4.比尔·盖茨主题演讲（节选）
Microsoft has a vision for where the PC is going. And that vision says that PCs will become a central element of how companies share information inside the company.The name of that vision is， the so called Digital Nervous System（DNS），allowing companies to reduce paper work and make better decisions.The Digital Nervous System means that not only do you have the PCs that are connected together， and not only do you have standard elements like electronic mail， but also you've really thought carefully about what information is important， and so all of the processes-order taking， sales planning， personnel management， project management-all of those have been set up to take full advantage of the capabilities of the computer.
Now， another major vision that Microsoft has is that writing the programs， writing the applications for these machines needs to get very easy and we need to be able to do it， so we can write programs that run across the entire Internet which is millions of machines. And so this is a new approach to programming that draws on what was done previously.DNA says that developers should be able to focus on their particular task and not have to learn a lot about management of the machine resources.
Great chips and systems developed by our partners who are here with us sponsoring this event， make this all possible. And there's an incredible opportunity for developers.The applications that are written today will sell to an even larger base of machines out in the market.There is a lot that we're doing to increase the work of developers-make sure they understand where the PC is going and how tools can help them and we're even helping them now， more and more with marketing type of activities making sure they get out in with the customers.
微软对个人计算机的未来走向有一个设想。根据该设想，个人计算机将成为公司内部信息共享的核心。这一设想的名称即为“数字神经系统（DNS）”，它促使公司减少纸质材料的使用，并能够作出更好的决策。数字神经系统不仅可以把你们的计算机连接起来，也可以使你们拥有类似电子邮件这样的标准配置，而且它还意味着帮助你认真地考虑什么是重要的信息。这样的话，所有已经建立起来的事务，如订单处理、销售计划、人员管理以及项目管理等，可以充分利用计算机的功能。
现阶段，微软的另一个主要设想是关于为计算机编写应用程序，这项编写程序工作需要操作简易，这是我们需要掌握的。我们可以在连接数以百万的计算机的互联网上编写程序。这是一个新的编程方法，与以前不同。有了DNA系统，开发人员可以集中精力从事其特定的任务，而不需要去学习很多有关机器资源管理的知识。
这一活动的主办者之一是我们的合作伙伴，他们开发的系统加上优异的芯片将使所有这一切成为可能。这对于开发人员来说是一次极好的机会。今天编写的应用程序将会卖给市场上更多的计算机使用者。我们正在努力提高开发人员的工作能力，确保他们理解个人计算机应有的走向，了解目前的工具可以为他们提供什么样的帮助，并鼓励开发人员参加越来越多的促销活动，以使他们与顾客保持良好的关系。
5.奥巴马总统关于医疗改革和参议院投票表决的演讲（节选）
Time and again， we've heard excuses to delay and defeat reform. Time and again， the American people have suffered because people in Washington played the politics of the moment instead of putting the interests of the American people first.That's how we ended up with premiums rising three times faster than wages.That's how we ended up with businesses choosing between shedding benefits and shutting their doors.That's how we've been burdened with runaway costs and huge gaps in coverage.That's the status quo.That's what we have right now.And the American people understand that the status quo is unacceptable.They don't care who's up or who's down politically in Washington.They care about what's going on in their own lives.They don't care about the latest line of political attack.They care about whether their families will be crushed by rising premiums；whether the businesses they work for will have to cut jobs；or whether their children are going to be saddled with debt.
So I understand that some will try to delay action until the special interests can kill it， while others will simply focus on scoring political points. We've done that before.And we can choose to follow that playbook again， and then we'll never get over the goal line， and we'll face an even greater crisis in the years to come.That's one path we can travel.
推迟和反对改革的借口屡见不鲜。由于有人热衷于在华盛顿玩弄一时的权术而不是将人民利益放在首位，因此，美国人民一再饱受煎熬。最终导致我们保费的增速是工资增速的3倍，企业在削减福利和破产之间徘徊，而失控的成本和巨大的保险缺口已经使我们不堪重负。
这就是我们的现状。这就是我们目前的现状。美国人民都清楚这一现状令人难以接受。他们关心的不是华盛顿的政治沉浮，而是自身的生活现状。他们关心的不是最近的政治攻势，而是保费的上涨是否会拖垮他们的家庭，他们工作的企业是否会裁员，或者他们的孩子是否会为债务所累。
我了解，有些人会迟迟不肯行动直到特殊利益集团将医疗改革扼杀，而其他人把注意力放在如何为自己捞取政治筹码。我们已经有过先例。我们可以选择重蹈覆辙，然而那样的话，我们的目标将永远无法实现，我们甚至会在今后几年面临更为严重的危机。这是我们可以选择的一条道路。
读书笔记
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6.罗琳在哈佛大学毕业典礼上的讲话（节选）
The knowledge that you have emerged wiser and stronger from setbacks means that you are， ever after， secure in your ability to survive. You will never truly know yourself， or the strength of your relationships， until both have been tested by adversity.Such knowledge is a true gift， for all that it is painfully won， and it has been worth more than any qualification I ever earned.
So give a Time Turner， I would tell my 21-year-old self that personal happiness lies in knowing that life is not a check-list of achievement. Your qualifications， your CV， are not your life， though you will meet many people of my age and older who confuse the two.Life is difficult， and complicated， and beyond anyone's total control and the humility to know that will enable you to survive its vicisstudes.
Now you might think that I close my second theme， the importance of imagination， because of the part it played in rebuilding my life， but that is not wholly so. Though I personally will defend the value of bedtime stories to my last gasp， I have learned to value imagination in a much broader sense.Imagination is not only the uniquely human capacity to envision that which is not， and therefore the fount of all invention and innovation.In its arguably most transformative and revelatory capacity， it is the power that enables us to empathize with humans whose experiences we have never shared.
在挫折中，你会变得更聪明、更坚强，这也意味着你从此拥有了独立生存的能力。只有通过了逆境的考验，你才会真正了解自己和周围的人所赋予你的力量。这些都是历经艰辛才能获得的宝贵财富，比任何资格证书都更有价值。
