12.It does not mean establishing a global government or abolishing all cultural, religious and national differences. I can be loyal at one and the same time to several identities—to my family, my village, my profession, my country, and also to my planet and the whole human species. It is true that sometimes different loyalties might collide, and then it is not easy to decide what to do. But who said life was easy? Life is difficult. Deal with it.
段落大意：这并不是说要建立全球性的政府或者非常所有的文化、宗教和民族差异。我可以同时忠实于好几种身份，比如我的家庭、村庄、职业、国家，还有我的星球和整个人类。确实有时候不同身份会有冲突，决定如何去做也不是件容易的事情。但人生本来就不容易，必须得正视它。（鲁迅先生的“真正的勇士敢于直面惨淡的人生”犹如耳边。）
语言学习：
1. mean 当我们想表达“包含，涉及”或者“结果”的意思，mean + doing, 不能使用时动词不定式。
e.g. Reversing these changes would meen challenging the power of the government.
扭转这些改变需要挑战政府的权力。
当mean+ to do 动词不定式时，常用作被动语态，表示“someone intend to do sth”某人打算做某事
e.g.Whoops! I didn't mean to step on your toe.
2. at one and same time
刚开始我觉得这个表达很奇怪，为什么不说at the same time 而说at one and the same time?我在字典上查到one and the same 用来强调当两个或者两个以上的人或者事物其实是用一个人或事时，就可以使用。
e.g. Are you saying that your cousin Alessandro and my friend Alex are one and the same?
所以在这里作者是不是想表达，即使我需要忠实于多种等身份，但其实这几种身份是不矛盾的--人类命运共同体。（请大家指正）
3.句型总结 It is adjective that + a clause,通常 从句用should或虚拟动词来表达愿望，推荐或者建议等，见图
4.Deal with 口语中经常用到的表达,"处理"
例：...the way that banks deal with complaints.…银行处理投诉的方式。
近义词：manage, cope with, handle, take care of
Sometimes we put work before family, sometimes family before work. Similarly, sometimes we need to put the national interest first, but there are occasions when we need to privilege the global interests of humankind.
段落大意：有时候我们把家庭放在首位，有时候把工作放在首位，有时候需要把民族利益放在首位，但是有些情况我们是不是需要把全球人类的利益也放在前面呢？
1.总结比较两者重要性的表达
1）put A before B 认为A比B重要
2）A take priority over B A优先于B
3）privilege A 给予A特权
4）give priority to A 优先考虑A
2.occasions 这里只时机，情况，也可以用situations,circumstances,occurrences 来替换。
Vote for visionaries
13.What does all that mean in practice? Well, when the next elections come along, and politicians want you to vote for them, ask these politicians four questions:
If you are elected, what actions will you take to lessen the risks of nuclear war?
What actions will you take to lessen the risks of climate change?
What actions will you take to regulate disruptive technologies such as AI and bioengineering?
And finally, how do you see the world of 2040? What is your worst-case scenario, and what is your vision for the best-case scenario?
If some politicians don’t understand these questions, or if they constantly talk about the past without being able to formulate a meaning full vision for the future, don't vote for them.
段落大意：在实践中我们可以怎么做呢？为有远见的人投票
可以问问那些政治家，如果你当选了，你会采取什么措施来缓解核战争；你会采取什么措施来减少气候变化？你会如何规范颠覆性的技术，如人工智能和生物工程。最后请你预测一下2040年的世界，最坏或者最好的脚本是如何？如果政治家们不能理解这些问题，如果他们一直沉迷于过去，而没有能够规划出一个有意义的具有远见的未来。果断取关！
1.lessen
其他表示使...减少，使...减轻的词 reduce, subside, play down, minimize, downplay,
weaken, fade,
2.see 在这表示“想象，预测”，imagine,predict
3.worst-case scenario & best-case scenario你能想象的最糟糕和最好的事情
scenario英 [sɪ'nɑːrɪəʊ]美 [sə'nærɪo]“方案；情节；剧本；设想”
(worst-case )doomsday scenario,crisis,battle,nightmare
(best-case)ideal situation，optimum
e.g.书名：The worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook 逆境求生手册
本段没有长难句和生僻的单词。作者从实践的角度，问了政治家们三个问题（这三个问题在副标题和文中出现过）。在目前这个政治活动比以往任何时候都怒不可歇和支离破碎的时代，在一个科技统治着我们的日常生活，在这个医学重塑我们生命的时代，作者对人类既忧虑又怀有的美好愿景。