The hall was full and the people seated in it buzzed with conversation. He didn’t attract attention at first when Kent led him up along the aisle, but heads began to turn once they got close to the front. Depositing him in an aisle seat in the fifth row, Kent went on ahead and sat down in the second row.

會(huì)議大廳中已經(jīng)坐滿了人，響著一片嗡嗡的說(shuō)話聲，坎特帶著羅輯沿座間的通道向前走，一開(kāi)始沒(méi)有引起誰(shuí)的注意，直到他們走得太靠前了，才使得幾個(gè)人轉(zhuǎn)頭看了看?？蔡匕才帕_輯在第五排靠通道的座位上坐下，自己則繼續(xù)向前走，在第二排的邊緣坐下了。

Luo Ji looked around him at the place he had seen countless times on television. Based on these glimpses, he had been wholly unable to appreciate the meaning the building’s architects wanted to express. Straight ahead of him, the tall yellow wall inset?with the UN insignia that served as a backdrop for the podium was tilted forward at an acute angle, like a cliff face that was liable to collapse at any time. The dome, built to resemble a starry sky, was structurally separate from the yellow wall and did nothing to stabilize?it, acting instead as an immense weight bearing down from above, adding to the wall’s instability?and lending the whole environment the overpowering?feeling of being ready to tumble down at any moment. Under the present circumstances, however, it seemed as if the eleven architects who had designed the building in the mid-twentieth century had wonderfully predicted humanity’s present predicament.

羅輯抬頭打量著這個(gè)他曾在電視上看到過(guò)無(wú)數(shù)次的地方，感覺(jué)自己完全無(wú)法理解建筑設(shè)計(jì)者要表達(dá)的意象。正前方那面高高的鑲著聯(lián)合國(guó)徽章的黃色大壁，作為主席臺(tái)的背景，以小于九十度的角度向前傾斜著，像一面隨時(shí)都可能傾倒的懸崖絕壁；會(huì)堂的穹頂建成星空的樣子，但結(jié)構(gòu)與下面的黃色大壁是分離的，絲毫沒(méi)有增加后者的恒定感，反而從高處產(chǎn)生一種巨大的壓力，加劇了大壁的不穩(wěn)定，整個(gè)環(huán)境給人一種隨時(shí)都可能傾覆的壓迫感?，F(xiàn)在看來(lái)，這一切簡(jiǎn)直就是上世紀(jì)中葉設(shè)計(jì)這里的那十一位建筑師對(duì)人類今日處境的絕妙預(yù)測(cè)。

Turning his attention away from the distant wall, he heard two people talking next to him. He couldn’t make out their nationality, but they were speaking idiomatic?English.

羅輯把目光從遠(yuǎn)處收回，聽(tīng)到了鄰座兩人的對(duì)話，他們的英語(yǔ)都很地道，搞不清國(guó)籍。

“Do you really believe in the decisive role of the individual in history?”

“……你真的相信個(gè)人對(duì)歷史的作用？”

"Well, I think it’s a question that can’t be proven or disproven, unless we restart time, kill off a few great men, and see how history proceeds. Of course, you can’t rule out?the possibility that the course of history was determined by the rivers carved out and dammed up by those great figures."

“這個(gè)嘛，我覺(jué)得是個(gè)無(wú)法證實(shí)也無(wú)法證偽的問(wèn)題，除非時(shí)間重新開(kāi)始，讓我們殺掉幾個(gè)偉人，再看看歷史將怎么走。當(dāng)然不排除一種可能：那些大人物筑起的堤壩和挖出的河道真的決定了歷史的走向?！?/p>

“But there’s another possibility: Those great figures of yours might be no more than swimmers in history’s river. They may have left their names in history because of the world records they set and the praise and renown?they won, but they had no effect on the river’s flow... Ah, with things the way they are, what’s the point of thinking about all that? ”

“但還有一種可能：你所說(shuō)的大人物們不過(guò)是在歷史長(zhǎng)河中游泳的運(yùn)動(dòng)員，他們創(chuàng)造了世界紀(jì)錄，贏得了喝彩和名譽(yù)，并因此名垂青史，但與長(zhǎng)河的流向無(wú)關(guān)……唉，事情已經(jīng)走到這一步，想這些還有意思嗎？”

“The problem is that throughout the entire decision-making process, no one thought about issues on this level. The countries are all tangled up in stuff like candidate equality and resource rights.”

“問(wèn)題是在整個(gè)的決策進(jìn)程中，始終沒(méi)有人從這個(gè)層面上思考問(wèn)題，各國(guó)都糾纏在諸如人選平衡資源使用權(quán)力這類事情上……”

The hall grew quiet as Secretary General Say walked to the podium. The administration of this Filipino politician had straddled the pre- and postcrisis eras. If the vote had come just a little bit later, she never would have been elected, because a refined Asian lady didn’t project the sense of power the world was looking for in the face of?the Trisolar Crisis. Now her small frame seemed tiny and helpless against the sloping?cliff wall. As she was ascending the podium, Kent stopped her and whispered something in her ear. She looked down, nodded, and then continued walking.

會(huì)場(chǎng)安靜下來(lái)，聯(lián)合國(guó)秘書(shū)長(zhǎng)薩伊正在走上主席臺(tái)，她是繼阿基諾夫人、阿羅約之后，菲律賓貢獻(xiàn)給世界的第三個(gè)美女政治家，也是在這個(gè)職位上危機(jī)前后跨越兩個(gè)時(shí)代的一位。只是如果晚些投票，她肯定不會(huì)當(dāng)選，當(dāng)人類面臨三體危機(jī)之際，她的亞洲淑女形象顯然不具有世界所期望的力量感?，F(xiàn)在，她那嬌小的身軀處于身后將傾的絕壁下，顯得格外弱小和無(wú)助。在薩伊走上主席臺(tái)的中途，坎特起身攔住了她，在她耳邊低聲說(shuō)了句什么，秘書(shū)長(zhǎng)向下看了一眼，點(diǎn)點(diǎn)頭，繼續(xù)走上主席臺(tái)。

Luo Ji was certain that the secretary general?had looked in the direction of his seat.

羅輯可以肯定，她看的是自己坐的方位。

————————————————————————————————————————

aisle： n.過(guò)道

deposit：

n.訂金;訂錢;押金;存款;沉積物，沉積層

vt.放下;放置;使沉積;使沉淀;使淤積;將(錢)存入銀行;存儲(chǔ);付（訂金）;寄放，寄存（貴重物品）

glimpse：

n.一瞥;一看;短暫的感受(或體驗(yàn)、領(lǐng)會(huì))

vt.瞥見(jiàn);看一眼;開(kāi)始領(lǐng)悟;開(kāi)始認(rèn)識(shí)到

architect： n.建筑師;設(shè)計(jì)師;締造者;創(chuàng)造者

inset：

n.(套印在大圖片、地圖等中的)小圖，小地圖;嵌入物;附加物

vt.嵌入，插入(作為裝飾等);(在大圖片、地圖等中)套印(小圖)

insignia： n.象征;徽章;證章

backdrop： n.(事態(tài)或活動(dòng)的)背景;(舞臺(tái)的)背景幕布;(事件發(fā)生時(shí))周圍陪襯景物

podium： n.講臺(tái);講壇

tilt：

v.傾斜;(使)傾側(cè);使傾向于;偏向

n.傾斜;傾側(cè)

acute angle： n.銳角

liable： adj.可能(做某事);可能受…影響

dome：

n.穹頂;圓屋頂;圓頂狀物;穹狀建筑物;圓頂體育場(chǎng)

vi.加圓屋頂于…上成圓頂狀

structurally： adv.在結(jié)構(gòu)上

stabilize： v.穩(wěn)定;(使)穩(wěn)固

immense： adj.極大的;巨大的

instability： n.不穩(wěn)定;不穩(wěn)固;(精神的)不穩(wěn)定狀態(tài)，變化無(wú)常

overpower： vt.壓制;壓倒;(以較強(qiáng)力量)征服，制勝;令人折服;使難以忍受

tumble：

v.摔倒;滾落;翻滾下來(lái);倒塌;坍塌;驟降;翻滾;表演雜技

n.跌倒;暴跌;滾落;混亂的一堆;雜亂不堪的一團(tuán)

circumstance：

n.條件;環(huán)境;狀況;境況;境遇;(尤指)經(jīng)濟(jì)狀況;命運(yùn);客觀環(huán)境

vt.使處于某種特定的情況之下

predicament： n.尷尬的處境;困境;窘境

idiomatic： adj.慣用的;表達(dá)方式地道的

decisive： adj.果斷的;決定性的;關(guān)鍵的;堅(jiān)決的;決斷的

rule out： 排除;確定…不可能（或不合適）;阻止…發(fā)生;使成為不可能

carve：

v.雕刻;刻;把(熟肉)切成塊;艱苦創(chuàng)業(yè)

n.(作為食物,菜肴的)肉

dam：

n.水壩;攔河壩

vt.(在河上)筑壩

renown： n.名聲;聲望;名譽(yù)

tangle：

n.糾紛;(線、毛發(fā)等的)纏結(jié)的一團(tuán)，亂團(tuán)，亂糟糟的一堆;混亂;紛亂;不和;爭(zhēng)執(zhí);打架

v.使纏結(jié);糾結(jié);亂作一團(tuán)

straddle：

vt.騎;跨坐;分腿站立;跨過(guò)，橫跨(河流、道路或一片土地);橫跨，同屬(不同時(shí)期、活動(dòng)或群體);兩棲于(不同活動(dòng))

n.叉開(kāi)兩腿；大踏步；觀望

refine： vt.精煉;提純;去除雜質(zhì);改進(jìn);改善;使精練

in the face of： 面對(duì)

frame：

n.(圖畫(huà)、門、玻璃等的)框架;(家具、建筑物、車輛等的)構(gòu)架，支架，骨架;眼鏡框;體形;總的思想，體系，體制，模式

vt.給…做框;給…鑲邊;制訂;擬訂;（以某種方式）表達(dá)

adj.木結(jié)構(gòu)的

slope：

n.斜坡;坡地;山坡;斜度;坡度

vi.傾斜;有坡度;悄悄地走;潛行;溜

ascend： v.上升;升高;登高

secretary general： n.(大型國(guó)際組織、政治組織的)秘書(shū)長(zhǎng)，總干事，總書(shū)記