名校励志英语演讲 133:珍惜现在 把握将来(9)

 　　My Dad greeted me. There were all his friends at the station. Beside me, their kids looked paragons¹ of respectability.

　　我的父亲跟我打招呼，车站到处是他的朋友。那里除了我之外，其他小孩看上去都很体面。

　　He saw the drapes, and visibly winced². They did kind of stand out. I took pity on him.

　　当父亲看见我这用窗帘做的衣服时，皱了皱眉。这衣服实在太显眼了，我也为父亲感到尴尬。

　　"Dad", I said. "There is good news. I don't do drugs."

　　“爸爸，”我说，“我要告诉你一个好消息，我不吸毒。”

　　My father looked me in the eye and said: "Son, the bad news is if you're looking like this and you're not doing drugs we've got a real problem."

　　他直视着我说：“儿子，糟糕的是，你把自己打扮成这样却不吸毒，那我们就真有问题了。”

　　So your parents look at you today with love. They know how hard it is to make the grade and they respect you for making it.

　　你们的父母用爱的眼光看你们。他们知道要成功是多么困难，你们取得了成功，所以他们尊重你们。

　　And tomorrow as I know, as a parent of one of this class, as you receive your graduation, their hearts will beat with the natural rhythm of pride. Pride in what you have achieved. Pride in who you are.

　　我知道，明天你们就能顺利毕业。作为你们当中一个同学的父亲，我和你们的父母一样为你们骄傲，为你们所取得的成绩感到自豪，为你们而骄傲。

　　They will be nervous for you, as you stand on the threshold of a new adventure for they know the many obstacles that lie ahead.

　　他们也为你感到紧张，因为你们就要踏上新的征程，他们知道前方充满了挫折和坎坷。

　　But they will be confident that you can surmount³ them, for they know also the strength of character and of spirit that has taken you thus far.

　　但他们相信你们能够克服重重困难，因为他们知道，正因为拥有坚强的性格和精神你们才取得了今天的成就。

　　So to my fellow parents: I say, let us rejoice and be glad together.

　　和我一样来到这里的家长们，我想对你们说，让我们一起庆祝吧！

　　And to the Yale College Class of 2008, I say: well done; and may blessings⁴ and good fortune be yours in the years to come. Thank you very much indeed.

　　耶鲁大学2008届的毕业生们，我想对你们说，你们做得很好。在今后的日子里，元主妇和幸运常伴你们左右。非常感谢大家。

　　托尼·布莱尔给我们的启示

　　Above all, however, have a purpose in life. Life is not about striving. When you get up, get up motivated. Live with a perpectual sense of urgency. And make at least part of that purpose about something bigger than you.

　　然而，最重要的是，生活要有目标。生活不仅仅是活着，而是要不断追求。每天早晨起来时都要带着一种动机。生活要时刻有紧迫感。而且在制定个人目标时至少有一部分要超出个人能力范围。

　　Be a doer not a commentato. Seek responsibility rather than shirk it.

　　要做一个实干家而不是评论家。要勇于承担责任，不要逃避退缩。

1 paragons   

n.模范( paragon的名词复数 )；典型；十全十美的人；完美无缺的人

参考例句：

• We don't expect candidates to be paragons of virtue. 我们不指望候选人在道德上尽善尽美。 来自辞典例句
• All cruel people describe them as paragons of frankness. 所有的残忍的人都把自己形容为坦率的象征。 来自互联网

2 winced   

赶紧避开，畏缩( wince的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He winced as the dog nipped his ankle. 狗咬了他的脚腕子，疼得他龇牙咧嘴。
• He winced as a sharp pain shot through his left leg. 他左腿一阵剧痛疼得他直龇牙咧嘴。

3 surmount   

vt.克服；置于…顶上

参考例句：

• We have many problems to surmount before we can start the project.我们得克服许多困难才能著手做这项工作。
• We are fully confident that we can surmount these difficulties.我们完全相信我们能够克服这些困难。

4 blessings   

n.（上帝的）祝福( blessing的名词复数 )；好事；福分；因祸得福

参考例句：

• Afflictions are sometimes blessings in disguise. 塞翁失马，焉知非福。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• We don't rely on blessings from Heaven. 我们不靠老天保佑。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》