偶像励志英语演讲 第80期:做真正的自己(2)(在线收听

  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。

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