轻松背单词新浪微博 轻松背单词腾讯微博
轻松背单词微信服务号
当前位置:首页 -> 9级英语阅读 - > 铺就辉煌之路
铺就辉煌之路
添加时间:2015-08-25 20:09:26 浏览次数: 作者:未知
Tip:点击数字可快速查看单词解释  
  • Tonight is a particular honor for me, let's face it; my presence on stage is pretty unlikely.

    今晚对我而言颇不寻常,我们得承认,我能站在这里本身就已意义非凡。

    My father was a foreign student, born and raised in a small village in Kenya. He grew up herding1 goats, and went to school in a tin-roof shack2. His father, my grandfather, was a cook, a domestic servant to British.

    我父亲是一个外国留学生,他原本生于肯尼亚的一个小村庄,并在那里长大成人。他小的时候还放过羊,上的学校简陋不堪,屋顶上仅有块铁皮来遮风挡雨。而他的父亲,也就是我的祖父,不过是个普通的厨子,还做过家佣。

    But my grandfather had lager dreams for their son. Through hard work and perseverance3 my father got a scholarship to study in a magical place: America that shone as a beacon4 of freedom and opportunity to so many who had come before.

    但祖父对父亲抱以厚望。凭借不懈的努力和坚忍不拔的毅力,父亲荣获赴美留学的机会,而且还拿到奖学金。美国这片神奇的土地,对于很多踏上这片国土的人而言,意味着自由和机遇。

    While studying here, my father met my mother. She was born in a town on the other side of the world. Her father was an oil rigs and a farm worker through most of the depression. The day after Pearl Harbor, my grandfather joined Patton's army, marching across Europe.

    还在留学期间,父亲与母亲不期而遇。母亲来自完全不同的另一个世界,她生于堪萨斯的一个小镇。大萧条时期,外祖父为谋生计,曾在石油钻井打工,还曾在农场务农。日军偷袭珍珠港后的第二天,他就自愿应征入伍,在巴顿将军麾下,转战南北,横扫欧洲。

    Back home, my grandmother raised a baby and went to work on a bomber5 assembly line. After the war, they studied on the GI Bill, bought a house through FHA, and later moved to west, all the way to Hawaii, in search of opportunity.

    在后方的家中,外祖母含辛茹苦,抚养子女,并在轰炸机装配线上找了份活计。战后,依据士兵福利法案, 他们通过联邦住宅管理局购置了一套房子,并举家西迁,谋求更大发展。

    And they, too, had big dreams for their daughter, a common dream, born of two continents. My parents shared not only an improbable love; they shared an abiding6 faith in the possibilities of this nation.

    他们对自己的女儿也寄予厚望,两家人虽然身在不同的非洲和美洲大陆,却有着共同的梦想。我的父母不仅不可思议地彼此相爱,而且还对这个国家有了不移的信念。

    They would give me a African name, Barack, or “blessed,” believing that in a tolerant America your name is no barrier to success.

    他们赐予我一个非洲名字,巴拉克,意为“上天福佑”, 因为他们相信,在如此包容的国度中,这样的名字不应成为成功的羁绊。

    They imagined me going to the best schools in the land, even though they weren’t rich, because in a generous America you don’t have to achieve your potential.

    尽管他们生活并不宽裕,还是想方设法让我接受当地最好的教育,因为在这样一个富足的国度中,无论贫富贵贱,都同样有机会发展个人的潜力。

    They are both passed away now. Yet, I know that, on this night, they look down on me with great pride.

    现在他们都已不在人世,不过,我知道,他们的在天之灵,此时此刻正在骄傲地关注着我。

     9级    美文 
     单词标签: herding  shack  perseverance  beacon  bomber  abiding 


    点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

    1 herding ['hɜ:dɪŋ] herding   第7级
    中畜群
    参考例句:
    • The little boy is herding the cattle. 这个小男孩在放牛。
    • They have been herding cattle on the tableland for generations. 他们世世代代在这高原上放牧。
    2 shack [ʃæk] aE3zq   第10级
    adj.简陋的小屋,窝棚
    参考例句:
    • He had to sit down five times before he reached his shack. 在走到他的茅棚以前,他不得不坐在地上歇了五次。
    • The boys made a shack out of the old boards in the backyard. 男孩们在后院用旧木板盖起一间小木屋。
    3 perseverance [ˌpɜ:sɪˈvɪərəns] oMaxH   第9级
    n.坚持不懈,不屈不挠
    参考例句:
    • It may take some perseverance to find the right people. 要找到合适的人也许需要有点锲而不舍的精神。
    • Perseverance leads to success. 有恒心就能胜利。
    4 beacon [ˈbi:kən] KQays   第8级
    n.烽火,(警告用的)闪火灯,灯塔
    参考例句:
    • The blink of beacon could be seen for miles. 灯塔的光亮在数英里之外都能看见。
    • The only light over the deep black sea was the blink shone from the beacon. 黑黢黢的海面上唯一的光明就只有灯塔上闪现的亮光了。
    5 bomber [ˈbɒmə(r)] vWwz7   第8级
    n.轰炸机,投弹手,投掷炸弹者
    参考例句:
    • He flew a bomber during the war. 他在战时驾驶轰炸机。
    • Detectives hunting the London bombers will be keen to interview him. 追查伦敦爆炸案凶犯的侦探们急于对他进行讯问。
    6 abiding [əˈbaɪdɪŋ] uzMzxC   第10级
    adj.永久的,持久的,不变的
    参考例句:
    • He had an abiding love of the English countryside. 他永远热爱英国的乡村。
    • He has a genuine and abiding love of the craft. 他对这门手艺有着真挚持久的热爱。

    文章评论 共有评论 0查看全部

      会员登陆
      热门单词标签
    我的单词印象
    我的理解: