「下」比尔盖茨北大演讲：改变世界恰逢其时
近日，比尔·盖茨来到北京大学，出席“盖茨与北大学生面对面2.0”活动，并发表题为《中国的未来：创新、慈善与全球领导力》的演讲。
演讲内容上半部分
https://v.qq.com/txp/iframe/player.html?vid=e0387knuto9&width=500&height=375&auto=0
(文稿略有出入，仅供参考)
(下部分视频从10:06开始)
That's health. The second area where I believe China can drive global progress is agriculture. Since 1975, Chinese agricultural productivity has grown at a rate of 12 percent per year - four times the annual rate of growth in Africa.
除了健康领域之外，我认为中国能够推动全球进步的第二大领域是农业。1975年以来，中国的农业生产率以每年12%的速度增长，是非洲农业年增长率的四倍。
That hasn't just fed a large and growing population. It has led to better nutrition and health, higher rural incomes, falling poverty rates, and more labor available to other sectors to drive China's economic development.
农业发展不仅解决了基数巨大且不断增长的中国人口的温饱问题，还促进了国民营养和健康水平的改善、农村收入的增加和贫困人口的下降，并向其他产业提供劳动力，从而在整体上推动了中国经济发展。
There are many factors that accounted for China's recent green revolution. One of the most significant is its commitment to agricultural innovation and the work of people like Professor Yuan Longping. A crop scientist at Hunan Agricultural University, Professor Yuan developed hybrid rice varieties[杂交水稻(品种)] that increased crop yields[农作物产量] by 20 percent.
引发中国当代绿色革命的因素有很多，其中最重要的一点是中国在农业创新领域的投入以及像袁隆平教授等杰出专家们的努力。袁教授是湖南农业大学的农作物专家，他研究的杂交水稻将水稻亩产量平均提高了20%。
China's continuing advances in rice could be of enormous benefit to millions of smallholder farmers[小农户;小自耕农] in Sub-Saharan Africa[撒哈拉以南非洲地区], many of whom today are barely growing enough to feed their families and who will face more difficult weather conditions in the decades ahead.
中国在杂交水稻领域取得的持续进步能够为撒哈拉以南非洲地区数百万的小农户带来巨大的好处，他们中有很多人无法生产足够的粮食养活家人，并将在未来几十年面临更加严峻的气候状况。
Since 2008, we have been supporting work by the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences[中国农业科学院] and others to develop new varieties of rice that - when crossed[1] with domestic varieties in countries like Senegal[塞内加尔], Tanzania[坦桑尼亚], and Rwanda[卢旺达] - will result in high-yielding[高产], stress-tolerant[抗压] crops that will boost farmer yields and income. But to feed a growing planet, we need to do more.
自2008年起，我们支持中国农业科学院和其他科研机构开发水稻新品种。通过将这些品种与塞内加尔、坦桑尼亚和卢旺达等国的本地品种进行杂交，我们将得到高产量的耐逆境作物，增加农民的收成和收入。但是，随着全球人口压力不断增长，我们还需付出更多努力。
[1]cross 熟词僻义
If you cross a plant or animal with another of a different type, you cause them to breed together in order to produce a new variety (= type of plant or animal). 使杂交
One of the most exciting efforts is research by Chinese scientists to supercharge[增加(…的)负荷;(使)增压] the process of photosynthesis[2] in grains. This would significantly increase crop yields while reducing the demand for irrigation and fertilizer[肥料].
中国科学家最令人瞩目的研究成果之一是作物的超级光合作用，这不仅能大幅提升粮食产量，还能减少对灌溉和化肥的需求。
[2]photosynthesis [.fəʊtəʊ'sɪnθəsɪs]
the process by which a plant uses the energy from the light of the sun to produce its own food 光合作用
We also are supporting research by Chinese scientists to improve the health of livestock[家畜;牲畜], which plays a vital role in food security and the rural economy of developing countries. And we are working with the Ministry of Commerce[商务部] (MOFCOM) and the Ministry of Agriculture[农业部] to promote sustainable agricultural development throughout Africa.
我们还支持中国科学家开展提高家畜健康水平的研究工作，这对发展中国家的食品安全和农村经济具有至关重要的作用。我们正与中国商务部和农业部合作，共同推进非洲农业的可持续发展。
This brings me to what I think of as China's third global opportunity: energy innovation. China already is one of the world leaders in renewable energy. And it recently announced that it will spend $360 billion on renewable power sources by 2020. This will pay off handsomely[3] for China domestically, and as a long-term global business opportunity.
中国的第三大全球机遇是能源创新。中国目前已经成为可再生能源领域的全球领导者之一，而且最近还宣布将在2020年前，对可再生能源领域投资3600亿美元。无论从中国国内还是全球商业长远机遇的角度而言，这一举措都将产生丰厚的回报。
[3]handsome (adj.)熟词僻义
large in amount 大量的，数量可观的
They made a handsome profit on their house.
他们利用自己的房子赚了一大笔钱。
It won't be easy. China faces a big challenge domestically sorting out the right mix of existing and new energy technologies. Many forms of energy will be needed to reduce greenhouse gases and meet energy needs.
知易行难。中国现在需要找到常规能源和新能源技术的平衡点，这是一个不小的挑战。我们也需要更多类型的能源，在满足能源需求的同时实现温室气体减排。
One of the things China could do is pioneer next-generation nuclear technology. It will be dramatically safer and substantially cheaper and solve a lot of the challenges with today's nuclear energy. I have a company, TerraPower, that is partnering with China National Nuclear Corporation[中国核工业集团公司] and other Chinese companies to make this a reality.
中国在这方面能开展的另一项工作就是引领下一代核能技术的发展。下一代核技术将更加安全、廉价，并能克服目前核技术面临的许多困难。我投资的泰拉能源公司正与中国核工业集团公司以及其他中国企业合作，将这一设想变为现实。
I've had the opportunity to meet several times with President Xi and am encouraged by his commitment - and by his leadership at the Paris Climate talks. China was one of the 22 countries that committed to doubling their investments in clean energy innovation over the next five years.
我曾有机会与习近平主席多次会面，他在巴黎气候大会上作出的承诺和领袖风范令我深受鼓舞。中国连同其他21个国家承诺在今后五年内对清洁能源创新领域的投入增加一倍。
I'm also working with Jack Ma and other investors who have pledged to invest $1 billion in the development of early stage energy technology so we can move the best ideas from the research lab to the marketplace.
我和马云先生，还有一些其他投资者共同成立了一支10亿美元的突破能源基金，用于支持早期能源技术开发，将实验室里最好的想法转化为市场产品。
A fourth area where I see great potential for China is software. When I was at Microsoft, we were so impressed by the quality of computer scientists and developers coming out of universities in China that we established one of our first research labs in Beijing. That was almost 20 years ago.
中国拥有巨大潜力的第四个领域是软件开发。我还在微软的时候，从中国各大高校走出的计算机科学家和研发人员给我们留下了深刻的印象，直接促使我们在北京成立微软亚洲研究院，到现在一晃已近二十年。
Today, it is Microsoft's largest research center outside the U.S.. It's a phenomenal[4] place, with 200 of the world's top researchers and developers and more than 300 visiting scientists and fellows.
目前，微软亚洲研究院仍然是微软在美国本土以外最大的基础研究机构，聚集了200多名全球顶尖的研究和开发人员以及300多名访问学者和实习生。
[4]phenomenal [fə'nɒmɪn(ə)l]
extremely successful or special, especially in a surprising way 非凡的，杰出的
Her rise to fame was quite phenomenal - in less than two years she was a household name.
她的成名真是奇迹——不到两年的时间，她的大名已家喻户晓了。
The best thing about it is that researchers are free to explore what they're most passionate about, which leads to breakthroughs like Xiaoice, a natural-language chat bot that simulates human conversation. Some of you may have had conversations with Xiaoice on Weibo, or seen her weather forecasts on TV, or read her column in the Qianjiang Evening News.
研究院最大的优点是研究人员可以自由地探索自己最感兴趣的领域，只有这样才有可能实现像微软小冰这样的突破。小冰是一款人工智能聊天机器人，在座有人可能已经在微博上和她聊过天，在电视上看她播报过天气预报，或者在《钱江晚报》上读过她的专栏。
Xiaoice has attracted 45 million followers and is quite skilled at multitasking. And I've heard she's gotten good enough at sensing a user's emotional state that she can even help with relationship breakups.
小冰目前已经吸引了4500万名粉丝。她非常善于同时处理多项工作。而且我听说小冰现在已经能够感知用户情绪，甚至在别人失恋时给予安慰。
Besides developing new technologies for Microsoft, the Beijing lab also helps software entrepreneurs who have a great product ideas and need help scaling their business. In the last two years, most of the 125 companies that graduated from the Microsoft Accelerator program were able to secure additional funding. And three of the startups have gone public[上市].
除了为微软开发新技术外，亚洲研究院还帮助已经有好产品的软件创业人员扩大业务规模。在过去两年时间里，从“微软加速器”项目毕业的125家公司中的大部分都获得了追加的投资，而且其中有三家创业型企业已经成功上市。
The Beijing lab also supports up-and-coming software developers. We've hired more than 5,000 interns in China. And you'll be happy to know that we've recruited more students in the last three years from Beida than from Tsinghua University. But it's a slim lead[微弱的优势领先], so those of you here in computer science, will have to keep up your good work!
亚洲研究院还支持奔跑在通向成功道路上的软件开发人员。我们在中国已经招募了5000多名实习生。有一个消息一定会让你们感到开心——过去三年里从北大招募的实习生数量比清华多。但是差距并不大。所以，在座计算机专业的各位同学们，你们要加把劲!
Technology is also helping to power the philanthropic[5] sector in China. It's a growing sector and one with tremendous potential. In 2015, people contributed 966 million RMB to causes they care about using the four largest online donation platforms.
技术也在推动中国公益慈善事业的发展。这是一个日益增长并有巨大潜力的领域。2015年，公众通过中国四大在线捐助平台所捐赠的善款高达9.66亿人民币。
[5]philanthropic [.fɪlən'θrɒpɪk]
helping poor people, especially by giving them money 慈善的；乐善好施的（尤指通过捐款帮助穷人）
And the success of 9/9 Charity Day, started a few years ago by the Tencent Foundation, shows what is possible when people have an easy way to get involved and give back. In just three days last year, 6 million people - people like you - raised 305 million RMB in support of more than 3,600 projects. This is just one example of how philanthropy is beginning to blossom here in China.
腾讯公益基金会几年前发起的“9•9公益日”取得了巨大的成功。这证明当人们拥有便捷的途径参与公益、回馈社会时，他们往往都会付诸行动。去年，在三天时间里，600万公众——这里面也许包括你们当中的一些人——募集了高达3.05亿元人民币的善款，为3600余个项目提供了支持。这只是公益慈善事业在中国蓬勃发展的一个例子。
A lot of the most successful entrepreneurs, like Jack Ma, Pony Ma, Charles Chen Yidan and Niu Gensheng, have helped create the world's second largest pool of individual wealth. And now they're taking steps to get involved and give back.
马云、马化腾、陈一丹、牛根生等一大批成功的企业家已经令中国个人财富总值跃居世界第二，他们正积极采取各种行动参与公益、回馈社会。
The new charity law that took effect last September opens up more opportunities for people to get engaged. People are coming together at events like the sixth China Social Good Summit held at Beida last fall.
中国去年9月生效的《慈善法》为个人参与公益慈善活动开辟了更多途径。人们积极参加各类重大公益慈善活动，比如去年秋季在北大校园举办的第6届全球社会化媒体与公益峰会，就吸引了众多年轻人的参与。
Some of you may decide to work for NGOs that are making life better for the most vulnerable in society. But even if you don't end up doing that, or to make big financial donations, there are other ways of getting involved. Just the fact that you're learning about a topic, lending your voice to an issue, or volunteering your time, is important.
你们中的有些人可能会决定加入公益慈善组织，帮助弱势群体改善生活。不过即使不全职从事这样的工作，或者没有很多钱可以捐赠，你们依然可以通过其他方式贡献自己的力量。你们可以花时间去了解一个新的议题、为某个问题奔走呼吁，或者参与志愿服务，这些都很有意义。
What an incredible, motivating thing that is - the belief that you can make the world a better place. There has never been a better moment.
大家想想，如果你坚信自己能让世界变得更美好，这该是多么令人心潮澎湃、备受鼓舞的事情。而眼下正是大家施展才华的最好时机。
As the geopolitical currents[地缘政治风向/潮流] shifts, China has an opportunity to advance progress on the most urgent challenges the world faces. China's leaders are embracing this opportunity, but it will be up to China's youth to carry this forward.
当今，随着地缘政治风向的变化，中国有机会推动世界在最为紧迫的挑战上实现突破。中国的领导人正在抓住这一机遇，而传承这一事业则需要依靠中国的年轻人。
In the last few decades, millions of people in China have achieved professional and financial success. I'm sure all of you will too, and that's a great thing. I certainly enjoyed every moment at Microsoft and wouldn't trade it for anything.
在过去的几十年间，成千上万的中国人获得了事业和财务上的成功。我相信今天在座的各位也会取得同样的成功。这是一件很棒的事。对我来说，在微软工作的每一刻都弥足珍贵，如果让我重新选择，我一定会选择再来一次。
But now I've also had the opportunity in my philanthropic work to meet people who apply their talents and passion in other ways. Many of these people are impatient optimists[乐观主义者]. People who believe in the possibility of change and are eager to do something about it.
现在，在从事慈善工作的过程中，我又遇到许多以其他方式挥洒激情、奉献才华的人。他们中的许多人都是乐天行动派——一群坚信现实能够改变并愿意为此付诸行动的人。
Doctors courageous enough to risk their own lives to save the lives of others suffering from Ebola. Entrepreneurs using their ingenuity to deliver life-saving drugs to remote villages by drone. And people of all walks of life[各界;各行各业] who volunteer their time to help the homeless or mentor a child at risk.
他们是大无畏的医生们，不顾自己的生命危险奋力拯救埃博拉患者的生命;他们是富有创造力的企业家们，通过无人机向偏远村庄运送救命药品;他们是来自社会各界的志愿者们，心甘情愿地帮助那些无家可归的穷人或面临生存风险的儿童。
Maybe you are the person who wants to ensure that every child growing up in poverty has the nutrition they need to do their best in school.
你或许希望每一个在贫穷环境下成长的孩子都能获得足够的营养，以便在学校取得最好的成绩;
Maybe you want to develop the next vaccine that protects everyone from malaria. Maybe you want to design the battery that lights people's desks at night, or the mobile technology that will allow people to start new businesses.
你或许希望研发一种能够保护人们免受疟疾威胁的疫苗;你或许希望设计一款电池，在夜晚照亮人们的书桌，或者研发一项移动技术，有朝一日能帮助人们开办自己的公司。
No matter what your ambition is to improve the world, this is the best time and the best place to do it, and all of you have a great opportunity. I look forward to seeing what you'll achieve. Thank you!
无论你有什么样的雄心壮志要去改变世界，就放手去做吧。没有比现在更好的时机，也没有比现在更好的环境了。你们每个人都拥有很棒的机会，我对你们未来所能取得的成就充满期待。谢谢!
「全文完」
中英文全文+视频下载
链接:https://pan.baidu.com/s/1kVSaWa7
密码:rcnv
点击下方“阅读原文”音频在线收听/下载
（荔枝FM:英语学习君）