英语晨读TED演讲系列：外貌并非一切(2)

he next question people always ask is, "Can I be a model when I grow up?" And the first answer is, "I don't know, they don't put me in charge of that." But the second answer, and what I really want to say to these little girls is, "Why? You know? You can be anything. You could be the President of the United States, or the inventor of the next Internet."

in charge (of)  主管，负责

人们常问的下一个问题是:“我长大后能当模特吗?”第一回答是，“我不知道，他们不让我负责这个。”但是第二回答，我真正想对这些小女孩说的是，“为什么？你知道吗？你可以成为任何东西。你可以是美国的总统，或者是下一代互联网的发明者。

Saying that you want to be a model when you grow up is akin to saying that you want to win the Powerball when you grow up. It's out of your control. It's awesome, and it's not a career path.

akin  /ə'kɪn/ adj. 相似的；类似的

Listening to his life story is akin to reading a good adventure novel. 

听他的生活故事就像读一部好的探险小说。

说你长大后想当模特就像说你长大后想赢得强力球（一种彩票）一样。这不是你所能控制的。这很棒，但这不是一条职业道路。