名校励志英语演讲 13:失败的额外收益和想象力的重要性

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　　尊敬的福斯特校长，哈弗集团的各位成员，监管理事会的各位理事，各位老师，各位自豪的家长，尤其是毕业生们：

　　The first thing I would like to say is 'thank you'. Not only has Harvard given me an extraordinary honour, but the weeks of fear and nausea² I have endured at the thought of giving this commencement address have made me lose weight. A win-win situation! Now all I have to do is take deep breaths, squint³ at the red banners and convince myself that I am at the world's largest Gryffindor' reunion.

　　首先请允许我说一声谢谢。哈弗不仅给了我至高无上的荣誉，连日来一想到要发表这个毕业演说所经受的恐惧和紧张，更令我减肥成功。这真是“双赢”。现在，我只需要深呼吸几次，眯着眼睛看看前面的大红横幅，然后安慰自己，让自己相信我正在参加世界上最大的魔法学院聚会。

　　Delivering a commencement address is a great responsibility; or so I thought until I cast my mind back to my own graduation. The commencement speaker that day was the distinguished⁴ British philosopher Baroness⁵ Mary Warnock. Reflecting on her speech has helped me enormously in writing this one, because it turns out that I can't remember a single word she said. This liberating⁶ discovery enables me to proceed without any fear that I might inadvertently influence you to abandon promising⁷ careers in business, the law or politics for the giddy delights of becoming a gay wizard.

　　发表毕业演说责任重大。至少我回想我当年的毕业典礼时是这么认为的。那天致辞的是英国著名的哲学家玛丽·沃诺克男爵夫人。回想她的演讲，对我完成这篇演讲稿有极大的帮助，因为我已完全不记得她当时讲了什么。这让我释然，让我不再担心我可能会无意中影响你们，使你们放弃商业、法律或政治上的大好前途，转而醉心于成为一个快乐的魔法师。

　　overseer

　　n. 检查员

　　eg. The overseer was explaining the job to young trainees⁸.

　　监工向年轻的实习工讲解工作情况。

　　faculty

　　n. （美国高等院校或院系的）全体教员

　　eg. She has recently joined the faculty of Yale University.

　　她最近当了耶鲁大学的教授。

　　nausea

　　n. 恶心，呕吐感

　　eg. He lay on his back in a nausea of self-disgust.

　　他仰面躺在那里，充满了对自己的鄙夷和厌恶。

　　squint

　　vi. 眯着眼看，斜视

　　eg. He could not help thinking how uncanny the man's squint eyes looked under its straight outstanding visor.

　　他不禁想到这个家伙的斜视眼，从帽子的大帽舌下望出来是何等的令人毛骨悚然。

　　banner

　　n. 横幅

　　eg. The patriots⁹ unfurled the banner of freedom.

　　爱国志士们打出了自由的旗帜。

　　Griffindor

　　葛莱芬多（哈利波特所在的魔法学院）

　　cast one's mind back to

　　回想

　　eg. The scene cast his mind back to a snowy night twenty years before.

　　这种景象使他回想起20年前的一个雪夜。

　　distinguished

　　adj. 著名的，卓越的

　　eg. China's past is distinguished by more than longevity¹⁰, resiliencey, and culture.

　　中国的过去不仅仅以历史悠久，富有韧性和文化灿烂而著称。

　　enormously

　　adv. 巨大地；在极大程度上

　　eg. His English improved enormously because of his association with British people.

　　因为他和英国人有来往, 所以他的英语突飞猛进。

　　proceed

　　vi. 开始；继续进行

　　eg. He paused to consult his notes,and then proceeded with his question.

　　他停了下来看了看笔记，然后继续提问。

　　inadvertently

　　adv. 非故意地

　　eg. The possibility of sending a new manager was inadvertently hinted at.

　　无意中透露出的消息暗示可能会派来一名新经理。

　　giddy

　　adj. 令人眼花缭乱的

　　eg. We looked down from a giddy height.

　　我们从使人头晕的高处往下看。

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