读《FT·金融时报》学英语：女王伊丽莎白二世发表英皇圣诞文告

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.
英皇圣诞文告，是由英皇在每年圣诞节，对全英联邦国家致词。这个传统是由英皇乔治五世通过英国广播公司全球服务、于1932年开创的。现在英女皇伊丽莎白二世（1952年继位）已经通过广播、电视、互联网广播。
——Wikipedia

There was a time when British Olympic medal winners became household names because there were so few of them.
曾经，因为获奖人数稀少，摘得奥运奖牌的英国健儿都会成为家喻户晓的人物。

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.
但是在今年里约奥运会和残奥会上，我们分别赢得了67块和147块奖牌。这让在白金汉宫举行的英国奥运奖牌获得者的欢庆仪式成为了一项拥挤却又幸福的活动。

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.
而放眼整个英联邦，亦是充满了同样的欢庆活动。格林纳达、巴哈马群岛、牙买加和新西兰获得了全世界最高的人均奖牌数。

Many of this year's winners spoke of being inspired by athletes of previous generations.
许多今年奥运会的获奖健儿都说到了，他们为前几代运动员所鼓舞。

Inspiration fed their aspiration; and having discovered abilities they scarcely knew they had, these athletes are now inspiring others.
这样的鼓舞激发了他们的抱负，让他们发觉了自己都未尝察觉到的能力；如今，这些运动员们的精神也鼓舞着他人。

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.
几个月前，当我为威廉王子曾在其中担任直升机飞行员的东安格利亚空中急救队在剑桥的新基地开幕时，我还看到了另一种鼓舞。

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艺精湛的医生、护理人员和工作人员的奉献精神所打动，他们平均每天外出执行任务五次。


But to be inspirational you don't have to save lives or win medals.
不过，若想要成为激励他人的榜样，你其实无需拯救生命，抑或赢得奖牌。

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.
我经常会从做着不普通的事情的普通人身上收获力量。他们是志愿者、护理工、社区组织人员，或是好邻居。这些无名英雄的默默奉献，让他们独特出众。

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.
对于认识他们的人而言，这就是一种鼓舞。他们的生活也就是特蕾莎修女（今年封圣为加尔各答圣德肋撒修女）所传递精神的具体写照。

She once said: 'Not all of us can do great things.But we can do small things with great love'.
她曾说：并非每个人都能成就一番伟大，但我们可以怀着大爱做好小事。

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.
有两家卓越的组织正践行着同样的事情，它们是设立60周年的“爱丁堡公爵奖”和40周年的“王子信托基金”。其成立初衷只是专注于小事，但是如今它们的成长已然超乎预期，持续改变着年轻人的生活。

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.
在庆祝我90岁生日的活动上，志愿者和支持者们参加了林荫路午餐会，他们来自我曾经赞助支持的600多个慈善机构。

Many of these organisations are modest in size but inspire me with the work they do.
其中许多机构并不庞大，但是他们的精神和所作所为却一直鼓舞着我。

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.
为我们的老兵、长者或者痛失了亲人的民众给予友情和支持；为欢庆凯旋提供歌声和舞蹈；为保护动物的权益而奔走呼号；抑或为保护我们的土地和森林而争取行动——他们这些无私奉献和慷慨精神于我们而言，都是令人鼓舞的榜样。

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'.
当人们面临挑战时常常会说，深呼吸，找一找勇气和力量。实际上，“inspire”鼓舞这个词本身，就有吸气的意思。

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，我们也常常会认为这个世界出现了严重的问题，而我们能做的又太少了。这可以理解。

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.
凭我们一己之力固然无法停止战争，或者消除不公。但是，如果滴滴善举汇聚一起，就可以成就超乎想象的影响力。

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.
圣诞节会让我们想起两千多年前出生的圣婴。这是最谦卑的开始，而他的父母约瑟夫和圣母玛利亚根本不曾意识到他们是有多么的重要。

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.
耶稣基督一生中大部分时间过着隐匿的生活，也从未远游。他曾经被诬陷，遭到许多人的抵制，尽管他没做过什么错事。

And yet, billions of people now follow his teaching and find in him the guiding light for their lives.
不过数以亿计的人如今追随着他的教导，在他身上找到了自己生活的指明灯。

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.
我就是其中的一员。基督亲身的例证帮我看到了，无论一个人从事着怎样的事情，或者他们信仰如何，他们心怀大爱做好小事的价值所在。

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.
圣诞也传递给我们这样的信念：鼓舞是一份既可以施与他人，也能够接受获得的礼物。爱总是始于微小，却能永恒生长。

I wish you all a very happy Christmas.
祝福所有人圣诞快乐。