Today, young people everywhere are endeavoring to transform the world for the better. Teenagers, after all, have the energy and zeal to attain just about anything! Let's scrutinize three different projects of teens around the world and see how they accomplished their goals.
如今，世界各地的年輕人都在努力想把世界變得更好。畢竟，青少年擁有實現幾乎一切的活力和熱情!讓我們來仔細檢視一下來自全球三組青少年的不同計畫，看看他們是如何實現目標的。
Flying an airplane is a dream of many people, but how about building one, too? In the summer of 2019, a diverse group of twenty teenagers from Cape Town, South Africa decided to do just that. They started from scratch, constructing their Sling 4 plane by putting together thousands of small parts from a kit. This would normally take 3,000 working hours, but the teens did it in just three weeks! Then, six of them who had obtained their basic pilot's licenses took off on the 12,000 km voyage to Egypt. Along the way, they surmounted many challenges, such as having trouble finding fuel and vital maintenance, and dealing with political disturbances and language barriers. Three weeks later, they finally landed at their destination, showing people all across Africa that teens have what it takes to fulfill their dreams. According to 17-year-old pilot Megan Werner, "Anything is possible if you set your mind to it." Had the team not done so, they would never have triumphed.
駕駛飛機是許多人的夢想，但打造飛機也是嗎？2019 年夏天，一群來自南非開普敦背景互異的 20 名青少年決定就這麼做。他們從零開始，藉由組裝配套元件中數以千計的小零件建造出他們的 Sling 4 飛機。這通常需花上三千個工作時數，然而這群青少年在僅僅三個星期內就做到了!接著，已取得基本飛行員執照的其中六人駕機起飛，展開一萬兩千公里的航程飛往埃及。過程中，他們克服許多挑戰，例如很難找到燃料和關鍵維修，以及應付政治動盪和語言障礙。三週後，他們終於在目的地降落，向非洲各地的人們證明，青少年具有實現夢想所需的條件。根據 17 歲的飛行員 Megan Warner 的說法：「任何事皆有可能，只要你下決心去做。」如果這個團隊當時沒那樣做，他們就不會成功了。
Driver safety is everyone's concern, and one American teen wanted to do something to improve it. Alaina Gassler, 14, observed how her mom's car had a dangerous blind spot, an area outside the vehicle the driver cannot see using the car's regular mirrors. The cause was the car's A-pillars, which hold the windshield in place on either side. If they were not in the way, the view would be unrestricted. To make the pillar on the driver's side invisible, Alaina tried various ways before she came up with the idea of placing a webcam on the outside of the car. It sends live video to a projector that displays the feed onto the inside of the pillar. This enables the driver to "see" things behind the pillar, thereby hopefully preventing accidents and making the roads safer. In 2019, Gassler entered her exceptional design in a science contest and won the top prize of $25,000! The young inventor hopes to continue following her dream by selling her design to car manufacturers.
駕駛人安全是每個人的關注重點，而有位美國青少年想對此做出改善。14 歲的 Alaina Gassler 觀察到媽媽的車子有危險的死角，這是駕駛人用車子一般的前後照鏡看不見的車外區域。原因來自汽車兩側用來固定擋風玻璃的 A 柱。如果 Ａ 柱沒有擋在中間，視線就會不受阻。為了使在駕駛人那側的支柱看不到，Alaina 在嘗試了各種方法後，才想出在車體外部放置一台網路攝影機的點子。它會把即時影像傳送給會將影像投影在內部支柱上的投影機。這使得駕駛能夠「看見」支柱後面的東西，從而有望防止事故，並使道路更安全。2019 年時，Gassler 將她卓越的設計報名參加科學競賽，贏得了兩萬五千美元的最高獎金!這位年輕的發明家希望可以藉由販售自己的設計給汽車製造商，來繼續追逐她的夢想。
In October 2012, Boyan Slat, a 19-year-old Dutch inventor, first discussed his dream of cleaning up the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, a colossal collection of floating plastic waste. Slat's original device, called System 001, was a large U-shaped barrier with a net-like skirt that hangs below the surface of the water. It worked by moving with the ocean's currents and collected faster-moving plastics as they drifted by. However, strong waves and currents made System 001 start to fail. He analyzed the problems and in June 2019, his group, The Ocean Cleanup, launched System 001/B. This new effort not only catches large pieces of plastic trash like fishing nets, but also microplastics, or minuscule pieces around 1 mm in size. This is a major breakthrough in cleaning up our oceans, but Slat has a new objective. If he can reach it, it will mean slashing the amount of plastic in the oceans by at least 90 percent by 2040.
在 2012 年十月，Boyan Slat，一位 19 歲的荷蘭發明家，首度討論了想要清理太平洋垃圾帶的夢想，那裡聚集了大量的漂流塑膠廢棄物。Slat 原始的裝置，叫做 System 001，是一個大型的 Ｕ 形屏障，有一條網狀似的下襬懸掛在水面下。它的運作方式是隨著洋流移動，並在移動較快的塑料漂過時收集起來。然而，強勁的波浪和洋流使 System 001 開始故障。他分析了問題，並在 2019 年六月時，他的團隊，The Ocean Cleanup，啟動了 System 001/B。這項新成果不僅可以捕撈大型塑料垃圾，例如魚網，也可以捕撈微塑料，或是約一毫米大小的迷你塑料。這在清理海洋方面是重大的突破，但 Slat 有新的目標。如果他能夠達成，那就代表到 2040 年時，可以將海洋中的塑料量大幅減少至少百分之 90。
In these three examples, the teen dreamers all have one thing in common: they never quit. They were able to find solutions to various problems and overcome obstacles to achieve their dreams. Sometimes, it's easy for young people to feel daunted and pessimistic about reaching their goals. However, only by continuing to believe in themselves will they succeed in the end. As Boyan Slat said: "Optimism is what brings us forward."
在這三個例子中，這些少年夢想家都有一個共同點：他們從不放棄。他們能夠找到各種問題的解決方案，並克服障礙來達成他們的夢想。有時候，年輕人很容易感到氣餒，同時對實現目標感到悲觀。然而，唯有持續相信自己，最後才能成功。正如 Boyan Slat 所說：「是樂觀帶領我們前進的。」
- endeavor [ɪnˋdɛvɚ] v.
努力，盡力
We will endeavor to resolve this issue to your satisfaction as quickly as possible. - zeal [zil] n.
熱情，熱誠
Alexander is an activist who shows great zeal and energy in support of environmental campaigns. - attain [əˋten] v.
達到
The boss has attained his first objective, which was to make the company profitable within the first year. - scrutinize [ˋskrutn͵aɪz] v.
詳細檢視
Ms. Lee scrutinized the menu for several minutes before deciding what to order. - accomplish [əˋkɑmplɪʃ] v.
完成，實現
Your parents must be very proud of the good things you have accomplished in school. - accomplishment [əˋkɑmplɪʃmənt] n.
成就
Scoring the most points in the NBA finals was his greatest accomplishment as an athlete. - diverse [daɪˋvɝs] adj.
多元的，形形色色的
I live in an ethnically diverse neighborhood, and there are people from many different cultures here. - diversify [daɪˋvɝsə͵faɪ] v.
多元化，差異化
Jeb's restaurant only sold noodles until he decided to diversify and put rice dishes on the menu. - diversity [daɪˋvɝsətɪ] n.
多樣化
With more than 850 languages spoken in Papua New Guinea, it has greater linguistic diversity than any other country. - license [ˋlaɪsns] n.
執照
Now that Colin has passed his test and gotten his driver's license, he can't wait to buy his first car. - surmount [sɚˋmaʊnt] v.
克服（困難）
Tommy Chen surmounted the challenge of the Bhutan—The Last Secret 200-kilometer ultramarathon and won the race in 2018. - fuel [ˋfjʊəl] n.
燃料
We ran out of fuel on the drive north, but luckily there was a gas station nearby. - fuel [ˋfjʊəl] v.
供給燃料
This new car is fueled by hydrogen and produces zero carbon emissions. - vital [ˋvaɪt!] adj.
極其重要的
Tourism plays a vital role in the economy of Greece, which is the favorite vacation spot of so many northern Europeans. - maintenance [ˋmentənəns] n.
保養，維修
You should carry out regular maintenance checks on your computer to keep it operating well. - disturbance [dɪsˋtɝbəns] n.
騷亂，動亂
After the election, there were riots and other disturbances by people who refused to accept the result. - triumph [ˋtraɪəmf] v.
獲得勝利
Andy Murray triumphed over his greatest rival to finally win his first Grand Slam tennis championship in 2012. - triumph [ˋtraɪəmf] n.
（大）勝利
After all his difficulties, winning the award was a great personal triumph for the actor. - windshield [ˋwɪnd͵ʃild] n.
（汽車的）擋風玻璃
Because his wipers stopped working, the windshield of Frank's car was soon covered with dust. - exceptional [ɪkˋsɛpʃən!] adj.
卓越的，不同凡響的
This is a superb picture by Andy Warhol, who had exceptional skill in pop art. - colossal [kəˋlɑs!] adj.
巨大的
The local residents received a colossal amount of money from the factory in compensation for the water pollution. - drift [drɪft] v.
漂流，飄動
Unable to control the boat due to the damage, they drifted toward the sharp rocks. - minuscule [mɪˋnʌskjul] adj.
微小的，極小的
Before the discovery of bacteria, people had no idea that such miniscule things could cause deadly diseases. - breakthrough [ˋbrek͵θru] n.
突破
New treatments to fight Ebola are seen as a major medical breakthrough of the last decade. - objective [əbˋdʒɛktɪv] n.
目標
Having failed to reach its objective of capturing the town, the army was forced to retreat. - slash [slæʃ] v.
大幅減少
The store has slashed its prices during the sale, with up to 50 percent off some items. - daunt [dɔnt] v.
使氣餒
Though it was her first ever speech, Mary did not feel daunted by the large audience. - pessimistic [͵pɛsəˋmɪstɪk] adj.
悲觀的
Don't be so pessimistic about the exam. It may turn out to be easier than you expect. - pessimist [ˋpɛsəmɪst] n.
悲觀者
Barry is such a pessimist that he never expects anything good to happen to him. - from scratch
從頭開始
The garden Dad was building was ruined in a storm, and he had to start again from scratch. - set one's mind to
專注致力於...
There is nothing you can't achieve once you set your mind to it; you just need to believe in yourself. - hold...in place
把...固定住
Make sure you use all the pegs because they will hold the tent in place. - have...in common
...有共同之處
Despite having little in common with her coworkers, Molly seems to get along well with them.
