偶像勵(lì)志英語(yǔ)演講21:失敗的好處和想象的重要性(3)

I know the irony strikes like with the force of a cartoon anvil now, but...

我現(xiàn)在明白了反諷就像用卡通鐵砧去打擊你，但……

So they had hoped that I would take a vocational degree; I wanted to study English literature. A compromise was reaced that in retrospect satisfied nobody, and I went up to study Modern Languages. Hardly had my parents' car rounded the corner at the end of the road than I ditched German and scuttled off down the Classics corridor.

他們希望我取得高職學(xué)位，而我卻想攻讀英國(guó)文學(xué)。最后，我和父母達(dá)成了妥協(xié)，我改學(xué)現(xiàn)代語(yǔ)言，現(xiàn)在回想起來(lái)，當(dāng)時(shí)雙方都不怎么滿(mǎn)意。于是，父母的車(chē)剛一開(kāi)遠(yuǎn)，我就丟下德語(yǔ)，去學(xué)習(xí)古典文學(xué)。

I cannot remember telling my parents that I was studying Classics; they might well have found out for the first time on graduation day. Of all the subjects on this planet, I think they would have been hard put to name one less useful than Greek mythology when it came to securing the keys to an executive bathroom.

我不記得告訴過(guò)父母自己在學(xué)習(xí)古典文學(xué)，他們可能是在我畢業(yè)典禮那一天才知道的。我想，他們也許認(rèn)為，在全世界的所有專(zhuān)業(yè)中，不會(huì)有比研究希臘神話(huà)更沒(méi)用的專(zhuān)業(yè)了，那甚至無(wú)法換來(lái)一間獨(dú)立寬敞的衛(wèi)生間。

I would like to make it clear, in parenthesis, that I do not blame my parents for their point of view. There is an expiry date on blaming your parents for steering you in the wrong direction; the moment you are old enough to take the wheel, responsibily lies with you. What is more, I cannot criticize my parents for hoping that I would never experience poverty. They had been poor themselves, and I have since been poor, and I quite agree with them that it is not an ennobling experience. Poverty entails fear, and stress, and sometimes depression; it means a thousand petty humiliations and hardships. Climbing out of poverty by your own efforts, that is something on which to pride yourself, but poverty itself is romanticized only by fools.

在這里我想說(shuō)明一點(diǎn)：我不會(huì)因?yàn)楦改傅挠^點(diǎn)而怪他們。不要因?yàn)楦改附o你的人生路指錯(cuò)了方向就無(wú)休止地埋怨他們。當(dāng)你到一定年齡，可以自己把握人生時(shí)，就應(yīng)該自己承擔(dān)責(zé)任。再者，父母這樣做是希望我不會(huì)過(guò)窮日子，所以我不能責(zé)怪他們。他們經(jīng)歷了貧窮，我后來(lái)也一度很窮，所以我很理解他們，因?yàn)樨毟F并不是一種高貴的經(jīng)歷。貧窮會(huì)讓人感覺(jué)恐懼、有壓力，有時(shí)甚至讓人感覺(jué)沮喪。貧窮意味著說(shuō)不盡的羞辱和艱辛。靠自己的努力擺脫貧窮值得自豪，只有傻瓜才會(huì)將貧窮浪漫化。

重點(diǎn)講解：

1. in retrospect

回顧;回想;

eg. In retrospect, I wish that I had thought about alternative courses of action.

回想起來(lái)，我真希望自己當(dāng)時(shí)考慮過(guò)其他做法。

eg. It was a very strange feeling in retrospect — I was frightened, but excited at the same time.

回想起來(lái)那是一種非常奇怪的感覺(jué)——我當(dāng)時(shí)既害怕又興奮。

2. remember doing sth.

記得做過(guò)某事;

eg. I definitely remember sending the letter.

我記得這封信肯定發(fā)出去了。

eg. I remember having heard you speak on that subject.

我記得曾聽(tīng)你談?wù)撨^(guò)那個(gè)題目。

3. when it comes to

談到;涉及;

eg. Most of us know we should cut down on fat. But knowing such things isn't much help when it comes to shopping and eating.

我們大多數(shù)人都知道應(yīng)該減少脂肪的攝入量。但是在購(gòu)物和吃東西的時(shí)候，這些常識(shí)就丟到一邊去了。

eg. However, when it comes down to somebody that they know, they have a different feeling.

然而，涉及他們認(rèn)識(shí)的人，他們的感覺(jué)就不同了。

4. in parenthesis

插一句;

eg. In parenthesis, I'd say that there were two aspects to writing you must never lose sight of.

插一句，關(guān)于寫(xiě)作，我認(rèn)為有兩個(gè)方面你絕不能忽視。

5. blame sb./sth. for sth.

因某事歸咎于/責(zé)怪/怪罪某人某事;

eg. She blamed him for the failure of their marriage.

她把婚姻的觸礁歸咎於他。

eg. They blamed the rise in oil prices for the big increase in inflation.

他們把通貨膨脹大幅度增長(zhǎng)歸咎于石油價(jià)格的上漲。

6. what is more

更有甚者;更為重要的是;

eg. She learns quickly, and what's more, she remembers what she has learnt.

她學(xué)得很快，而且所學(xué)的全都記得。

eg. You should remember it, and what's more, you should get it right.

你應(yīng)該記住它，更重要的是，應(yīng)該正確理解它。