Americans are gearing up for summer vacation, which for Microsoft cofounder and famous bookworm Bill Gates means loading up the suitcase with books. The philanthropist and ardent reader has issued his annual summer reading list. This year his recommendations for beach reads touch on some of Gates’ favorite themes. They include two popular history books, a meditative novel on mortality, and a techno-utopian book about logic.

　　美国人正在为暑假做准备，对于微软的联合创始人和著名的书虫比尔·盖茨来说，意味着又要上新书了。这位慈善家和读书发烧友已经发布了他的2018年度暑期阅读清单。今年，他推荐的书涵盖了一些盖茨最喜欢的主题，其中包括两本受欢迎的历史书，一本关于死亡的冥想小说，以及一本关于逻辑的技术乌托邦式的书。

　　Here’s this year’s list, along with annotations from Gates’s site:

　　以下就是他2018年推荐的书单，以及他在网站上写的评注。

　　Leonardo da Vinci, by Walter Isaacson (2017)

　　1、《莱奥纳多·达芬奇》瓦尔特·艾萨克森 著(2017)

　　In this book from last year about the Renaissance artist and inventor, the bestselling biographer of Steve Jobs and Albert Einstein delved deeply into da Vinci’s contributions beyond art, highlighting the breadth of his scientific, technological, and creative output. Writes Gates:

　　2017年出版的这本关于达芬奇这位文艺复兴时期的艺术家和发明家的书，是由著名传记作家艾萨克森撰写的。艾萨克森为史蒂夫·乔布斯和阿尔伯特·爱因斯坦写的传记曾登上畅销书榜。艾萨克森笔下的达芬奇不仅在艺术方面卓有建树，而且在科学技术和发明创造领域也有着卓越的贡献。

　　More than any other Leonardo book I’ve read, this one helps you see him as a complete human being and understand just how special he was. He came close to understanding almost all of what was known on the planet at the time. That’s partly because scientific knowledge was relatively limited back then, partly because he had a high IQ, but mostly because he was insatiably curious about pretty much every area of natural science and the human experience.

　　盖茨写道：“与我读过的其他有关达芬奇的书籍不同，这本书帮助人们看到达芬奇作为一个完整的人是多么特殊。他几乎理解了当时地球上已知的所有事物。这一方面是由于当时人类的科技知识还相对匮乏，另一方面也是由于他智商极高，但最重要的是他对自然科学和人类经验的几乎每个领域都存在着永不满足的好奇心。”

　　Everything Happens for a Reason and Other Lies I’ve Loved, by Kate Bowler (2018)

　　2、《万物皆有因：以及其他我所热爱的谎言》凯特·鲍勒 著(2018)

　　A scholar of Christianity recounts in this memoir her philosophical questions and emotional reactions after being unexpectedly diagnosed with stage IV colon cancer. Says Gates:

　　在这本回忆录中，基督教学者鲍勒记述了她在被诊断为结肠癌四期后自己所产生的哲学疑问和情绪反应。盖茨写道：

　　The central questions in this book really resonated with me. On one hand, it’s nihilistic to think that every outcome is simply random. I have to believe that the world is better when we act morally, and that people who do good things deserve a somewhat better fate on average than those who don’t. But if you take it to extremes, that cause-and-effect view can be hurtful.

　　盖茨说：“这本书的核心问题真的引起了我的共鸣。一方面，虚无主义认为每一个结果都是随机的。我得相信，当我更有道德时，世界会变得更好，那些做好事的人比那些不做好事的人更应该得到更好的命运。但如果走了极端的话，因果观也可能是有害的。”

　　Lincoln in the Bardo, by George Saunders (2018)

　　3、《林肯在巴尔多》乔治·桑德斯 著 (2018)

　　Saunders, a long-time short story writer, received widespread acclaim for his first novel. The book, told from multiple points of view, imagines the ghosts that haunt the crypt of Willie Lincoln, Abraham Lincoln’s son, who died at age 11 in real life. Writes Gates:

　　桑德斯长期从事短篇小说的写作，这是他的第一部长篇小说，并得到了广泛认可。在这本书中，作者从多个角度，虚构了萦绕在威利·林肯墓穴周围的鬼魂。在真实生活中，亚伯拉罕·林肯的儿子威利·林肯于11岁去世。盖茨是这样写的：

　　Losing a child is unbearable for any parent, but Lincoln is also burdened by timing. Willie died less than a year after the Civil War started. The president has a new understanding of the grief he’s creating in other families by sending their sons off to die in battle. He must make a choice. Should the war go on?

　　“失去一个孩子对所有父母来说都是难以忍受的，但林肯失去孩子的时机很特别。威利是在美国内战开始不到一年的时间去世的，这使得林肯这位总统对他所发动的战争给那些儿子被送上前线死于战场的家庭所带来的悲伤有了新的理解。他必须做出一个选择。战争要继续打下去吗?”

　　Origin Story: A Big History of Everything, by David Christian (2018)

　　4、《起源故事：关于万物的精彩历史》戴维·克里斯蒂安 著(2018)

　　This new book, which will come out May 22, is by the creator of Big History, a free, online social studies course that he co-founded with Gates. The book traces history in wide, sweeping movements, starting with the Big Bang. Writes Gates:

　　定于5月22日出版的这本新书的作者与盖茨一起创办了免费在线社会研究课程《精彩历史》。该书从大爆炸开始对历史进行了广泛、全面的讲述。盖茨写道：

　　The book ends with a chapter on where humanity—and the universe—is headed. David is more pessimistic about the future than I am. He gets a little stuck on the current economic and political malaise happening in the West, and I wish he talked more about the role innovation will play in preventing the worst effects of climate change.

　　“该书的最后一章讲的是人类及宇宙正要前往的地方。戴维对未来比我悲观。他对目前西方发生的经济和政治问题感到有点困惑。我希望他更多地谈及创新在阻止气候变化所造成的最坏影响中所扮演的角色。”

　　Factfulness, by Hans Rosling, with Ola Rosling and Anna Rosling R?nnlund (2018)

　　5、《事实：我们看错世界的十个原因——以及为什么情况比你想象的要好》汉斯·罗斯林 奥拉·罗斯林 安娜·罗斯林·伦隆德 著(2018)

　　Rosling, the popular academic known for his quirky stats talks, died last year. Gates reviewed his book, cowritten by his son and daughter-in-law, which lays out ten instincts that lead us to distorted views about global trends based on bias instead of fact. In April Gates called it “one of the most educational books I’ve ever read.” Gates says:

　　以奇谈怪论著名的学者汉斯·罗斯林已在去年去世。盖茨对他同儿子和儿媳合写的这本书进行了评论。这本书列举了人们的10种冲动，使得人们以偏见而非事实为基础形成对全球趋势的错误认识。盖茨在4月份称这本书“是我曾经读过的最具教育意义的书”。盖茨说：

　　[Rosling] refuses to judge anyone for their misconceptions. Most writers would beat people up for their ignorance, but he doesn’t. Hans even resists going after the media. Instead, he tells you about the history of his own ignorance. He explains that these instincts make us human, and that overcoming them isn’t easy. That’s classic Hans. He was always kind, often patient, and never judgmental.

　　“(罗斯林)拒绝对任何人的误解进行判断。大多数作者会痛斥人们的无知，但他没有。汉斯甚至拒绝接受媒体的采访。相反，他告诉你关于他自己无知的过去。他解释说，这些本能让我们成为人类，克服它们并不容易。这是典型的汉斯。他总是和蔼可亲，那么有耐心，从不评判别人。”