隨刊音頻附有本次講演全部視聽文件。

【文章大意】

每年的4月22日是“世界地球日”。目前，世界環(huán)境問題愈發(fā)突出，很多組織和個人都致力于環(huán)境保護，美國前副總統(tǒng)、諾貝爾獎獲得者戈爾就是其中一位佼佼者。本文摘選自戈爾關(guān)于調(diào)整能源結(jié)構(gòu)的一篇演說，在演說中，戈爾呼吁美國發(fā)揮“登月”精神，在未來10年內(nèi)結(jié)束化石能源時代，實現(xiàn)100%以可再生能源發(fā)電，敦促國家和個人承擔起應(yīng)對氣候變化的義務(wù)。戈爾強調(diào)這樣做不但有助于緩解環(huán)境危機，解決由于依賴化石燃料而引發(fā)的經(jīng)濟與國家危機，并且關(guān)系到美國及人類文明的存亡。

【關(guān)鍵詞句】

1. step aside

意為“走到一邊、從權(quán)威地位退下”。

例句：I stepped aside so that she might come in.

我往旁邊走一步, 以便她能進來。

I'm not ready to step aside yet.

我還沒有準備讓位。

2. be at stake

意為“危如累卵、在危險中”。

例句：His reputation was at stake.

他面臨身敗名裂的危險。

3. grab hold of

意為“抓緊、抓住”。

例句：I managed to grab hold of the jug before it fell.

在它跌落之前我設(shè)法抓住了那個罐子。

4. status quo

意為“現(xiàn)狀”。

例句：He maintains his own status quo.

他維持現(xiàn)狀。

5. recover from

意為“恢復(fù)、痊愈”。

例句：Has he recovered from his illness?

他的病好了嗎？

6. embark on

意為“著手、開始做某事”。

例句：He is about to embark on a new business venture.

他就要開始新的商業(yè)冒險活動。

【原文】

Ladies and gentlemen:

There are times in the history of our nation when our very way of life depends upon dispelling illusions and awakening to the challenge of a present danger. In such moments, we are called upon to move quickly and boldly to shake off complacency, throw aside old habits and rise, clear-eyed and alert, to the necessity of big changes. Those who, for whatever reason, refuse to do their part must either be persuaded to join the effort or asked to step aside. This is such a moment. The survival of the United States of America as we know it is at risk. And even more - if more should be required - the future of human civilization is at stake.

I don't remember a time in our country when so many things seemed to be going so wrong simultaneously. Our economy is in terrible shape and getting worse, gasoline prices are increasing dramatically, and so are electricity rates. Jobs are being outsourced. Home mortgages are in trouble. […]

[…]

But if we grab hold of that common thread and pull it hard, all of these complex problems begin to unravel and we will find that we're holding the answer to all of them right in our hand.

The answer is to end our reliance on carbon-based fuels.

[…]

Today I challenge our nation to commit to producing 100 percent of our electricity from renewable energy and truly clean carbon-free sources within 10 years.

This goal is achievable, affordable and transformative. It represents a challenge to all Americans - in every walk of life: to our political leaders, entrepreneurs, innovators, engineers, and to every citizen.

[…]

Of course there are those who will tell us this can't be done. Some of the voices we hear are the defenders of the status quo - the ones with a vested interest in perpetuating the current system, no matter how high a price the rest of us will have to pay. But even those who reap the profits of the carbon age have to recognize the inevitability of its demise. As one OPEC oil minister observed, "The Stone Age didn't end because of a shortage of stones."

To those who say 10 years is not enough time, I respectfully ask them to consider what the world's scientists are telling us about the risks we face if we don't act in 10 years. The leading experts predict that we have less than 10 years to make dramatic changes in our global warming pollution lest we lose our ability to ever recover from this environmental crisis. When the use of oil and coal goes up, pollution goes up. When the use of solar, wind and geothermal increases, pollution comes down.

[…]

When President John F. Kennedy challenged our nation to land a man on the moon and bring him back safely in 10 years, many people doubted we could accomplish that goal. But 8 years and 2 months later, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walked on the surface of the moon.

[…]

I will never forget the inspiration of those minutes. The power and the vibration of the giant rocket's engines shook my entire body. As I watched the rocket rise, slowly at first and then with great speed, the sound was deafening. We craned our necks to follow its path until we were looking straight up into the air. And then four days later, I watched along with hundreds of millions of others around the world as Neil Armstrong took one small step to the surface of the moon and changed the history of the human race.

We must now lift our nation to reach another goal that will change history. Our entire civilization depends upon us now embarking on a new journey of exploration and discovery. Our success depends on our willingness as a people to undertake this journey and to complete it within 10 years. Once again, we have an opportunity to take a giant leap for humankind.