TED演讲:我难忘的一次中国行(10)

 　　But we go back to this point that China has been a dominant¹ economic power through human history. 我们回到这一点上，中国自古以来是一个主要经济体。

　　It comes because of the central plain which I was walking right across between the Yellow River and Yangtze River. 这是由于黄河和长江之间的中原地区，我徒步走过这一片平原。

　　It's an immensely fertile plain. It's surrounded by hills which protect it from invaders². 这是一片非常肥沃的平原。它的四周群山环抱，保护它免受入侵。

　　So not surprisingly, it was always going to be a place where civilization would flourish. 所以，毫不意外，它将永远是一个文明繁荣的地方。

　　It was so fertile that farmers could actually get two crops per year. 它是如此肥沃，农民每年可以收获两次。

　　One crop that they could use to feed their family. 一次可以用来养活他们的家庭。

　　Another crop that they could trade. The prosperity that you see. 另一次则作为产品进行交易。你可以看到这种繁荣。

　　That passion for education of course continues with young people beyond school age. It goes into universities. 当然，对教育的热情一直延续到学龄以上的年轻人身上，直到进入大学。

　　Two thirds of the population of overseas population of universities around the world are made by Chinese. 中国留学生的数量占世界各个大学留学生数量的三分之二。

　　There are 17,000 students attending UK universities from the United States. 有17000名美国学生来英国留学。

　　There are 19,000 that are attending UK universities from India. The figure for China is 90,000. 有19000名印度学生来英国留学，而中国留学生的数量是90000人。

　　What's more, 78% of those young people comeback. They come back to China. 更重要的是，这些年轻人中有78%选择回国。他们回到中国。

　　They don't stay in the west. They come back. 他们没有留在西方，他们回来了。

　　They go and get their education and then they come back, 他们去接受教育，然后回国，

　　the so-called turtles who come back because the opportunities are so immense here. Now, the opportunities are fantastic. 就是所谓的海龟，他们选择回国是因为这里的机会很多。这些机会都很棒。

1 dominant   

adj.支配的，统治的；占优势的；显性的；n.主因，要素，主要的人(或物)；显性基因

参考例句：

• The British were formerly dominant in India.英国人从前统治印度。
• She was a dominant figure in the French film industry.她在法国电影界是个举足轻重的人物。

2 invaders   

入侵者，侵略者，侵入物( invader的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They prepared to repel the invaders. 他们准备赶走侵略军。
• The family has traced its ancestry to the Norman invaders. 这个家族将自己的世系追溯到诺曼征服者。