偶像勵(lì)志英語(yǔ)演講25:失敗的好處和想象的重要性(7)

One of the greatest formative experiences of my life preceded Harry Potter, though it informed much of what I subsequently wrote in those books. This revelation came in the form of one of my earliest day jobs. Though I was sloping off to write storeies during my lunch hours, I paid the rent in my early 20s by working in the research department at Amnesty International's headquarters in London.

想象力使我隨后寫(xiě)書(shū)有了很多的想法，但對(duì)我影響最深遠(yuǎn)的經(jīng)歷發(fā)生在寫(xiě)《哈利·波特》之前。這種影響源于我早期的工作經(jīng)歷。在剛二十幾歲的時(shí)候，為了付房租，我在倫敦大赦國(guó)際總部的調(diào)查部門(mén)工作，但我可以在午餐時(shí)間偷偷溜出去寫(xiě)小說(shuō)。

There in my little office I read bastily scribbled letters smuggled out of totalitarian regimes by men and women who were risking imprisonment to inform the outside world of what was happening to them. I saw photographs of those who had disappeared without trace, sent to Amnesty by their desperate families and friends. I read the testimony of torture victims and saw pictures of their injuries. I opened handwritten, eye-witness accounts of summary trials and executions, of kidnappings and rapes.

在那狹小的辦公室里，我看著從集權(quán)主義政體偷運(yùn)出來(lái)的信件。寫(xiě)這些信件的人，為了讓外界知道他們那里所發(fā)生的事情冒著被監(jiān)禁的危險(xiǎn)，用潦草的字跡匆匆寫(xiě)下他們的遭遇，然后再將信件寄給我們。我看過(guò)那些由絕望的家人和朋友寄來(lái)的無(wú)跡可尋的人的照片。我讀過(guò)被嚴(yán)刑拷打的受害者的證詞并看了他們遍體鱗傷的圖片。我打開(kāi)過(guò)目擊者的手記，描述了對(duì)于綁架和強(qiáng)奸案的審判和處決。

Many of my co-workers were ex-political prisoners, people who had been displaced from their homes, or fled into exile, because they had the temerity to speak against their government. Visitors to our office included those who had come to give information, or to try and find out what had happened to those who they had left behind.

我的很多同事以前都是政治犯，因?yàn)樗麄兏矣谂姓员悔s出家門(mén)，或被放逐海外。來(lái)我們辦公室的訪客，包括那些前來(lái)提供信息的，或想方設(shè)法知道那些留下的同志發(fā)生了什么事的人。

I shall never forget the African torture victim, a young man no older than I was at the time, who had become mentally ill after all he had endured in his homeland. He trembled uncontrollably as he spoke into a video camera about the brutality inflicted upon him. He was a foot taller than I was, and seemed as fragile as a child. I was given the job of escorting him back to the underground station afterwards, and this man whose life had been shattered by cruelty took my hand with exquisite courtesy, and wished me future happiness.

我永遠(yuǎn)不會(huì)忘記那個(gè)非籍酷刑受害者，一個(gè)當(dāng)時(shí)還沒(méi)我大的年輕男子，他因在故鄉(xiāng)的經(jīng)歷而精神錯(cuò)亂。在攝像機(jī)前講述被殘暴地摧殘的經(jīng)歷時(shí)，他的身體止不住地顫抖。他比我高一英尺，但看上去卻像個(gè)孩子一樣脆弱。隨后我遵照組織的安排護(hù)送他到地鐵站時(shí)，這名人生已遭到殘酷摧毀的男子彬彬有禮地握著我的手，祝我未來(lái)幸福。

重點(diǎn)講解：

1. inform sb. of sth.

通知;告知某人某事;

eg. They would inform him of any progress they had made.

他們會(huì)把他們?nèi)〉玫娜魏芜M(jìn)步都告訴他。

eg. Please inform us of any changes of address.

地址若有變動(dòng)請(qǐng)隨時(shí)通知我們。

2. have the temerity to do sth.

膽敢做某事;有勇氣做某事;

eg. He has even had the temerity to invoke the names of Martin Luther King Jr and Malcolm X in defence of his actions.

他竟然敢搬出馬丁·路德·金和馬爾科姆·艾克斯的名字來(lái)為自己的行為辯解。

3. speak against

說(shuō)…的壞話，作不利于…的陳述，發(fā)言反對(duì);

eg. I will speak against anything I know to be wrong.

我會(huì)對(duì)所有我認(rèn)為不對(duì)的事情直言不諱。

eg. He spoke against me behind my back.

他背地里說(shuō)我壞話。

eg. A guest can't speak against his host.

吃人嘴軟。

eg. He had the temerity to call me a liar!

他竟敢說(shuō)我撒謊!

4. leave behind

留下;余留;

eg. I don't want to leave anything behind.

我不想留下任何東西。

eg. He left behind an immortal example to all posterity.

他給后世留下了不朽的典范。

5. inflict on/upon

予以(打擊);使遭受(損傷、苦痛等);

eg. Don't inflict damage on any person.

不要傷害任何人。

eg. The punishments inflicted on the children were too severe.

對(duì)這些孩子的處罰過(guò)於嚴(yán)厲。

eg. Otherwise we shall certainly inflict upon you very severe punishment.

否則我們一定會(huì)已很嚴(yán)厲的刑罰加予你。

名人簡(jiǎn)介：

成就榮譽(yù)

相繼推出的以男孩哈利·波特為主人公的系列兒童小說(shuō)，屢屢進(jìn)入世界各地暢銷書(shū)排行榜，獲英國(guó)國(guó)家圖書(shū)獎(jiǎng)兒童小說(shuō)獎(jiǎng)、斯馬蒂圖書(shū)金獎(jiǎng)?wù)陋?jiǎng)，并成為目前世界上最負(fù)盛名的兒童文學(xué)家。

1998年，羅琳被《書(shū)商》雜志評(píng)選為年度最佳作家。

1999年，又被評(píng)為英國(guó)年度圖書(shū)獎(jiǎng)得主。

2001年，憑哈利波特的第四部《哈利波特與火焰杯》獲得雨果獎(jiǎng)。

2010年10月19日，羅琳在丹麥歐登塞市舉行的儀式上獲頒首屆安徒生文學(xué)獎(jiǎng);10月20日，英國(guó)國(guó)家雜志公司發(fā)布由英國(guó)最具權(quán)威雜志編輯評(píng)選出的全國(guó)100名最具影響力的女性排行榜，羅琳力壓貝克漢姆妻子維多利亞和英國(guó)女王，摘得桂冠。在頒獎(jiǎng)詞中，評(píng)委會(huì)稱，羅琳憑借其高超的寫(xiě)作技巧、堅(jiān)持不懈追求成功的毅力以及熱衷慈善的品德獲此榮譽(yù)。[6]此外，羅琳還被評(píng)為英國(guó)十大女富豪之一。11月15日，“2010第五屆中國(guó)作家富豪榜”子榜單在中國(guó)最賺錢(qián)的外國(guó)作家富豪榜首次發(fā)布，羅琳以9550萬(wàn)元人民幣版稅收入問(wèn)鼎外國(guó)作家富豪榜首富寶座。