What They Wish They’d Known as a Teenager 年轻人最想听精英们谈什么

2016-05-14徐舟

英语学习 2016年9期

徐舟

1966年《新闻周刊》曾刊登过一篇深度调查，标题是《美国年轻一代究竟啥样？》。调查的内容从政治、流行文化到年轻人对父母、自己的未来乃至全世界的看法，不一而足。50年后，该杂志再度刊登了类似调查，企图追踪50年来年轻一代的改变与持守，其结论是：这代年轻人具有政治意识，虽对未来乐观，但也为美国担忧。鉴于此，不同领域的社会精英们以过来人的身份与这些年轻人分享了他们的处世心得。

“Take some time to disconnect from your devices and connect with yourself—whether thats 20 minutes a day by meditating or leaving your phone in the car on a hike—to allow your mind to have an uninterrupted train of thought， which breeds creativity.”1

—Katy Perry2， pop star

“Know that this is just the beginning. You are finding your feet， voice and identity now， but your growth is far from over. Be patient and work incredibly3 hard. There will be many opportunities if you are open and use all of your resources. However， be careful not to step on people to get to where you want to go.4 The world is a small place， and its nice to know you have presented your best self throughout your journey. Value and appreciate those who have been there to give you advice. It doesnt make you weak to accept advice. Having mentors5 in your life will help you to learn from them and not repeat their mistakes. Theyll help you to be better， smarter and stronger. What the future holds for you is so exciting： Take it on6 and accept the challenges with care and strength. Know that we want the world to be a better place and you hold the power to make it so.”

—Misty Copeland， principal dancer at American Ballet Theatre7

“It seems unavoidable that you will develop some kind of paralyzing insecurity in your teens.8 It happens to everyone—everyone—and， commonly， it carries over into adulthood. These insecurities will hold you back in every aspect of your life， so be brave and talk to someone about it. It really helps. Or maybe stop following Kendall and Kylie on Instagram.9 Constantly comparing yourself to others is no way to live， and I hope you find that out sooner than I did. Also， sleep in as much as you can.”

—Nikki Glaser， comedian and star of Comedy Centrals Not Safe10

“Solve the hard problems. This year， Melinda and I addressed our Annual Letter to high school students， because youre the ones who will ultimately be solving the problems that keep the world from being a more equitable place.11 Imagine life without energy： no electricity， gasoline12 or any other source. Thats what life is like for about 1.3 billion people—18 percent of the worlds population. Theyre stuck in the dark， denied all of the benefits and opportunities that come with power. If we really want to help the worlds poorest families， we need to find a way to get them cheap， clean energy. Cheap， because everyone must be able to afford it. Clean， because it must not emit any carbon dioxide，13 which is driving climate change. （In 2015， the world emitted 36 billion tons of carbon dioxide.） Todays clean-energy technology holds a lot of promise， but to cut our emissions to near zero and make energy affordable for everyone， were also going to need some new inventions.14 Many young people are already actively involved in climate and energy issues， and Im sure they could use more help. Your generation is one of the most globally minded in history， adept at looking at our worlds problems beyond national borders.15 This will be a valuable asset16 as we work on global solutions in the decades ahead. If youre someone with some crazy-sounding ideas to solve our energy challenge， the world needs you. Study extra hard in math and science. You might just have the answer.”

—Bill Gates17， Microsoft co-founder and co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

“If you ever find yourself asking whether you should speak up or quiet down， the answer is speak up. That doesnt mean you have to be loud if youre not a loud person； it just means that your ideas matter and the world will be better if you find an authentic way to share them.18 Every year， Bill and I write a letter about issues that are important to us， and this year I wrote a lot about the power of cultural norms19—those unwritten rules that say things like what it means to ‘act like a girl or ‘be a man. The problem is， norms are so normal that most people cant even see them. For example， you probably dont realize that girls do many more chores20 than boys do. The best way to get over harmful norms is to look at the world with new eyes and talk to as many people as you can about what you notice. If enough people start questioning why certain things are the way they are， then theres a chance they will change. I know theres a lot of chatter21 these days about how social media is affecting teenagers—some people think your screens are making you less engaged in the real world—but I believe you have something serious to say， and youre lucky that you have so many ways to tell anyone in the world whats on your mind. Please， let your voice be part of the conversation.”

—Melinda Gates， co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

“The best piece of advice I can offer is to not be afraid to fail. When people think of me， they think of championships and winning， but behind all of that was a lot of hard work and trying and failing. No one gets everything right the first time. By working hard and learning from your failures， you come out stronger and smarter in the end.”

—Michael Jordan22， basketball star

“When I think of my middle school years， I just remember them being so crazy and so confusing. It was hard for you to look past your school hallways23. You feel that is your entire world， because at that time it is your entire world. But just know that there is a bigger， more beautiful world out there. Keep your head up and know it is a beautiful world we live in and things will get better. Dont be a bystander24. If you see someone getting hurt or getting picked on25， if you see someone eating alone at school， go sit down next to them and introduce yourself.”

—Aaron Paul26， actor

“As human beings， consistency27 is our toughest challenge. To be the same person every day， to be better every day or to evolve into a different person. Consistency is the foundation for all. Be consistent！ The Earth has done it—for 4.5 billion years， to be exact！”

—Von Miller， Super Bowl 50 MVP28

1. meditate：深思，冥想；hike：徒步旅行，远足； uninterrupted：不中断的，连续不断的；breed：孕育，导致。

2. Katy Perry：凯蒂·佩里，美国流行女歌手、演员兼词曲创作者。

3. incredibly：非常，极其。

4. 但一定要当心，不要靠踩着他人来达到自己的目的。

5. mentor：贤明的顾问，导师。

6. take on：开始处理，承担。

7. Misty Copeland：米斯蒂·科普兰，美国芭蕾舞演员，17岁她进入著名的美国芭蕾舞剧院，成为ABT历史上第三位非裔芭蕾独舞；principal dancer：首席舞蹈演员。

8. paralyzing：使瘫痪的；insecurity：不安全感。

9. Kendall and Kylie：指卡戴珊家族的两姐妹肯达尔·詹娜（Kendall Jenner）和凯莉·詹娜（Kylie Jenner），两人都是名模和演员；Instagram：一款图片分享应用软件。

10. Nikki Glaser：妮可·格雷瑟，美国喜剧演员、播客主持；comedian：喜剧演员；Comedy Central：美国喜剧中心频道，热门节目包括《南方公园》等。

11. 今年，我和梅琳达写完了给高中生的年度公开信，因为你们是最终的问题解决者，而这些问题若不得到解决，世界将永远实现不了公平与公正。Melinda：梅琳达·盖茨（Melinda Gates），比尔·盖茨的妻子，她和盖茨一起建立了美国有史以来最大的基金会——盖茨基金会，并担任主席；equitable：公平的，公正的。

12. gasoline：汽油。

13. emit：排放；carbon dioxide：二氧化碳。

14. 如今，清洁能源技术让人们看到了大量希望，但要使二氧化碳的排放接近零并且让每个人都负担得起能源，我们还需要不断开发新技术。promise：前途，希望。

15. 纵观历史，你们这一代是最有全球意识的一拨人，能够超越国界地看待发生在我们这个世界的问题。be adept at：熟练于……。

16. asset：优点，有价值的人或物。

17. Bill Gates：比尔·盖茨，微软公司创始人。

18. a loud person：一个张扬、高调的人；authentic：真实的，可信的。

19. norm：标准，规范。

20. chore：杂务，困难的工作。

21. chatter：喋喋不休，唠叨。

22. Michael Jordan：迈克尔·乔丹，美国著名篮球运动员。

23. hallway：走廊，门厅。