2006年VOA标准英语-Graduates of University in New Orleans Hit

By Greg Flakus
New Orleans
13 May 2006

The more than 2,000 graduates of Tulane University in New Orleans heard from not one, but two former U.S. presidents at their graduation commencement ceremony Saturday. Former Presidents George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton both spoke¹ at the ceremony, which also included live jazz performances and other celebrity² appearances.

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The mood was festive³ at the Tulane commencement, in large part because of the special circumstances surrounding this year's graduation. The university was closed down when Hurricane Katrina approached the city in late August of last year and remained closed for the entire first semester because of the massive flooding in the city. But when administrators⁴ managed to reopen Tulane in January, students flocked back by the thousands.

In his speech, former President Bush hailed the perseverance⁵ and dedication⁶ of the Tulane students and the city in general. "The flood waters may have breached⁷ the levees that surround this city, they may have destroyed home after home, block after block, but today we also know they could not break the spirit of the people who call this remarkable⁸, improbable city home. The courage of the people of New Orleans is just fantastic!," he said.

Bush went on to praise students and faculty⁹ who devoted¹⁰ time and effort to the recovery. He said the self sacrifice and charity shown here refutes the notion that people have grown selfish and unconcerned about their neighbors.

"A lot of people out there like to talk about the cynical¹¹ times in which we live, but as I look around this room and bask¹² in the warmth of your welcome, I still believe there are people out there who care, who are willing to open their hearts to the pain and the need around them and do the hard work that makes a positive difference in our world," he said.

In his speech, former President Clinton also praised the city of New Orleans and those who have worked to help it recover. He noted¹³ that people around the world contributed money to help the city and its people following Katrina. He called on the Tulane graduates to continue their involvement in efforts to build better communities and a better world.

"As President Bush said, a lot of these decisions about building a more inter-dependent, integrated world, where you have shared benefits and responsibilities and values, has to be done by government, but an enormous amount can be done by people as private citizens. From the time our country was founded we have believed this," he said.

Clinton noted that, around the time Tulane was founded in the 1830's, French writer Alexis de Tocqueville observed the American propensity¹⁴ for citizen initiative. He said this idea is now spreading around the world.

President Clinton called on the graduates to embrace the increasing interdependence of nations and work to enhance its positive effects. "You live in the most globally interdependent time in history and it can be good, bad or both. Interdependence means that we cannot escape each other. We are all in the same boat, whether we like it or not. It is, therefore, quite clear that the major work of all citizens, but especially those who have good degrees and good potential, is to build the positive and reduce the negative forces of interdependence," he said.

Among the other celebrities¹⁵ on hand was Gilberto Passos Gil Moreira, Brazil's Minister of Culture, who is also a world renowned¹⁶ singer/songwriter and author. He received an honorary doctorate¹⁷ degree in Humane¹⁸ Letters.

The commencement was closed by a well-known comedian¹⁹ and New Orleans native Ellen DeGeneres, who arrived on stage in a white bathrobe. She explained that she had been told everyone would be wearing a robe to the event. Her advice to the students, in their formal black graduation robes involved personal hygiene²⁰ and cosmetics²¹. She told them to remember to exfoliate, moisturize, exercise and floss. To howls of laughter and applause, she then danced off the stage with Tulane president Scott Cowan and a Dixieland Jazz band.

1 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

2 celebrity   

n.名人，名流；著名，名声，名望

参考例句：

• Tom found himself something of a celebrity. 汤姆意识到自己已小有名气了。
• He haunted famous men, hoping to get celebrity for himself. 他常和名人在一起, 希望借此使自己获得名气。

3 festive   

adj.欢宴的，节日的

参考例句：

• It was Christmas and everyone was in festive mood.当时是圣诞节，每个人都沉浸在节日的欢乐中。
• We all wore festive costumes to the ball.我们都穿着节日的盛装前去参加舞会。

4 administrators   

n.管理者( administrator的名词复数 )；有管理（或行政）才能的人；（由遗嘱检验法庭指定的）遗产管理人；奉派暂管主教教区的牧师

参考例句：

• He had administrators under him but took the crucial decisions himself. 他手下有管理人员，但重要的决策仍由他自己来做。 来自辞典例句
• Administrators have their own methods of social intercourse. 办行政的人有他们的社交方式。 来自汉英文学 - 围城

5 perseverance   

n.坚持不懈，不屈不挠

参考例句：

• It may take some perseverance to find the right people.要找到合适的人也许需要有点锲而不舍的精神。
• Perseverance leads to success.有恒心就能胜利。

6 dedication   

n.奉献，献身，致力，题献，献辞

参考例句：

• We admire her courage,compassion and dedication.我们钦佩她的勇气、爱心和奉献精神。
• Her dedication to her work was admirable.她对工作的奉献精神可钦可佩。

7 breached   

攻破( breach的现在分词 )； 破坏，违反

参考例句：

• These commitments have already been breached. 这些承诺已遭背弃。
• Our tanks have breached the enemy defences. 我方坦克车突破了敌人的防线。

8 remarkable   

adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的

参考例句：

• She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。
• These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。

9 faculty   

n.才能；学院，系；(学院或系的)全体教学人员

参考例句：

• He has a great faculty for learning foreign languages.他有学习外语的天赋。
• He has the faculty of saying the right thing at the right time.他有在恰当的时候说恰当的话的才智。

10 devoted   

adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的

参考例句：

• He devoted his life to the educational cause of the motherland.他为祖国的教育事业贡献了一生。
• We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。

11 cynical   

adj.(对人性或动机)怀疑的，不信世道向善的

参考例句：

• The enormous difficulty makes him cynical about the feasibility of the idea.由于困难很大，他对这个主意是否可行持怀疑态度。
• He was cynical that any good could come of democracy.他不相信民主会带来什么好处。

12 bask   

vt.取暖，晒太阳，沐浴于

参考例句：

• Turtles like to bask in the sun.海龟喜欢曝于阳光中。
• In winter afternoons,he likes to bask in the sun in his courtyard.冬日的午后，他喜欢坐在院子晒太阳。

13 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

14 propensity   

n.倾向；习性

参考例句：

• He has a propensity for drinking too much alcohol.他有酗酒的倾向。
• She hasn't reckoned on his propensity for violence.她不曾料到他有暴力倾向。

15 celebrities   

n.（尤指娱乐界的）名人( celebrity的名词复数 )；名流；名声；名誉

参考例句：

• He only invited A-list celebrities to his parties. 他只邀请头等名流参加他的聚会。
• a TV chat show full of B-list celebrities 由众多二流人物参加的电视访谈节目

16 renowned   

adj.著名的，有名望的，声誉鹊起的

参考例句：

• He is one of the world's renowned writers.他是世界上知名的作家之一。
• She is renowned for her advocacy of human rights.她以提倡人权而闻名。

17 doctorate   

n.(大学授予的)博士学位

参考例句：

• He hasn't enough credits to get his doctorate.他的学分不够取得博士学位。
• Where did she do her doctorate?她在哪里攻读博士？

18 humane   

adj.人道的，富有同情心的

参考例句：

• Is it humane to kill animals for food?宰杀牲畜来吃合乎人道吗？
• Their aim is for a more just and humane society.他们的目标是建立一个更加公正、博爱的社会。

19 comedian   

n.喜剧演员；滑稽演员

参考例句：

• The comedian tickled the crowd with his jokes.喜剧演员的笑话把人们逗乐了。
• The comedian enjoyed great popularity during the 30's.那位喜剧演员在三十年代非常走红。

20 hygiene   

n.健康法，卫生学 （a.hygienic）

参考例句：

• Their course of study includes elementary hygiene and medical theory.他们的课程包括基础卫生学和医疗知识。
• He's going to give us a lecture on public hygiene.他要给我们作关于公共卫生方面的报告。

21 cosmetics   

n.化妆品

参考例句：

• We sell a wide range of cosmetics at a very reasonable price. 我们以公道的价格出售各种化妆品。
• Cosmetics do not always cover up the deficiencies of nature. 化妆品未能掩饰天生的缺陷。