名人励志英语演讲 第145期:感觉失败及寻找幸福(7)

 　　And then they said they didn't like the way I looked. This was in 1976, when your boss could call you in and say, "I don't like the way you looked". Now that would be called a lawsuit¹, but back then they could just say, "I don't like the way you look". Which, in case some of you in the back, if you can't tell, is nothing like Barbara Walters. So, they sent me to a salon² where they gave me a perm, and after a few days all my hair fell out and I had to shave my head. And then they really didn't like the way I looked. Because now I am black and bald and sitting on TV. Not a pretty picture. But even worse than being bald, I really hated, hated, hated being sent to report on other people's tragedies as a part of my daily duty, knowing that I was just expected to observe, when everything in my instinct told me that I should be doing something, I should be lending a hand.

　　然后他们还对我说他们不喜欢我的造型。那是在1976年，你的老板可以把你叫进办公室跟你说“我不喜欢你的造型”。但如果是现在的话，那可能会引起诉讼。但那时他们却可以说：“我不喜欢你的造型”。我根本不像芭芭拉·沃尔特斯，坐在后排的同学应该看不出我像不像她。于是他们把我送到美发店，给我烫了发。可是几天后我的头发就变得一团糟。我不得不剃光我的头发。这次他们更不喜欢我的造型了。因为这下成了一个光头黑人坐在摄影机前，这种画面肯定不漂亮。比剃光头发更令我讨厌的是，我不得不把播报别人遭受的痛苦作为我的日常工作。我深知我期待去观察，我的内心告诉我，我应该做些什么了，我需要为他人提供帮助。

　　So, as President Hennessy said, I'd cover a fire and then I'd go back and I'd try to give the victims blankets. And I wouldn't be able to sleep at night because of all the things I was covering during the day.

　　所以，正如汉尼斯校长所说的那样，我播报了一起火灾，然后回去给受害者拿毯子。由于白天播报的那些新闻，晚上我难以入睡。

　　And, meanwhile, I was trying to sit gracefully³ like Barbara and make myself talk like Barbara. And I thought, well, I could make a pretty goofy Barbara. And if I could figure out how to be myself, I could be a pretty good Oprah. I was trying to sound elegant like Barbara. And sometimes I didn't read my copy, because something inside me said, this should be spontaneous, you know, it should be spontancous. So, I wanted to get the news as I was giving it to the people. So, sometimes, I wouldn't read my copy and it would be, like, six people on a pileup on I-40. Oh, my goodnwss.

　　与此同时，我尽量保持优雅的坐姿，使我更像芭芭拉，并且像芭芭拉一样讲话。我认为我可能会成为一个傻傻的芭芭拉。但如果我知道如何做回我自己，我就会成为一个很棒的奥普拉。我努力像芭芭拉那样优雅地说话。有时我并不照本宣科，因为内心的声音告诉我，应该自然地播报新闻，所以我希望在播报新闻时，自己也能理解这些新闻。我不会照着稿件读新闻，所以有时会像40号洲际公路上发生了六人连环相撞事故一样报道新闻。哦，上帝！

　　重点讲解：

　　1. in case

　　以备；以防；免得；

　　eg. In case anyone was following me, I made an elaborate detour⁴.

　　为了防止有人跟踪我，我特地绕了弯路。

　　eg. Extra boiling water should be kept at hand just in case it is needed.

　　身边应多准备一些开水，以备不时之需。

　　2. lend a hand

　　向…伸出援手；给予…帮助；

　　eg. I'd be glad to lend a hand.

　　我很乐意帮忙。

　　eg. All the teachers were asked to lend a hand with the school concert.

　　所有老师都被请来帮忙校音乐会。

　　3. figure out

　　想出；理解；弄清；

　　eg. I can't figure out why he quit his job.

　　我琢磨不透他为什么要辞掉工作。

　　eg. He's trying to figure out a way to solve the problem.

　　他正在努力想办法解决这个问题。

1 lawsuit   

n.诉讼，控诉

参考例句：

• They threatened him with a lawsuit.他们以诉讼威逼他。
• He was perpetually involving himself in this long lawsuit.他使自己无休止地卷入这场长时间的诉讼。

2 salon   

n.[法]沙龙；客厅；营业性的高级服务室

参考例句：

• Do you go to the hairdresser or beauty salon more than twice a week?你每周去美容院或美容沙龙多过两次吗？
• You can hear a lot of dirt at a salon.你在沙龙上会听到很多流言蜚语。

3 gracefully   

ad.大大方方地；优美地

参考例句：

• She sank gracefully down onto a cushion at his feet. 她优雅地坐到他脚旁的垫子上。
• The new coats blouse gracefully above the hip line. 新外套在臀围线上优美地打着褶皱。

4 detour   

n.绕行的路，迂回路；v.迂回，绕道

参考例句：

• We made a detour to avoid the heavy traffic.我们绕道走，避开繁忙的交通。
• He did not take the direct route to his home,but made a detour around the outskirts of the city.他没有直接回家，而是绕到市郊兜了个圈子。