名校励志英语演讲 158:跨越物质的藩篱 让世界今非昔比(15)

 　　It's about not being satisfied with the latest achievement, the latest gold star, because the one thing I know about a body of work is that it's never finished. It's cumulative¹. It deepens and expands with each day that you give your best, each day that you give back and contribute to the life of your community and your nation.

　　这就要求我们不要满足于自己目前取得的成绩，不满足于刚刚获得的金星荣誉奖章，因为我知道这样的事业是永无止境的。它需要日积月累，随着你每日竭尽全力地回报祖国并为社会做贡献而深化、拓宽。

　　You may have setbacks and you may have failures, but you're not done. You're not even getting started, not by a long shot. And if you ever forget that, just look to history. Thomas Paine was a failed corset maker², a failed teacher and a failed tax collector before he made his mark on history with a little book called "Common Sense" that helped ignite a revolution.

　　你们也许会遇到挫折和失败，但这不意味着你们的工作已经结束，你们甚至还没有开始。如果你忘记这一点，就请回头看看历史。托马斯·潘恩曾经是一个失败的紧身衣裁缝，一个失败的老师，一个失败的税务员，但他最后却名垂青史，他的那本名叫《常识》的小书引发了一场革命。

　　Julia Childs didn't publish her first cookbook until she was almost 50. Colonel Sanders didn't open his first Kentucky Fried Chicken until he was in the 60s. Winston Churchill was dismissed as little more than a has-been who enjoyed Scotch³ a little bit too much before he took over his Prime Minister and saw Great Britain through its finest hour.

　　茱莉亚·查尔德知道将近50岁时才出版了她的第一部烹饪书。桑德斯上校直到60多岁才开办了第一家肯德基餐厅。温斯顿·丘吉尔（英国政治家及作家）在担任首相之前曾经遭罢免，只因为他有点过于偏爱苏格兰威士忌，并且输掉了达达尼尔海峡；接任首相后，他却带领英国步入了全盛时期。

　　No one thought a former football player stocking shelves at the local supermarket would return to the game he loved to become a Super Bowl MVP and then come here to Arizona and lead your Cardinals⁴ to their first Super Bowl. Your body of work is never done.

　　谁也没有想到，整天忙着给超市货架上货的前足球运动员会重返他喜爱的赛场，一举成为美国橄榄球超级杯大赛最佳选手，然后来到亚利桑那，带领你们的红雀队首次冲进超级杯。所以，你们的事业永无止境。

　　Each of them at one point in their life didn't have any title or much status to speak of, but they had passion; a commitment to following that passion wherever it would lead, and to working hard every step along the way.

　　他们中的每一个人，在生命中的某一时刻，都没有响亮的头衔和显赫的地位值得炫耀。但他们有激情，他们追随者这种激情，并在整个过程中努力走好每一步。

　　温斯顿·丘吉尔，政治家、画家、演说家、作家、记者，1874年11月30日—1965年1月24日），是1953年诺贝尔文学奖得主（获奖作品《不需要战争》），曾于1940－1945年及1951－1955年期间两度任英国首相，被认为是20世纪最重要的政治领袖之一，带领英国获得第二次世界大战的胜利。

　　据传为历史上掌握英语单词词汇量最多的人之一（十二万多）。被美国杂志《展示》列为近百年来世界最有说服力的八大演说家之一。2002年，BBC举行了一个名为“最伟大的100名英国人”的调查，结果丘吉尔获选为有史以来最伟大的英国人。

　　丘吉尔是在第二次世界大战期间，带领英国人民取得反法西斯战争伟大胜利的民族英雄，是与斯大林、罗斯福并立的“三巨头”之一，是矗立于世界史册上的一代伟人。

1 cumulative   

adj.累积的，渐增的

参考例句：

• This drug has a cumulative effect.这种药有渐增的效力。
• The benefits from eating fish are cumulative.吃鱼的好处要长期才能显现。

2 maker   

n.制造者，制造商

参考例句：

• He is a trouble maker，You must be distant with him.他是个捣蛋鬼，你不要跟他在一起。
• A cabinet maker must be a master craftsman.家具木工必须是技艺高超的手艺人。

3 scotch   

n.伤口，刻痕；苏格兰威士忌酒；v.粉碎，消灭，阻止；adj.苏格兰(人)的

参考例句：

• Facts will eventually scotch these rumours.这种谣言在事实面前将不攻自破。
• Italy was full of fine views and virtually empty of Scotch whiskey.意大利多的是美景，真正缺的是苏格兰威士忌。

4 cardinals   

红衣主教( cardinal的名词复数 )； 红衣凤头鸟（见于北美，雄鸟为鲜红色）； 基数

参考例句：

• cardinals in scarlet robes 身披红袍的枢机主教
• A conclave of cardinals was held to elect the new Pope. 红衣主教团举行了秘密会议来选举新教皇。