讀《FT·金融時報》學(xué)英語：女王伊麗莎白二世發(fā)表英皇圣誕文告

The Queen's Christmas Message is a broadcast made by the sovereign of the Commonwealth realms to the Commonwealth of Nations each Christmas.The tradition began in 1932 with a radio broadcast by King George V on the British Broadcasting Corporation's Empire Service.Since 1952, the message has been read by Elizabeth II; today, it is broadcast on television, radio, and the Internet via various providers.
英皇圣誕文告，是由英皇在每年圣誕節(jié)，對全英聯(lián)邦國家致詞。這個傳統(tǒng)是由英皇喬治五世通過英國廣播公司全球服務(wù)、于1932年開創(chuàng)的?，F(xiàn)在英女皇伊麗莎白二世（1952年繼位）已經(jīng)通過廣播、電視、互聯(lián)網(wǎng)廣播。
——Wikipedia

There was a time when British Olympic medal winners became household names because there were so few of them.
曾經(jīng)，因為獲獎人數(shù)稀少，摘得奧運獎牌的英國健兒都會成為家喻戶曉的人物。

But the 67 medals at this year's Games in Rio and 147 at the Paralympics meant that the GB medallists' reception at Buckingham Palace was a crowded and happy event.
但是在今年里約奧運會和殘奧會上，我們分別贏得了67塊和147塊獎牌。這讓在白金漢宮舉行的英國奧運獎牌獲得者的歡慶儀式成為了一項擁擠卻又幸福的活動。

Throughout the Commonwealth there were equally joyful celebrations.Grenada, the Bahamas, Jamaica and New Zealand won more medals per head of population than any other countries.
而放眼整個英聯(lián)邦，亦是充滿了同樣的歡慶活動。格林納達、巴哈馬群島、牙買加和新西蘭獲得了全世界最高的人均獎牌數(shù)。

Many of this year's winners spoke of being inspired by athletes of previous generations.
許多今年奧運會的獲獎健兒都說到了，他們?yōu)榍皫状\動員所鼓舞。

Inspiration fed their aspiration; and having discovered abilities they scarcely knew they had, these athletes are now inspiring others.
這樣的鼓舞激發(fā)了他們的抱負(fù)，讓他們發(fā)覺了自己都未嘗察覺到的能力；如今，這些運動員們的精神也鼓舞著他人。

A few months ago, I saw inspiration of a different kind when I opened the new Cambridge base of the East Anglian Air Ambulance, where Prince William works as a helicopter pilot.
幾個月前，當(dāng)我為威廉王子曾在其中擔(dān)任直升機飛行員的東安格利亞空中急救隊在劍橋的新基地開幕時，我還看到了另一種鼓舞。

It was not hard to be moved by the dedication of the highly skilled doctors, paramedics and crew, who are called out on average five times a day.
你很容易就被那里技藝精湛的醫(yī)生、護理人員和工作人員的奉獻精神所打動，他們平均每天外出執(zhí)行任務(wù)五次。


But to be inspirational you don't have to save lives or win medals.
不過，若想要成為激勵他人的榜樣，你其實無需拯救生命，抑或贏得獎牌。

I often draw strength from meeting ordinary people doing extraordinary things: volunteers, carers, community organisers and good neighbours; unsung heroes whose quiet dedication makes them special.
我經(jīng)常會從做著不普通的事情的普通人身上收獲力量。他們是志愿者、護理工、社區(qū)組織人員，或是好鄰居。這些無名英雄的默默奉獻，讓他們獨特出眾。

They are an inspiration to those who know them, and their lives frequently embody a truth expressed by Mother Teresa, from this year Saint Teresa of Calcutta.
對于認(rèn)識他們的人而言，這就是一種鼓舞。他們的生活也就是特蕾莎修女（今年封圣為加爾各答圣德肋撒修女）所傳遞精神的具體寫照。

She once said: 'Not all of us can do great things.But we can do small things with great love'.
她曾說：并非每個人都能成就一番偉大，但我們可以懷著大愛做好小事。

This has been the experience of two remarkable organisations, The Duke of Edinburgh's Award and The Prince's Trust, which are 60 and 40 years old this year.These started as small initiatives but have grown beyond any expectations, and continue to transform young people's lives.
有兩家卓越的組織正踐行著同樣的事情，它們是設(shè)立60周年的“愛丁堡公爵獎”和40周年的“王子信托基金”。其成立初衷只是專注于小事，但是如今它們的成長已然超乎預(yù)期，持續(xù)改變著年輕人的生活。

To mark my 90th birthday, volunteers and supporters of the six hundred charities of which I have been patron came to a lunch in The Mall.
在慶祝我90歲生日的活動上，志愿者和支持者們參加了林蔭路午餐會，他們來自我曾經(jīng)贊助支持的600多個慈善機構(gòu)。

Many of these organisations are modest in size but inspire me with the work they do.
其中許多機構(gòu)并不龐大，但是他們的精神和所作所為卻一直鼓舞著我。

From giving friendship and support to our veterans, the elderly or the bereaved; to championing music and dance; providing animal welfare; or protecting our fields and forests, their selfless devotion and generosity of spirit is an example to us all.
為我們的老兵、長者或者痛失了親人的民眾給予友情和支持；為歡慶凱旋提供歌聲和舞蹈；為保護動物的權(quán)益而奔走呼號；抑或為保護我們的土地和森林而爭取行動——他們這些無私奉獻和慷慨精神于我們而言，都是令人鼓舞的榜樣。

When people face a challenge they sometimes talk about taking a deep breath to find courage or strength.In fact, the word 'inspire' literally means 'to breathe in'.
當(dāng)人們面臨挑戰(zhàn)時常常會說，深呼吸，找一找勇氣和力量。實際上，“inspire”鼓舞這個詞本身，就有吸氣的意思。

But even with the inspiration of others, it's understandable that we sometimes think the world's problems are so big that we can do little to help.
即便有了他人的鼓舞，我們也常常會認(rèn)為這個世界出現(xiàn)了嚴(yán)重的問題，而我們能做的又太少了。這可以理解。

On our own, we cannot end wars or wipe out injustice, but the cumulative impact of thousands of small acts of goodness can be bigger than we imagine.
憑我們一己之力固然無法停止戰(zhàn)爭，或者消除不公。但是，如果滴滴善舉匯聚一起，就可以成就超乎想象的影響力。

At Christmas, our attention is drawn to the birth of a baby some two thousand years ago.It was the humblest of beginnings, and his parents, Joseph and Mary, did not think they were important.
圣誕節(jié)會讓我們想起兩千多年前出生的圣嬰。這是最謙卑的開始，而他的父母約瑟夫和圣母瑪利亞根本不曾意識到他們是有多么的重要。

Jesus Christ lived obscurely for most of his life, and never travelled far.He was maligned and rejected by many, though he had done no wrong.
耶穌基督一生中大部分時間過著隱匿的生活，也從未遠(yuǎn)游。他曾經(jīng)被誣陷，遭到許多人的抵制，盡管他沒做過什么錯事。

And yet, billions of people now follow his teaching and find in him the guiding light for their lives.
不過數(shù)以億計的人如今追隨著他的教導(dǎo)，在他身上找到了自己生活的指明燈。

I am one of them because Christ's example helps me see the value of doing small things with great love, whoever does them and whatever they themselves believe.
我就是其中的一員?；接H身的例證幫我看到了，無論一個人從事著怎樣的事情，或者他們信仰如何，他們心懷大愛做好小事的價值所在。

The message of Christmas reminds us that inspiration is a gift to be given as well as received, and that love begins small but always grows.
圣誕也傳遞給我們這樣的信念：鼓舞是一份既可以施與他人，也能夠接受獲得的禮物。愛總是始于微小，卻能永恒生長。

I wish you all a very happy Christmas.
祝福所有人圣誕快樂。