 人们写了不少文章
The first one was in 1960 in the Indiana Medical Journal , and it started a chain of speculation that starts with an explanation for Goliath's height. 第一篇发表在1960年的印第安纳医学杂志上 开始了一系列的推测 首先,它解释了哥利亚的身高
Journal:n.杂志;日记;日志;(用于报纸名)…报;
So Goliath is head and shoulders above all of his peers in that era, and usually when someone is that far out of the norm , there's an explanation for it. 在当时,哥利亚比他的同龄人 高出一个肩膀 通常来说,如果有人超出正常范围如此之多 人们就会对其作出解释
peers:n.平辈,同事(peer的复数);v.凝视;比得上(peer的三单形式); norm:n.规范;标准;定额;常态;v.规范;规定;
So the most common form of giantism is a condition called acromegaly, and acromegaly is caused by a benign tumor on your pituitary gland that causes an overproduction of human growth hormone . 巨人症最常见的症状 叫做肢端肥大症 肢端肥大症是由位于脑下垂体 的良性肿瘤 过多分泌人类生长激素而导致的
benign:adj.良性的;和蔼的,亲切的;吉利的; tumor:n.肿瘤;肿块;赘生物; pituitary:n.垂体;脑垂体;adj.脑垂体的;脑垂体分泌失调引起的; gland:n.腺;密封压盖; overproduction:n.生产过剩;过度产生; hormone:n.[生理]激素,荷尔蒙;
And throughout history, many of the most famous giants have all had acromegaly. 纵观历史,许多著名的巨人 都患有肢端肥大症
throughout:adv.自始至终,到处;全部;prep.贯穿,遍及; giants:n.巨人;大汉;巨兽;巨树;(giant的复数)
So the tallest person of all time was a guy named Robert Wadlow who was still growing when he died at the age of 24 and he was 8 foot 11. 世界上有史以来最高的 是一个叫Robert Wadlow的人 他在24岁离世时仍然在长个子 当时身高是2米72
He had acromegaly. 他患有肢端肥大症
Do you remember the wrestler André the Giant? 你们还记得摔跤手巨人安德烈吗？
wrestler:n.摔跤选手,搏斗者;
Famous. He had acromegaly. 很有名。他也患有肢端肥大症
There's even speculation that Abraham Lincoln had acromegaly. 甚至有人猜测亚伯拉罕·林肯也有肢端肥大症
Anyone who's unusually tall, that's the first explanation we come up with . 只要有谁特别高 只要有谁特别高
unusually:adv.非常;异乎寻常地;显著地; come up with:提出;想出;赶上;
And acromegaly has a very distinct set of side effects associated with it, principally having to do with vision. 肢端肥大症还有其特有的 副作用 主要和视力有关
distinct:adj.明显的;独特的;清楚的;有区别的; associated:adj.有关联的; v.联想; (associate的过去分词和过去式) principally:adv.主要地;大部分;
The pituitary tumor, as it grows, often starts to compress the visual nerves in your brain, with the result that people with acromegaly have either double vision or they are profoundly nearsighted . 脑下垂体肿瘤生长到一定程度时 常会压迫到大脑里的视觉神经 导致肢端肥大症患者 要么复视,要么近视
compress:vi.受压缩小;vt.压缩,压紧;精简; visual:adj.视觉的,视力的;栩栩如生的; nerves:n.神经;神经紧张;勇气;v.鼓足勇气;振作精神;(nerve的第三人称单数和复数) double vision:n.复视(将一个物体看成两个影像); nearsighted:adj.近视的;浅见的;
So when people have started to speculate about what might have been wrong with Goliath, they've said, "Wait a minute, he looks and sounds an awful lot like someone who has acromegaly." 所以当人们猜测 哥利亚哪里出了毛病的时候 他们都会说,“等一下, 他看起来很像是患上了 肢端肥大症。”
speculate:v.推测;猜测;推断;投机;做投机买卖;
And that would also explain so much of what was strange about his behavior that day. 这就解释了那天哥利亚 很多奇怪的举动
Why does he move so slowly and have to be escorted down into the valley floor by an attendant? 为什么他行动迟缓 而且必须要由人带着他 到山谷下呢？
escorted:v.护卫;护送(escort的过去分词和过去式)
Because he can't make his way on his own. 因为他没法自己走下去
Why is he so strangely oblivious to David that he doesn't understand that David's not going to fight him until the very last moment? 为什么他如此无视大卫 不明白大卫不到最后一刻 是不会与他交手的呢？
strangely:adv.奇怪地;奇妙地;不可思议地;
Because he can't see him. 因为他看不见大卫
When he says, "Come to me that I might feed your flesh to the birds of the heavens and the beasts of the field," 当他说,“过来吧,我要把你的肉 献给天上的鸟儿和地里的野兽,”时
the phrase "come to me" is a hint also of his vulnerability . 这句“过来吧”也暴露了他的弱点
vulnerability:n.易损性;弱点;
Come to me because I can't see you. 过来吧,因为我看不见你
And then there's, "Am I a dog that you should come to me with sticks?" 另外,“我是条狗吗？你拿这些打狗棒来干啥啊？”
He sees two sticks when David has only one. 大卫只拿了一根棒,而他看见的是两根
So the Israelites up on the mountain ridge looking down on him thought he was this extraordinarily powerful foe . 所以以色列人在山脊上 往下看时,以为他是 无比强大的敌人
extraordinarily:adv.非常;格外地;非凡地; foe:n.敌人;反对者;危害物;
What they didn't understand was that the very thing that was the source of his apparent strength was also the source of his greatest weakness. 他们不知道的是 巨人外表强大的根源 也是他弱点的根源
source:n.来源;水源;原始资料;
And there is, I think, in that, a very important lesson for all of us. 我认为 这个故事给我们所有人都上了一课
Giants are not as strong and powerful as they seem. 巨人并不像看起来那么强大
And sometimes the shepherd boy has a sling in his pocket. 有时牧童的口袋里,还有一根投石绳
Thank you. 谢谢
(Applause) （掌声）