Although I did graduate from the school of hard knocks, our mascot was the knockers. I spent a lot of time here growing up. My mom worked at Newcom and I would go there every time I needed to steal something out of her purse. But why am I here today? Clearly not to steal, you're too far away and I'd never get away with it.
但是我确实从历经磨难的生活这所学校毕业了，我们的吉祥物就是磨难和挫折。我在此度过了漫长的成长岁月。我妈妈在纽科姆工作，每当我需要从她的钱包里偷偷拿些东西的时候，我都会去找她。但今天我为什么来这里呢？很明显我不是想要偷你们的钱，你们离我太远了，而且我也跑不了。
I'm here because of you. Because I can't think of a more tenactious, more courageous graduating class. I mean, look at you all, oh, wearing your robes. Usually when you're wearing a robe at 10 in the morning, it means you've given up. I'm here because I love New Orleans. I was born and raised here, I spent my formative years here, and like you, while I was living here I only did laundry six times. When I finished school, I was completely lost. And by school, I mean middle school, but I went ahead and finished high school anyway. And I-I really, I had no ambition, I didn't know what I wanted to do. I did everything from-I shucked oysters, I was a hostess, I was a bartender, I was a waitress, I painted houses, I sold vacuum cleaners, I had no idea. And I thought I'd just finally settle in some job, and I would make enough money to pay my rent, maybe have basic cable, maybe not, I didn't really have a plan, my point is that, by the time I was your age, I really thought I knew who I was, but I had no idea.
我来这里是因为你们，没有比你们更坚韧更勇敢的毕业生了。我是说，看看你们每一个人，身着学士袍，通常在上午10点还穿着睡袍，说明你们已经放弃人生了。今天我来这里，因为我热爱新奥尔良。我在这里出生，在这里长大，在这里度过了我的童年时代。和你们一样，我在这里生活时，只洗过6次衣服。当我毕业后，我完全迷失了。这里我指的是中学，但我接着上学，读完了高中。而我当时真的没有什么野心，不知道自己想做什么。可我什么都做。我剥过牡蛎，当过迎宾员，做过酒保、服务员，粉刷过房子，卖过吸尘器。我完全不知道自己想做什么。我想随便找个工作稳定下来，只要有足够的钱付房租，电视机可有可无，我完全没有计划。这里我要强调的是，我像你们这么大的时候，我真的以为我了解自己，但其实并非如此。
重点讲解：
1. get away with
（做坏事而）未受惩罚；（做冒险之事而）未遭遇不测；
eg. Naturally we won't let them get away with this.
很自然，我们不会就这样放过他们。
eg. I won't let him get away with that excuse.
我不会让他用那种借口蒙混过去。
2. give up
放弃；
eg. Coastguards had given up all hope of finding the two divers alive.
海岸警卫队对两位潜水员生还已完全不抱希望。
eg. When faced with adversity she was never tempted to give up.
面对逆境她从未想过放弃。
3. settle in
安顿下来；适应；
eg. Later, man began to settle in the places where the food and water were plentiful.
后来，人们开始在有充足的食物和水的地方定居下来。
eg. He can't seem to settle in a steady job; every two years or so he pulls up skates, moves to another city and starts again.
他似乎不能找一份固定的工作安定下来，大概每隔两年他就离开去另一个城市重新开始。
名人简介：
艾伦·德詹尼丝1958年1月26日出生于新奥尔兰一个中产阶级家庭。是美国著名脱口秀喜剧演员，电视节目主持和演员。艾伦·德詹尼丝是历史上唯一一位主持过奥斯卡（AcademyAwards），格莱美奖（Grammy Awards）和艾美奖（Emmy Awards）的主持人。
艾伦的父母在她13岁的时候离婚，她跟随她的母亲去了东德克萨斯。那时候她母亲有深度的忧郁，那个时候Ellen用幽默逗母亲开心，这也是Ellen第一次意识到幽默的力量。 |