奥巴马演讲 在卡拉马祖高中的讲话2
文章来源:未知 文章作者:meng 发布时间:2010-06-14 00:24 字体: [ ]  进入论坛
(单词翻译:双击或拖选)

Now, graduates, all these folks around you, I have to say, though, with the cameras and the beaming(喜气洋洋的,愉快的) smiles -- they’ve worked hard to give you everything you need to pursue your dreams and fulfill1 your God-given talent.  Unfortunately, you can’t take them with you when you leave here.  (Laughter.)  No one is going to go follow you around making sure that you’re getting to class on time, making sure you’re doing your work.  Nobody is going to be doing that for you.  Going forward, that’s all on you -- responsibility for your success is squarely(干脆地,诚实地) on your shoulders.

And the question I have for you today is this:  What is each -- what are each of you going to do to meet that responsibility?

Now, right now you’re getting plenty of advice from everybody.  Some of it’s helpful.  (Laughter.)  And so I hate to pile on with advice.  But while I’m here -- (laughter) -- what the heck.  (Laughter.)  I figure I should offer a few thoughts based on my own experiences, but also based on my hopes for all of you, and for our country, in the years ahead.

First, understand that your success in life won’t be determined2 just by what’s given to you, or what happens to you, but by what you do with all that’s given to you; what you do with all that happens to you; how hard you try; how far you push yourself; how high you’re willing to reach.  True excellence3 only comes with perseverance4(坚持不懈) .

This wasn’t something I really understood when I was back your age.  My father, some of you know, left my family when I was two years old.  I was raised by a single mom and my grandparents.  (Applause.)  And sometimes I had a tendency to goof5 off(混日子,游手好闲) .  As my mother put it, I had a tendency sometimes to act a bit casual about my future.  (Laughter.)  Sometimes I was rebellious6(反抗的,难控制的) .  Sometimes I partied a little too much.  (Applause.)  Oh, yes, yes, this is a cautionary tale.  (Laughter.)  Don’t be cheering when I say that.  (Laughter.)  Studied just enough to get by.  I thought hard work, responsibility, that’s old-fashioned.  That’s just people want to tell me what to do.

But after a few years, after I was living solely7 on my own and I realized that living solely for my own entertainment wasn’t so entertaining anymore, that it wasn’t particularly satisfying anymore, that I didn’t seem to be making much of a ripple8(波纹,涟漪) in the world, I started to change my tune9.  I realized that by refusing to apply myself, there was nothing I could point to that I was proud of that would last.

Now, you come of an age in a popular culture that actually reinforces this approach to life.  You watch TV, and basically what it says is you can be rich and successful without much effort; you just have to become a celebrity10.  (Laughter.)  If you can achieve some reality TV notoriety(恶名,臭名) , that’s better than lasting11 achievement.  We live in a culture that tells you there’s a quick fix for every problem and a justification12 for every selfish desire.  And all of you were raised with cell phones and iPods, and texting and emails, and you’re able to call up a fact, or a song, or a friend with the click of a button.  So you’re used to instant gratification(满意,喜悦) .

But meaningful achievement, lasting success -- it doesn’t happen in an instant.  It’s not about luck, it’s not about a sudden stroke of genius.  It’s not usually about talent.  It’s usually about daily effort, the large choices and the small choices that you make that add up over time.  It’s about the skills you build, and the knowledge you accumulate, and the energy you invest in every task, no matter how trivial(不重要的,琐碎的) or menial(卑微的) it may seem at the time.

You’ve got an alum(明矾) who plays for the Yankees, I hear.  He’s supposed to be pretty good.  (Applause.)  Now, Derek Jeter wasn’t born playing shortstop for the Yankees.  He got there through years of effort.  And his high school baseball coach once remarked, “I’m surprised he still doesn’t have blisters13(水疱,气泡) and that I don’t have the blisters on my hands from hitting ground balls just for Derek.”  He always wanted more:  ‘How about one more turn in the batting cage(击球练习的挡网) ?  Or 25 more ground balls?’”

Thomas Edison tested more than 6,000 different materials for just one tiny part of the light bulb that he invented.  Think about that -- 6,000 tests.  J.K. Rowling’s first Harry14 Potter book was rejected 12 times before it was finally published.  Mozart was a musical prodigy15(奇迹) , but he practiced for hours each day -- accumulating thousands of hours at the piano by the time he was just six years old.  I understand that your boys’ basketball team did pretty good.  (Applause.)  First state champions for the first time in 59 years.  That didn’t happen by accident.  They put in work.  They put in effort.

So, today, you all have a rare and valuable chance to pursue your own passions, chase your own dreams without incurring16 a mountain of debt.  What an incredible gift.  So you’ve got no excuse for giving anything less than your best effort.  (Applause.)  No excuses. 



点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 fulfill Qhbxg     
vt.履行,实现,完成;满足,使满意
参考例句:
  • If you make a promise you should fulfill it.如果你许诺了,你就要履行你的诺言。
  • This company should be able to fulfill our requirements.这家公司应该能够满足我们的要求。
2 determined duszmP     
adj.坚定的;有决心的
参考例句:
  • I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
  • He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。
3 excellence ZnhxM     
n.优秀,杰出,(pl.)优点,美德
参考例句:
  • His art has reached a high degree of excellence.他的艺术已达到炉火纯青的地步。
  • My performance is far below excellence.我的表演离优秀还差得远呢。
4 perseverance oMaxH     
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。
5 goof 1euzg     
v.弄糟;闲混;n.呆瓜
参考例句:
  • We goofed last week at the end of our interview with singer Annie Ross.上周我们采访歌手安妮·罗斯,结果到快结束时犯了个愚蠢的错误。
  • You will never be good students so long as you goof around.如果你们成天游手好闲,就永远也成不了好学生。
6 rebellious CtbyI     
adj.造反的,反抗的,难控制的
参考例句:
  • They will be in danger if they are rebellious.如果他们造反,他们就要发生危险。
  • Her reply was mild enough,but her thoughts were rebellious.她的回答虽然很温和,但她的心里十分反感。
7 solely FwGwe     
adv.仅仅,唯一地
参考例句:
  • Success should not be measured solely by educational achievement.成功与否不应只用学业成绩来衡量。
  • The town depends almost solely on the tourist trade.这座城市几乎完全靠旅游业维持。
8 ripple isLyh     
n.涟波,涟漪,波纹,粗钢梳;vt.使...起涟漪,使起波纹; vi.呈波浪状,起伏前进
参考例句:
  • The pebble made a ripple on the surface of the lake.石子在湖面上激起一个涟漪。
  • The small ripple split upon the beach.小小的涟漪卷来,碎在沙滩上。
9 tune NmnwW     
n.调子;和谐,协调;v.调音,调节,调整
参考例句:
  • He'd written a tune,and played it to us on the piano.他写了一段曲子,并在钢琴上弹给我们听。
  • The boy beat out a tune on a tin can.那男孩在易拉罐上敲出一首曲子。
10 celebrity xcRyQ     
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。
11 lasting IpCz02     
adj.永久的,永恒的;vbl.持续,维持
参考例句:
  • The lasting war debased the value of the dollar.持久的战争使美元贬值。
  • We hope for a lasting settlement of all these troubles.我们希望这些纠纷能获得永久的解决。
12 justification x32xQ     
n.正当的理由;辩解的理由
参考例句:
  • There's no justification for dividing the company into smaller units. 没有理由把公司划分成小单位。
  • In the young there is a justification for this feeling. 在年轻人中有这种感觉是有理由的。
13 blisters 8df7f04e28aff1a621b60569ee816a0f     
n.水疱( blister的名词复数 );水肿;气泡
参考例句:
  • My new shoes have made blisters on my heels. 我的新鞋把我的脚跟磨起泡了。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
  • His new shoes raised blisters on his feet. 他的新鞋把他的脚磨起了水疱。 来自《简明英汉词典》
14 harry heBxS     
vt.掠夺,蹂躏,使苦恼
参考例句:
  • Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天,人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
  • Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。
15 prodigy n14zP     
n.惊人的事物,奇迹,神童,天才,预兆
参考例句:
  • She was a child prodigy on the violin.她是神童小提琴手。
  • He was always a Negro prodigy who played barbarously and wonderfully.他始终是一个黑人的奇才,这种奇才弹奏起来粗野而惊人。
16 incurring ccc47e576f1ce5fe49a4f373b49987ba     
遭受,招致,引起( incur的现在分词 )
参考例句:
  • Many of the world's farmers are also incurring economic deficits. 世界上许多农民还在遭受经济上的亏损。
  • He spoke to the Don directly, taking a chance on incurring Michael's ill will. 他直接向老头子谈自己的意见,这显然要冒引起迈克尔反感的风险。 来自教父部分
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