Forty U.S. billionaires or their families pledged on Wednesday to give over half of their money to charity, according to a philanthropy drive organized by Microsoft founder Bill Gates and legendary investor Warren Buffett.

由美国微软公司创始人比尔·盖茨和投资家沃伦·巴菲特联合发起的“捐赠承诺”行动4日宣布，已有40位亿万富翁或家庭承诺，将把自己的过半财产捐献给慈善事业。

Apart from the Gates family and Buffett, those who pledged to donate include self-made billionaires such as Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, pharmaceutical tycoon Patrick Soon-Shiong, Oracle founder Larry Ellison and Hollywood director George Lucas. The list also include David Rockefeller, who came from the storied Rockefeller family, and Barron Hilton, son of Hilton Hotels founder Conrad Hilton.

根据“捐赠承诺”公布的名单，这40 位亿万富翁主要为白手起家的大亨。除了盖茨夫妇及巴菲特外，还包括微软创始人之一保罗·艾伦、甲骨文公司创始人拉里·埃利森、纽约市长迈克尔·布隆伯格、华裔生物制药大亨陈颂雄夫妇、《星球大战》系列电影导演乔治·卢卡斯等。此外，洛克菲勒家族族长戴维·洛克菲勒、希尔顿家族的巴伦·希尔顿等大家族继承人和美国有线电视新闻网创始人特德·特纳也出现在名单之列。

The wealthy families all participated in "the Giving Pledge," a donation drive launched by Buffett and Gates six weeks ago. The idea is to invite the wealthiest individuals and families in the United States to commit to giving the majority of their wealth to the philanthropic causes and charitable organizations during their lifetime or after their death, according to the drive's website.A statement from the Giving Pledge website said "the pledge is a moral commitment to give, not a legal contract."

“捐赠承诺”行动于6月中旬开始。根据其网站提供的信息，这一行动主要邀请美国最富有的个人或家庭参与，参与者承诺捐出过半财产，用于慈善事业，捐赠可以在参与者生前完成，也可等到他们身后再实施。这一承诺并无法律效力，但却是一个“道德承诺”。

Buffett, the founder of Berkshire Hathaway investment firm, said the drive has "just started, but already we've had a terrific response."

根据盖茨与巴菲特推算，《福布斯》杂志所列美国前400名富豪名下财产合计大约1.2万亿美元，若能捐出一半，善款总额可望达到6000亿美元。巴菲特说，尽管“捐赠承诺”行动才刚刚开始，但他们已收到很多回应。

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