名校励志英语演讲 135:敢于竞争 勇于关爱(2)

 　　But, I’ve been very fortunate because I’ve always had an idea in my mind about what I thought was important and what gave my life meaning and purpose. A set of values and beliefs that have helped me navigate¹ the shoals, the sometimes very treacherous² sea, to illuminate³ my own true desires, despite that others say about what l should care about and believe in. A passion to succeed at what l thought was important and children have always provided that lone⁴ star, that guiding light. Because l have that absolute conviction that every child, especially in this, the most blessed of nations that has ever existed on the face of earth, that every child deserves the opportunity to live up to his or her God-given potential.

　　但是，我一直都很幸运，因为我始终知道什么对我来说才是最重要的、什么让我的人生更有意义和追求。尽管别人常常告诉我应该关注和信仰什么，但是我依然坚持自己的一套价值观和信仰，它们帮助我度过了人生的浅海滩，让我在变幻莫测的大海自由航行，照亮了我内心深处的愿望。在我所认为的重要事情上取得成功以及对而他的关注像一颗启明星一样，指引着我前行的道路。因为我坚信，每一个孩子、特别是在美国这个地球上备受上帝恩惠的国度里的孩子，都应该有机会发挥他们天赐的潜能。

　　But you know that belief and conviction-it may make for a personal mission statement, but standing⁵ alone, not translated into action, it means very little to anyone else, particularly to those for whom you have those concerns.

　　但是你们要知道，信仰和信念可以促进个人目标的实现。但如果仅仅挂在嘴上，而不付诸行动的话，那这些对任何人来说都没有太大意义，特别是对于那些你所关注的人。

　　When I was thinking about running for the United States Senate-which was such an enormous decision to make, one I never could have dreamed that I would have been making when I was here on campus-I visited a school in New York City and I met a young woman, who was a star athlete.

　　当我考虑清楚要去参加美国参议院竞选活动时——这对我来说是一个非常艰难的决定，在耶鲁上大学时代我从未梦想过的事情——我去参观了纽约的一所学校，在那里遇见了一个年轻女人，同事一名明星运动员。

　　最名人档案

　　姓名：希拉里·黛安·罗德姆·克林顿（Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton）

　　性别：女

　　职业：美国国务卿

　　国籍：美国

　　党派：民主党

　　出生日期：1947年10月26日

　　毕业学校：耶鲁大学法学院、韦尔斯利学院

　　成功点睛：博学、勤奋和勇气让她成为美国政坛上的一名成功女将。

　　个人成就：当选总统奥巴马政府的国务卿

　　纽约州国会参议员

1 navigate   

v.航行，飞行；导航，领航

参考例句：

• He was the first man to navigate the Atlantic by air.他是第一个飞越大西洋的人。
• Such boats can navigate on the Nile.这种船可以在尼罗河上航行。

2 treacherous   

adj.不可靠的，有暗藏的危险的；adj.背叛的，背信弃义的

参考例句：

• The surface water made the road treacherous for drivers.路面的积水对驾车者构成危险。
• The frozen snow was treacherous to walk on.在冻雪上行走有潜在危险。

3 illuminate   

vt.照亮，照明；用灯光装饰；说明，阐释

参考例句：

• Dreams kindle a flame to illuminate our dark roads.梦想点燃火炬照亮我们黑暗的道路。
• They use games and drawings to illuminate their subject.他们用游戏和图画来阐明他们的主题。

4 lone   

adj.孤寂的，单独的；唯一的

参考例句：

• A lone sea gull flew across the sky.一只孤独的海鸥在空中飞过。
• She could see a lone figure on the deserted beach.她在空旷的海滩上能看到一个孤独的身影。

5 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。