英语学习

Turning the Tide of Extinction

Today, we face an unprecedented surge in the brutal slaughter of iconic animals by poachers.

In South Africa, for example, one rhino was killed every month until 2005.

But last year, three rhinos were killed every single day.

In the 33 years since I was born, we have lost around 70% of Africa's elephant population.

Of those that are left, 20,000 are being killed every year.

That is 54 elephants killed every single day

扭转灭绝的潮流

今天，我们面临着偷猎者残忍屠杀标志性动物的空前激增。

例如，在南非，直到2005年，每个月都有一头犀牛被杀。

但去年，每天都有三头犀牛被杀。

在我出生后的33年里，非洲大象数量减少了70%。

在剩下的人中，每年有2万人被杀害。

每天有54头大象被杀

At this rate, children born this year, like my daughter Charlotte, will see the last wild elephants and rhinos die before their 25th birthdays.

Those who suffer the most from this loss are some of the poorest people on our planet.

They are the families who feel powerless as wildlife around them disappear, who face being trapped in poverty forever, without the income that should be brought in by tourism, a cornerstone of the economy in many developing nations.按照这个速度，今年出生的孩子，像我的女儿夏洛特一样，将会看到最后一批野生大象和犀牛在25岁生日之前死去。

遭受这种损失最严重的是我们这个星球上最贫穷的人。

他们是那些当周围的野生动物消失时感到无能为力的家庭，他们面临永远陷入贫困的境地，没有旅游业带来的收入，旅游业是许多发展中国家经济的基石。

They are the children whose parents risk their lives in the fight against poachers.

In the last few days, three rangers and one member of the armed forces were killed by poachers in one incident in Central Africa, leaving behind 14 children between them.

It is these children's future that is blighted so tragically by the illegal wildlife trade, and it is their birthright that is stolen.

There is no hiding from these facts today.

On our phones, laptops and our TV screens, we can see the images and read the reports that lay bare the truth of this crisis.

That knowledge brings responsibility: the responsibility to do everything in our power to reverse the march towards eradication of these fine animals.

他们是那些父母冒着生命危险与偷猎者作斗争的孩子。

在过去几天里，三名游骑兵和一名武装部队成员在中非发生的一起事件中被偷猎者杀害，留下14名儿童。

正是这些孩子们的未来被非法野生动物贸易严重破坏，他们与生俱来的权利也被偷走了。

今天这些事实是无法隐瞒的。

在我们的手机、笔记本电脑和电视屏幕上，我们可以看到照片，阅读揭露这场危机真相的报道。

这种知识带来了责任：我们有责任尽我们所能扭转消灭这些优良动物的进程。

The good news is that we are far from powerless in this struggle.

We can turn the tide of extinction.

We know where the animals we are trying to protect live.

We know many of the roads, the airports and ports criminals use to transfer their cargo, from killing fields to marketplace.

好消息是，我们在这场斗争中远非无能为力。

我们可以扭转灭绝的趋势。

我们知道我们要保护的动物生活在哪里。

我们知道许多道路，机场和港口罪犯用来转移他们的货物，从杀戮场到市场。

阅读笔记

㈠累积别人对自己的好印象，就像存款一样，一点一滴，慢慢地存，终能在别人心中有一定的好感与地位。这个好感与地位，就是成就自己人脉关系的分数。分数越高，人际关系就越好，做事情就越容易成功，需要帮助时，越容易得到援手。

若一夕之间把存款提光了，那就表示自己的潜能消失了，福分不见了，万一身患病痛，需要紧急用钱，也无钱可提了。

储蓄金钱，是怕急需。储蓄“自己给别人的恩惠与好印象”，则是幸福人生的不二法则。

㈡夜静，露湿，土松，螃蟹纷纷爬出洞穴，呼吸新鲜空气。

㈢日本作家渡边淳一写的《钝感力》里认为，现代人不要对日常生活太过敏感，必要的钝感力是赢得美好生活的手段和智慧。我也认同，钝感力确实是好东西，让人更能抗击挫折和悲伤，且有助身心健康。但完全地钝感，缺乏适度的敏感力，在人际关系里也相当危险，一不小心就可能沦为别人眼里的“讨厌鬼”。

　　适度的敏感力并非没完没了的内心戏和脆弱的玻璃心。它是一种敏锐地察觉别人心理感受，能将心比心地站在别人立场想问题的能力。这样的人有同理心，知分寸。拥有敏感力的人，常常能恰到好处地把握人际关系的临界点，知道怎样的距离会产生美。相反，如果一个人缺乏敏感力，为人处世缺根筋，不掌握行事说话尺度，就易惹人生厌

。