偶像励志英语演讲 第53期:让父母为你骄傲(13)

　　Never before in the history of our country have most of the advanced degrees been awarded to women but now they are. Since the dawn of men, it's hardly more than 100 years since we were even allowed into these buildings except to clean them, but soon most of law and medical degrees will probably also go to women. Around the world, poor women now own property, who used to be property and according to Economist¹ magazine, for the last two decades, the increase in female employment in the rich world has been the main driving force of growth. Those women have contributed more to global GDP growth than have either new technology or the new giants India or China. Cracks in the ceiling, cracks in the door, cracks in the Court and on the Senate floor.
历史上从没有一个国家像今天这样给女性颁发高等学位，但是今天他们颁发了。自男性主宰以来，长达100多年，除了做清洁之外甚至不准女性进入这样的建筑。但不久的将来，也许更多的医学和法律的学位将被授予女性。纵观世界，很多曾是他人财物的女性现在有了自己的财产。据《经济学家》杂志报道，在过去20年中，发达地区女性雇员的增加已成为世界发达国家的主要动力。这些女性为全球生产总值的增长所做出的贡献比新科学技术或新兴大国印度和中国还要多。“缝隙”无处不在，在天花板上、在门板上、在法庭中甚至是在参议院的地板上。
You know, I gave a speech at Vassar 27 years ago. It was a really big hit. Everyone loved it, really. Tom Brokaw said it was the very best commencement speech he had ever heard and of course I believed this. And it was much easier to construct than this one. It came out pretty easily because back then I knew so much. I was a new mother, and I had two academy awards, and it was all, coming together so nicely. I was smart and I understood boiler² plate and what sounded good.
你们知道，27年前 我在瓦萨学院做了一次演讲。那是一场轰动的演讲，每个人都非常喜欢，真的！汤姆·布罗克说那是他曾听过的最棒的毕业典礼演讲，当然我也相信这个说法。那次演讲主旨的确立和构思比这次简单得多，演讲稿也很轻松的搞定，因为我当时有很多感触。那时我刚刚做了母亲，拥有两个奥斯卡奖，这一切恰巧又同时发生了。我以前很聪明，比如我知道发出什么样响声的热水壶才是好的热水壶。
重点讲解：
1. award sth. to sb.
授予；颁发；
eg. We have awarded the contract to a British shipyard.
我们将合同给了一家英国造船厂。
eg. The judge awarded costs to the defendant³.
法官判由原告向被告支付诉讼费。
2. the dawn of
开端；起始阶段；
eg. It was, if you like, the dawn of a new era.
换句话说，那就是新时代的黎明。
eg. Long before the dawn of science, humans were naming species.
早在科学起始以前，人类就为物种命名。
3. except to do sth.
除了做某事；
eg. They had no operational plan except to hang on.
他们除坚守以外并没有其他作战计划。
eg. He had no choice except to spit it out.
逼得他无所适从，只好一吐为快。
名人简介：
艺术评价（上）
回首纵观，斯特里普塑造的角色几乎囊括了各个阶层、各种境遇的女性：追求独立与自我价值的乔安娜纠缠在丈夫和儿子之间不知所措（《克莱默夫妇》）；神秘执着向往自由的莎拉不期然爱情千回百转（《法国中尉女人》）；女儿惨死集中营痕刻苏菲终生难以解脱的罪疚感（《苏菲的选择》）；翱翔于非洲大地上的卡伦坚定热情自由奔放（《走出非洲》）；隐忍的弗朗西斯卡看着情人离去一言不发（《廊桥遗梦》）；外表干练的佳斯帕里内心隐藏着不为人知的脆弱（《弦动我心》）；高傲冷酷时髦耀眼的米兰达沉淀着低调但深刻的忧伤（《穿普拉达的女王》）……40年的电影生涯，一部部精彩作品，演技足已撑起一个世界。然而她本人却依然如一张白纸，像她的肤色一样纯粹，几十年如一日，淡妆素服，在公开场合牵着丈夫女儿的手，在俊男美女翻云覆雨，折腾不休的红地毯上，带着微微慈祥的笑容。

1 economist   

n.经济学家，经济专家，节俭的人

参考例句：

• He cast a professional economist's eyes on the problem.他以经济学行家的眼光审视这个问题。
• He's an economist who thinks he knows all the answers.他是个经济学家，自以为什么都懂。

2 boiler   

n.锅炉；煮器(壶，锅等)

参考例句：

• That boiler will not hold up under pressure.那种锅炉受不住压力。
• This new boiler generates more heat than the old one.这个新锅炉产生的热量比旧锅炉多。

3 defendant   

n.被告；adj.处于被告地位的

参考例句：

• The judge rejected a bribe from the defendant's family.法官拒收被告家属的贿赂。
• The defendant was borne down by the weight of evidence.有力的证据使被告认输了。