夏日书单：这五本书，比尔·盖茨劝你今夏读一读

外面太热，在家吹着空调吃着冷饮读读书？比尔·盖茨近日为大家推荐了五本书，供大家在闲时一读。

Bill Gates isn’t doing much light reading this summer.

比尔·盖茨这个夏天读的都不是什么闲书。

For his annual list of reading recommendations for the season, he’s picked five books that you can really sink into on vacation.

他为本季推荐书单挑选了5本书，供你在休假时潜心阅读。

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.

这位亿万富豪慈善家希望读者更多地了解个人和大众层面的剧变及其对社会的影响。从美国总统在一些最大规模战争中的领导方式到人们在危机时期的应对办法，这些书关注的是当我们的生活被搅乱时会发生什么。

upheaval[ʌp'hiːv(ə)l]：n.剧变

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.”

尽管这些话题未必等同于“海滩轻松读本”，盖茨还是鼓励大家读一读。盖茨在其官方博客“盖茨笔记”上发布他的推荐书单时写道，他的理念是“在旅途中宁可多读也不少读”。

synonymous [sɪ'nɒnɪməs]：adj.同义的

以下是盖茨推荐的五本书：

 Upheaval, Jared Diamond

《剧变》（贾里德·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.”

盖茨一直是戴蒙德作品的粉丝。他说，1997年的《枪炮、病菌与钢铁》是他读过的最优秀作品之一。在《剧变》一书中，戴蒙德探讨了人们如何应对生活中的各种危机。具体而言，戴蒙德检视了六个国家如何应对重大挑战并在逆境面前学会适应。盖茨写道：“这听起来有点压抑，但读完这本书后，我对我们解决问题的能力比刚开始读的时候更加乐观了。”

 Nine Pints, Rose George

《九品脱》（罗丝·乔治）

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.”

作为一个并非一见血就紧张的人，盖茨热情洋溢地推荐了这本深入讲述人体血液构成的书。尽管这恐怕不是一本“典型的夏季闲书”，但盖茨认为每个人都应该对这个话题有更多的了解。他写道：“毕竟，人们最有共同点的莫过于血液。”

squeamish ['skwiːmɪʃ]：adj.易呕吐的；易生气的

 A Gentleman in Moscow, Amor Towles

《莫斯科绅士》（阿莫尔·托尔斯着）

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，亚历山大·罗斯托夫伯爵刚刚被判处终身软禁在莫斯科的一家酒店。尽管凡是愿意了解俄罗斯的人肯定都会喜欢《莫斯科绅士》，但盖茨写道：“你不一定非得热爱俄罗斯才会爱读这本书。”托尔斯的这本畅销书并不局限于政治。盖茨写道：“这本书从严格意义上讲是虚构类图书，称它为惊悚小说或爱情故事也不为过。”

house arrest：软禁

 Presidents of War, Michael Beschloss

《战时总统》（迈克尔·贝施洛斯着）

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.

历史学家迈克尔·贝施洛斯的这本书涉及面很广：他研究了美国总统如何处理从1812年战争到越南战争的九场冲突。贝施洛斯着重讲述了美国总统在这些动荡时期如何履行职责，指出他们作为领导人所做的决定与他们的权力之间有着重要联系。盖茨认为能够从这本书中吸取经验教训，并将其运用于我们的当前时刻。盖茨写道：“在读到有关当今冲突的报道时很难不想到它们与过去有何关联、又会对未来有何影响。”

tumultuous[tjʊ'mʌltjʊəs]：adj.吵闹的；骚乱的

 The Future of Capitalism, Paul Collier

《资本主义的未来》（保罗·科利尔）

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.

资本主义将走向何方？牛津大学经济学家保罗·科利尔在他的书中分析了这个问题，检视了为何有些人从资本主义获益而另一些人不然。尽管盖茨表示他并不在所有事情上都与科利尔意见一致，但《资本主义的未来》一书让他深有感触。盖茨写道：“给我印象尤为深刻的是该书的核心思想，即我们必须增强对彼此负有的对等义务。”

on the same page：达成共识

reciprocal [rɪ'sɪprək(ə)l]：adj.互惠的；相互的