标题：充满想象力的雕塑探索我们对现实的看法  

Alicia Eggert： Imaginative sculptures that explore how we perceive reality

来源：每日英语听力，TED演讲（视频版）双语精选

In the distance, on an otherwise uninhabited island, loomed large black letters that spelled the word "FOREVER."在远处一个原本无人居住的岛屿上，隐约地出现了巨大的黑色字母拼写出的“永远"。

the word perfectly visible and legible in the distance.这个词在远方清晰可见。

otherwise  adv. 否则；不同地；在不同方面  adj. 不同的

loom  n. [C]织布机   vi.& link v. 隐约出现;阴森地逼近

legible  adj. 清晰的；易读的；可辨认的

But on some days, a thick white fog would roll in off the ocean, erasing the word and the view altogether. 但有些时候，海上会泛起一阵白雾，把这个词和这片景象一同抹去。

It started out as a fairly simple idea, albeit a little strange, to put the word "FOREVER" in the landscape so it could appear and disappear in the fog.把“永远”这几个字放 在远处的景观中，让它 能在迷雾中若隐若现， 最初只是出于一个简单又有点古怪的想法。

roll in  v. 蜂拥而来；有大量的（钱财等）；就寝；到达 pour or flow in a steady stream 

albeit  conj. 虽然(即使)

So if you're wondering why I did it at all, as I often did during that process, it might help for you to know a little bit more about me and my upbringing.如果你很纳闷为什么我要做这件事，就像在那个过程中，我也经常纳闷一样，也许你需要先了解一下我和我的成长环境。

And that was during the last few years of the apartheid, so we lived in an all-white neighborhood, and I attended an all-white public school while my parents helped found a multiracial church in downtown Cape Town.那是种族隔离的最后几年，所以我们住在全是白人的社区，我读的也是全白人的公立学校，而我父母协助成立了一座位于开普敦市中心的多种族教堂。

upbringing  n. 教养；抚养；培养

apartheid  n. 种族隔离

multiracial  adj. 多民族的；多人种的 made up of or involving or acting on behalf of various races

Because I was so young, it was impossible for me to understand the magnitude of what was happening in South Africa at that time.因为我那时很小，还无法理解南非当时状况的严重性。

I witnessed the racism and oppression of people of color I knew and loved on a daily basis, but because of my own skin color, there was no way I could fully comprehend it.我每天都会目睹种族主义行为，以及我认识并敬爱的有色大种群体遭受压迫，但因为我是白种人，我不可能完全感同身受。

magnitude    n.  [U]巨大; 重要性 greatness of size or importance 

                            [C]〈天〉星等 the degree of brightness of a star

oppression  n. 压抑；压迫；沉闷

But l had the privilege to experience, firsthand, one of the most influential social movements of the 20th century.但我有幸亲身体验了二十世纪最有影响力的社会运动之一。

And then they worked together, relentlessly, for decades, until they achieved that extraordinary historic change.在接下来的数十年间，他们坚持不懈地共同努力，直到他们实现了非凡的历史改革。

have privilege to 有特权

firsthand  adj. 直接得来的；第一手的    adv. 直接地

relentlessly  adv. 无情地；残酷地；持续不断地，不屈不挠地

And that transformed me as a person. It instilled in me a sense of wonder and optimism and possibility that permeates everything I create.这也改变了我，向我灌输一种好奇感、乐观主义以及可能性，这一切也融入了我的所有作品中。

I make sculptures like "FOREVER" as a way of giving physical tangible forms to language and time.我创作了像“永远”这样的雕塑，是想要赋予语言和时间触手可及的物理形态。

instill  vt. 逐渐灌输；滴注

permeate  vt. & vi. 弥漫,充满,渗透 pass through or into every part of

tangible  adj.  1.明确的,确凿的,实际的 clear and certain;real 

                        2.可触摸的,可触知的,有形的 that can be felt by touch

下面这一段真的很喜欢，个人感觉是这个TED中最吸引我的地方！

Signs often help to orient us in the world by telling us where we are now and what's happening in the present moment, but they can also help us zoom out, shift our perspective and get a glimpse of the bigger picture.标牌通常能帮助我们在世界上找到方向，通过告诉我们现在所处的位置，以及目前正在发生的事。但标牌也能帮助我们拉远视线，转换视角，从而一窥全局。

zoom out  缩小

A flashing neon sign that says "All the light you see is from the past," and then "All you see is past," before turning off completely for a brief moment.一块闪烁的霓虹标识，写着，“你看见的光都是来自过去，"接着是“你看见的都是过去"，之后，它会完全熄灭一会儿。

It asks you to stop and notice the history embedded in everything that you see.它邀你驻足，留意你所看见的一切中所隐埋的历史。

Signs influence the way we all navigate the world, which means they have the ability to create a collective experience or understanding.标牌会影响我们探索这个世界的方式，也就是说，它们有能力创造集体的体验或理解。

navigate  vi. 航行；驾驶；操纵    vt. 航行；驾驶；横渡；<口>设法穿过，走过，经过

My time in South Africa taught me that when people are able to find common ground and work together towards a mutual goal, powerful things can happen and so much more becomes possible.我在南非的经历教会了我，当大家能够找到彼此的共同点，一起向着共同目标努力时，就会产生巨大的能量，以及带来非比寻常的可能。

At this moment in time, I think we could all agree that the future feels pretty bleak and uncertain.在这个时刻，我想我们都会同意，未来感觉无望，充满着不确定性。

But maybe the hope for a brighter, more sustainable, more equitable future depends first on our ability to imagine it.但或许一个更光明、更可持续、更公平的未来首先取决于我们的想象力。

bleak  adj. 1.阴冷的; 阴郁的,凄凉的 cold and cheerless  2.没有希望的,暗淡的 not hopeful or encouraging

equitable  adj. 公平的；公正的

And give yourself permission to be at least a little bit idealistic.有点理想化也没关系。