白领英语晨读-020 The Most Arrogant Speech in History 历史上最狂妄的演讲

Graduates of Yale University,I apologise if you have endured this type of prologue¹ before,but I want you to do something for me.Please,take a good look around you.Look at the classmate on your left.Look at the classmate on your right.

Now,consider this:five years from now,ten years from now,even thirty years from now,odds are the person on your left is going to be a loser.The person on your right meanwhile,will also be a loser.And you,in the middle?What can you expect ?Loser.Loser Cum Laude.

In fact,as I look out before me today,I don't see a thousand hopes for a bright tomorrow.I don't see a thousand future leaders in a thousand industries.I see a thousand losers.You're upset.That's understandable.After all,how can I,Lawrence Larry Ellison,collage² dropout,have the audacity³ to spout⁴ such heresy⁵ to the graduating class of one of the nation's most prestigious⁶ institutions?I'll tell you why.Because I,Lawrence Larry Ellison,second richest man on the planet,am a collage dropout,and you are not.Because Bill Gates,richest man on the pleant--for now ,anyway--is a college dropout,and you are not.Because Paul Allen,the third richest man on the planet,dropped out of college,and you did not.And for good measure,because Michael Dell,No.9 on the list and moving up fast,is a college dropout,and you,yet again,are not.

耶鲁的毕业生们，我很抱歉----如果你们不喜欢这样的开场。我想请你们为我做一件事，请你----好好看一看周围，看看站在你左边的同学，看看站在你右边的同学。

请你设想这样的情况：从现在起5年后之后，10年之后，或30年之后，今天站在你左边的这个人会是一个失败者；右边的这个人，同样，也是一个失败者。而你，站在中间的家伙，你以为会怎样？一样是失败者，失败的优等生。

说实话，今天我站在这里，并没有看到一千个毕业生的灿烂未来。我没有看到一千个行业的一千名卓越领导者，我只看到了一千个失败者。你们感到沮丧，这是可以理解的。为什么，我，埃里森，一个退学生，竟然在美国最具声望的学府里这样厚颜的散布异端？我来告诉你原因。因为，我，埃里森，这个行星上第二富有的人，是个退学生，而你不是比尔*盖茨，这个行星上最富有的人，就目前而言，是个退学生，而你不是。因为艾伦，这个行星上第三富有的人，也退了学，而你不是。再来一点证据吧，因为戴尔，这个行星上第九富有的人，他的排位还在上升，也是个退学生。而你，不是。

1 prologue   

n.开场白，序言；开端，序幕

参考例句：

• A poor wedding is a prologue to misery.不幸的婚姻是痛苦的开始。
• The prologue to the novel is written in the form of a newspaper account.这本小说的序言是以报纸报道的形式写的。

2 collage   

n.拼贴画；v.拼贴；把……创作成拼贴画

参考例句：

• A collage of coloured paper covers a table top.一副彩纸拼贴画盖在桌面上。
• He has used a mixture of mosaic,collage and felt-tip pen.他混合使用了马赛克、拼贴画和毡头笔。

3 audacity   

n.大胆，卤莽，无礼

参考例句：

• He had the audacity to ask for an increase in salary.他竟然厚着脸皮要求增加薪水。
• He had the audacity to pick pockets in broad daylight.他竟敢在光天化日之下掏包。

4 spout   

v.喷出，涌出；滔滔不绝地讲；n.喷管；水柱

参考例句：

• Implication in folk wealth creativity and undertaking vigor spout.蕴藏于民间的财富创造力和创业活力喷涌而出。
• This acts as a spout to drain off water during a rainstorm.在暴风雨季，这东西被用作喷管来排水。

5 heresy   

n.异端邪说；异教

参考例句：

• We should denounce a heresy.我们应该公开指责异端邪说。
• It might be considered heresy to suggest such a notion.提出这样一个观点可能会被视为异端邪说。

6 prestigious   

adj.有威望的，有声望的，受尊敬的

参考例句：

• The young man graduated from a prestigious university.这个年轻人毕业于一所名牌大学。
• You may even join a prestigious magazine as a contributing editor.甚至可能会加入一个知名杂志做编辑。