英语第一单元.docx

英语第一单元.docx

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英语第一单元

哈佛大学前校长劳伦斯·萨默斯2006年告别演说

摘要:

2006CommencementAddress,HarvardUniversityPresidentLawrenceH.Summers,Cambridge,Mass.June8,2006

Today,Ispeakfromthispodiumafinaltimeasyourpresident.AsIdepart,Iwanttothankallofyou-students,faculty,alumniandstaff-withwhomIhavebeenprivilegedtoworkoverthesepastyears.Someofushavehadourdisagreements,butIknowthatwhichunitesustranscendsthatwhichdividesus.Ileavewithafullheart,gratefulfortheopportunityIhavehadtoleadthisremarkableinstitution.

SinceIdeliveredmyInauguraladdress,56monthsago,Ihavelearnedanenormousamount-abouthighereducation,aboutleadership,andalso,aboutmyself.Somethingslookdifferenttomethantheydidfiveyearsago.AndyettheconvictionsIexpressedasIenteredHarvard'spresidencyIfeelwithevenmoreurgencythesefiveyearslater.Itistheurgency,andthepossibility,ofallHarvardcanaccomplishinthenextyearsthatIwanttofocusonthisafternoon.

Theworldthattoday'sHarvard'sgraduatesareenteringisaprofoundlydifferentonethantheworldadministratorslikeme,thefaculty,andallbutthemostrecentalumniofHarvardentered.

Itisaworldwhereopportunitieshaveneverbeengreaterforthosewhoknowhowtoteachchildrentoread,orthosewhoknowhowtodistributefinancialrisk;nevergreaterforthosewhounderstandthecellandthepixel;nevergreaterforthosewhocanmaster,andnavigatebetween,legalcodes,faithtraditions,computerplatforms,politicalviewpoints.

Itisalsoaworldwheresomeareleftfurtherandfurtherbehind-thosewhoarenoteducated,thosetrappedinpovertyandviolence,thoseforwhomequalopportunityisjustahollowphrase.

Scientificandtechnologicaladvancesareenablingustocomprehendthefurthestreachesofthecosmos,themostbasicconstituentsofmatter,andthemiracleoflife.Theyoffertheprospectofliberatingpeoplefromdrudgeryonanunprecedentedscaleandofeliminatingdreadeddiseases.

Atthesametime,today,theactions,andinaction,ofhumanbeingsimperilnotonlylifeontheplanet,buttheverylifeoftheplanet.

Globalizationismakingtheworldsmaller,fasterandricher.One-thirdofhumanbeingsnowliveinplaceswherethestandardsoflivingmayincrease30foldinasinglehumanlifespan-atransformationthatdwarfswhatwecalltheIndustrialRevolution.Still,9/11,avianflu,Darfur,andIranremindusthatasmaller,fasterworldisnotnecessarilyasaferworld.

Ourworldisburstingwithknowledge-butdesperatelyinneedofwisdom.Now,whensoundbitesaregettingshorter,wheninstantmessagescrowdoutessays,andwhenindividuallivesgrowmorefrenzied,collegegraduatescapableofdeepreflectionarewhatourworldneeds.

ForallthesereasonsIbelieved-andIbelieveevenmorestronglytoday-intheuniqueandirreplaceablemissionofuniversities.

Universitiesarewherethewisdomwecannotaffordtoloseispreservedfromgenerationtogeneration.Amongallhumaninstitutions,universitiescanlookbeyondpresentnormstofuturepossibilities,canlookthroughcurrentconsiderationstoemergentopportunities.

Andamonguniversities,Harvardstandsout.Withitsgreattradition,itsiconicreputation,itsremarkablenetworkof300,000alumni,itsunmatchedcapacitytoattractbrilliantstudentsandfaculty,itsscopeforphysicalexpansioninAllstonanditsformidablefinancialresources,Harvardhasneverhadasmuchpotentialasitdoesnow.Thankstoyourgenerosityandtheendowment'sstrongperformance,ourresourceshaveincreasedinjustthelastthreeyearsbynearlysevenbilliondollars.Thisismorethanthetotalendowmentofallbutfourotheruniversitiesintheworld.

Andyet,greatandproudinstitutions,likegreatandproudnationsattheirpeak,mustsurmountaveryrealrisk:

thattheverystrengthoftheirtraditionswillleadtocaution,toaninwardfocusonprerogativeandtoacomplacencythatletstheworldpassthemby.

AndsoIsaytoyouthatourUniversitytodayisataninflectionpointinitshistory.Atsuchamoment,thereistemptationtoelevatecomfortandconsensusoverprogressandcleardirection,butthiswouldbeamistake.TheUniversity'smatchlessresources-human,physical,financial-demandthatweseizethismomentwithvisionandboldness.Todootherwisewouldbealostopportunity,notonlyforHarvardbutalsoforhumanity.Wecanspurgreatdeedsthathistorywillmarkdecadesandevencenturiesfromnow.IfHarvardcanfindthecouragetochangeitself,itcanchangetheworld.

Opportunity

Allovertheworld,andineverycornerofAmerica,Harvard'sprestige,andwealth,inspiresawe.Forsome,thenameHarvardissynonymouswithprivilege.

Infact,Harvardisaplaceofgreatandtransformingopportunity.ThisweekwereadofaBronxpostman'ssonwhoselifewaschangedbyhisyearsofstudyinthisYard.ThismanisnowtoleadoneofAmerica'sgreatfinancialfirms.Iknowthatscoresofyoufromeveryalumniclassgatheredherehavesimilarstories.WhenIbecamepresidentofHarvard,Iresolvedthat,onmywatch,wewouldhavemoresuchstoriesofopportunitytotell.

Thus,inthelastfiveyearswehaveeliminatedthenecessityofcontributiontowardstuitionforfamiliesearningbelow$60,000peryear.Wehaveseenanincreasebyathirdinthenumberofeligiblelower-andmiddle-incomestudentsattendingHarvard,andevenmoreimportantly,wehaveseenotherinstitutionsfollowourlead.

Still,whenthegapbetweenthelifeprospectsofthechildrenofwealthyparentsandthoseofmiddleclassandpoorparentsiswidening,wehaveonlymadeabeginning.IlookforwardtothedaywhenHarvardsetsastandardbyeliminatinganyfinancialburdenforlowerandmiddleclassfamiliesandwhenstudentsfromthesebackgroundsarefullyrepresentedineveryHarvardclass.

Thereismoretoequalopportunity.Shouldnoteveryyoungpersonhavetheopportunitytochooseacareerthat,whileitmaynotbelucrative,servesourworld-whetheritisperformingbasicresearch,counselingthetroubled,teachinginurbanschools,strugglingtobringpeacetonations,preservingthepublichealth?

Auniversitylikeourscannotchangethedistributionoffinancialrewardsinoursociety.Butwecanpressontofindmorefinancialaid,morewaystosupportthosewhocommitthemselvestoservice.

Wehave,inthelastyears,beguntotreatfinancialaidasauniversity-wideresponsibility,creatingnewfellowshipsandincreasingtheresourcesavailableforstudentswhopursuepublicservice.Butthereismuchmoretodo.IlookforwardtothedaywhenHarvardsetsastandardbyinsuringthateverystudentwiththeabilityandthedrivetostudyherecanpursueacareerofservicetosocietywithoutfearingthedebtthattheywillincur.

Science

Ponderthis.Withinthenext25years,itismorelikelythannotthatgenomicswillhaveledustowardsacureformanycancers;thatstemcellresearchwilltransformtreatmentofdiabetes,thatbasicresearchwillmakepossibleavaccineforAlzheimer's,andthatwewillhavemeanstocontrolAIDSandmalaria.

Drawacirclewithafive-mileradiusfromthispointandyouencompassthegreatestconcentrationofbiomedicaltalentonearth,and,almostasremarkable,theundevelopedurbanrealestatecapableofmakingHarvardtheworld'sepicenterofbiomedicalprogress.

Recognizingthepotential,wehaveinthelastfiveyearscreatedaStemCellInstitutetofillthegapleftbyfederalpolicyandsoensurethatthisresearcharea-withitspromisefordiabetes,Parkinson'sandmuchelse-isfullyexplored.

WehavelaunchedtheBroadInstituteforGenomicsincollaborationwithMIT,andembarkedonplanningandconstructionofmorethan20footballfields'worthoflaboratoryspacetobedevotedtointerdisciplinaryscienceinCambridgeandAllston.Wehaveexpressedourcommitmenttoscientificeducationinnewundergraduatecoursesthatcutacrossscientificdisciplines,andthatfocus,too,ontheeconomic,social,andethicalaspectsofscientificdiscovery.Andweareonthevergeofcreating,atlast,anewschoolforengineeringandappliedscience.

Allthisrepresentsasignificant,andrapid,expansionofHarvard'spriorinvestmentinscience.Butthereismuch,moreforHarvardtodo.Weowetothenextgeneration,andtoourown,everyeffortwecanmake.

IlookforwardtothetimewhenbecauseofHarvard'sboldinvestmentsanditsmagneticpower,BostonistothiscenturywhatFlorencewastothe15th-nottherichestormostpowerful,butthecitythatthroughitscontributiontohumanthoughtshonethebrightestlightintoposterity.

Ilookforwardtotheliveswewillsave.

TheWorld

AmericatodaymisunderstandstheworldandismisunderstoodintheworldinwayswithoutprecedentsinceWorldWarII.Agreatuniversitylikeourshasaprofoundlyimportantroletoplayinpromotinginternationalunderstanding.

IknowthatmyownprofessionalpathwassetbythesummerduringgraduateschoolIspentinIndonesia.Thereisnosubstituteforlivingabroadifoneistounderstandanothercountryoreven,Idaresay,one'sown.ThenumberofHarvardCollegestudentsstudyingorworkingabroadhassharplyincreasedoverthepastfewyears:

nownearlytwo-thirdsofaHarvardclass-1,100students-willworkorstudyabroadthisyear.

IlookforwardtothedaywhenHarvardsetsastandardforfutureleadersofourcountrybyassuringthatallstudentshavemeaningfulinternationalexperiencesbeforetheygraduate.

Thereismuchmoretobedone,too,intrulyintegratingHarvardwiththeworld.Studentsfromabroadcomingheretostudyreturnhomechangedpeople,andthosetheymeetherearechanged