疫情期间，和许多在海外的中国留学生一样，在美国读书的熊子卿选择留在美国。在此期间，他目睹了火车停驶，飞机停飞，边境关闭，学校停课…… , 体会了新冠疫情以及“社交距离”带来的疏远与距离，当这一切都似乎在撕裂着世界的时候，他开始了思考。在4月16日晚“云直播”的第十一期“新时代大讲堂”中，他说，保持距离有助于阻止病毒传播，但它们决不能被视为一劳永逸消除危机的方法。
当海外华人无法回家时，家来到了他们身边：中国使领馆为海外学生准备了健康包，举办疾病预防讲座等。来自祖国无微不至的关心，让他们并不会感觉自己被孤立在异国他乡。家，从来没有如此近过。
这让他相信，面对全球疫情的挑战，仅靠空间上的距离是远远不够的。保持距离反而提醒着我们与他人分享、关心他人和互相交流的价值。
The presence of distance ：
与祖国同呼吸 与世界共命运
让爱靠近 让“疫”走远
熊子卿
上海外国语大学大四学生，
美国加州蒙特雷国际研究院交换生
第23届中国日报社“21世纪·可口可乐杯”全国英语演讲比赛季军
两年前，我认为每个人都将没有国界
两年前在杭州，我有幸通过中国日报社“21世纪杯”全国英语演讲比赛，获得了去往伦敦参加国际公共演讲比赛的机会。
Two years ago, from the stage of the CHINA DAILY 21st Century Cup speaking competition in Hangzhou, I was fortunate enough to win a place in the finals of the International Public Speaking Competition in London.
基于当时的演讲主题：“伟大的艺术家无国界”，我提出了一个更进一步的观点：“每个人都将没有国界”。
I took the proposition “Great artists have no country” and made a much more far-reaching claim, that “Every individual will have no country”.
随着陆空快速交通工具的出现，城市之间和国家之间的边界慢慢消失。旅行和全球化使我们在人类命运共同体中联系得更加紧密。可以说，我们与世界的紧密联系已经和我们与国家的联系一样紧密。
With high-speed travel, both on land and in the air, the boundaries between cities and between countries have slowly vanished. Travel and globalization have drawn us closer together, and in this community of a shared future we can now truly say that our strongest ties are as much with the world as they are with any single country.
两年后，新冠病毒让我的观点“打脸”
两年后的今天，我在演讲中提到的变化迎来了反转。在新冠疫情爆发之际，火车停驶，飞机停飞，边境关闭，学校停课……
Two years after I made that speech, the gradual change I talked of has been replaced by upheaval. Amid the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, trains have been stopped, aircraft grounded, borders closed and the doors of schools and colleges shut.
对我来说，新冠病毒似乎不只是一个警钟，更像是对自己观点的“打脸”——新冠病毒在全球范围内产生了系统性的威胁，我们看到了自己作为全球公民的脆弱与无力。
For me, at first glance COVID-19 seemed less like a wake-up call than a nasty slap across the face – a virus posing a systemic threat to the world and showing how powerless we seem to be as individual global citizens.
减少旅行和实行有效的社会距离似乎可以控制病毒传播，但同时它们似乎也在撕裂着世界。一些批评者甚至警告说，新冠疫情带来的是全球化的终结。
Less travel and efficient social distancing seem to be bringing this pandemic under control, but they also seem to be tearing this world apart. Some critics have even warned that COVID-19 spells the end of globalization.
疏远与距离，真的完全管用吗？
毫无疑问，距离有助于阻止病毒传播。但看看数据我们就能知道，它并不能彻底解决问题。
Without doubt, distancing is helping prevent the virus from spreading, but if we look at the data, it seems that distancing is a very incomplete solution.
美国是最早禁止有中国旅行史的旅客入境的国家之一，并一直推广实行着“社交距离”。然而，美国如今已经成为确诊病例、疑似病例和死亡人数最多的国家。
The United States was among the first countries to block entry to people who had been to China and made the concept of social distancing known to the world. And yet the US has become the country with the most confirmed cases, active cases and deaths.
随着全球越来越多的城市和国家，像三个月前的武汉那样开始实行封城政策，我想说，这显然无法完全解决问题。
As more cities and countries across the globe lock down as the city of Wuhan did nearly three months ago, it is clear that distancing is not enough.
关闭边境、禁止旅行，保持社交距离只可能减缓病毒的传播速度，但它们决不能被视为一劳永逸消除危机的灵丹妙药。
Closing borders, banning travel and social distancing may do well in mitigating the spread of the virus, but they cannot be regarded as a magic potion that rids the world of this scourge once and for all.
当海外华人无法回家时，家来到了我们身边
中国在控制新冠病毒方面取得了巨大的进展，但她所做的远远不止是简单实施封城而已。
China has made great strides in bringing the coronavirus under control, but it has done far more than simply imposing lockdowns.
确实，边境管制变得更加严格，社交距离实施更为严厉。但其他国家也应当看到，除此之外，中国也采取了其他办法。
Border controls have become a lot tighter and the imposition of social distancing has become tougher, but the world needs to take heed of other measures and other approaches China has taken as well.
作为一名在美的中国交换生，我看到的中国是伸出援手，而不是疏远离间。
As a Chinese exchange student in the US, I see China’s stance has been one of reaching out rather than distancing.
当50多万中国人无法回家之时，家来到了我们身边：中国使领馆为在美学生准备了健康包。
When more than half a million Chinese nationals could not get home, home came to us,in the form of health packs prepared for students in the US and dispatched by China’s embassies and consulates.
要求我们每天更新个人健康状况并给予建议；还举行了疾病预防讲座，直播时段兼顾了美国七个不同时区的观众需求。
Reports and advice on personal health have also been issued daily, including lectures on disease prevention livestreamed at times to suit those in any of the US’ seven time zones.
来自祖国面面俱到、无微不至的关心，让留在这里的中国学生几乎不会感觉到自己被孤立在异国他乡。
So much thought seems to have been put into this outreach that it would be virtually impossible for any Chinese student here to feel that they are isolated far from home.
事实上，在过去的几周，家从来没有如此近过。
In fact in some ways over the past few weeks, home has never seemed any nearer.
只有团结一致，我们才能走向和平与胜利
面对全球疫情的挑战，仅靠疏远距离是远远不够的。在我看来，保持距离反而提醒着我们与他人分享、关心他人和互相交流的价值。
Facing the challenge of a global epidemic, distancing alone can never be enough. For me one of the main benefits of distancing is that it reminds us of the value of sharing, caring and communicating with others.
疫情不能扫除友谊、善意以及思想和知识的交流。
But a pandemic cannot sweep away friendships, goodwill and exchanges of ideas and knowledge.
当我们看到新冠疫情的最新统计数字时，我们不应仅仅关注数字，更应该意识到在这些数字背后是鲜活的生命，这些人遭受了巨大的痛苦。幸运的是，我们大多数人尚且无恙，仍将继续战斗。
When we look at the latest COVID-19 statistics, we ought not just see figures but also be conscious of the human lives that lie behind them, the suffering of those people have endured and that most of us have happily been spared.
在我们保护自己和亲人的同时，我们也该意识到，眼前的这个共享和平与爱的共同体，是我们互相依赖、共同构建的。
As we fulfill our responsibility to take care of ourselves and of those we care about, let us also be aware of our deep reliance on one another as together we build a community of shared peace and love.
待新冠病毒退散之日，待全球联系恢复之时，愿我们一同铭记这段时期带给我们的启示。不要忘记：只有团结一致，我们才能走向和平、繁荣与胜利！
And once COVID-19 is conquered and global connections are restored, let us heed the invaluable lessons this period has taught us and never forget that only in unity can we all prevail, live and prosper.
This is my third appearance at VISION CHINA. This great event has given me the opportunity to see China and the world from different perspectives. The first time I was here, like you, I was in the audience, the second time I acted as a volunteer, and this time I have been given the great honor of being a speaker.
这是我第三次来到《新时代大讲堂》。通过参与这个活动，我得以从不同的角度去看待中国和世界。第一次来到这里，和你们一样，我是听众，第二次是作为志愿者；而这一次，我万分荣幸能成为一名演讲者。
Two years ago, from the stage of the CHINA DAILY 21st Century Cup speaking competition in Hangzhou, I was fortunate enough to win a place in the finals of the International Public Speaking Competition in London. With that once-in-a-lifetime opportunity I took the proposition “Great artists have no country” and made a much more far-reaching claim, that “Every individual will have no country”. With high-speed travel, both on land and in the air, the boundaries between cities and between countries have slowly vanished. Travel and globalization have drawn us closer together, and in this community of a shared future we can now truly say that our strongest ties are as much with the world as they are with any single country.
两年前，通过参加在杭州举办的《中国日报》社“21世纪杯”英语演讲比赛，我有幸因此赢得一席去伦敦参加国际公共演讲比赛，这次机会千载难逢。基于当时的演讲主题：“伟大的艺术家无国界”，我提出了一个更进一步的观点：“每个人都将没有国界”。随着陆空快速交通工具的出现，城市之间和国家之间的边界慢慢消失。旅行和全球化使我们在人类命运共同体中联系得更加紧密。可以说，我们与世界的紧密联系已经和我们与国家的联系一样紧密。
Two years after I made that speech, the gradual change I talked of has been replaced by upheaval. Amid the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, trains have been stopped, aircraft grounded, borders closed and the doors of schools and colleges shut. In the area where I live, the past month has been full of contradictions. Classmates who used to sit inches from one another now see each other face to face via video; in the virtual classroom, stage fright has given way to “camera fright”; with fewer people, queues at banks and supermarkets are longer than ever because of social distancing; and goods you could once easily find in the supermarket have suddenly become scarce.
两年后的今天，我在演讲中提到的变化迎来了反转。在新冠疫情爆发之际，火车停驶，飞机停飞，边境关闭，学校停课……在我居住的地方，一个月来，生活尽是各种对比：以前坐在身旁的同学现在需要通过视频见面；在虚拟教室里，摄像头成了新的怯场对象；路上人少了，但因为需要保持社交距离，银行和超市的排队时间比以前还要长；超市里曾经很容易找到的商品也突然开始变得稀缺。
We’re all trying very hard to remain positive, which is difficult to do when you’re confronted with something as insidious and horrible as COVID-19. Like many other Chinese students here in Monterey, I chose to stay here – or as it’s called locally, “shelter in place” – as the semester continued and any dim chance of getting a flight back to China became dimmer still.
大家都在尽自己所能保持乐观，尽管这很难，因为新冠疫情来势汹汹。像许多在蒙特雷的中国学生一样，我选择留在这里，或者就像当地人说的“就地避难”。毕竟，课程还在继续，买到一张回国的机票更是难上加难。
For me, at first glance COVID-19 seemed less like a wake-up call than a nasty slap across the face – a virus posing a systemic threat to the world and showing how powerless we seem to be as individual global citizens. Yes, less travel and efficient social distancing seem to be bringing this pandemic under control, but they also seem to be tearing this world apart. Some critics have even warned that COVID-19 spells the end of globalization. So are distancing and separation really doing what they’re supposed to do?
对我来说，新冠病毒似乎不只是一个警钟，更像是对自己观点的“打脸”——新冠病毒对全球造成系统性的威胁，作为全球公民，我们个人的力量似乎还是那么渺小。减少旅行和实行有效的社会距离似乎可以控制病毒传播，但同时它们似乎也在撕裂着世界。一些批评者甚至警告，新冠疫情带来的是全球化的终结。疏远和距离真的达到预期效果了吗？
Without doubt, distancing is helping prevent the virus from spreading, but if we look at the data, it seems that distancing is a very incomplete solution. The United States was among the first countries to block entry to people who had been to China and made the concept of social distancing known to the world. And yet the US has become the country with the most confirmed cases, active cases and deaths.
毫无疑问，距离有助于阻止病毒传播。但看看数据我们就能知道，它并不能彻底解决问题。美国是最早禁止有中国旅行史的旅客入境的国家之一，并一直推广实行着“社交距离”。然而，美国如今已经是疫情最严重的国家，确诊病例、现存病例，和死亡人数均为全球最多。
So as more cities and countries across the globe lock down as the city of Wuhan did nearly three months ago, it is clear that distancing is not enough. Closing borders, banning travel and social distancing may do well in mitigating the spread of the virus, but they cannot be regarded as a magic potion that rids the world of this scourge once and for all.
随着全球越来越多城市和国家实行封城政策，像三个月前的武汉那样。这显然无法完全解决问题。关闭边境、禁止旅行，保持社交距离只可能减缓病毒的传播速度，但它们决不能被视为灵丹妙药，无法做到一劳永逸消除危机。
China has made great strides in bringing the coronavirus under control, but it has done far more than simply imposing lockdowns. Border controls have become a lot tighter and the imposition of social distancing has become tougher, but the world needs to take heed of other measures and other approaches China has taken as well.
中国在控制疫情方面取得了巨大进展，但她所做的远不止简单实施封城。边境管制变得更加严格，社交距离实施更为严厉。但其他国家也应当看到，中国采取得其他措施。
As a Chinese exchange student in the US, I see China’s stance has been one of reaching out rather than distancing. When more than half a million Chinese nationals could not get home, home came to us, in the form of health packs prepared for students in the US and dispatched by China’s embassies and consulates. Reports and advice on personal health have also been issued daily, including lectures on disease prevention livestreamed at times to suit those in any of the US’ seven time zones. So much thought seems to have been put into this outreach that it would be virtually impossible for any Chinese student here to feel that they are isolated far from home. In fact in some ways over the past few weeks, home has never seemed any nearer.
This period of distancing has convinced me that in facing the challenge of a global epidemic, distancing alone can never be enough. For me one of the main benefits of distancing is that it reminds us of the value of sharing, caring and communicating with others.
作为一名在美的中国交换生，我看到的中国的立场是伸出援手，而不是疏远。当50多万中国人无法回家之时，家来到了我们身边：在美学生领到由中国使领馆提供的精心准备的健康包；使领馆每天更新疫情信息和健康建议；还线上举行疾病预防讲座，直播时段兼顾美国七个不同时区。来自祖国无微不至的关心，让留在这里的中国学生几乎不会感觉到自己被孤立在异国他乡。事实上，在过去的几周，家从来没有如此近过。
这也让我相信，面对全球疫情的挑战，仅靠疏远距离是不够的。在我看来，保持距离反而提醒着我们与他人分享、关心他人的价值，以及互相交流的重要性。
Distancing is first and foremost a way of taking care of ourselves and treating those we love in a responsible way. By doing so we fulfill one of our most important duties: to ensure that humanity not only survives but also thrives.
保持距离首是对自己的保护，也是对至亲至爱负责任的方式。唯此我们能履行我们最重要的权利：确保生存、走向繁荣。
More importantly, gathering or reuniting at a distance shows who and what we really love and care about. Like many other events, the International Public Speaking Competition was cancelled at the COVID-19 outbreak, and it remains uncertain whether our international friends will appear in the upcoming 21st Century Cup. But a pandemic cannot sweep away friendships, goodwill and exchanges of ideas and knowledge. Former participants in the speaking competition, no matter where they are in the world, have got into the habit of staying closely in touch through social media, and global interdependence is therefore maintained in a new way. Video conference apps are no longer just platforms of e-learning but have been turned into bridges that connect us all. Behind the popularity of social media and the apps that go with them is our instinct to sympathize, communicate and work together regardless of time and distance.
更重要的是，远距离的相聚或重聚，更展现何为我们所爱所关心。与许多其他赛事一样，今年的国际公共演讲比赛因为疫情取消，也不确定我们的国际友人能否现身即将到来的“21世纪杯”英语演讲比赛。但是，疫情不能阻碍友谊、善意以及思想和知识的交流。参加过演讲比赛的老选手，无论身在何处，都会通过社交媒体保持密切联系，全球相互依存的关系因此以一种新的方式得以保持。视频会议应用不再仅仅是在线学习的平台，而成为连接所有人的桥梁。社交媒体及相关应用的普及背后，是人类相互同情、交流和合作的本能，而这种本能是超越时空的。
About 260 years ago the Scottish economist Adam Smith wrote these words:
“How selfish soever man may be supposed, there are evidently more principles in his nature, which interest him in the fortune of others… Of this kind is pity or compassion, the emotion which we feel for the misery of others, when we either see it, or are made to conceive it in a very lively manner.”
大约260年前，苏格兰经济学家亚当·斯密就曾写道：
“无论我们认为人性有多么自私，在他的本性中依然有一些原则，使他关心着别人的命运……这就是怜悯或同情，是当我们看到别人的不幸时，以一种设身处地的方式共情他人遭遇的情感。”
In that spirit, when we look at the latest COVID-19 statistics, we ought not just see figures but also be conscious of the human lives that lie behind them, the suffering of those people have endured and that most of us have happily been spared.
在这种精神下，当我们看到新冠疫情的最新统计数字时，我们不应仅仅关注数字，更应该意识到在这些数字背后是鲜活的生命，这些人遭受了巨大的痛苦。幸运的是，我们大多数人尚且无恙。
Even as I see social distancing drawing us closer together, other speakers today have also touched on issues of caring, sharing and communication in a troubled world.
As we fulfill our responsibility to take care of ourselves and of those we care about, let us also be aware of our deep reliance on one another as together we build a community of shared peace and love.
我看到了社交距离实际上让人们更加亲近，今天的其他几位演讲者也谈到如何如何在动荡的世界中相互关心、分享和交流。在我们保护自己和和我们在乎的人的同时，我们也该意识到我们的互相依赖，我们共同构建和平与爱的共同体。
And once COVID-19 is conquered and global connections are restored, let us heed the invaluable lessons this period has taught us and never forget that only in unity can we all prevail, live and prosper.
待新冠病毒退散之日，
待全球联系恢复之时，
愿我们铭记这段时期带给我们的启示。
不要忘记：只有团结一致，
我们才能战胜困难，迎来胜利和繁荣。
Thank you for your attention, and stay safe.
谢谢聆听，愿平安喜乐。
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