偶像励志英语演讲20:失败的好处和想象的重要性(2)

 　　You see? If all you remember in years to come is the "gay wizard" joke, I've still come out ahead of Baroness¹ Mary Warnock. Achievable goals--the first step to self-improvement.

　　你们知道吗？如果在若干年后你们还仅仅记得“快乐的魔法师”这个笑话，那就证明我已经超越了男爵夫人玛丽·沃诺克。确定一个切实可行的目标——这是自我提升的第一步。

　　Actually, I have wracked my mind and heart for what I ought to say to you today. I have asked myself what I wish I had known at my own graduation, and what important lessons I have learned in the 21 years that has expired between that day and this.

　　实际上，我为今天应该给大家讲些什么绞尽了脑汁。我曾自问，在当初自己的毕业典礼上我想要知道些什么呢？从毕业典礼那天到现在的21年里我得到了什么重要的经验和教训呢？

　　I have come up with two answers. On this wonderful day when we are gathered together to celebrate your academic success, I have decided² to talk to you about the benefits of failure. And as you stand on the threshold of what is sometimes called "real life", I want to extol³ the crucial importance of imagination.

　　我想到了两个答案。今天是个美好的日子，我们欢聚一堂一起庆祝你们在学业上取得的成就。然而我决定跟你们谈谈失败的收益；同时，你们即将迈入“现实生活”，所以我还要褒扬想象力的极度重要性。

　　These may seem quixotic or paradoxical choices, but hear with me.

　　这两点似乎是不切实际或自相矛盾的选择，但请先容我讲完。

　　Looking back at the 21-year-old that I was at graduation, is a slightly uncomfortable experience for the 42-year-old that she has become. Half my lifetime ago, I was striking an uneasy balance between the ambition I had for my self, and what those closest to me expected of me.

　　对于已经42岁的我来说，回忆21岁刚刚毕业时的情景并不是一件很舒服的事情。21年前，我一直都在自己的雄心和身边的人对我的期望之间寻求平衡。

　　I was convinced that the only thing I wanted to do, ever, was to write novels. However, my parents, both of whom came from impoverished⁴ backgrounds and neither of whom had been to college, took the view that my overactive imagination was an amusing personal quirk⁵ that could never pay a mortgage, or secure a pension.

　　我一直深信，自己唯一想做的事情就是写小说。然而，我的父母家境都很贫困，两个人都没上过大学，他们认为我过于丰富的想象力是令人惊讶的怪癖，根本不足以让我支付按揭，或者获得足够的养老金。

　　重点讲解：

　　1. come out

　　结果是；到头来；

　　eg. In this grim little episode of recent American history, few people come out well.

　　在美国近代史上这一小段阴暗时期，很少有人能有好的结果。

　　eg. So what makes a good marriage? Faithfulness comes out top of the list.

　　那么，是什么造就了美满的婚姻呢？结果表明忠诚是第一位的。

　　2. ought to do sth.

　　应当，应该做某事；

　　eg. You ought to ask a lawyer's advice.

　　你应当征求一下律师的意见。

　　eg. Though this gives them a nice feeling, it really ought to worry them.

　　虽然这让他们感觉良好，但他们其实应该为此担心。

　　eg. Mark, you've got a good wife. You ought to take care of her.

　　马克，你娶了个好妻子，应该好好待她。

　　3. come up with

　　想出，提出（计划、想法等）；

　　eg. I hope you can come up with a better plan than this.

　　我希望你们能提出一个比这个更好的计划。

　　eg. Another team of scientists has come up with conflicting evidence.

　　另一组科学家提出了有抵触的证据。

　　4. on the threshold of

　　在…开端；将要经历；面临着；

　　eg. We are on the threshold of a new era in astronomy.

　　我们很快就将迎来天文学的新纪元。

　　eg. You are just on the threshold of life.

　　你不过刚踏上人生的道路。

　　5. sb. be convinced that+句子

　　主系表结构，表示“某人相信……”；

　　eg. He was convinced that I was part of the problem.

　　他确信我就是问题的一部分。

　　eg. I was convinced that he knew the truth.

　　我确信他知道事实。

　　个人简介：

　　个人经历（一）

　　1965年7月31日，乔安妮·罗琳在英国格温特郡耶特车站大道240号的考特奇医院出生。1970年9月，乔安妮·罗琳在温特本尼的高地街上的圣迈克大教堂英语学校开始上小学。从小喜欢写作和讲故事的她在6岁时就写了一篇跟兔子有关的故事。1974年9月，乔安妮·罗琳在塔茨希尔教堂小学上学。1976年秋，罗琳开始在塞德伯里的韦迪恩综合中学上学。1982年，乔安妮·罗琳成为韦迪恩综合中学的学生代表。1983年夏，罗琳从韦迪恩综合中学高中部毕业，参加了牛津大学的入学考试。同年秋，罗琳开始在英国埃克赛特大学学习，主修法语和古典文学。1985—1986年大学第二学年，罗琳因参加了埃克塞特大学的“法国实践活动”而来到巴黎。她在那里教英语，这是她首次任教。

　　1987年春，罗琳从埃克塞特大学毕业。大学时住过的宿舍有Duryard和Pennsylvania（哈利·波特曾住的郊外小屋的原型）。在课外时间，她认真重读了西方奇幻经典《魔戒》（The Lord of the Rings），这对她后来写作起到了巨大影响。此外，罗琳在埃克塞特城的所见和到过的许多地方都成为她后来创作《哈利·波特》系列中场景的来源。例如，大学的大礼堂给了她霍格沃茨大厅的灵感，对角巷则是受甘迪大街（Gandy Street）的启发，而破釜酒吧是以埃克塞特当地两家著名的酒吧Old Firehouse和Blackhorse为原型的。魁地奇的灵感来自于罗琳观看的1986年5月21日埃克塞特圣詹姆斯公园球场（St James Park）一场极其平淡的比赛，对阵的双方是埃克塞特城（Exeter City）和剑桥联队（Cambridge United）。根据赛后的报道，整场比赛皮球在场上飞来飞去，直到上半场结束前比赛才有了唯一一次亮点，埃克塞特城的队员Keith Viney在大脚解围时，皮球击中了一只飞过的海鸥（魁地奇中金色飞贼的来源）。

1 baroness   

n.男爵夫人，女男爵

参考例句：

• I'm sure the Baroness will be able to make things fine for you.我相信男爵夫人能够把家里的事替你安排妥当的。
• The baroness,who had signed,returned the pen to the notary.男爵夫人这时已签过字，把笔交回给律师。

2 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

3 extol   

v.赞美，颂扬

参考例句：

• We of the younger generation extol the wisdom of the great leader and educator.我们年轻一代崇拜那位伟大的引路人和教育家的智慧。
• Every day I will praise you and extol your name for ever and ever. 我要天天称颂你，也要永永远远赞美你的名。

4 impoverished   

adj.穷困的，无力的，用尽了的v.使（某人）贫穷( impoverish的过去式和过去分词 )；使（某物）贫瘠或恶化

参考例句：

• the impoverished areas of the city 这个城市的贫民区
• They were impoverished by a prolonged spell of unemployment. 他们因长期失业而一贫如洗。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 quirk   

n.奇事，巧合；古怪的举动

参考例句：

• He had a strange quirk of addressing his wife as Mrs Smith.他很怪，把自己的妻子称作史密斯夫人。
• The most annoying quirk of his is wearing a cap all the time.他最令人感到厌恶的怪癖就是无论何时都戴著帽子。