夏日書單：這五本書，比爾·蓋茨勸你今夏讀一讀
外面太熱，在家吹着空調吃着冷飲讀讀書？比爾·蓋茨近日爲大家推薦了五本書，供大家在閒時一讀。
Bill Gates isn’t doing much light reading this summer.
比爾·蓋茨這個夏天讀的都不是什麼閒書。
For his annual list of reading recommendations for the season, he’s picked five books that you can really sink into on vacation.
他爲本季推薦書單挑選了5本書，供你在休假時潛心閱讀。
The billionaire philanthropist wants readers to learn More about upheaval and its impact on society, both on individual and mass levels. From the way presidents have led during some of the nation’s biggest wars to how people react during times of crises, these books look at what happens when our lives are disrupted.
這位億萬富豪慈善家希望讀者更多地瞭解個人和大衆層面的劇變及其對社會的影響。從美國總統在一些最大規模戰爭中的領導方式到人們在危機時期的應對辦法，這些書關注的是當我們的生活被攪亂時會發生什麼。
upheaval[ʌp'hiːv(ə)l]：n.劇變
Even though these topics aren’t necessarily synonymous with “beach reads,” Gates encourages readers to give them a go. In a post announcing his recommendations on his official blog, Gates Notes, he writes that his philosophy is that he’d “rather have too much to read on a trip than too little.”
儘管這些話題未必等同於“海灘輕鬆讀本”，蓋茨還是鼓勵大家讀一讀。蓋茨在其官方博客“蓋茨筆記”上發佈他的推薦書單時寫道，他的理念是“在旅途中寧可多讀也不少讀”。
synonymous [sɪ'nɒnɪməs]：adj.同義的
以下是蓋茨推薦的五本書：
Upheaval, Jared Diamond
《劇變》（賈裏德·戴蒙德）
Gates has long been a fan of Diamond’s books, and notes that 1997’s Guns, Germs, and Steel is one of the best books he’s ever read. In Upheaval, Diamond examines how people react to the different crises in their lives. Specifically, Diamond looks at how six countries responded to big challenges, and learned how to adapt in the face of adversity. “It sounds a bit depressing,” Gates writes. “But I finished the book even more optimistic about our ability to solve problems than I started.”
蓋茨一直是戴蒙德作品的粉絲。他說，1997年的《槍炮、病菌與鋼鐵》是他讀過的最優秀作品之一。在《劇變》一書中，戴蒙德探討了人們如何應對生活中的各種危機。具體而言，戴蒙德檢視了六個國家如何應對重大挑戰並在逆境面前學會適應。蓋茨寫道：“這聽起來有點壓抑，但讀完這本書後，我對我們解決問題的能力比剛開始讀的時候更加樂觀了。”
Nine Pints, Rose George
《九品脫》（羅絲·喬治）
Not one to get squeamish about blood, Gates glowingly recommends this deep dive into what makes up our blood. Even though this may not be a “typical light summer book,” Gates thinks everyone should know more about this topic. “After all,” he writes, “there is nothing that more people have in common than blood.”
作爲一個並非一見血就緊張的人，蓋茨熱情洋溢地推薦了這本深入講述人體血液構成的書。儘管這恐怕不是一本“典型的夏季閒書”，但蓋茨認爲每個人都應該對這個話題有更多的瞭解。他寫道：“畢竟，人們最有共同點的莫過於血液。”
squeamish ['skwiːmɪʃ]：adj.易嘔吐的；易生氣的
A Gentleman in Moscow, Amor Towles
《莫斯科紳士》（阿莫爾·托爾斯著）
It’s 1922 and Count Alexander Rostov has just been sentenced to spend the rest of his life under house arrest in a Moscow hotel. Even though A Gentleman in Moscow is sure to please anyone who is interested in learning more about Russia, Gates writes that “you don’t have to be a Russophile to enjoy the book.” Towles goes beyond just politics in his best-seller. “The book is technically fiction,” Gates writes. “But you’d be just as accurate calling it a thriller or a love story.”
那是1922年，亞歷山大·羅斯托夫伯爵剛剛被判處終身軟禁在莫斯科的一家酒店。儘管凡是願意瞭解俄羅斯的人肯定都會喜歡《莫斯科紳士》，但蓋茨寫道：“你不一定非得熱愛俄羅斯纔會愛讀這本書。”托爾斯的這本暢銷書並不侷限於政治。蓋茨寫道：“這本書從嚴格意義上講是虛構類圖書，稱它爲驚悚小說或愛情故事也不爲過。”
house arrest：軟禁
Presidents of War, Michael Beschloss
《戰時總統》（邁克爾·貝施洛斯著）
The scope of historian Michael Beschloss’ book is wide: He studies how presidents dealt with nine different US conflicts, from the War of 1812 to the Vietnam War. Beschloss highlights how these presidents served during these tumultuous times, and makes critical connections about their decisions and power as leaders. Gates appreciated being able to draw lessons from the book, and apply them to our present moment. “It is hard to read about today’s conflicts without thinking about how they might connect to the past and what impact they might have on the future,” Gates writes.
歷史學家邁克爾·貝施洛斯的這本書涉及面很廣：他研究了美國總統如何處理從1812年戰爭到越南戰爭的九場衝突。貝施洛斯着重講述了美國總統在這些動盪時期如何履行職責，指出他們作爲領導人所做的決定與他們的權力之間有着重要聯繫。蓋茨認爲能夠從這本書中吸取經驗教訓，並將其運用於我們的當前時刻。蓋茨寫道：“在讀到有關當今衝突的報道時很難不想到它們與過去有何關聯、又會對未來有何影響。”
tumultuous[tjʊ'mʌltjʊəs]：adj.吵鬧的；騷亂的
The Future of Capitalism, Paul Collier
《資本主義的未來》（保羅·科利爾）
Where is capitalism heading? Oxford economist Paul Collier analyzes this question in his book, which looks at how some people benefit from capitalism, while others do not. Though Gates writes that he’s not on the same page with Collier about everything, The Future of Capitalism stuck with him. “I was especially struck by the central idea of his book, that we need to strengthen the reciprocal obligations we have to each other,” Gates writes.
資本主義將走向何方？牛津大學經濟學家保羅·科利爾在他的書中分析了這個問題，檢視了爲何有些人從資本主義獲益而另一些人不然。儘管蓋茨表示他並不在所有事情上都與科利爾意見一致，但《資本主義的未來》一書讓他深有感觸。蓋茨寫道：“給我印象尤爲深刻的是該書的核心思想，即我們必須增強對彼此負有的對等義務。”
on the same page：達成共識
reciprocal [rɪ'sɪprək(ə)l]：adj.互惠的；相互的
