名校励志英语演讲 100:执着于你的梦想(5)

 　　My parents, of course, I have to tell you, didn't understand my dreams at all. They were always wondering, they said, "What is he doing? When are you going to get a job, a real job? When are you going to make money?" And all of those questions I got. And they said, "I hope we didn't raise a bum¹, someone that doesn't make money and just wants to live in a gymnasium and think about their bodies." Well, I endured all of this negative thinking, and the more negative the thinking got, and the more negative the questions got, the stronger and the more positive I became, the stronger I became inside.

　　当然，我得告诉你们，我父母根本无法理解我的梦想。他们总是疑惑地问，“他在做什么呢？你什么时候能得到一份工作，一份真正的工作？你什么时候能挣钱？”还有一些类似的疑惑。他们会说：“希望我们养的不是一个寻欢作乐的儿子，一个不挣钱却只想在健身馆里考虑他的身材的人。”我承受了所有这一切消极的想法，而且这些想法越消极，我就变得越积极，这些疑惑越多，我就变得越坚强，我的内心也变得更强大。

　　So of course some of your families maybe think the same way, and this is why I'm mentioning that. Some of your families maybe don't believe in your dreams. But let me tell you something, my young friends. Keep your dreams. No matter what, keep your dreams. Don't give up on them, even when you are temporarily defeated or denied. Keep your dreams.

　　当然你们中有些人的家人可能也会这样想，这也是我提起这件事的原因。你们的家人也许不相信你们的梦想，但是，朋友们，让我告诉你们，执着于你的梦想！无论如何，坚持你们的梦想。即使你们遭遇暂时的失败或者被否定，也不要放弃你们的梦想。执着于你们的梦想。

　　I remember the first time I went to the United States and I was competing in a competition, the World Championships in Bodybuilding. I lost. I came in second, and I was devastated². I was crushed. I felt like a loser, a major loser, let me tell you. I cried, as a matter of fact, because I felt like I disappointed my friends and I disappointed myself. But the next day I got my act together, I shifted gears³, and I said, "I'm going to learn from that lesson. I'm going to stay here in America. I'm not going to go back to Europe. I'm going to stay in America and I'm going to train with the American champions, I'm going to train the American way. I'm going to eat the American food, I'm going to train with the American machines and the principles. And a year later, in America, I became the World Champion in Bodybuilding. So I think this is a very, very important lesson.

　　我还记得第一次到美国参加世界健美锦标赛。当时我输了，我仅得了第二，感觉非常绝望，彻底崩溃了。让我告诉你们，我当时就像一个失败者，一个遭受惨败的人。我哭了，事实上因为我感觉自己让朋友们失望了，也让自己失望了。但第二天，我重振旗鼓，改变了态度，并对自己说，“我要吸取教训。我要留在美国。我不会再回欧洲，我要留在美国与美国的冠军一起训练，以美国的方式训练。”一年后，我成了世界健美冠军。所以，我认为这是一次非常重要的教训。

　　个人经历：

　　1947年，阿诺德·施瓦辛格出生在战后奥地利的一个普通家庭里，父亲是一位警长。年轻时一位欧洲商人曾邀请阿诺德·施瓦辛格到他美国的豪宅一游。

　　美国一游，在阿诺德的心里燃起了一股无法扑灭的火种。他决心要到南加州，也就是当时的“健身圣地”定居，他要扬威异域。他的热忱与天分，得到了美国健身界“教父”韦德尔(Joe Weider)的赏识，并让他在南加州接受训练。

　　初到美国，语言与生活习惯肯定是两大障碍，但阿诺德心中有的却只是欢乐：“我一直觉得自己是个美国气质的人。我也许出生在一个错误的国家。我一到这儿，便融入了那种美国式的观念：没有你办不到的——只要付出足够的努力。” 　　 阿诺德在南加州的训练量与这种努力再努力的美国精神完全符合：每周训练7天，每天6个小时。据说当时别的选手不愿与他同时训练，因为他一进健身房，便全心投入、全神贯注，这种超人的意志令旁人感到战栗与敬畏。

1 bum   

n.臀部；流浪汉，乞丐；vt.乞求，乞讨

参考例句：

• A man pinched her bum on the train so she hit him.在火车上有人捏她屁股，她打了那人。
• The penniless man had to bum a ride home.那个身无分文的人只好乞求搭车回家。

2 devastated   

v.彻底破坏( devastate的过去式和过去分词)；摧毁；毁灭；在感情上（精神上、财务上等）压垮adj.毁坏的；极为震惊的

参考例句：

• The bomb devastated much of the old part of the city. 这颗炸弹炸毁了旧城的一大片地方。
• His family is absolutely devastated. 他的一家感到极为震惊。

3 gears   

n.齿轮( gear的名词复数 )；装备；挡；（做某事的）速度

参考例句：

• Careless use of the clutch may damage the gears. 离合器使用不慎可能会损坏传动装置。
• A car has five gears. 汽车有五挡。 来自《简明英汉词典》