名校励志英语演讲 91:如何实现你的梦想

 　　Mrs. Zubatsky's law. One day when I was a kid, our house caught on fire in Milwaukee. A large section of the wood shingle¹ roof was burning as the fire trucks pulled up. The firemen ran into the back yard with a large hose and began assembling their metal ladders and positioning them against the house.

　　第三，Zubatsky夫人的定律。当我还是小孩子的时候，有一天，我们在密尔沃基的房子着火了。当消防车赶到的时候，一大片的木屋正在燃烧着。消防员拿着一个很大的水管跑进后院然后开始组装他们的金属梯子并且靠房子固定住。

　　Mrs. Zubatsky was our next door neighbor and, at the time, she was standing² on her upstairs porch taking in the laundry. She watched anxiously as the firemen struggled with their ladders. Suddenly she leaned over the balcony and shouted down to the professional firefighters, "Forget the ladders! Just point the hose at the fire!" The firemen, to their credit, responded immediately. They dropped their ladders, pointed³ the hose at the fire and extinguished the blaze in about 40 seconds.

　　Zubatsky 夫人是我们隔壁的一个邻居，当时她正站在她家楼上的走廊收衣服。她焦急地看着消防员们努力地组装梯子。突然间她在阳台上探出身并且向那些专业的消防员大声喊：“不要用梯子了！把水管对准火焰喷！”值得称道的是，这些消防员立即响应了。他们扔掉了梯子，拿起消防水管对准火焰喷洒，结果只用了大概40秒就把大火给熄灭了。

　　There are two morals to this story. One, never assume that just because it's someone's job, they know how to do it. And two, don't let yourself be intimidated⁴ by professionals or their uniforms.

　　这个故事有两个寓意。第一，据对不要认为是别人的工作，我们就肯定知道怎么做。第二，不要让自己被别人的职业和制服吓坏了。

　　Growing up in Wisconsin, I never knew anyone in the movie business. I never even knew anyone who knew anyone in the movie business. That world had a mystique that made it seem unattainable to me. But, like Mrs. Zubatsky, I sat on my porch and I watched someone else do it, and I said, "I have a better idea." And like her, I seized the moment.

　　在威斯康辛长大，我当时不认识任何电影行业的人。我甚至不认识一个在电影行业有熟人的人。电影世界当时对我来说似乎有一种不可企及的奥秘。但是，像 Zubatsky 夫人一样，我坐在走廊上并且观察者别人在做这个事情，然后说：“我有一个更好的想法。”并且，像她一样，我把握住了机会。

　　名人作品简介

　　《人鬼情未了》（Ghost）

　　电影剧情：山姆与未婚妻莫莉搬进了由朋友卡尔帮忙换来的一套漂亮公寓，年轻的银行职员山姆与未婚妻莫莉相爱至深。一天晚上他们看戏归来时，却遭到了歹徒的抢劫。在搏斗中山姆中枪身亡，莫莉悲痛欲绝。而山姆变成了一个幽灵。他很快就发现原来朋友卡尔竟然是导致他死亡的主谋。为了窃取银行里的巨款，他想要获得山姆所掌握的密码。如今他又对莫莉展开了追求。山姆渐渐地学会了如何使用力量。他常常游荡于莫莉的周围，时刻保护着她，但却无法交流。为了制止卡尔，他找到了一位能与幽灵沟通的灵媒奥塔，并通过她与莫莉取得联系。起初莫莉并不相信。但事实终于使她感受到了山姆的存在。然而深深相爱的两个人却无法直接接触和交流。为了保护莫莉，惩罚凶手，山姆对卡尔展开了报复。他取出了被卡尔窃取的巨款，并且使卡尔的几个手下遭到了报应。气急败坏的卡尔想要伤害莫莉。幸亏奥塔和山姆及时赶到。面对充满了仇恨的幽灵，卡尔终于自取灭亡。完成了心愿的山姆终即将前往天堂。在消失之前，莫莉终于见到了显出身形的山姆。两人的告别之吻使人不禁潸然泪下。

　　Sam Wheat：God dammit...

　　上帝诅咒你 ……

　　Oda Mae Brown：Don't you "God dammit" me. Don't you take the Lord's name in vain with me. I don't take that!

　　不要和我说"上帝诅咒你"，你在我面前说上帝的名字是没有用的。我不信那一套！

　　Sam Wheat：Would you relax?

　　能否放松一些？

　　Oda Mae Brown：No, you relax, you're the dead guy!

　　不，是你要放松，你这个死人！

　　Oda Mae Brown：I know you don't think I'm giving this 4 million dollars to a bunch of nuns⁵!

　　我知道你不相信我放弃了四百万美元，给了一堆修女！

　　Sam:Think of it this way, you'll go to Heaven.

　　如果真的话，你就可以上天堂了。

　　Oda Mae Brown:I don't want to go to Heaven, I want to go to the bank and cash a GODDAMN CHECK!

　　我可不想进天堂，我想进银行，直接刷受诅咒的卡！

1 shingle   

n.木瓦板；小招牌(尤指医生或律师挂的营业招牌)；v.用木瓦板盖（屋顶）；把（女子头发）剪短

参考例句：

• He scraped away the dirt,and exposed a pine shingle.他刨去泥土，下面露出一块松木瓦块。
• He hung out his grandfather's shingle.他挂出了祖父的行医招牌。

2 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

3 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

4 intimidated   

v.恐吓；威胁adj.害怕的；受到威胁的

参考例句：

• We try to make sure children don't feel intimidated on their first day at school. 我们努力确保孩子们在上学的第一天不胆怯。
• The thief intimidated the boy into not telling the police. 这个贼恫吓那男孩使他不敢向警察报告。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 nuns   

n.（通常指基督教的）修女， （佛教的）尼姑( nun的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Ah Q had always had the greatest contempt for such people as little nuns. 小尼姑之流是阿Q本来视如草芥的。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Nuns are under vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. 修女须立誓保持清贫、贞洁、顺从。 来自辞典例句