TED演讲:探讨中国的属相(2)

 According to the BBC and the Chinese government's press release,  根据BBC和中国政府的官方消息

January 2015 saw a peak of Cesarean sections. Why? 2015年1月迎来了剖腹产的高潮。为什么？

That was the last month for the Year of the Horse.  因为这是马年的最后一个月。

It's not because they like horses so much,  并不是大家喜欢生肖马

it's because they try to avoid having unlucky Goat babies.  而是大家尽量避免不祥的属羊的孩子。

If you are a Goat, please don't feel bad.  如果你属羊，也不要伤心

Those are Goat babies. They don't look like losers to me. 这些都是属羊的人。我可不觉得他们是失败者。

Tiger is another undesirable¹ animal, due to its volatile² temperament³. 还有一个不受欢迎的生肖是虎，也许和它的喜怒无常有关。

Many Chinese regions saw a sharp decline of birthrate during those years. 在不受欢迎生肖的年份，中国很多地区的婴儿出生率都有明显下降。

Perhaps one should consider zodiac in reverse,  也许对于生肖我们应该逆向思维

as those Tiger and Goat babies will face much less competition.  因为虎宝宝和羊宝宝将会面临最少的竞争

Maybe they are the lucky ones.  也许他们才是最幸运的。

I went through the Forbes top 300 richest people in the world,  我调查了世界福布斯财富榜前300位的生肖

and it's interesting to see the most undesirable two animals, the Goat and Tiger, 有趣的是，属最不受欢迎的羊和虎的人数

are at the top of the chart, even higher than the Dragon. 反而排在前两位，甚至高于龙。

So maybe we should consider, maybe it's much better to have less competition. 也许我们应该考虑减轻竞争压力才是更好的选择。

One last but interesting point:  最后一个有趣的事情是

many Chinese people make their investment decisions based on the zodiac sign index. 很多中国人依据生肖图作为索引进行投资。

Although the belief and tradition of the zodiac sign has been over thousands of years, 尽管生肖的信仰和传统由来已久，

the trend of using it in making major decisions did not really happen until the past few decades. 使用生肖作重大决定的风潮近几十年才开始出现。

Our ancestors were very busy surviving poverty, drought, famine, riot, disease and civil war. 我们的祖先忙于战胜贫穷，干旱，饥荒，动乱，疾病甚至国内战争。

And finally, Chinese people have the time, wealth and technology  终于中国人有时间，有财富和科技

to create an ideal life they've always wanted.  可以过上他们梦想中的生活。

The collective decision made by 1.3 billion people 13亿人做出的集体决定

has caused the fluctuation⁴ in economics and demand on everything,  足以在经济上掀起巨大的波澜，足以改变很多事情的走向

from health care and education to property and consumer goods.  无论是医疗还是教育领域，无论是财产还是消费品方面。

As China plays such an important role in the global economy and geopolitics,  随着中国在全球经济和地域政治中，扮演越来越重要的角色，

the decisions made based on the zodiac and other Chinese traditions  基于生肖和其他中国传统而作出的决定

end up impacting everyone around the world.  将会最终影响世界上的每一个人。

Are there any Monkeys here?  在座的有属猴的吗？

2016 is the Year of the Monkey. 2016年是猴年

Monkeys are clever, curious, creative and mischievous⁵.  猴意味着聪明，好奇，创造力和顽皮。

Thank you.  谢谢。

1 undesirable   

adj.不受欢迎的，不良的，不合意的，讨厌的；n.不受欢迎的人，不良分子

参考例句：

• They are the undesirable elements among the employees.他们是雇员中的不良分子。
• Certain chemicals can induce undesirable changes in the nervous system.有些化学物质能在神经系统中引起不良变化。

2 volatile   

adj.反复无常的，挥发性的，稍纵即逝的，脾气火爆的；n.挥发性物质

参考例句：

• With the markets being so volatile,investments are at great risk.由于市场那么变化不定，投资冒着很大的风险。
• His character was weak and volatile.他这个人意志薄弱，喜怒无常。

3 temperament   

n.气质，性格，性情

参考例句：

• The analysis of what kind of temperament you possess is vital.分析一下你有什么样的气质是十分重要的。
• Success often depends on temperament.成功常常取决于一个人的性格。

4 fluctuation   

n.(物价的)波动，涨落；周期性变动；脉动

参考例句：

• The erratic fluctuation of market prices are in consequence of unstable economy.经济波动致使市场物价忽起忽落。
• Early and adequate drainage is essential if fluctuation occurs.有波动感时，应及早地充分引流。

5 mischievous   

adj.调皮的，恶作剧的，有害的，伤人的

参考例句：

• He is a mischievous but lovable boy.他是一个淘气但可爱的小孩。
• A mischievous cur must be tied short.恶狗必须拴得短。