艾羅爾·馬斯克：伊隆·馬斯克那位才華洋溢卻又「邪惡」的父親：英語精讀講義

We often see Elon Musk and his siblings pictured with their mum, Maye Musk.

我們經常看到伊隆·馬斯克和他的兄弟姊妹與母親梅伊·馬斯克合影。

Yet their relationship with their father is much more complicated.

然而，他們與父親的關係卻要複雜得多。

Errol Musk is a brilliant engineer

埃羅爾·馬斯克是一位才華橫溢的工程師，

who undoubtedly passed on his genes to his famous son. 片語搭配

毫無疑問，他將自己的優良基因遺傳給了他那著名的兒子。

He has also been described by Elon as evil.

他也被伊隆描述為邪惡的人。

This is the story of how he helped shape the richest man in the world.

這是一個關於他如何幫助塑造世界首富的故事。

Errol was born in Pretoria,

埃羅爾出生於南非普勒托利亞，

South Africa to an army sergeant father and a British mother

父親是一名陸軍中士，母親是英國人，

whose family is famed for their intellect.

其家族以才智聞名。

Errol and Maye grew up in the same neighborhood.

埃羅爾和梅伊在同一個社區長大。

He fell for her supermodel looks. 片語動詞

他迷上了她超模般的外貌。

She became a well-known fashion model and a dietitian.

她成了一位知名的時裝模特兒和營養師。

The two dated on and off at university. 慣用語

兩人在大學期間分分合合。

According to Maye,

據梅伊說，

Errol relentlessly pursued her hand in marriage, 慣用語

埃羅爾死纏爛打地向她求婚，

telling Elon's biographer Ashlee Vance,

她告訴伊隆的傳記作者艾希莉·范斯，

"He just never stopped proposing."

「他就是一直不停地求婚。」

Reminiscent of Elon's pursuit of his first wife Justine

這讓人想起伊隆對第一任妻子賈絲汀的追求，

while they were at university together in Canada.

當時他們一起在加拿大上大學。

Justine described to biographer Vance how Elon would call her insistently,

賈絲汀向傳記作者范斯描述了伊隆當時如何執著地給她打電話，

saying,

說，

"You always knew it was Elon because the phone would never stop ringing.

「你總是知道那是伊隆，因為電話會響個不停。

The man does not take no for an answer. 慣用語

這個男人不接受拒絕。

You can't blow him off. 片語動詞

你打發不了他。

I do think of him as the Terminator. 文化背景

我確實認為他就像魔鬼終結者。

He locks his gaze on to something and says,

他只要盯上什麼東西，就會說，

"It shall be mine."

『它將是我的。』」

Bit by bit, 片語搭配

一點一滴地，

he won me over. 片語動詞

他贏得了我的心。

Nine months after Errol and Maye tied the knot, 慣用語

埃羅爾和梅伊結為連理九個月後，

Elon came into the world.

伊隆降生到了這個世界。

They knew their son was special from a very young age,

他們在兒子很小的時候就知道他很特別，

as Errol told South African radio station 702's

正如埃羅爾告訴南非702廣播電台

The Money Show with Bruce Whitfield.

布魯斯·惠特菲爾德主持的《The Money Show》那樣。

He's always been a very deep thinker.

他一直是個非常有深度的思想家。

And when he was very small,

當他很小的時候，

for example,

例如，

he would ask me

他會問我

"Where is the whole world?"

「整個世界在哪裡？」

Good question.

問得好。

It's a very good question.

這是個非常好的問題。

Yeah.

是的。

I'm talking about when he was three or four.

我說的是他三、四歲的時候。

Yeah.

是的。

And these sort of questions

這類問題

made me realize he is a little different.

讓我意識到他有點與眾不同。

The Musk family lived comfortably in Pretoria,

馬斯克一家在普勒托利亞生活得很舒適，

thanks to Errol's successful engineering business

這要歸功於埃羅爾成功的工程業務

and his work as a real estate developer.

以及他作為房地產開發商的工作。

According to Elon,

據伊隆說，

his father has an extremely high IQ

他的父親智商極高，

and is a talented electrical and mechanical engineer.

是一位才華橫溢的電機和機械工程師。

Elon benefited immensely from his father's skill.

伊隆從父親的技能中獲益匪淺。

Errol used to take him and his brother Kimbal to his engineering job sites 文法

埃羅爾過去常帶他和弟弟金巴爾去他的工程施工現場，

where they learned how to lay bricks, 片語搭配

在那裡他們學會了如何砌磚、

install plumbing,

安裝水管、

and put in electrical wiring.

以及鋪設電線。

It was also Errol who introduced Elon to the world of computers.

也是埃羅爾將伊隆帶入了電腦世界。

When Elon was 11,

伊隆11歲時，

he insisted that his dad take him to learn how to use the new computers that had just come out. 講解

他堅持要父親帶他去學習如何使用剛問世的新型電腦。

He was far too young to attend a course hosted at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, 文法

對於參加約翰尼斯堡金山大學舉辦的課程來說，他實在太小了，

but his dad managed to book him a spot through his engineering connections. 片語搭配

但他父親透過他在工程界的人脈設法為他預留了一個名額。

Errol recounted what happened when Elon went to that lecture.

埃羅爾講述了伊隆去聽那場講座時發生的事情。

Anyway,

總之，

he went and I left him there and took Kimbal and I went off to get a hamburger

他去了，我把他留在那裡，帶著金巴爾去吃漢堡，

and we came back

然後我們回來了，

it's a three-hour long thing at Wits and we came back

金山大學的課程長達三個小時，我們回來時，

and everybody came out and nobody no Elon

大家都出來了，卻沒有伊隆的身影，

and we waited and waited and then finally you know went into those chilly halls of Wits

我們等了又等，最後你知道的，走進了金山大學那些冷颼颼的大廳，

and found this sort of sloping theater lecture hall rather

發現了一個有點傾斜的階梯教室，

and there was Elon

伊隆就在那裡，

with his jacket and tie off and his sleeves rolled up,

他脫了外套和領帶，捲起了袖子，

and his long grey flannels,

穿著長長的灰色法蘭絨褲，

you know four feet high,

你知道的，四英尺高的小個子，

talking to all these blokes from England. 用詞

在和這些來自英國的人交談。

And when I walked up to them,

當我向他們走去時，

the one who some professor,

其中一個似乎是教授的人，

he didn't even bother to sort of introduce himself, 語氣意圖

他甚至都不費心自我介紹一下，

he just said to me

直接對我說，

this boy has to have one of these computers.

這孩子必須擁有一台這種電腦。

Anyway,

總之，

we got him one of the computers

我們給他買了一台這樣的電腦，

and I got it at a discount thank God.

感謝上帝，我是打折買的。

Yeah.

是的。

With that computer,

有了那台電腦，

Elon taught himself how to program 文法

伊隆自學了寫程式，

and he was brilliant at it.

而且他在這方面才華橫溢。

He scored an A+ on an aptitude test for programming and operating a computer

他在寫程式和操作電腦的性向測驗中得了A+，

when he briefly attended the University of Pretoria.

當時他在普勒托利亞大學短暫就讀。

According to Maye, he had to be retested

據梅伊說，他必須重新接受測驗，

because the university had never seen such a high score.

因為大學從未見過這麼高的分數。

Although from the outside,

儘管從外界看來，

it may have appeared Elon had a happy childhood,

伊隆似乎有一個幸福的童年，

he would say that it felt like misery,

但他會說那感覺就像是悲慘世界，

thanks in large part to Errol. 片語搭配

在很大程度上要歸咎於埃羅爾。

Maye and Errol divorced in 1979

梅伊和埃羅爾在1979年離婚，

when Elon was eight.

當時伊隆八歲。

She left what she described as an abusive relationship.

她離開了她所說的一段充滿虐待的關係。

Maye struggled as a single mom.

梅伊身為單親媽媽努力掙扎求生。

She said she'd cry when one of the kids spilled milk

她說，當某個孩子把牛奶弄灑時，她會哭，

because she couldn't buy more milk that day.

因為她那天沒錢再買牛奶了。

She worked several jobs to support her three children,

她打了幾份工來撫養她的三個孩子，

bought secondhand clothes,

買二手衣服，

and cooked cheap and nutritious meals for them like bean stews.

給他們做便宜又營養的飯菜，比如燉豆子。

After a couple of years,

幾年後，

Elon felt sorry that his dad was living alone

伊隆可憐他爸爸獨自生活，

and decided to move in with him in a suburb of Johannesburg. 片語動詞

決定搬去約翰尼斯堡郊區和他一起住。

It was a decision he would come to regret. 片語搭配

這是一個他日後會後悔的決定。

Elon told Rolling Stone,

伊隆告訴《Rolling Stone》，

"He was such a terrible human being.

「他是個非常糟糕的人。

You have no idea.

你根本想像不到。

My dad will have a carefully thought-out plan of evil.

我父親會有精心策劃的邪惡計畫。

He will plan evil.

他會策劃邪惡。

Almost every crime you can possibly think of, 文法

幾乎你能想到的所有罪行，

he has done.

他都做過。

Almost every evil thing you could possibly think of,

幾乎你能想到的所有邪惡之事，

he has done."

他都做過。」

Elon never specified what his father had allegedly done, 用詞

伊隆從未具體說明他父親據稱做了什麼，

but says he wasn't physically violent toward him.

但說他沒有對他施加過身體暴力。

This is what we do know about Errol.

關於埃羅爾，以下是我們所知道的。

He said he once shot and killed three people who broke into his home 片語動詞

他說他曾開槍打死三名闖入他家的歹徒，

and was later cleared of all charges on the grounds of self-defense. 用詞

後來因自衛而被洗清所有指控。

He also had a child with his stepdaughter Jana Bezuidenhout from another marriage.

他還與他另一次婚姻中的繼女賈娜·貝祖伊登豪特生了一個孩子。

He said his stepdaughter turned to him for comfort after a breakup with her boyfriend 片語動詞

他說，繼女在和男友分手後向他尋求安慰，

and the child was conceived in the heat of the moment. 慣用語

這個孩子是在一時衝動下懷上的。

Errol has spoken out against Elon's portrayal of him, 片語動詞

埃羅爾直言不諱地反駁了伊隆對他的描繪，

telling the UK's Daily Mail,

告訴英國《Daily Mail》，

"Elon needs to grow up.

「伊隆需要長大。

He needs to get over himself. 片語動詞

他需要克服自我中心的毛病。

I'm not going to hit back. 片語動詞

我不會反擊。

I'm going to wait until he comes to his senses. 慣用語

我會等他恢復理智。

He's having a tantrum like a spoiled child."

他像個被寵壞的孩子一樣在發脾氣。」

By the time Elon came to live with him after the divorce,

當離婚後伊隆來和他同住時，

Errol claimed he was making a lot of money in emerald mining.

埃羅爾聲稱他在祖母綠開採中賺了很多錢。

Business Insider reported that Errol owned half of an emerald mine in Zambia.

《Business Insider》報導稱，埃羅爾在尚比亞擁有半個祖母綠礦。

And in another Business Insider article,

在《Business Insider》的另一篇文章中，

Errol said,

埃羅爾說，

"We had so much money we couldn't even close our safe."

「我們的錢多得甚至關不上保險箱。」

But according to Elon,

但據伊隆說，

his father didn't own an emerald mine.

他的父親並沒有祖母綠礦。

Elon tweeted that he had to work his way through college, 慣用語

伊隆發推文說，他必須半工半讀完成大學學業，

ending up with a hundred thousand dollars in student debt, 片語動詞

最終背負了十萬美元的學貸，

and couldn't afford a second computer at his first company,

在他的第一家公司，他甚至買不起第二台電腦，

Zip2.

那家公司就是 Zip2。

He said when he emigrated from South Africa to North America,

他說，當他從南非移民到北美時，

he only had two thousand dollars in his pocket.

他口袋裡只有兩千美元。

Elon's goal was always to end up in the United States,

伊隆的目標始終是最終前往美國，

the home of all the exciting developments in technology.

那裡是所有令人激動的科技發展的故鄉。

To get to the States,

為了去美國，

he first went to Canada,

他首先去了加拿大，

his mother's birthplace.

他母親的出生地。

Elon was just 17 years old when he arrived in Canada,

伊隆到達加拿大時只有17歲，

where he stayed with a cousin,

在那裡他和一位表親住在一起，

working on a farm in Saskatchewan.

在薩斯喀徹溫省的一個農場工作。

He later made his way here to Toronto, 慣用語

後來他來到了多倫多，

where he obtained passports for his mother,

在那裡他為母親、

his brother,

弟弟，

and his sister to join him.

和妹妹辦理了護照，讓他們來與他團聚。

They lived for a time at 4000 Yonge Street in this rent-controlled apartment. 文化背景

他們曾在這座央街4000號的租金管制公寓裡住過一段時間。

According to Maye,

據梅伊說，

Elon slept on the couch.

伊隆當時睡在沙發上。

His father did not wish him well. 片語搭配

他的父親並不希望他好過。

In fact,

事實上，

Errol didn't think his son would make much of himself. 慣用語

埃羅爾認為他的兒子不會有什麼出息。

Elon said his father told him he'd be back in South Africa in three months

伊隆說他父親告訴他，不出三個月他就會滾回南非，

and that he was an idiot.

還說他是個白痴。

That idiot went on to found and run two of the most innovative and successful companies in the world, 講解

那個白痴後來創辦並經營著世界上最具創新性和最成功的兩家公司，

Tesla and SpaceX.

Tesla和SpaceX。

Some have suggested that Musk's image as the savior of humanity

有人提出，馬斯克作為人類拯救者的形象，

by accelerating the world's transition to sustainable energy

透過加速世界向永續能源的過渡，

and by trying to colonize Mars,

以及嘗試殖民火星，

might stem from his childhood pain. 片語搭配

可能源於他童年的痛苦。

Rolling Stone wrote,

《Rolling Stone》寫道，

"Somewhere in this trauma bond is the key to Musk's worldview, 用詞

「這種創傷連結中的某個地方，隱藏著理解馬斯克世界觀的鑰匙，

creation against destruction, 表達脈絡

創造對抗毀滅，

of being useful versus harmful,

有用對抗有害，

of defending the world against evil."

保護世界免受邪惡侵害。」

Does his father now believe his son will succeed

他的父親現在相信他的兒子會成功，

and go where no man or woman has gone before? 文化背景

並走向前人未至之境嗎？

Is Elon going to get to Mars?

伊隆能去火星嗎？

I mean, that's his big ambition.

我的意思是，這是他的宏大抱負。

He is.

他會的。

I don't think there's any doubt in it whatsoever.

我認為這沒有任何疑問。

Yet,

然而，

it's unlikely Elon would take his father along for the ride. 慣用語

伊隆不太可能帶他父親一起踏上這段旅程。

Their relationship remains strained. 片語搭配

他們的關係依然緊張。