名校励志英语演讲 146:跨越物质的藩篱 让世界今非昔比(3)

 　　But more than that, I come to embrace the notion that I haven't done enough in my life. I heartily¹ concur². I come to affirm that once titled, even a title like president of the United States, says very little about how well one's life has been led. That no matter how much you've done or how successful you have been, there's always more to do, always more to learn, and always more to achieve.

　　不仅如此，我也觉得我做的还不够。我由衷地赞同这一点。我想申明一点，一个人的头衔，即使是美国总统的头衔，也不能说明他在生活中有多么成功——无论你做了多少，无论你有多么成功，也总还有更多的事情要做，更多的东西要学，更多的理想要去实现。

　　And I want to say to you today, graduates, Class of 2009, that despite having achieved a remarkable³ milestone⁴ in your life, despite the fact that you and your families are so rightfully proud, you too cannot rest on your laurels⁵. Not even some of those remarkable young people who were introduced earlier, not even that young lady who's got four degrees she's getting today. You can't rest. Your own body of work is also yet to come.

　　今天，我想跟你们说，2009届的毕生们，虽然你们的生命已经达到了一个重要的里程碑，虽然你和你的家人们都理所应当为此感到自豪，你们也不能仅仅满足于这些已经获得的荣誉。甚至之前介绍过的那些杰出的年轻人也不能就此满足，包括那些迄今为止已获得四个学位的年轻女士。你们不要停滞不前。因为你们的任务尚未开始。

　　Now, some graduating classes have marched into this stadium in easy times, times of peace and stability, when we call on our graduates simply to keep things going and don't screw it up.

　　如今，一些毕业班赶上了和平稳定的时代，这个时代只需要他们保持现状，不要把局面搞砸就可以。

　　背景资料

　　这是奥巴马在亚利桑那州立大学2009年5月13日毕业典礼上的演讲。他在演讲中提到如今闪耀着理想之光的美国梦在人们心中被物化为靓车豪宅、锦衣玉食，本应多元化的成功定义被浓缩为名望地位、权力利益，以此对年轻人表以期望，希望所有困惑的年轻人都能够在理想的指引下，坚持梦想，迎接挑战，帮助他人，让世界今非昔比！

　　Each of them, at one piont of in their life, didn't have any title or much status to speak of. But they had passion, a commitment to following that passion wherever it would lead, and to working hard every step along the way. And that's not just how you'll ensure that your own life is well-lived.It's how you'll make a difference in the life of our nation.

　　他们中的每个人，在生命中的某一时刻，都没有响亮的头衔和显赫的地位值得炫耀。但他们有激情，他们追随着这种激情，并在整个过程中努力走好每一步。不仅努力过好自己的生活，更重要的是，努力让自己的国家今非昔比。

1 heartily   

adv.衷心地，诚恳地，十分，很

参考例句：

• He ate heartily and went out to look for his horse.他痛快地吃了一顿，就出去找他的马。
• The host seized my hand and shook it heartily.主人抓住我的手，热情地和我握手。

2 concur   

v.同意，意见一致，互助，同时发生

参考例句：

• Wealth and happiness do not always concur.财富与幸福并非总是并存的。
• I concur with the speaker in condemning what has been done.我同意发言者对所做的事加以谴责。

3 remarkable   

adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的

参考例句：

• She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。
• These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。

4 milestone   

n.里程碑；划时代的事件

参考例句：

• The film proved to be a milestone in the history of cinema.事实证明这部影片是电影史上的一个里程碑。
• I think this is a very important milestone in the relations between our two countries.我认为这是我们两国关系中一个十分重要的里程碑。

5 laurels   

n.桂冠，荣誉

参考例句：

• The path was lined with laurels.小路两旁都种有月桂树。
• He reaped the laurels in the finals.他在决赛中荣膺冠军。