第一篇:作文素材之朱棣文
朱棣文
2008年12月15日,华裔科学家、诺贝尔物理学奖得主朱棣文,被奥巴马提名为能源部部长,一时间,这位一直致力于环保能源开发的“重量级”人物,是否能带领美国戒除“油瘾”,走上可持续的绿色能源之路,成为人们津津乐道的话题。
有人认为,“最优秀未必就最好”,奥巴马最初任命的35位阁僚中,有22位出身于麻省理工学院、斯坦福大学、芝加哥大学等顶尖名校,类似肯尼迪阁僚的构成,而肯氏就是被那群“超级聪明”的亲信拖进了灾难性的越战;民主党内也有不安的声音,朱棣文毕竟是“华盛顿的圈外人”,毫无从政经验,领导能力堪忧。但在普通民众中,朱棣文拥有大批“粉丝”,他们认为“朱不爱出风头,也不会官迷心窍,是一个具有远大理想与扎实风格的优秀科学家”;有网民甚至评价“朱棣文是政府近30年来选择的最好的部长,因为在他的身后看不到贪婪的大工业的影子”。而现任能源部部长、共和党人博德曼也对朱棣文赞赏有加,认为朱明白能源和环境挑战的重要性,“他知道处理这些挑战所需的技术性解决办法”。当然,对这一提名最感扬眉吐气的是美国华裔,因为朱棣文是继现任劳工部部长赵小兰之后第二位华裔部长,为美国华裔树立了政坛新坐标。事实上,几乎整个华人世界都为之感到振奋和骄傲。
能源专家的政坛新路
朱棣文与奥巴马谈不上是故交,但在锐意进取、寻求变革的精神特质上,他们惊人的相似,说他们“神交”已久并不为过。面对日益变暖的地球、布什政府的无知与傲慢,朱棣文的忧虑越来越深。“能源问题:我们该如何解决?”可能是近5年来朱棣文问自己最多的问题。朱棣文是当今世界上谙熟全球变暖这个复杂问题的顶级专家,并且一直在为应对环境危机鼓与呼。他曾诉苦说,虽然身为诺贝尔奖得主,但仍很难游说到足够的研究经费。2006年他到国会山向议员们游说,原想为他的“太阳神计划”即利用生物质将阳光转化为能量的科研项目争取10亿美元经费,但最终只获得4亿美元。
如今,朱棣文的机会终于来了!奥巴马的能源大计包括:未来10年投入1500亿美元资助替代能源研究,大幅减少对中东和委内瑞拉进口石油的依赖,以及用低税额鼓励消费者购买节能汽车等。他提出,到2012年美国10%的发电量由可再生能源提供,到2025年升至25%。这是一个空前庞大而积极的绿色梦想,必将对美国乃至世界经济和政治产生深远影响,而“千里之行始于足下”,这谋篇布局的第一步就落到了朱棣文肩上。
朱棣文是个严格得近乎苛刻的环保主义者,他的能源观具有理想主义的色彩:他不仅反对化石燃料的滥用,甚至对某些新能源也提出了批评。例如,他承认核能与传统的煤电相比具有更高的风险收益比,但他却坚持寻找“这两个魔鬼”之外的更低污染能源。他对时兴的生物能源同样抱有警惕的态度,他认为用于生产酒精的玉米本身就是石油工业的产物,并非“二氧化碳中性”。他迷恋一种“闭合循环”的理想状态,即水、二氧化碳、阳光和一些营养物共同作用将能量“锁定”在碳载体之中,反向存在逆过程,理论上这一循环应该是闭合的,不会有新的二氧化碳产生。因此,自2004年掌管劳伦斯·伯克莱实验室以来,他就把研究重点转到他钟情的“合成生物学”上,期望通过生物自身的某种特性,将各种纤维直接转化为能源。一旦这种技术实现,人类将彻底走出化石能源噩梦,这就是他的“绿色大梦”。
朱棣文曾忧虑地说:“科学家有责任告诉人们将要发生什么,科学家也能告诉人们做某些事是不健康或不明智的,不过政府和民众不一定会言听计从。”节能减排确实受到了来自政府和民间的双重阻力。首先重工业极需石油,如何在不危害经济下减低对石油的依赖?如何克服现行能源政策的受益者——大能源商和大制造商的阻力?其次,把环保观念引入家庭,唤醒民众正视环境危机,改变长久以来的消费惯性和生活方式也挑战重重。他说:“美国每户人家只需多投1000美元,就可提升能源效益,可惜的是,民众却更愿把钱花在花岗石的厨台上。”美国人也迷恋SUV等高耗油大排量汽车。美国3亿人口虽然只占世界人口5%,但2008年每日石油消耗量却达2000万桶,占全球日消耗量的25%,当中多达七成半的石油靠进口。
1997年,朱棣文在诺贝尔物理学奖颁奖典礼上
问题相当严重,留给朱棣文的时间也所剩无几。据科学家观测,过去16年温室气体排放增长了20%,若全球在节能减排上没有根本性变革,气温持续上升,将导致北极圈的冰山在2012年完全消失。2007年,朱棣文在美国清洁能源会议上为控制温室气体大声疾呼:“气温改变5摄氏度将引发大范围争夺水和可耕地的资源战争,大量人口将流离失所。我们不是在谈论1万人,也不是在谈论1000万人,我们在谈论数以亿计将被洪水永远淹没的人。”
朱棣文从不轻言放弃,他当上能源部部长后,将会出现一个“多赢”的局面。对他个人来说,虽然美国新能源研发的主流方向应该还会是核能与太阳能,他的“绿色大梦”也不可能立刻实现,但肯定会得到更多的重视,至少研究经费不会再是个大难题。对美国而言,朱棣文将促使美国能源政策、环保政策走向科学决策,摒除政治和军事因素的过度干预;布什政府曾拒签的《京都议定书》必将得到推动,美国也将因为他在环保问题上的贡献,成为一个受各国尊敬的“绿色新美国”。此外,这项任命对美国华裔来说,意义也非同一般。因为,能源部部长就是美国核武库的一把手,负责核武器的生产和维护,非常重要且敏感,很多华裔都没有忘记“李文和事件”——1998年,时任能源部部长的理查森指控华裔核科学家李文和向中国政府泄露核机密,导致李文和坐了9个月冤狱。此后,华裔如惊弓之鸟,不太愿意加入能源部工作,这项任命将会解除华人的疑虑。对国际社会而言,在朱棣文的推动下,全球节能减排运动将得到一个强有力的领导者——美国。对环境问题突出的中国来说,急需与美国及国际社会合作对抗全球变暖。华裔科学家朱棣文在中国享有较高的知名度,他的上任将有助于中美这两个能源需求和消费都数一数二的大国,减少隔阂和不信任,共赴时艰。
把科学研究当“情人”
“除了妻子外,每个好的科学家都有一个‘情人’──科学研究。”这是朱棣文的经典语录之一。朱棣文对科学事业的痴迷和热爱,成就了他非凡的人生。
朱棣文家教良好,人生开头关键性的几年,父母对他的要求比较严格,那时候的朱棣文是家里不怎么听话的“黑羊”。上幼儿园时,朱棣文爱摆弄积木、组装塑料飞机或军舰模型,搞得家里乱点儿还不打紧;到了上小学时,父母稍一不留意就可能有某个家电用品被拆掉了;他还经常光顾库房,把各种脏兮兮的废弃零部件搬出来搞设计,成天捣鼓那些自制的、用途不明的“设备”,起居室的地毯上堆满金属支架、细小的螺帽和螺钉。后来,他的兴趣还扩展到了化学。他从午餐费里节省出一笔钱买材料,跟一位同学用自制火箭做实验。
朱棣文上中学后,父母就常对儿子们说:“读书吧,不管读什么书,总得读点儿什么!”父母是在鼓励儿子积极寻找自己感兴趣的领域,然后专心钻研。朱棣文后来不止一次提到,非常感谢父母开明的教育,不强迫他为分数而学习。虽然与大哥年年拿第一相比,朱棣文中学成绩平平,但他养成了主动学习的习惯,打下了迈向世界顶级科学家行列的基础。他说:“我不光学书本上的东西,而是对自己想学的特别下工夫。”进入大学后,在良师和物理经典书籍的指导下,朱棣文的科学激情被点燃了,从此,一头扎进了高手如林而又枯燥的物理学。“我喜欢数学和物理,我的快乐在于把整个世界变成物理公式。”
1970年,朱棣文获得罗彻斯特大学数学和物理双学士,28岁获得柏克莱大学物理学博士学位,并在该校从事两年的博士后研究。1978年到美国贝尔实验室任电磁现象研究人员,从此就没有离开过他钟爱的科学研究。在兴趣和持之以恒的努力下,他的“漂亮实验”闻名学界,领导能力也颇受重视,1983年升任实验室电子学研究部主任,在贝尔实验室一干就是9年。“除了最喜爱的研究,我们没有义务做任何事,研究科学的喜悦和激动洋溢在大厅里,拥挤的实验室和办公室,让我们彼此接近并关注每个人的进展,热烈的讨论通常在研讨会上和午餐会时进行,延续到网球场和各种聚会,气氛热烈得停不下来。”在朱棣文的描述中,贝尔实验室的生涯“各方面都近乎完美”。
1987年,朱棣文转任斯坦福大学物理学教授,因为内心培养科学新人的愿望越来越强烈,他感到自己必须走进大学校园。在斯坦福大学,有人说朱棣文的时间应用秒来计算。他是一个不知疲倦的人,每天早上,朱棣文都会骑着一辆旧自行车上班,他总是第一个到达办公室的人;中午,朱棣文会留在校园内用餐,常常边吃着盒饭边和学生们探讨科学问题;晚上他总是最后一个离开。朱棣文每周还要给本科生上普通物理课。他的课堂永远充满笑声和掌声,还有学生们的各种“挑战”——他们会不时打断老师的讲课,冒出各种问题,每到这时朱棣文就会特别高兴,会用风趣而深入浅出的话解答疑问。朱棣文独特的教育观决定了他必然是个好老师。他说:“好的教育应该是让你自由寻找那些对你有意义的事情,而不是把人脑当成一个容器,往里填东西;好的教育还在于让人批判性地思考,敢于质疑前人,这也是我在中国学生身上发现的不足的地方。”“兴趣+坚持+开放的头脑”是朱棣文的成功公式,他最常用其鼓励年轻学子勇攀科学高峰。
教学之外,朱棣文继续专注于自己从1983年就开始着迷的原子冷却技术的研究,1985年发表第一篇学术论文。1987年到1992年间,他在斯坦福大学实验室制造出了接近绝对零度的低温,减慢原子速度,而被誉为“能抓住原子”的人,凭借这项创举朱棣文获得了1997年的诺贝尔物理学奖。诺奖为朱棣文带来了全球声誉,他说服一些大企业捐资,由他亲自主持,在斯坦福修建了世界上第一个Bio-X实验室,这也是目前世界上最先进的Bio-X实验室;他还创建了精密测量实验室、玻色-爱因斯坦实验室等世界顶级物理实验室。在这些实验室中,朱棣文迎来送往,一批又一批科学新秀在他的指导下成长起来。
朱棣文曾极其睿智地预言,物理学与生物学、化学等其他学科的结合,将是21世纪不可避免的趋势。他说:“现在物理、化学都发展到这个地步,人们有能力利用物理、化学去研究生命科学。”这也是他从物理学转到生命科学研究上来的重要原因。“在我的学术生涯里,我已经很多次改变研究方向。我总是对学习全新的事物充满兴趣。”“隔行如隔山”的说法对他而言是苍白无力的。如今,花甲之年的他又开始了从“科学老手”向“政坛新秀”的角色转换,了解朱棣文的人深信,他的优秀品质必将助他实现人生的又一次漂亮转身。
平凡的科学大师
中国人管那些“皮黄心白”的华人叫“香蕉”,土生土长的美国华裔第二代朱棣文,无疑是个香蕉,但他又不完全是。父母的言传身教,使他具有中国人的刻苦、勤劳和谦逊;美国的开放式教育,则造就了他的幽默、风趣和自信。
朱棣文1948年2月28日出生在美国密苏里州圣路易斯市一个学术世家。祖父朱祝年是一位读书人,思想极为开明,家里的十多个男孩女孩都接受了良好的教育。大姑妈朱汝昭早年曾留学日本;二姑妈朱汝华留学美国任芝加哥大学化学工程教授,是中国第一代化学家;三姑妈朱汝蓉留学美国攻读化学,也是一名化学教授。朱棣文的父亲朱汝瑾是清华大学化工系高材生,在美国麻省理工学院获化工博士,留美大学任教。朱棣文的外祖父李书田也是个大知识分子,20年代的清华毕业生,公费留美,回国后投身教育事业,曾任国民政府教育部部长。他很重视对孩子的培养,朱棣文的母亲李静贞在清华大学经济系毕业后追随丈夫到麻省理工学院攻读工商管理学位。朱棣文的哥哥朱筑文是斯坦福大学医学院教授,专长DNA研究;弟弟朱钦文是一名著名律师。兄弟三人都拥有博士学位。朱棣文的父辈与兄弟中至少有12位拥有博士学位或大学教授职位。“生活在一个杰出人才众多的家庭中,你常常会感觉到自己是一个笨蛋。”朱棣文坦言,他在从事物理学研究时,如果三四个月中没有重要的新进展,就会感到不安。
2000年,朱棣文第一次回乡寻根。太仓小城用最大的热情和好奇迎接了荣归故里的科学巨子。人们多少有点“失望”地发现,除了语言提示人们他是个美国人外,朱棣文没有丝毫“老外”的架势——在祖父坟前点香,跪拜,神情肃穆;对在大陆的姑母、叔父等长辈尊敬有加,深恐不周——简直就是一个文质彬彬的君子!虽然绝顶聪明,但朱棣文也有自己的“软肋”。10岁那年,父母送他学中文,他却怕耽误了自己宝贵的玩耍时光,怎么也不配合,因而至今除了会歪歪扭扭地写“朱棣文”三个字外,中文没有任何进展。这次寻根期间,朱棣文还去了以他的名字命名的“太仓朱棣文小学”,看到校方为他准备的中国老祖宗发明的毛笔和宣纸,他直发愣,后来只得改用签字笔留了一段英文“墨宝”。他坦承,没学会中文是他人生的最大遗憾。1997年时任国家主席的江泽民访美,特别接见了朱棣文,他当时还热情地请江主席教他中文。
朱棣文颠覆了科学家给人的刻板印象,他活泼开朗,有人情味儿,充满魅力。李剑君,朱棣文中文传记的作者,至今还在回味与科学大师交往的点点滴滴。朱棣文得知李先生想写自己的传记后,尽管来中国的活动时间表排得非常紧,他还是不顾倒时差的劳顿,一下飞机就会见了他;在建议李先生从他母亲那里收集写作素材时,还不忘叮嘱:“你等我母亲给你打电话吧,你别打给她。从中国打美国太贵,从美国打中国便宜。”2004年,李先生去斯坦福大学拜会朱棣文,被邀请前往朱家做客,朱棣文亲自下厨,整了顿漂亮的美式大餐,在美国这个极为看重个人空间的国度,他的热情好客无疑很中国。
朱棣文的厨艺很高,喜欢下厨,与他喜欢动手做组合、操作的嗜好分不开,同事戏称他“诺贝尔级的大厨”。他做得四国美食,中国菜、意大利菜、法国菜、墨西哥菜都有研究,但以中国菜和墨西哥菜最为拿手。妈妈是朱棣文的“启蒙老师”。朱棣文回忆说,有一次三兄弟跟妈妈在家里厨房包馄饨,“当时大家排成一列,妈妈负责调馅,大哥则在前头排面皮、放馅,我跟小弟在后面负责包馄饨,好像工厂的生产线一样,很有趣。”之后,朱棣文便常在厨房里跟母亲学做菜。学得几样“花招”后,从中学起朱棣文就常单独下厨,做盒饭带到学校去。他说:“美国学生多半带两个三明治、一瓶牛奶,就可以解决一餐;但我的盒饭可就多彩多姿了,有时候是中国菜,有时候是墨西哥料理,羡煞其他同学。”到了研究所,朱棣文也常拿着食谱研究,并做菜与朋友分享。
朱棣文与前妻育有两个儿子,均已成人。简是他的第二任妻子,英格兰威尔士人,是个颇有才干的牛津、哈佛高材生。朱棣文获得诺奖后,事业更加繁忙,她为支持丈夫,辞去斯坦福大学招生办主任和校长助理的职位,当起朱棣文的全职帮手,生活起居亲手操持。他们位于斯坦福大学附近的家,是一座带有小庭院的独栋两层木质小楼,比起国内学者来住得宽敞些,但家中摆设非常简朴,生活也很简单。科学大师没什么大的个人欲望,一辆运动自行车就可以成为他生活中的一种奢侈。有人好奇地问他会怎样花诺贝尔奖金,他幽默地回答道:“我们是三个人共同得奖,因此,100万美元要分成三份。另外‘山姆大叔’(美国税务局)又要拿走一半,真正剩下来到手中的只有十多万美元而已。”接着他又风趣地表示,他要用这些钱还贷款,还想买一辆山地自行车以作锻炼之用。
说起锻炼,朱棣文很会忙里偷闲做运动,他常常说,运动可以使人保持清醒。以前他爱打网球,但不幸把膝盖扭伤,只能放弃。如今,每周要游两次泳,周末骑自行车出门锻炼。朱棣文还很有爱心,热衷公益活动,经常会去家附近的中小学,为学生们上辅导课,培养孩子们对科学的兴趣。别人觉得有点大材小用,他却调皮地回答说:“这可是在做上天堂的事业!”其实,从朱棣文造福人类的每一项实验到培养科学新秀的每一堂课,再到即将肩负起的打造绿色新美国的重任,哪一项不是通往天堂的最好的“门票”呢?
第二篇:朱棣文演讲英文
名校励志英语演讲稿:给大学毕业生的几个忠告——美国能源部部长朱棣文
给大学毕业生的几个忠告——美国能源部部长朱棣文
As you begin this new stage of your lives, follow your passion.If you don’t have a passion, don’t be satis?ed until you?nd one.Life is too short to go through it without caring deeply about something.当你开始生活的新阶段时,请追随你的爱好。如果你没有爱好,就去找,找不到绝不罢休。生命太短暂,所以不能空手走过,你必须对某样 东西倾注你的深情。
2009 Commencement Address at Harvard University
— U.S.Secretary of Energy Steven Chu
Madam President Faust, members of the Harvard Corporation and the Board of Overseers, faculty, family, friends, and, most importantly, today’s graduates,Thank you for letting me share this wonderful day with you.I am not sure I can live up to the high standards of Harvard Commencement speakers.Last year, J.K.Rowling, the billionaire novelist, who started as a classics student, graced this podium.The year before, Bill Gates, the mega-billionaire philanthropist and computer nerd stood here.Today, sadly, you have me.I am not wealthy, but at least I am a nerd.My address will follow the classical sonata form of commencement addresses.The first movement, just presented, were light-hearted remarks.This next movement consists of unsolicited advice, which is rarely valued, seldom remembered, never followed.As Oscar Wilde said, “The only thing to do with good advice is to pass it on.It is never of any use to oneself.”
So, here comes the advice.First, every time you celebrate an achievement, be thankful to those who made it possible.Thank your parents and friends who supported you, thank your professors who were inspirational, and especially thank the other professors whose less-than-brilliant lectures forced you to teach yourself.Going forward, the ability to teach yourself is the hallmark of a great liberal arts education and will be the key to your success.To your fellow students who have added immeasurably to your education during those late night discussions, hug them.Also, of course, thank Harvard.Should you forget, there’s an alumni association to remind you.Second, in your future life, cultivate a generous spirit.In all negotiations, don’t bargain for the last, little advantage.Leave the change on the table.In your collaborations, always remember that “credit” is not a conserved quantity.In a successful collaboration, everybody gets 90 percent of the credit.My third piece of advice is as follows: As you begin this new stage of your lives, follow your passion.If you don’t have a passion, don’t be satisfied until you find one.Life is too short to go through it without caring deeply about something.Here is my final piece of advice.Pursuing a personal passion is important, but it should not be your only goal.When you are old and gray, and look back on your life, you will want to be proud of what you have done.The source of that pride won’t be the things you have acquired or the recognition you have received.It will be the lives you have touched and the difference you have made.Finally, as humanists, I ask that you speak to our common humanity.One of the cruelest ironies about climate change is that the ones who will be hurt the most are the most innocent: the worlds poorest and those yet to be born.The coda to this last movement is borrowed from two humanists.The first quote is from Martin Luther King.He spoke on ending the war in Vietnam in 1967, but his message seems so fitting for today’s climate crisis.“This call for a worldwide fellowship that lifts neighborly concern beyond one’s tribe, race, class, and nation is in reality a call for an all-embracing and unconditional love for all mankind.This oft misunderstood, this oft misinterpreted concept, so readily dismissed by the Nietzsches of the world as a weak and cowardly force, has now become an absolute necessity for the survival of man „ We are now faced with the fact, my friends, that tomorrow is today.We are confronted with the fierce urgency of now.In this unfolding conundrum of life and history, there is such a thing as being too late.”
The final message is from William Faulkner.On December 10th, 1950, his Nobel Prize banquet speech was about the role of humanists in a world facing potential nuclear holocaust.“I believe that man will not merely endure: he will prevail.He is immortal, not because he alone among creatures has an inexhaustible voice, but because he has a soul, a spirit capable of compassion and sacrifice and endurance.The poet’s, the writer’s, duty is to write about these things.It is his privilege to help man endure by lifting his heart, by reminding him of the courage and honor and hope and pride and compassion and pity and sacrifice which have been the glory of his past.”
Graduates, you have an extraordinary role to play in our future.As you pursue your private passions, I hope you will also develop a passion and a voice to help the world in ways both large and small.Nothing will give you greater satisfaction.Please accept my warmest congratulations.May you prosper, may you help preserve and save our planet for your children, and all future children of the world.尊敬的Faust校长、哈佛集团的各位成员、监管理事会的各位理事长、各位老师、各位家长、各位朋友,以及最重要的各位毕业生同学,感谢你们,让我有机会同你们一起分享这个美妙的日子。
我不太肯定,自己够得上的哈佛大学毕业典礼演讲人的殊荣。去年登上这个讲台的是英国小说家J.K.罗琳,她最早是个古典文学的学生。前年站在这里的事比尔·盖茨先生,他是一个超级富翁、一个慈善家和电脑天才。今年很遗憾,你们的演讲人是我,我不是很有钱,但至少我是一个书呆子。
毕业典礼演讲都遵循古典奏鸣曲的结构,我的演讲也不例外。刚才是第一乐章——轻快的闲谈。接下来的第二乐章是送上门的忠告。这样的忠告很少有价值,几乎注定被忘记,永远不会被实践。但是,就像王尔德说的:“对于忠告,你听能做的,就是把它送给别人,因为它对你没有任何用处。”
所以,下面是我的忠告。第一,取得成就时,不要忘记前人。要感谢你的父母和朋友,要感谢那些启发过你的教授,尤其是上不好课的教授,因为他们迫使你自学。自学能力是优秀的文科教育中必不可少的,将成为你成功的关键。你还要去拥抱你的同学,感谢他们同你进行过的彻夜长谈,这为你的教育带来了无法衡量的价值。你还要感谢哈佛大学。不过即使你忘了,校友会也会来提醒你。
第二,在你们未来的人生中,做一个慷慨大方的人。在任何谈判中,都把最后一点点利益留给对方,不要把桌上的钱都拿走。在合作中,成功合作的任何一方,都应获得全部荣誉的90%。
第三个忠告是,当你开始生活的新阶段中,请跟随你的爱好。如果没有爱好就去找,找不到就不罢休。生命太短暂,所以不能空手走过,你必须对某样东西倾注你的深情。
我还有最后一个忠告,兴趣爱好固然重要,但你不应该只考虑它。当你白发苍苍、垂垂老矣、回首人生时,你需要为做过的事感到自豪。物质生活和你实现的占有欲,都不会产生自豪。只有那些受你影响、被你改变过的人和事,才会让你产生自豪。
最后,你们是人道主义者,我要求你们为人道主义说话。气候变化带来的最残酷的讽刺之一,就是最受伤害的人,恰恰是最无辜的人——那些世界上最穷的人们和那些还没有出生的人。
这个最后乐章的完结部是引用两位人道主义者的话。
第一段引语来自马丁·路德·金。这是1967年他对越南战争结束的评论,但是非常适合评论今天的气候危机。“我呼吁全世界的人们团结一心,抛弃种族、肤色、阶段、国籍的隔阂;我呼吁包罗一切、无条件的对全人类的爱。你会因此遭受误解和误读,信奉尼采哲学的世人会认定你是一个软弱和胆怯的懦夫。但是,这是人类存在下去的绝对必须。我的朋友,眼前的事实就是,明天就是今天。此刻,我们面临最紧急的情况。在变幻莫测的生活和历史之中,有一样东西叫做悔之晚矣。”
第二段引语来自威廉·福克纳。1950年12月10日,他在诺贝尔奖获奖晚宴上发表演说,谈到了世界在核战争的阴影之下,人道主义者应该扮演一个什么样的角色。“我相信人类还将胜利。人类是不朽的,不是因为万物中仅仅他拥有发言权,而是因为他有灵魂、有同情心、牺牲精神和忍耐精神。诗人、作家的责任就是书写这种精神。他们有权升华人类的心灵,使人类回忆起过去曾使他无比光荣的东西——勇气、荣誉、希望、自尊、同情和牺牲。”
各位同学,你们在未来中扮演着举足轻重的角色。当你们追求个人的志向时,我希望你们也能发扬奉献精神,积极发声,在各个方面帮助改进这个世界。这会给你们带来最大的满足感。
最后,请接受我最热烈的祝贺。希望你们成功,也希望你们保护和拯救我们这个星球,为了你们的孩子,以及未来所有的孩子。
第三篇:朱棣文2009年哈佛大学演讲全文
朱棣文2009年哈佛大学演讲:未来并非在劫难逃(中英文互译)
朱棣文(Steven Chu,1948年2月28日-),美国物理学家,生于美国圣路易斯;华人血统,祖籍中国江苏太仓,曾获得诺贝尔物理学奖(1997年)。现任美国能源部部长。
1970年,获罗彻斯特大学数学学士和物理学学士。1976年,获加州大学伯克利分校物理学博士。
1987年,任斯坦福大学物理学教授,是该校第一位华裔教授。1993年,当选美国国家科学院院士。1997年,获诺贝尔物理学奖。
2004年,任劳伦斯·伯克利国家实验室主任,是首位掌管这个美国能源部下属国家实验室的亚裔人士。
2009年,出任奥巴马政府能源部长。
【正文】
Madam President Faust, members of the Harvard Corporation and the Board of Overseers, faculty, family, friends, and, most importantly, today's graduates, 尊敬的Faust校长,哈佛集团的各位成员,监管理事会的各位理事,各位老师,各位家长,各位朋友,以及最重要的各位毕业生同学,Thank you for letting me share this wonderful day with you.感谢你们,让我有机会同你们一起分享这个美妙的日子。I am not sure I can live up to the high standards of Harvard Commencement speakers.Last year, J.K.Rowling, the billionaire novelist, who started as a classics student, graced this podium.The year before, Bill Gates, the mega-billionaire philanthropist and computer nerd stood here.Today, sadly, you have me.I am not a billionaire, but at least I am a nerd.我不太肯定,自己够得上哈佛大学毕业典礼演讲人这样的殊荣。去年登上这个讲台的是,英国亿万身家的小说家J.K.Rowling女士,她最早是一个古典文学的学生。前年站在这里的是比尔•盖茨先生,他是一个超级富翁、一个慈善家和电脑高手。今年很遗憾,你们的演讲人是我,虽然我不是很有钱,但是至少我也算一个高手。
I am grateful to receive an honorary degree from Harvard, an honor that means more to me than you might care to imagine.You see, I was the academic black sheep of my family.My older brother has an M.D./Ph.D.from MIT and Harvard while my younger brother has a law degree from Harvard.When I was awarded a Nobel Prize, I thought my mother would be pleased.Not so.When I called her on the morning of the announcement, she replied, “That's nice, but when are you going to visit me next.” Now, as the last brother with a degree from Harvard, maybe, at last, she will be satisfied.我很感激哈佛大学给我荣誉学位,这对我很重要,也许比你们会想到的还要重要。要知道,在学术上,我是我们家的不肖之子。我的哥哥在麻省理工学院得到医学博士,在哈佛大学得到哲学博士;我的弟弟在哈佛大学得到一个法律学位。我本人得到诺贝尔奖的时候,我想我的妈妈会高兴。但是,我错了。消息公布的那天早上,我给她打电话,她听了只说:“这是好消息,不过我想知道,你下次什么时候来看我?”如今在我们兄弟当中,我最终也拿到了哈佛学位,我想这一次,她会感到满意。
Another difficulty with giving a Harvard commencement address is that some of you may disapprove of the fact that I have borrowed material from previous speeches.I ask that you forgive me for two reasons.在哈佛大学毕业典礼上发表演讲,还有一个难处,那就是你们中有些人可能有意见,不喜欢我重复前人演讲中说过的话。我要求你们谅解我,因为两个理由。
First, in order to have impact, it is important to deliver the same message more than once.In science, it is important to be the first person to make a discovery, but it is even more important to be the last person to make that discovery.首先,为了产生影响力,很重要的方法就是重复传递同样的信息。在科学中,第一个发现者是重要的,但是在得到公认前,最后一个将这个发现重复做出来的人也许更重要。
Second, authors who borrow from others are following in the footsteps of the best.Ralph Waldo Emerson, who graduated from Harvard at the age of 18, noted “All my best thoughts were stolen by the ancients.” Picasso declared “Good artists borrow.Great artists steal.” Why should commencement speakers be held to a higher standard? 其次,一个借鉴他人的作者,正走在一条前人开辟的最佳道路上。哈佛大学毕业生、诗人爱默生曾经写下:“古人把我最好的一些思想都偷走了。”画家毕加索宣称“优秀的艺术家借鉴,伟大的艺术家偷窃。”那么为什么毕业典礼的演说者,就不适用同样的标准呢?
I also want to point out the irony of speaking to graduates of an institution that would have rejected me, had I the chutzpah to apply.I am married to “Dean Jean,” the former dean of admissions at Stanford.She assures me that she would have rejected me, if given the chance.When I showed her a draft of this speech, she objected strongly to my use of the word “rejected.” She never rejected applicants;her letters stated that “we are unable to offer you admission.” I have difficulty understanding the difference.After all, deans of admissions of highly selective schools are in reality, “deans of rejection.” Clearly, I have a lot to learn about marketing.我还要指出一点,向哈佛毕业生发表演说,对我来说是有讽刺意味的,因为如果当年我斗胆向哈佛大学递交入学申请,一定会被拒绝。我的妻子Jean当过斯坦福大学的招生主任,她向我保证,如果当年我申请斯坦福大学,她会拒绝我。我把这篇演讲的草稿给她过目,她强烈反对我使用“拒绝”这个词,她从来不拒绝任何申请者。在拒绝信中,她总是写:“我们无法提供你入学机会。”我分不清两者到底有何差别。在我看来,那些大热门学校的招生主任与其称为“准许你入学的主任”,还不如称为“拒绝你入学的主任”。很显然,我需要好好学学怎么来推销自己。
My address will follow the classical sonata form of commencement addresses.The first movement, just presented, were light-hearted remarks.This next movement consists of unsolicited advice, which is rarely valued, seldom remembered, never followed.As Oscar Wilde said, “The only thing to do with good advice is to pass it on.It is never of any use to oneself.” So, here comes the advice.First, every time you celebrate an achievement, be thankful to those who made it possible.Thank your parents and friends who supported you, thank your professors who were inspirational, and especially thank the other professors whose less-than-brilliant lectures forced you to teach yourself.Going forward, the ability to teach yourself is the hallmark of a great liberal arts education and will be the key to your success.To your fellow students who have added immeasurably to your education during those late night discussions, hug them.Also, of course, thank Harvard.Should you forget, there's an alumni association to remind you.Second, in your future life, cultivate a generous spirit.In all negotiations, don't bargain for the last, little advantage.Leave the change on the table.In your collaborations, always remember that “credit” is not a conserved quantity.In a successful collaboration, everybody gets 90 percent of the credit.毕业典礼演讲都遵循古典奏鸣曲的结构,我的演讲也不例外。刚才是第一乐章----轻快的闲谈。接下来的第二乐章是送上门的忠告。这样的忠告很少被重视,几乎注定被忘记,永远不会被实践。但是,就像王尔德说的:“对于忠告,你所能做的,就是把它送给别人,因为它对你没有任何用处。”所以,下面就是我的忠告。第一,取得成就的时候,不要忘记前人。要感谢你的父母和支持你的朋友,要感谢那些启发过你的教授,尤其要感谢那些上不好课的教授,因为他们迫使你自学。从长远看,自学能力是优秀的文理教育中必不可少的,将成为你成功的关键。你还要去拥抱你的同学,感谢他们同你进行过的许多次彻夜长谈,这为你的教育带来了无法衡量的价值。当然,你还要感谢哈佛大学。不过即使你忘了这一点,校友会也会来提醒你。第二,在你们未来的人生中,做一个慷慨大方的人。在任何谈判中,都把最后一点点利益留给对方。不要把桌上的钱都拿走。在合作中,要牢记荣誉不是一个守恒的量。成功合作的任何一方,都应获得全部荣誉的90%。
Jimmy Stewart, as Elwood P.Dowd in the movie “Harvey” got it exactly right.He said: “Years ago my mother used to say to me, 'In this world, Elwood, you must be...she always used to call me Elwood...in this world, Elwood, you must be oh so smart or oh so pleasant.'” Well, for years I was smart....I recommend pleasant.You may quote me on that.电影《Harvey》中,Jimmy Stewart扮演的角色Elwood P.Dowd,就完全理解这一点。他说:“多年前,母亲曾经对我说,'Elwood,活在这个世界上,你要么做一个聪明人,要么做一个好人。'”我做聪明人,已经做了好多年了。......但是,我推荐你们做好人。你们可以引用我这句话。
My third piece of advice is as follows: As you begin this new stage of your lives, follow your passion.If you don't have a passion, don't be satisfied until you find one.Life is too short to go through it without caring deeply about something.When I was your age, I was incredibly single-minded in my goal to be a physicist.After college, I spent eight years as a graduate student and postdoc at Berkeley, and then nine years at Bell Labs.During that my time, my central focus and professional joy was physics.我的第三个忠告是,当你开始生活的新阶段时,请跟随你的爱好。如果你没有爱好,就去找,找不到就不罢休。生命太短暂,如果想有所成,你必须对某样东西倾注你的深情。我在你们这个年龄,是超级的一根筋,我的目标就是非成为物理学家不可。本科毕业后,我在加州大学伯克利分校又待了8年,读完了研究生,做完了博士后,然后去贝尔实验室待了9年。在这些年中,我关注的中心和职业上的全部乐趣,都来自物理学。
Here is my final piece of advice.Pursuing a personal passion is important, but it should not be your only goal.When you are old and gray, and look back on your life, you will want to be proud of what you have done.The source of that pride won't be the things you have acquired or the recognition you have received.It will be the lives you have touched and the difference you have made.我还有最后一个忠告,就是说兴趣爱好固然重要,但是你不应该只考虑兴趣爱好。当你白发苍苍、垂垂老矣、回首人生时,你需要为自己做过的事感到自豪。你的物质生活和得到的承认,都不会产生自豪。只有那些你出手相助、被你改变过的人和事,才会让你产生自豪。
After nine years at Bell labs, I decided to leave that warm, cozy ivory tower for what I considered to be the “real world,” a university.Bell Labs, to quote what was said about Mary Poppins, was “practically perfect in every way,” but I wanted to leave behind something more than scientific articles.I wanted to teach and give birth to my own set of scientific children.在贝尔实验室待了9年后,我决定离开这个温暖舒适的象牙塔,走进我眼中的“真实世界”----大学。我对贝尔实验室的看法,就像别人形容电影Mary Poppins的话,“实际上完美无缺”。但是,我想为世界留下更多的东西,不只是科学论文。我要去教书,培育我自己在科学上的后代。
Ted Geballe, a friend and distinguished colleague of mine at Stanford, who also went from Berkeley to Bell Labs to Stanford years earlier, described our motives best: 我在斯坦福大学有一个好友兼杰出同事Ted Geballe。他也是从伯克利分校去了贝尔实验室,几年前又离开贝尔实验室去了斯坦福大学。他对我们的动机做出了最佳描述:
“The best part of working at a university is the students.They come in fresh, enthusiastic, open to ideas, unscarred by the battles of life.They don't realize it, but they're the recipients of the best our society can offer.If a mind is ever free to be creative, that's the time.They come in believing textbooks are authoritative, but eventually they figure out that textbooks and professors don't know everything, and then they start to think on their own.Then, I begin learning from them.” “在大学工作,最大的优点就是学生。他们生机勃勃,充满热情,思想自由,还没被生活的重压改变。虽然他们自己没有意识到,但是他们是这个社会中你能找到的最佳受众。如果生命中曾经有过思想自由和充满创造力的时期,那么那个时期就是你在读大学。进校时,学生们对课本上的一字一句毫不怀疑,渐渐地,他们发现课本和教授并不是无所不知的,于是他们开始独立思考。从那时起,就是我开始向他们学习了。”
My students, post doctoral fellows, and the young researchers who worked with me at Bell Labs, Stanford, and Berkeley have been extraordinary.Over 30 former group members are now professors, many at the best research institutions in the world, including Harvard.I have learned much from them.Even now, in rare moments on weekends, the remaining members of my biophysics group meet with me in the ether world of cyberspace.我教过的学生、带过的博士后、合作过的年轻同事,都非常优秀。他们中有30多人,现在已经是教授了。他们所在的研究机构有不少是全世界第一流的,其中就包括哈佛大学。我从他们身上学到了很多东西。即使现在,我偶尔还会周末上网,向现在还从事生物物理学研究的学生请教。
I began teaching with the idea of giving back;I received more than I gave.This brings me to the final movement of this speech.It begins with a story about an extraordinary scientific discovery and a new dilemma that it poses.It's a call to arms and about making a difference.我怀着回报社会的想法,开始了教学生涯。我的一生中,得到的多于我付出的,所以我要回报社会。这就引出了这次演讲的最后一个乐章。首先我要讲一个了不起的科学发现,以及由此带来的新挑战。它是一个战斗的号令,到了做出改变的时候了。
In the last several decades, our climate has been changing.Climate change is not new: the Earth went through six ice ages in the past 600,000 years.However, recent measurements show that the climate has begun to change rapidly.The size of the North Polar Ice Cap in the month of September is only half the size it was a mere 50 years ago.The sea level which been rising since direct measurements began in 1870 at a rate that is now five times faster than it was at the beginning of recorded measurements.Here's the remarkable scientific discovery.For the first time in human history, science is now making predictions of how our actions will affect the world 50 and 100 years from now.These changes are due to an increase in carbon dioxide put into the atmosphere since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution.The Earth has warmed up by roughly 0.8 degrees Celsius since the beginning of the Revolution.There is already approximately a 1 degree rise built into the system, even if we stop all greenhouse gas emissions today.Why? It will take decades to warm up the deep oceans before the temperature reaches a new equilibrium.过去几十年中,我们的气候一直在发生变化。气候变化并不是现在才有的,过去60万年中就发生了6次冰河期。但是,现在的测量表明气候变化加速了。北极冰盖在9月份的大小,只相当于50年前的一半。1870年起,人们开始测量海平面上升的速度,现在的速度是那时的5倍。一个重大的科学发现就这样产生了。科学第一次在人类历史上,预测出我们的行为对50~100年后的世界有何影响。这些变化的原因是,从工业革命开始,人类排放到大气中的二氧化碳增加 了。这使得地球的平均气温上升了0.8摄氏度。即使我们立刻停止所有温室气体的排放,气温仍然将比过去上升大约1度。因为在气温达到均衡前,海水温度的上升将持续几十年。
If the world continues on a business-as-usual path, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change predicts that there is a fifty-fifty chance the temperature will exceed 5 degrees by the end of this century.This increase may not sound like much, but let me remind you that during the last ice age, the world was only 6 degrees colder.During this time, most of Canada and the United States down to Ohio and Pennsylvania were covered year round by a glacier.A world 5 degrees warmer will be very different.The change will be so rapid that many species, including Humans, will have a hard time adapting.I've been told for example, that, in a much warmer world, insects were bigger.I wonder if this thing buzzing around is a precursor.如果全世界保持现在的经济模式不变,联合国政府间气候变化专门委员会(IPCC)预测,本世纪末将有50%的可能,气温至少上升5度。这听起来好像不多,但是让我来提醒你,上一次的冰河期,地球的气温也仅仅只下降了6度。那时,俄亥俄州和宾夕法尼亚州以北的大部分美国和加拿大的土地,都终年被冰川覆盖。气温上升5度的地球,将是一个非常不同的地球。由于变化来得太快,包括人类在内的许多生物,都将很难适应。比如,有人告诉我,在更温暖的环境中,昆虫的个头将变大。我不知道现在身旁嗡嗡叫的这只大苍蝇,是不是就是前兆。
We also face the specter of nonlinear “tipping points” that may cause much more severe changes.An example of a tipping point is the thawing of the permafrost.The permafrost contains immense amounts of frozen organic matter that have been accumulating for millennia.If the soil melts, microbes will spring to life and cause this debris to rot.The difference in biological activity below freezing and above freezing is something we are all familiar with.Frozen food remains edible for a very long time in the freezer, but once thawed, it spoils quickly.How much methane and carbon dioxide might be released from the rotting permafrost? If even a fraction of the carbon is released, it could be greater than all the greenhouse gases we have released to since the beginning of the industrial revolution.Once started, a runaway effect could occur.我们还面临另一个幽灵,那就是非线性的“气候引爆点”,这会带来许多严重得多的变化。“气候引爆点”的一个例子就是永久冻土层的融化。永久冻土层经 过千万年的累积形成,其中包含了巨量的冻僵的有机物。如果冻土融化,微生物就将广泛繁殖,使得冻土层中的有机物快速腐烂。冷冻后的生物和冷冻前的生物,它 们在生物学特性上的差异,我们都很熟悉。在冷库中,冷冻食品在经过长时间保存后,依然可以食用。但是,一旦解冻,食品很快就腐烂了。一个腐烂的永久冻土层,将释放出多少甲烷和二氧化碳?即使只有一部分的碳被释放出来,可能也比我们从工业革命开始释放出来的所有温室气体还要多。这种事情一旦发生,局势就失控了。
The climate problem is the unintended consequence of our success.We depend on fossil energy to keep our homes warm in the winter, cool in the summer, and lit at night;we use it to travel across town and across continents.Energy is a fundamental reason for the prosperity we enjoy, and we will not surrender this prosperity.The United States has 3 percent of the world population, and yet, we consume 25 percent of the energy.By contrast, there are 1.6 billion people who don't have access to electricity.Hundreds of millions of people still cook with twigs or dung.The life we enjoy may not be within the reach of the developing world, but it is within sight, and they want what we have.气候问题是我们的经济发展在无意中带来的后果。我们太依赖化石能源,冬天取暖,夏天制冷,夜间照明,长途旅行,环球观光。能源是经济繁荣的基础,我 们不可能放弃经济繁荣。美国人口占全世界的3%,但是我们消耗全世界25%的能源。与此形成对照,全世界还有16亿人没有电,数亿人依靠燃烧树枝和动物粪便来煮饭。发展中国家的人民享受不到我们的生活,但是他们都看在眼里,他们渴望拥有我们拥有的东西。
Here is the dilemma.How much are we willing to invest, as a world society, to mitigate the consequences of climate change that will not be realized for at least 100 years? Deeply rooted in all cultures, is the notion of generational responsibility.Parents work hard so that their children will have a better life.Climate change will affect the entire world, but our natural focus is on the welfare of our immediate families.Can we, as a world society, meet our responsibility to future generations? 这就是新的挑战。全世界作为一个整体,我们到底愿意付出多少,来缓和气候变化?这种付出至少在100年内,都不会有明显效果。代际责任深深植根于所有文化中。家长努力工作,为了让他们的孩子有更好的生活。气候变化将影响整个世界,但是我们的天性使得我们只关心个人家庭的福利。我们能不能把全世界看作一个整体?能不能为未来的人们承担起责任?
While I am worried, I am hopeful we will solve this problem.I became the director of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, in part because I wanted to enlist some of the best scientific minds to help battle against climate change.I was there only four and a half years, the shortest serving director in the 78-year history of the Lab, but when I left, a number of very exciting energy institutes at the Berkeley Lab and UC Berkeley had been established.虽然我忧心忡忡,但是还是对未来抱乐观态度,这个问题将会得到解决。我同意出任劳伦斯-伯克利国家实验室主任,部分原因是我想招募一些世界上最好的科学家,来研究气候变化的对策。我在那里干了4年半,是这个实验室78年的历史中,任期最短的主任,但是当我离任时,在伯克利实验室和伯克利分校,一些非常激动人心的能源研究机构已经建立起来了。
I am extremely privileged to be part of the Obama administration.If there ever was a time to help steer America and the world towards a path of sustainable energy, now is the time.The message the President is delivering is not one of doom and gloom, but of optimism and opportunity.I share this optimism.The task ahead is daunting, but we can and will succeed.能够成为奥巴马施政团队的一员,我感到极其荣幸。如果有一个时机,可以引导美国和全世界走上可持续能源的道路,那么这个时机就是现在。总统已经发出 信息,未来并非在劫难逃,而是乐观的,我们依然有机会。我也抱有这种乐观主义。我们面前的任务令人生畏,但是我们能够并且将会成功。
We know some of the answers already.There are immediate and significant savings in energy efficiency and conservation.Energy efficiency is not just low-hanging fruit;it is fruit lying on the ground.For example, we have the potential to make buildings 80 percent more efficient with investments that will pay for themselves in less than 15 years.Buildings consume 40 percent of the energy we use, and a transition to energy efficient buildings will cut our carbon emissions by one-third.我们已经有了一些答案,可以立竿见影地节约能源和提高能源使用效率。它们不是挂在枝头的水果,而是已经成熟掉在地上了,就看我们愿不愿意捡起来。比 如,我们有办法将楼宇的耗电减少80%,增加的投资在15年内就可以收回来。楼宇的耗电占我们能源消费的40%,节能楼宇的推广将使我们二氧化碳的释放减 少三分之一。
We are revving up the remarkable American innovation machine that will be the basis of a new American prosperity.We will invent much improved methods to harness the sun, the wind, nuclear power, and capture and sequester the carbon dioxide emitted from our power plants.Advanced bio-fuels and the electrification of personal vehicles make us less dependent on foreign oil.我们正在加速美国这座巨大的创新机器,这将是下一次美国大繁荣的基础。我们将大量投资有效利用太阳能、风能、核能的新方法,大量投资能够捕获和隔离电厂废气中的二氧化碳的方法。先进的生物燃料和电力汽车将使得我们不再那么依赖外国的石油。
In the coming decades, we will almost certainly face higher oil prices and be in a carbon-constrained economy.We have the opportunity to lead in development of a new, industrial revolution.The great hockey player, Wayne Gretzky, when asked, how he positions himself on the ice, he replied,“ I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it's been.” America should do the same.在未来的几十年中,我们几乎肯定会面对更高的油价和更严厉的二氧化碳限制排放政策。这是一场新的工业革命,美国有机会充当领导者。伟大的冰上曲棍球选手Wayne Gretzky被问到,他如何在冰上跑位,回答说:“我滑向球下一步的位置,而不是它现在的位置。”美国也应该这样做。
The Obama administration is laying a new foundation for a prosperous and sustainable energy future, but we don't have all of the answers.That's where you come in.In this address, I am asking you, the Harvard graduates, to join us.As our future intellectual leaders, take the time to learn more about what's at stake, and then act on that knowledge.As future scientists and engineers, I ask you to give us better technology solutions.As future economists and political scientists, I ask you to create better policy options.As future business leaders, I ask that you make sustainability an integral part of your business.奥巴马政府正在为美国的繁荣和可持续能源,打下新的基础。但是我们无法为所有问题都找到答案。这就需要你们的参与。在本次演讲中,我请求在座各位哈佛毕业生加入我们。你们是我们未来的智力领袖,请花时间加深理解目前的危险局势,然后采取相应的行动。你们是未来的科学家和工程师,我要求你们给我们更好的技术方案。你们是未来的经济学家和政治学家,我要求你们创造更好的政策选择。你们是未来的企业家,我要求你们将可持续发展作为你们业务中不可分割的一部分。
Finally, as humanists, I ask that you speak to our common humanity.One of the cruelest ironies about climate change is that the ones who will be hurt the most are the most innocent: the worlds poorest and those yet to be born.最后,你们是人道主义者,我要求你们为了人道主义说话。气候变化带来的最残酷的讽刺之一,就是最受伤害的人,恰恰就是最无辜的人----那些世界上最穷的人们和那些还没有出生的人。
The coda to this last movement is borrowed from two humanists.这个最后乐章的完结部是引用两个人道主义者的话。
The first quote is from Martin Luther King.He spoke on ending the war in Vietnam in 1967, but his message seems so fitting for today's climate crisis: 第一段引语来自马丁•路德•金。这是1967年他对越南战争结束的评论,但是看上去非常适合用来评论今天的气候危机。
“This call for a worldwide fellowship that lifts neighborly concern beyond one's tribe, race, class, and nation is in reality a call for an all-embracing and unconditional love for all mankind.This oft misunderstood, this oft misinterpreted concept, so readily dismissed by the Nietzsches of the world as a weak and cowardly force, has now become an absolute necessity for the survival of man...We are now faced with the fact, my friends, that tomorrow is today.We are confronted with the fierce urgency of now.In this unfolding conundrum of life and history, there is such a thing as being too late.” “我呼吁全世界的人们团结一心,抛弃种族、肤色、阶级、国籍的隔阂;我呼吁包罗一切、无条件的对全人类的爱。你会因此遭受误解和误读,信奉尼采哲学的世人会认定你是一个软弱和胆怯的懦夫。但是,这是人类存在下去的绝对必需。......我的朋友,眼前的事实就是,明天就是今天。此刻,我们面临最紧急的情况。在变幻莫测的生活和历史之中,有一样东西叫做悔之晚矣。”
The final message is from William Faulkner.On December 10th, 1950, his Nobel Prize banquet speech was about the role of humanists in a world facing potential nuclear holocaust.第二段引语来自威廉•福克纳。1950年12月10月,他在诺贝尔奖获奖晚宴上发表演说,谈到了世界在核战争的阴影之下,人道主义者应该扮演什么样的角色。
“I believe that man will not merely endure: he will prevail.He is immortal, not because he alone among creatures has an inexhaustible voice, but because he has a soul, a spirit capable of compassion and sacrifice and endurance.The poet's, the writer's, duty is to write about these things.It is his privilege to help man endure by lifting his heart, by reminding him of the courage and honor and hope and pride and compassion and pity and sacrifice which have been the glory of his past.” “我相信人类不仅能忍耐,而且会获胜。人类是不朽的,这不是因为万物当中仅仅他会无穷尽的呼喊,而是因为他有一个灵魂,有同情心、牺牲精神和忍耐力。诗人和作家的责任就是写这些东西。他们的特权正是通过鼓舞人类,唤起人类原有的荣耀----勇气、荣誉、希望、自尊、怜悯之心和牺牲精神,去帮助人类学会忍耐。”
Graduates, you have an extraordinary role to play in our future.As you pursue your private passions, I hope you will also develop a passion and a voice to help the world in ways both large and small.Nothing will give you greater satisfaction.各位毕业生同学,你们在我们的未来中扮演举足轻重的角色。当你们追求个人的志向时,我希望你们也会发扬奉献精神,积极发声,在大大小小各个方面帮助改进这个世界。这会给你们带来最大的满足感。
Please accept my warmest congratulations.May you prosper, may you help preserve and save our planet for your children, and all future children of the world.最后,请接受我最热烈的祝贺。希望你们成功,也希望你们保护和拯救我们这个星球,为了你们的孩子,以及未来所有的孩子。
第四篇:朱棣文哈弗演讲
Table3.The drying frequencies of model 阶数 1 2 频率/HZ 1.807 4.429 5.981 6.783 9.858 10.036 11.361 13.018 13.404
13.76
Madam President Faust, members of the Harvard Corporation and the Board of Overseers, faculty, family, friends, and, most importantly, today's graduates,尊敬的Faust校长,哈佛集团的各位成员,监管理事会的各位理事,各位老师,各位家长,各位朋友,以及最重要的各位毕业生同学,Thank you for letting me share this wonderful day with you.感谢你们,让我有机会同你们一起分享这个美妙的日子。
I am not sure I can live up to the high standards of Harvard Commencement speakers.Last year, J.K.Rowling, the billionaire novelist, who started as a classics student, graced this podium.The year before, Bill Gates, the mega-billionaire philanthropist and computer nerd stood here.Today, sadly, you have me.I am not a billionaire, but at least I am a nerd.我不太肯定,自己够得上哈佛大学毕业典礼演讲人这样的殊荣。去年登上这个讲台的是,英国亿万身家的小说家J.K.Rowling女士,她最早是一个古典文学的学生。前年站在这里的是比尔•盖茨先生,他是一个超级富翁、一个慈善家和电脑高手。今年很遗憾,你们的演讲人是我,虽然我不是很有钱,但是至少我也算一个高手。
I am grateful to receive an honorary degree from Harvard, an honor that means more to me than you might care to imagine.You see, I was the academic black sheep of my family.My older brother has an M.D./Ph.D.from MIT and Harvard while my younger brother has a law degree from Harvard.When I was awarded a Nobel Prize, I thought my mother would be pleased.Not so.When I called her on the morning of the announcement, she replied, “That's nice, but when are you going to visit me next.” Now, as the last brother with a degree from Harvard, maybe, at last, she will be satisfied.我很感激哈佛大学给我荣誉学位,这对我很重要,也许比你们会想到的还要重要。要知道,在学术上,我是我们家的不肖之子。我的哥哥在麻省理工学院得到医学博士,在哈佛大学得到哲学博士;我的弟弟在哈佛大学得到一个法律学位。我本人得到诺贝尔奖的时候,我想我的妈妈会高兴。但是,我错了。消息公布的那天早上,我给她打电话,她听了只说:“这是好消息,不过我想知道,你下次什么时候来看我?”如今在我们兄弟当中,我最终也拿到了哈佛学位,我想这一次,她会感到满意。
Another difficulty with giving a Harvard commencement address is that some of you may disapprove of the fact that I have borrowed material from previous speeches.I ask that you forgive me for two reasons.在哈佛大学毕业典礼上发表演讲,还有一个难处,那就是你们中有些人可能有意见,不喜欢我重复前人演讲中说过的话。我要求你们谅解我,因为两个理由。
First, in order to have impact, it is important to deliver the same message more than once.In science, it is important to be the first person to make a discovery, but it is even more important to be the last person to make that discovery.首先,为了产生影响力,很重要的方法就是重复传递同样的信息。在科学中,第一个发现者是重要的,但是在得到公认前,最后一个将这个发现重复做出来的人也许更重要。
Second, authors who borrow from others are following in the footsteps of the best.Ralph Waldo Emerson, who graduated from Harvard at the age of 18, noted “All my best thoughts were stolen by the ancients.” Picasso declared “Good artists borrow.Great artists steal.” Why should commencement speakers be held to a higher standard?
其次,一个借鉴他人的作者,正走在一条前人开辟的最佳道路上。哈佛大学毕业生、诗人爱默生曾经写下:“古人把我最好的一些思想都偷走了。”画家毕加索宣称“优秀的艺术家借鉴,伟大的艺术家偷窃。”那么为什么毕业典礼的演说者,就不适用同样的标准呢?
I also want to point out the irony of speaking to graduates of an institution that would have rejected me, had I the chutzpah to apply.I am married to “Dean Jean,” the former dean of admissions at Stanford.She assures me that she would have rejected me, if given the chance.When I showed her a draft of this speech, she objected strongly to my use of the word “rejected.” She never rejected applicants;her letters stated that “we are unable to offer you admission.” I have difficulty understanding the difference.After all, deans of admissions of highly selective schools are in reality, “deans of rejection.” Clearly, I have a lot to learn about marketing.我还要指出一点,向哈佛毕业生发表演说,对我来说是有讽刺意味的,因为如果当年我斗胆向哈佛大学递交入学申请,一定会被拒绝。我的妻子Jean当过斯坦福大学的招生主任,她向我保证,如果当年我申请斯坦福大学,她会拒绝我。我把这篇演讲的草稿给她过目,她强烈反对我使用“拒绝”这个词,她从来不拒绝任何申请者。在拒绝信中,她总是写:“我们无法提供你入学机会。”我分不清两者到底有何差别。在我看来,那些大热门学校的招生主任与其称为“准许你入学的主任”,还不如称为“拒绝你入学的主任”。很显然,我需要好好学学怎么来推销自己。
My address will follow the classical sonata form of commencement addresses.The first movement, just presented, were light-hearted remarks.This next movement consists of unsolicited advice, which is rarely valued, seldom remembered, never followed.As Oscar Wilde said, “The only thing to do with good advice is to pass it on.It is never of any use to oneself.” So, here comes the advice.First, every time you celebrate an achievement, be thankful to those who made it possible.Thank your parents and friends who supported you, thank your professors who were inspirational, and especially thank the other professors whose less-than-brilliant lectures forced you to teach yourself.Going forward, the ability to teach yourself is the hallmark of a great liberal arts education and will be the key to your success.To your fellow students who have added immeasurably to your education during those late night discussions, hug them.Also, of course, thank Harvard.Should you forget, there's an alumni association to remind you.Second, in your future life, cultivate a generous spirit.In all negotiations, don't bargain for the last, little advantage.Leave the change on the table.In your collaborations, always remember that “credit” is not a conserved quantity.In a successful collaboration, everybody gets 90 percent of the credit.毕业典礼演讲都遵循古典奏鸣曲的结构,我的演讲也不例外。刚才是第一乐章----轻快的闲谈。接下来的第二乐章是送上门的忠告。这样的忠告很少被重视,几乎注定被忘记,永远不会被实践。但是,就像王尔德说的:“对于忠告,你所能做的,就是把它送给别人,因为它对你没有任何用处。”所以,下面就是我的忠告。第一,取得成就的时候,不要忘记前人。要感谢你的父母和支持你的朋友,要感谢那些启发过你的教授,尤其要感谢那些上不好课的教授,因为他们迫使你自学。从长远看,自学能力是优秀的文理教育中必不可少的,将成为你成功的关键。你还要去拥抱你的同学,感谢他们同你进行过的许多次彻夜长谈,这为你的教育带来了无法衡量的价值。当然,你还要感谢哈佛大学。不过即使你忘了这一点,校友会也会来提醒你。第二,在你们未来的人生中,做一个慷慨大方的人。在任何谈判中,都把最后一点点利益留给对方。不要把桌上的钱都拿走。在合作中,要牢记荣誉不是一个守恒的量。成功合作的任何一方,都应获得全部荣誉的90%。
Jimmy Stewart, as Elwood P.Dowd in the movie “Harvey” got it exactly right.He said: “Years ago my mother used to say to me, 'In this world, Elwood, you must be...she always used to call me Elwood...in this world, Elwood, you must be oh so smart or oh so pleasant.'” Well, for years I was smart....I recommend pleasant.You may quote me on that.电影《Harvey》中,Jimmy Stewart扮演的角色Elwood P.Dowd,就完全理解这一点。他说:“多年前,母亲曾经对我说,'Elwood,活在这个世界上,你要么做一个聪明人,要么做一个好人。'”我做聪明人,已经做了好多年了。......但是,我推荐你们做好人。你们可以引用我这句话。
My third piece of advice is as follows: As you begin this new stage of your lives, follow your passion.If you don't have a passion, don't be satisfied until you find one.Life is too short to go through it without caring deeply about something.When I was your age, I was incredibly single-minded in my goal to be a physicist.After college, I spent eight years as a graduate student and postdoc at Berkeley, and then nine years at Bell Labs.During that my time, my central focus and professional joy was physics.我的第三个忠告是,当你开始生活的新阶段时,请跟随你的爱好。如果你没有爱好,就去找,找不到就不罢休。生命太短暂,如果想有所成,你必须对某样东西倾注你的深情。我在你们这个年龄,是超级的一根筋,我的目标就是非成为物理学家不可。本科毕业后,我在加州大学伯克利分校又待了8年,读完了研究生,做完了博士后,然后去贝尔实验室待了9年。在这些年中,我关注的中心和职业上的全部乐趣,都来自物理学。
Here is my final piece of advice.Pursuing a personal passion is important, but it should not be your only goal.When you are old and gray, and look back on your life, you will want to be proud of what you have done.The source of that pride won't be the things you have acquired or the recognition you have received.It will be the lives you have touched and the difference you have made.我还有最后一个忠告,就是说兴趣爱好固然重要,但是你不应该只考虑兴趣爱好。当你白发苍苍、垂垂老矣、回首人生时,你需要为自己做过的事感到自豪。你的物质生活和得到的承认,都不会产生自豪。只有那些你出手相助、被你改变过的人和事,才会让你产生自豪。
After nine years at Bell labs, I decided to leave that warm, cozy ivory tower for what I considered to be the “real world,” a university.Bell Labs, to quote what was said about Mary Poppins, was “practically perfect in every way,” but I wanted to leave behind something more than scientific articles.I wanted to teach and give birth to my own set of scientific children.在贝尔实验室待了9年后,我决定离开这个温暖舒适的象牙塔,走进我眼中的“真实世界”----大学。我对贝尔实验室的看法,就像别人形容电影Mary Poppins的话,“实际上完美无缺”。但是,我想为世界留下更多的东西,不只是科学论文。我要去教书,培育我自己在科学上的后代。
Ted Geballe, a friend and distinguished colleague of mine at Stanford, who also went from Berkeley to Bell Labs to Stanford years earlier, described our motives best:
我在斯坦福大学有一个好友兼杰出同事Ted Geballe。他也是从伯克利分校去了贝尔实验室,几年前又离开贝尔实验室去了斯坦福大学。他对我们的动机做出了最佳描述:
“The best part of working at a university is the students.They come in fresh, enthusiastic, open to ideas, unscarred by the battles of life.They don't realize it, but they're the recipients of the best our society can offer.If a mind is ever free to be creative, that's the time.They come in believing textbooks are authoritative, but eventually they figure out that textbooks and professors don't know everything, and then they start to think on their own.Then, I begin learning from them.”
“在大学工作,最大的优点就是学生。他们生机勃勃,充满热情,思想自由,还没被生活的重压改变。虽然他们自己没有意识到,但是他们是这个社会中你能找到的最佳受众。如果生命中曾经有过思想自由和充满创造力的时期,那么那个时期就是你在读大学。进校时,学生们对课本上的一字一句毫不怀疑,渐渐地,他们发现课本和教授并不是无所不知的,于是他们开始独立思考。从那时起,就是我开始向他们学习了。”
My students, post doctoral fellows, and the young researchers who worked with me at Bell Labs, Stanford, and Berkeley have been extraordinary.Over 30 former group members are now professors, many at the best research institutions in the world, including Harvard.I have learned much from them.Even now, in rare moments on weekends, the remaining members of my biophysics group meet with me in the ether world of cyberspace.我教过的学生、带过的博士后、合作过的年轻同事,都非常优秀。他们中有30多人,现在已经是教授了。他们所在的研究机构有不少是全世界第一流的,其中就包括哈佛大学。我从他们身上学到了很多东西。即使现在,我偶尔还会周末上网,向现在还从事生物物理学研究的学生请教。
I began teaching with the idea of giving back;I received more than I gave.This brings me to the final movement of this speech.It begins with a story about an extraordinary scientific discovery and a new dilemma that it poses.It's a call to arms and about making a difference.我怀着回报社会的想法,开始了教学生涯。我的一生中,得到的多于我付出的,所以我要回报社会。这就引出了这次演讲的最后一个乐章。首先我要讲一个了不起的科学发现,以及由此带来的新挑战。它是一个战斗的号令,到了做出改变的时候了。
In the last several decades, our climate has been changing.Climate change is not new: the Earth went through six ice ages in the past 600,000 years.However, recent measurements show that the climate has begun to change rapidly.The size of the North Polar Ice Cap in the month of September is only half the size it was a mere 50 years ago.The sea level which been rising since direct measurements began in 1870 at a rate that is now five times faster than it was at the beginning of recorded measurements.Here's the remarkable scientific discovery.For the first time in human history, science is now making predictions of how our actions will affect the world 50 and 100 years from now.These changes are due to an increase in carbon dioxide put into the atmosphere since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution.The Earth has warmed up by roughly 0.8 degrees Celsius since the beginning of the Revolution.There is already approximately a 1 degree rise built into the system, even if we stop all greenhouse gas emissions today.Why? It will take decades to warm up the deep oceans before the temperature reaches a new equilibrium.过去几十年中,我们的气候一直在发生变化。气候变化并不是现在才有的,过去60万年中就发生了6次冰河期。但是,现在的测量表明气候变化加速了。北极冰盖在9月份的大小,只相当于50年前的一半。1870年起,人们开始测量海平面上升的速度,现在的速度是那时的5倍。一个重大的科学发现就这样产生了。科学第一次在人类历史上,预测出我们的行为对50~100年后的世界有何影响。这些变化的原因是,从工业革命开始,人类排放到大气中的二氧化碳增加 了。这使得地球的平均气温上升了0.8摄氏度。即使我们立刻停止所有温室气体的排放,气温仍然将比过去上升大约1度。因为在气温达到均衡前,海水温度的上升将持续几十年。
If the world continues on a business-as-usual path, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change predicts that there is a fifty-fifty chance the temperature will exceed 5 degrees by the end of this century.This increase may not sound like much, but let me remind you that during the last ice age, the world was only 6 degrees colder.During this time, most of Canada and the United States down to Ohio and Pennsylvania were covered year round by a glacier.A world 5 degrees warmer will be very different.The change will be so rapid that many species, including Humans, will have a hard time adapting.I've been told for example, that, in a much warmer world, insects were bigger.I wonder if this thing buzzing around is a precursor.如果全世界保持现在的经济模式不变,联合国政府间气候变化专门委员会(IPCC)预测,本世纪末将有50%的可能,气温至少上升5度。这听起来好像不多,但是让我来提醒你,上一次的冰河期,地球的气温也仅仅只下降了6度。那时,俄亥俄州和宾夕法尼亚州以北的大部分美国和加拿大的土地,都终年被冰川覆盖。气温上升5度的地球,将是一个非常不同的地球。由于变化来得太快,包括人类在内的许多生物,都将很难适应。比如,有人告诉我,在更温暖的环境中,昆虫的个头将变大。我不知道现在身旁嗡嗡叫的这只大苍蝇,是不是就是前兆。
We also face the specter of nonlinear “tipping points” that may cause much more severe changes.An example of a tipping point is the thawing of the permafrost.The permafrost contains immense amounts of frozen organic matter that have been accumulating for millennia.If the soil melts, microbes will spring to life and cause this debris to rot.The difference in biological activity below freezing and above freezing is something we are all familiar with.Frozen food remains edible for a very long time in the freezer, but once thawed, it spoils quickly.How much methane and carbon dioxide might be released from the rotting permafrost? If even a fraction of the carbon is released, it could be greater than all the greenhouse gases we have released to since the beginning of the industrial revolution.Once started, a runaway effect could occur.我们还面临另一个幽灵,那就是非线性的“气候引爆点”,这会带来许多严重得多的变化。“气候引爆点”的一个例子就是永久冻土层的融化。永久冻土层经 过千万年的累积形成,其中包含了巨量的冻僵的有机物。如果冻土融化,微生物就将广泛繁殖,使得冻土层中的有机物快速腐烂。冷冻后的生物和冷冻前的生物,它 们在生物学特性上的差异,我们都很熟悉。在冷库中,冷冻食品在经过长时间保存后,依然可以食用。但是,一旦解冻,食品很快就腐烂了。一个腐烂的永久冻土层,将释放出多少甲烷和二氧化碳?即使只有一部分的碳被释放出来,可能也比我们从工业革命开始释放出来的所有温室气体还要多。这种事情一旦发生,局势就失控了。
The climate problem is the unintended consequence of our success.We depend on fossil energy to keep our homes warm in the winter, cool in the summer, and lit at night;we use it to travel across town and across continents.Energy is a fundamental reason for the prosperity we enjoy, and we will not surrender this prosperity.The United States has 3 percent of the world population, and yet, we consume 25 percent of the energy.By contrast, there are 1.6 billion people who don't have access to electricity.Hundreds of millions of people still cook with twigs or dung.The life we enjoy may not be within the reach of the developing world, but it is within sight, and they want what we have.气候问题是我们的经济发展在无意中带来的后果。我们太依赖化石能源,冬天取暖,夏天制冷,夜间照明,长途旅行,环球观光。能源是经济繁荣的基础,我 们不可能放弃经济繁荣。美国人口占全世界的3%,但是我们消耗全世界25%的能源。与此形成对照,全世界还有16亿人没有电,数亿人依靠燃烧树枝和动物粪便来煮饭。发展中国家的人民享受不到我们的生活,但是他们都看在眼里,他们渴望拥有我们拥有的东西。
Here is the dilemma.How much are we willing to invest, as a world society, to mitigate the consequences of climate change that will not be realized for at least 100 years? Deeply rooted in all cultures, is the notion of generational responsibility.Parents work hard so that their children will have a better life.Climate change will affect the entire world, but our natural focus is on the welfare of our immediate families.Can we, as a world society, meet our responsibility to future generations?
这就是新的挑战。全世界作为一个整体,我们到底愿意付出多少,来缓和气候变化?这种付出至少在100年内,都不会有明显效果。代际责任深深植根于所有文化中。家长努力工作,为了让他们的孩子有更好的生活。气候变化将影响整个世界,但是我们的天性使得我们只关心个人家庭的福利。我们能不能把全世界看作一个整体?能不能为未来的人们承担起责任?
While I am worried, I am hopeful we will solve this problem.I became the director of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, in part because I wanted to enlist some of the best scientific minds to help battle against climate change.I was there only four and a half years, the shortest serving director in the 78-year history of the Lab, but when I left, a number of very exciting energy institutes at the Berkeley Lab and UC Berkeley had been established.虽然我忧心忡忡,但是还是对未来抱乐观态度,这个问题将会得到解决。我同意出任劳伦斯-伯克利国家实验室主任,部分原因是我想招募一些世界上最好的科学家,来研究气候变化的对策。我在那里干了4年半,是这个实验室78年的历史中,任期最短的主任,但是当我离任时,在伯克利实验室和伯克利分校,一些非常激动人心的能源研究机构已经建立起来了。
I am extremely privileged to be part of the Obama administration.If there ever was a time to help steer America and the world towards a path of sustainable energy, now is the time.The message the President is delivering is not one of doom and gloom, but of optimism and opportunity.I share this optimism.The task ahead is daunting, but we can and will succeed.能够成为奥巴马施政团队的一员,我感到极其荣幸。如果有一个时机,可以引导美国和全世界走上可持续能源的道路,那么这个时机就是现在。总统已经发出 信息,未来并非在劫难逃,而是乐观的,我们依然有机会。我也抱有这种乐观主义。我们面前的任务令人生畏,但是我们能够并且将会成功。
We know some of the answers already.There are immediate and significant savings in energy efficiency and conservation.Energy efficiency is not just low-hanging fruit;it is fruit lying on the ground.For example, we have the potential to make buildings 80 percent more efficient with investments that will pay for themselves in less than 15 years.Buildings consume 40 percent of the energy we use, and a transition to energy efficient buildings will cut our carbon emissions by one-third.我们已经有了一些答案,可以立竿见影地节约能源和提高能源使用效率。它们不是挂在枝头的水果,而是已经成熟掉在地上了,就看我们愿不愿意捡起来。比 如,我们有办法将楼宇的耗电减少80%,增加的投资在15年内就可以收回来。楼宇的耗电占我们能源消费的40%,节能楼宇的推广将使我们二氧化碳的释放减 少三分之一。
We are revving up the remarkable American innovation machine that will be the basis of a new American prosperity.We will invent much improved methods to harness the sun, the wind, nuclear power, and capture and sequester the carbon dioxide emitted from our power plants.Advanced bio-fuels and the electrification of personal vehicles make us less dependent on foreign oil.我们正在加速美国这座巨大的创新机器,这将是下一次美国大繁荣的基础。我们将大量投资有效利用太阳能、风能、核能的新方法,大量投资能够捕获和隔离电厂废气中的二氧化碳的方法。先进的生物燃料和电力汽车将使得我们不再那么依赖外国的石油。
In the coming decades, we will almost certainly face higher oil prices and be in a carbon-constrained economy.We have the opportunity to lead in development of a new, industrial revolution.The great hockey player, Wayne Gretzky, when asked, how he positions himself on the ice, he replied,“ I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it's been.” America should do the same.在未来的几十年中,我们几乎肯定会面对更高的油价和更严厉的二氧化碳限制排放政策。这是一场新的工业革命,美国有机会充当领导者。伟大的冰上曲棍球选手Wayne Gretzky被问到,他如何在冰上跑位,回答说:“我滑向球下一步的位置,而不是它现在的位置。”美国也应该这样做。
The Obama administration is laying a new foundation for a prosperous and sustainable energy future, but we don't have all of the answers.That's where you come in.In this address, I am asking you, the Harvard graduates, to join us.As our future intellectual leaders, take the time to learn more about what's at stake, and then act on that knowledge.As future scientists and engineers, I ask you to give us better technology solutions.As future economists and political scientists, I ask you to create better policy options.As future business leaders, I ask that you make sustainability an integral part of your business.奥巴马政府正在为美国的繁荣和可持续能源,打下新的基础。但是我们无法为所有问题都找到答案。这就需要你们的参与。在本次演讲中,我请求在座各位哈佛毕业生加入我们。你们是我们未来的智力领袖,请花时间加深理解目前的危险局势,然后采取相应的行动。你们是未来的科学家和工程师,我要求你们给我们更好的技术方案。你们是未来的经济学家和政治学家,我要求你们创造更好的政策选择。你们是未来的企业家,我要求你们将可持续发展作为你们业务中不可分割的一部分。
Finally, as humanists, I ask that you speak to our common humanity.One of the cruelest ironies about climate change is that the ones who will be hurt the most are the most innocent: the worlds poorest and those yet to be born.最后,你们是人道主义者,我要求你们为了人道主义说话。气候变化带来的最残酷的讽刺之一,就是最受伤害的人,恰恰就是最无辜的人----那些世界上最穷的人们和那些还没有出生的人。
The coda to this last movement is borrowed from two humanists.这个最后乐章的完结部是引用两个人道主义者的话。
The first quote is from Martin Luther King.He spoke on ending the war in Vietnam in 1967, but his message seems so fitting for today's climate crisis:
第一段引语来自马丁•路德•金。这是1967年他对越南战争结束的评论,但是看上去非常适合用来评论今天的气候危机。
“This call for a worldwide fellowship that lifts neighborly concern beyond one's tribe, race, class, and nation is in reality a call for an all-embracing and unconditional love for all mankind.This oft misunderstood, this oft misinterpreted concept, so readily dismissed by the Nietzsches of the world as a weak and cowardly force, has now become an absolute necessity for the survival of man...We are now faced with the fact, my friends, that tomorrow is today.We are confronted with the fierce urgency of now.In this unfolding conundrum of life and history, there is such a thing as being too late.”
“我呼吁全世界的人们团结一心,抛弃种族、肤色、阶级、国籍的隔阂;我呼吁包罗一切、无条件的对全人类的爱。你会因此遭受误解和误读,信奉尼采哲学的世人会认定你是一个软弱和胆怯的懦夫。但是,这是人类存在下去的绝对必需。......我的朋友,眼前的事实就是,明天就是今天。此刻,我们面临最紧急的情况。在变幻莫测的生活和历史之中,有一样东西叫做悔之晚矣。”
The final message is from William Faulkner.On December 10th, 1950, his Nobel Prize banquet speech was about the role of humanists in a world facing potential nuclear holocaust.第二段引语来自威廉•福克纳。1950年12月10月,他在诺贝尔奖获奖晚宴上发表演说,谈到了世界在核战争的阴影之下,人道主义者应该扮演什么样的角色。
“I believe that man will not merely endure: he will prevail.He is immortal, not because he alone among creatures has an inexhaustible voice, but because he has a soul, a spirit capable of compassion and sacrifice and endurance.The poet's, the writer's, duty is to write about these things.It is his privilege to help man endure by lifting his heart, by reminding him of the courage and honor and hope and pride and compassion and pity and sacrifice which have been the glory of his past.”
“我相信人类不仅能忍耐,而且会获胜。人类是不朽的,这不是因为万物当中仅仅他会无穷尽的呼喊,而是因为他有一个灵魂,有同情心、牺牲精神和忍耐力。诗人和作家的责任就是写这些东西。他们的特权正是通过鼓舞人类,唤起人类原有的荣耀----勇气、荣誉、希望、自尊、怜悯之心和牺牲精神,去帮助人类学会忍耐。”
Graduates, you have an extraordinary role to play in our future.As you pursue your private passions, I hope you will also develop a passion and a voice to help the world in ways both large and small.Nothing will give you greater satisfaction.各位毕业生同学,你们在我们的未来中扮演举足轻重的角色。当你们追求个人的志向时,我希望你们也会发扬奉献精神,积极发声,在大大小小各个方面帮助改进这个世界。这会给你们带来最大的满足感。
Please accept my warmest congratulations.May you prosper, may you help preserve and save our planet for your children, and all future children of the world.最后,请接受我最热烈的祝贺。希望你们成功,也希望你们保护和拯救我们这个星球,为了你们的孩子,以及未来所有的孩子。
第五篇:朱棣文哈佛大学毕业演讲(英文)
朱棣文哈佛大学毕业演讲
Madam President Faust, members of the Harvard Corporation and the Board of Overseers, faculty, family, friends, and, most importantly, today's graduates, Thank you for letting me share this wonderful day with you.I am not sure I can live up to the high standards of Harvard Commencement speakers.Last year, J.K.Rowling, the billionaire novelist, who started as a classics student, graced this podium.The year before, Bill Gates, the mega-billionaire philanthropist and computer nerd stood here.Today, sadly, you have me.I am not wealthy, but at least I am a nerd.I am grateful to receive an honorary degree from Harvard, an honor that means more to me than you might care to imagine.You see, I was the academic black sheep of my family.My older brother has an M.D./Ph.D.from MIT and Harvard while my younger brother has a law degree from Harvard.When I was awarded a Nobel Prize, I thought my mother would be satisfied.Not so.When I called her on the morning of the announcement, she replied, “That's nice, but when are you going to visit me next.” Now, as the last brother with a degree from Harvard, maybe, at last, she will be satisfied.Another difficulty with giving a Harvard commencement address is that some of you may disapprove of the fact that I have borrowed material from previous speeches.I ask that you forgive me for two reasons.First, in order to have impact, it is important to deliver the same message more than once.In science, it is important to be the first person to make a discovery, but it is even more important to be the last person to make that discovery.Second, authors who borrow from others are following in the footsteps of the best.Ralph Waldo Emerson, who graduated from Harvard at the age of 18, noted “All my best thoughts were stolen by the ancients.” Picasso declared “Good artists borrow.Great artists steal.” Why should commencement speakers be held to a higher standard? I also want to point out the irony of speaking to graduates of an institution that would have rejected me, had I the chutzpah to apply.I am married to “Dean Jean,” the former dean of admissions at Stanford.She assures me that she would have rejected me, if given the chance.When I showed her a draft of this speech, she objected strongly to my use of the word “rejected.” She never rejected applicants;her letters stated that “we are unable to offer you admission.” I have difficulty understanding the difference.After all, deans of admissions of highly selective schools are in reality, “deans of rejection.” Clearly, I have a lot to learn about marketing.My address will follow the classical sonata form of commencement addresses.The first movement, just presented, were light-hearted remarks.This next movement consists of unsolicited advice, which is rarely valued, seldom remembered, never followed.As Oscar Wilde said, “The only thing to do with good advice is to pass it on.It is never of any use to oneself.” So, here comes the advice.First, every time you celebrate an achievement, be thankful to those who made it possible.Thank your parents and friends who supported you, thank your professors who were inspirational, and especially thank the other professors whose less-than-brilliant lectures forced you to teach yourself.Going forward, the ability to teach yourself is the hallmark of a great liberal arts education and will be the key to your success.To your fellow students who have added immeasurably to your education during those late night discussions, hug them.Also, of course, thank Harvard.Should you forget, there's an alumni association to remind you.Second, in your future life, cultivate a generous spirit.In all negotiations, don't bargain for the last, little advantage.Leave the change on the table.In your collaborations, always remember that “credit” is not a conserved quantity.In a successful collaboration, everybody gets 90 percent of the credit.Jimmy Stewart, as Elwood P.Dowd in the movie “Harvey” got it exactly right.He said: “Years ago my mother used to say to me, 'In this world, Elwood, you must be...she always used to call me Elwood...in this world, Elwood, you must be oh so smart or oh so pleasant.'” Well, for years I was smart....I recommend pleasant.You may quote me on that.My third piece of advice is as follows: As you begin this new stage of your lives, follow your passion.If you don't have a passion, don't be satisfied until you find one.Life is too short to go through it without caring deeply about something.When I was your age, I was incredibly single-minded in my goal to be a physicist.After college, I spent eight years as a graduate student and postdoc at Berkeley, and then nine years at Bell Labs.During that my time, my central focus and professional joy was physics.Here is my final piece of advice.Pursuing a personal passion is important, but it should not be your only goal.When you are old and gray, and look back on your life, you will want to be proud of what you have done.The source of that pride won't be the things you have acquired or the recognition you have received.It will be the lives you have touched and the difference you have made.After nine years at Bell labs, I decided to leave that warm, cozy ivory tower for what I considered to be the “real world,” a university.Bell Labs, to quote what was said about Mary Poppins, was “practically perfect in every way,” but I wanted to leave behind something more than scientific articles.I wanted to teach and give birth to my own set of scientific children.Ted Geballe, a friend and distinguished colleague of mine at Stanford, who also went from Berkeley to Bell Labs to Stanford years earlier, described our motives best: “The best part of working at a university is the students.They come in fresh, enthusiastic, open to ideas, unscarred by the battles of life.They don't realize it, but they're the recipients of the best our society can offer.If a mind is ever free to be creative, that's the time.They come in believing textbooks are authoritative, but eventually they figure out that textbooks and professors don't know everything, and then they start to think on their own.Then, I begin learning from them.” My students, post doctoral fellows, and the young researchers who worked with me at Bell Labs, Stanford, and Berkeley have been extraordinary.Over 30 former group members are now professors, many at the best research institutions in the world, including Harvard.I have learned much from them.Even now, in rare moments on weekends, the remaining members of my biophysics group meet with me in the ether world of cyberspace.I began teaching with the idea of giving back;I received more than I gave.This brings me to the final movement of this speech.It begins with a story about an extraordinary scientific discovery and a new dilemma that it poses.It's a call to arms and about making a difference.In the last several decades, our climate has been changing.Climate change is not new: the Earth went through six ice ages in the past 600,000 years.However, recent measurements show that the climate has begun to change rapidly.The size of the North Polar Ice Cap in the month of September is only half the size it was a mere 50 years ago.The sea level which been rising since direct measurements began in 1870 at a rate that is now five times faster than it was at the beginning of recorded measurements.Here's the remarkable scientific discovery.For the first time in human history, science is now making predictions of how our actions will affect the world 50 and 100 years from now.These changes are due to an increase in carbon dioxide put into the atmosphere since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution.The Earth has warmed up by roughly 0.8 degrees Celsius since the beginning of the Revolution.There is already approximately a 1 degree rise built into the system, even if we stop all greenhouse gas emissions today.Why? It will take decades to warm up the deep oceans before the temperature reaches a new equilibrium.If the world continues on a business-as-usual path, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change predicts that there is a fifty-fifty chance the temperature will exceed 5 degrees by the end of this century.This increase may not sound like much, but let me remind you that during the last ice age, the world was only 6 degrees colder.During this time, most of Canada and the United States down to Ohio and Pennsylvania were covered year round by a glacier.A world 5 degrees warmer will be very different.The change will be so rapid that many species, including Humans, will have a hard time adapting.I've been told for example, that, in a much warmer world, insects were bigger.I wonder if this thing buzzing around is a precursor.We also face the specter of nonlinear “tipping points” that may cause much more severe changes.An example of a tipping point is the thawing of the permafrost.The permafrost contains immense amounts of frozen organic matter that have been accumulating for millennia.If the soil melts, microbes will spring to life and cause this debris to rot.The difference in biological activity below freezing and above freezing is something we are all familiar with.Frozen food remains edible for a very long time in the freezer, but once thawed, it spoils quickly.How much methane and carbon dioxide might be released from the rotting permafrost? If even a fraction of the carbon is released, it could be greater than all the greenhouse gases we have released to since the beginning of the industrial revolution.Once started, a runaway effect could occur.The climate problem is the unintended consequence of our success.We depend on fossil energy to keep our homes warm in the winter, cool in the summer, and lit at night;we use it to travel across town and across continents.Energy is a fundamental reason for the prosperity we enjoy, and we will not surrender this prosperity.The United States has 3 percent of the world population, and yet, we consume 25 percent of the energy.By contrast, there are 1.6 billion people who don't have access to electricity.Hundreds of millions of people still cook with twigs or dung.The life we enjoy may not be within the reach of the developing world, but it is within sight, and they want what we have.Here is the dilemma.How much are we willing to invest, as a world society, to mitigate the consequences of climate change that will not be realized for at least 100 years? Deeply rooted in all cultures, is the notion of generational responsibility.Parents work hard so that their children will have a better life.Climate change will affect the entire world, but our natural focus is on the welfare of our immediate families.Can we, as a world society, meet our responsibility to future generations? While I am worried, I am hopeful we will solve this problem.I became the director of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, in part because I wanted to enlist some of the best scientific minds to help battle against climate change.I was there only four and a half years, the shortest serving director in the 78-year history of the Lab, but when I left, a number of very exciting energy institutes at the Berkeley Lab and UC Berkeley had been established.I am extremely privileged to be part of the Obama administration.If there ever was a time to help steer America and the world towards a path of sustainable energy, now is the time.The message the President is delivering is not one of doom and gloom, but of optimism and opportunity.I share this optimism.The task ahead is daunting, but we can and will succeed.We know some of the answers already.There are immediate and significant savings in energy efficiency and conservation.Energy efficiency is not just low-hanging fruit;it is fruit lying on the ground.For example, we have the potential to make buildings 80 percent more efficient with investments that will pay for themselves in less than 15 years.Buildings consume 40 percent of the energy we use, and a transition to energy efficient buildings will cut our carbon emissions by one-third.We are revving up the remarkable American innovation machine that will be the basis of a new American prosperity.We will invent much improved methods to harness the sun, the wind, nuclear power, and capture and sequester the carbon dioxide emitted from our power plants.Advanced bio-fuels and the electrification of personal vehicles make us less dependent on foreign oil.In the coming decades, we will almost certainly face higher oil prices and be in a carbon-constrained economy.We have the opportunity to lead in development of a new, industrial revolution.The great hockey player, Wayne Gretzky, when asked, how he positions himself on the ice, he replied,“ I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it's been.” America should do the same.The Obama administration is laying a new foundation for a prosperous and sustainable energy future, but we don't have all of the answers.That's where you come in.In this address, I am asking you, the Harvard graduates, to join us.As our future intellectual leaders, take the time to learn more about what's at stake, and then act on that knowledge.As future scientists and engineers, I ask you to give us better technology solutions.As future economists and political scientists, I ask you to create better policy options.As future business leaders, I ask that you make sustainability an integral part of your business.Finally, as humanists, I ask that you speak to our common humanity.One of the cruelest ironies about climate change is that the ones who will be hurt the most are the most innocent: the worlds poorest and those yet to be born.The coda to this last movement is borrowed from two humanists.The first quote is from Martin Luther King.He spoke on ending the war in Vietnam in 1967, but his message seems so
“This call for a worldwide fellowship that lifts neighborly concern beyond one's tribe, race, class, and nation is in reality a call for an all-embracing and unconditional love for all mankind.This oft misunderstood, this oft misinterpreted concept, so readily dismissed by the Nietzsches of the world as a weak and cowardly force, has now become an absolute necessity for the survival of man...We are now faced with the fact, my friends, that tomorrow is today.We are confronted with the fierce urgency of now.In this unfolding conundrum of life and history, there is such a thing as being too late.” The final message is from William Faulkner.On December 10th, 1950, his Nobel Prize banquet speech was about the role of humanists in a world facing potential nuclear holocaust.“I believe that man will not merely endure: he will prevail.He is immortal, not because he alone among creatures has an inexhaustible voice, but because he has a soul, a spirit capable of compassion and sacrifice and endurance.The poet's, the writer's, duty is to write about these things.It is his privilege to help man endure by lifting his heart, by reminding him of the courage and honor and hope and pride and compassion and pity and sacrifice which have been the glory of his past.” Graduates, you have an extraordinary role to play in our future.As you pursue your private passions, I hope you will also develop a passion and a voice to help the world in ways both large and small.Nothing will give you greater satisfaction.Please accept my warmest congratulations.May you prosper, may you help preserve and save our planet for your children, and all future children of the world.