名校励志英语演讲 165:服务—衡量成功的真正标准(6)

 　　But I would encourage you to call upon the same hope and hard work that brought you to this day. Call upon that optimism and tenacity¹ that built the University of California at Merced to invest in the future of Merced in your own towns all across this country. By using what you've learned here, you can shorten the path perhaps for kids who may not see a path at all.

　　但是我要鼓励你们拿出过去的让你们取得今日成就的希望和努力，拿出建设加州大学摩赛德校区的乐观和不屈不挠的精神，将其投入到建设摩赛德的美好未来之中，投入到建设分布在全国各地的你们的家乡中去。运用你们在这所大学学到的知识，你们能够帮助那些也许根本看不到出路的孩子们找到通往成功的捷径。

　　And I was once one of those kids.Most of you were once one of those kids. I grew up just a few miles from the University of Chicago in my hometown. The university, like most institutions, was a major cultural, economic institution in my neighborhood. My mother even worked as a secretary there for several years.

　　我曾经就是那些看不到出路的孩子中的一员。你们中的大多数人也曾经是那些孩子中的一员。我的家乡距离芝加哥大学只有几英里。和大多数学校一样，芝加哥大学就是我邻近地区的一个文化经济中心。我的母亲甚至在那里做了几年的秘书工作。

　　Yet that university never played a meaningful role in my academic development. The institution made no effort to reach out to me—a bright and promising² student in their midst—and I had no reason to believe there was a place for me there. Therefore, when it came time for me to apply to college, I never for one second considered the university in my own backyard as a viable³ option.

　　但是那所大学从来没有在我的学业发展中发挥积极的作用。它没做出任何努力来吸引我这样一个有着大好前程的学生，而我也没有任何理由相信在那里有我是一席之地。因此，当到了申请大学的时候，我根本没有考虑选择自己家门口的那所大学。

　　And as fate would have it, I ultimately went on and accepted a position in student affairs at the university of Chicago more than a decade later.

　　就像命中注定一样，十多年后我最终接受了芝加哥大学一个负责学生事务的职位。

1 tenacity   

n.坚韧

参考例句：

• Tenacity is the bridge to success.坚韧是通向成功的桥。
• The athletes displayed great tenacity throughout the contest.运动员在比赛中表现出坚韧的斗志。

2 promising   

adj.有希望的，有前途的

参考例句：

• The results of the experiments are very promising.实验的结果充满了希望。
• We're trying to bring along one or two promising young swimmers.我们正设法培养出一两名有前途的年轻游泳选手。

3 viable   

adj.可行的，切实可行的，能活下去的

参考例句：

• The scheme is economically viable.这个计划从经济效益来看是可行的。
• The economy of the country is not viable.这个国家经济是难以维持的。