英语PK台 第291期:小李子联合国《巴黎气候协定》精彩演讲(2)(在线收听

   Section 2

  I do not need to tell you these statistics. You know them better than I do, but more importantly, you know what will happen if this scourge is left unchecked. You know that climate change is happening faster than even the most pessimistic of scientists warned us decades ago. It's become a runaway freight train bringing with it an impending disaster for all living things.
  你们不需要我来援引数据,你们知道的比我清楚,你们心知肚明,如果不加以制止,气候变化速度之快,甚至超过了数十年前最悲观的科学家对我们的警告。它已经成为一列可给所有生命带来灾难的失控货车。
  Now, think about the shame that each of us will carry when our children and grandchildren look back and realize that we had the means of stopping this devastation, but simply lacked the political will to do so.Yes, we have achieved the Paris Agreement. More countries have come together here to sign this Agreement today than for any other cause in the history of humankind – and that is a reason for hope – but unfortunately, the evidence shows us that it will not be enough. Our planet cannot be saved unless we leave fossil fuels in the ground where they belong.
  现在再来想想,当我们的子孙回首往事,发现我们拥有遏制这一灾难的手段,但却由于缺乏政治意愿而无所作为,那时候我们每个人会是多么羞愧难当。的确,我们通过了《巴黎协定》,汇集于此签署这项协议的参与国的数量,远超过人类历史上其他伟业,这是我们心存希望的原因之一。然而,不幸的是,证据表明,这还远远不够。除非我们把化石燃料留在它们本应沉睡的地方——地下,我们的地球才能够得救。
  词汇
  scourge
  灾祸,苦难的根源
  A scourge is something that causes a lot of trouble or suffering to a group of people.
  e.g. Drugs are a scourge that is devastating our society.
  impending
  即将发生的,迫在眉睫的
  An impending event is one that is going to happen very soon.
  e.g. impending danger/disaster/war/famine
  incinerate
  焚烧
  become reduced to ashes;
  e.g. The cars caught fire on impact and some of the victims were incinerated.
  astronomically
  天文数字地;巨大地
  If you describe an amount, especially the cost of something as astronomical, you are emphasizing that it is very large indeed.
  e.g. Houses in Beijing are selling for astronomical prices.
  原文地址:http://www.tingroom.com/lesson/yypkt/446451.html