名校励志英语演讲 147:跨越物质的藩篱 让世界今非昔比(4)

 　　Other classes have received their diplomas in times of trial and upheaval¹, when the very foundations of our lives, the old order has been shaken, the old ideas and institutions have crumbled², and a new generation is called upon to remake the world.

　　而有些毕业生赶上了时局变革，生活基础动荡不安，旧的秩序动摇了，陈旧的观念和体系崩溃坍塌，这一切呼吁新的一代重新改造这个世界。

　　It should be clear to you by now the category in which all of you fall, for we gather here tonight in times of extraordinary difficulty, for the nation and for the world. The economy remains³ in the midst of a historic recession, the worst we've seen since the Great Depression, the result in part of greed and irresponsibility that rippled⁴ out from Wall Street and Washington, as we spent beyond our means and failed to make hard choices.

　　大家都应该清楚自己现在所处的时期，不管是对于美国还是对于整个世界来说，都是如此。经济空前萧条，整个国家面临着自“大萧条”以来最严重的经济危机。这一局面从某种程度上归咎于华尔街和华盛顿散播开来的贪婪和不负责任，归咎于我们的过度消费和决策失误。

　　We're engaged in two wars and a struggle against terrorism. The threats of climate change, nuclear proliferation, and pandemic defy national boundaries and easy solutions.

　　我们参与了两场战争，还肩负着反恐的重任。气候变化、核扩散和流行疾病的传播无视国界，我们无法轻而易举解决这些问题。

　　For many of you, these challenges are also felt in more personal terms. Perhaps you're still looking for a job. You're struggling to figure out what career path makes sense in this disrupted economy.

　　你们中的许多人也已经感受到了这些挑战对你们自身的影响。也许你们还在找工作，也许你们还在苦苦思考在这个经济衰落的时期，什么样的职业道路才行得通。

　　最名人档案

　　姓名：贝拉克?侯赛因?奥巴马二世（Barack Hussein ObamaⅡ）

　　性别：男

　　职业：美国第44任总统

　　国籍：美国

　　党派：民主党

　　出生日期：1961年8月4日

　　毕业学校：1983年获哥伦比亚大学文学学士学位（曾在美国加州西方学院攻读两年，后转至哥伦比亚大学）1991年获哈佛大学法学院法学博士学位

　　成功点睛：他是一个立志要完成所有竞选承诺的总统，他是美国梦的完美诠释。

1 upheaval   

n.胀起，(地壳)的隆起；剧变，动乱

参考例句：

• It was faced with the greatest social upheaval since World War Ⅱ.它面临第二次世界大战以来最大的社会动乱。
• The country has been thrown into an upheaval.这个国家已经陷入动乱之中。

2 crumbled   

（把…）弄碎， （使）碎成细屑( crumble的过去式和过去分词 )； 衰落； 坍塌； 损坏

参考例句：

• He crumbled the bread in his fingers. 他用手指把面包捻碎。
• Our hopes crumbled when the business went bankrupt. 商行破产了，我们的希望也破灭了。

3 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

4 rippled   

使泛起涟漪（ripple的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• The lake rippled gently. 湖面轻轻地泛起涟漪。
• The wind rippled the surface of the cornfield. 微风吹过麦田，泛起一片麦浪。