TED演讲：凌晨4点(5)

 　　And folks, you can buy a copy of Bill Clinton's "My Life" from the bookstore here at TED¹. 朋友们，你可以买一本比尔克林顿的《我的人生》，就在这里的TED书店里。

　　Parse² it cover to cover for whatever hidden references you want.  你可以从头到尾地找你想找的暗示，

　　Or you can go to the Random³ House website where there is this excerpt⁴.  你也可以去兰登书屋网站找到这段节选，

　　And how far down into it you figure we'll have to scroll⁵ to get to the golden ticket? 你猜猜我们得翻多久才能找到“金色入场券”？

　　Would you believe about a dozen paragraphs?  你相信吗？大概就翻十几段：

　　This is page 474 on your paperbacks⁶ if you're following along:  在平装版的474页，往下找：

　　"Though it was getting better, I still wasn't satisfied with the inaugural⁷ address. “虽然就职演说稿已经改得蛮好了，我还不是很满意。

　　My speechwriters must have been tearing their hair out  我的撰稿人一定在抓头发了

　　because as we worked between one and four in the morning on Inauguration⁸ Day, I was still changing it." 因为我们从早上一点到凌晨四点一直在改，就在就职的当天我还在改。”

　　Sure you were, because you've prepared your entire life for this historic quadrennial event that just sort of sneaks⁹ up on you. 当然了，你一生都在准备被迫接受这个降临到你头上的四年一度的历史性时刻。

　　And then -- three paragraphs later we get this little beauty: 然而，三段以后我们发现了这个微妙之处：

　　"We went back to Blair House to look at the speech for the last time. It had gotten a lot better since 4 a.m." “我们回到布莱尔宫最后看一遍讲稿。凌晨4点以后，讲稿修改得好多了。”

　　Well, how could it have?  噢，怎么可能呢？

　　By his own writing, this man was either asleep,  这可是他自己写的，要么他在打瞌睡，

　　at a prayer meeting with Al and Tipper or learning how to launch a nuclear missile out of a suitcase. 或者和Al和Tipper在祈祷，或者在学怎样用手提箱启动核武器

1 ted   

vt.翻晒，撒，撒开

参考例句：

• The invaders gut ted the village.侵略者把村中财物洗劫一空。
• She often teds the corn when it's sunny.天好的时候她就翻晒玉米。

2 parse   

v.从语法上分析；n.从语法上分析

参考例句：

• I simply couldn't parse what you just said.我完全无法对你刚说的话作语法分析。
• It causes the parser to parse an NP.它调用分析程序分析一个名词短语。

3 random   

adj.随机的；任意的；n.偶然的(或随便的)行动

参考例句：

• The list is arranged in a random order.名单排列不分先后。
• On random inspection the meat was found to be bad.经抽查，发现肉变质了。

4 excerpt   

n.摘录，选录，节录

参考例句：

• This is an excerpt from a novel.这是一部小说的摘录。
• Can you excerpt something from the newspaper? 你能从报纸上选录些东西吗？

5 scroll   

n.卷轴，纸卷；(石刻上的)漩涡

参考例句：

• As I opened the scroll,a panorama of the Yellow River unfolded.我打开卷轴时，黄河的景象展现在眼前。
• He was presented with a scroll commemorating his achievements.他被授予一幅卷轴，以表彰其所做出的成就。

6 paperbacks   

n.平装本，平装书( paperback的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• This shop only sells paperbacks. 这家书店只出售平装本的书。 来自辞典例句
• Other paperbacks were selling for ten or 15 cents each. 其它的平装书每本才卖十或十五美分。 来自互联网

7 inaugural   

adj.就职的；n.就职典礼

参考例句：

• We listened to the President's inaugural speech on the radio yesterday.昨天我们通过无线电听了总统的就职演说。
• Professor Pearson gave the inaugural lecture in the new lecture theatre.皮尔逊教授在新的阶梯讲堂发表了启用演说。

8 inauguration   

n.开幕、就职典礼

参考例句：

• The inauguration of a President of the United States takes place on January 20.美国总统的就职典礼于一月二十日举行。
• Three celebrated tenors sang at the president's inauguration.3位著名的男高音歌手在总统就职仪式上演唱。

9 sneaks   

abbr.sneakers (tennis shoes) 胶底运动鞋（网球鞋）v.潜行( sneak的第三人称单数 )；偷偷溜走；（儿童向成人）打小报告；告状

参考例句：

• Typhoid fever sneaks in when sanitation fails. 环境卫生搞不好，伤寒就会乘虚而入。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Honest boys scorn sneaks and liars. 诚实的人看不起狡诈和撒谎的人。 来自辞典例句