英语晨读TED演讲系列：外貌并非一切(1)

The first question is, how do you become a model? The real way that I became a model is I won a genetic lottery, and I am the recipient of a legacy. Well, for the past few centuries we have defined beauty not just as health, youth and symmetry that we're biologically programmed to admire, but also as tall, slender figures, femininity, and white skin. This is a legacy that was built for me, and it's a legacy that I've been cashing out on. 

recipient  /rɪ'sɪpɪənt/ n. 接受者

symmetry  /'sɪmɪtrɪ/ n. 对称（性）；匀称

femininity  /,femɪ'nɪnɪtɪ/ n. 女性气质；温柔

第一个问题是，你如何成为一个模特？我成为模特的真正原因是我中了“基因彩票”，我是这笔遗产的接受者。在过去的几个世纪里，我们不仅将美丽定义为健康、年轻和匀称，这些我们天生就欣赏的，而且还定义为高挑、苗条的身材、女性气质和白皙的皮肤。这些就是为我留下的遗产，也是我一直在兑现的遗产。

And I know there are people in the audience who are skeptical at this point, and maybe there are some fashionistas who are like, "Wait. Naomi. Tyra. Joan Smalls. Liu Wen." But unfortunately, I have to inform you that in 2007, a very inspired NYU Ph.D. student counted all the models on the runway, every single one that was hired, and of the 677 models that were hired, only 27, or less than four percent, were non-white.

skeptical  /'skeptɪkəl/ adj. 持怀疑态度的；不相信的

He is highly sceptical of the reforms. 

他对改革持极度怀疑的态度。

inspired  /ɪn'spaɪəd/ adj. 卓越的；激动人心的

an inspired leader 卓越的领导人

an inspired performance 激动人心的表演

我知道观众中有些人对此持怀疑态度，也许有些时尚达人会说，“等等，内奥米，提拉，琼·斯莫斯，刘雯。”但不幸的是，我不得不告诉你，在2007年，一个非常卓越的纽约大学博士生统计了T台上的所有模特，每一个被聘用的模特，共677名中，只有27个，或者说少于4%是非白人。