登陆注册
7606600000054

第54章 故事永远不会结束(1)

Remember That the Story Is Never Over

演讲人:Conan O"Brien柯南·欧布莱恩

I"d like to thank the Class Marshals for inviting me here today.The last time I was invited to Harvard it cost me $110,000,so you"ll forgive me if I"m a bit suspicious.I"d like to announce up front that I have one goal this afternoon:to be half as funny a s t o m or r ow"s C o m menc e ment S p e a ker,Mor a l Philosopher and Economist,Amartya Sen.Must get more laughs than seminal wage/price theoretician.

Students of the Harvard Class of 2000,fifteen years ago I sat where you sit now and I thought exactly what you are now thinking:What"s going to happen to me?Will I find my place in the world?Am I really graduating a virgin?I still have 24hours and my roommate"s Mom is hot.I swear she was checking me out.

Being here today is very special for me.I miss this place.I especially miss Harvard Square-it"s so unique.No where else in the world will you find a manwith a turban wearing a Red Sox jacket and working in a lesbian bookstore.Hey,I"m just glad my dad"s working.

It"s particularly sweet for me to be here today because when I graduated,I wanted very badly to be a Class Day Speaker.Unfortunately,my speech was rejected.So,if you"ll indulge me,I"d like to read a portion of that speech from fifteen years ago:

"Fellow students,as we sit here today listening to that classic Ah-ha tune which will definitely stand the test of time,I would like to make several predictions about what the future will hold:

I believe that one day a simple Governor from a small Southern state will rise to the highest office in the land.He will lack political skill,but will lead on the sheer strength of his moral authority.

I believe that Justice will prevail and,one day,the Berlin Wall will crumble,uniting East and West Berlin forever under Communist rule.

I believe that one day,a high speed network of interconnected computers will spring up world-wide,so enriching people that they will lose their interest in idle chit chat and pornography.

And finally,I believe that one day I will have a television show on a major network,seen by millions of people a night,which I will use to re-enact crimes and help catch at-large criminals."

And then there"s some stuff about the death of Wall Street which I don"t think we need to get into….

T he point is that,a lthough you see me as a celebrity,a member of the cultural elite,a kind of demigod,I was actually a student here once much like you.I came here in the fall of 1981and lived in Holworthy.I was,without exaggeration,the ugliest picture in the Freshman Face book.When Harvard asked me for a picture the previous summer,I thought it was just for their records,so I literally jogged in the August heat to a passport photo office and sat for a morgue photo.To make matters worse,when the Face Book came out they put my picture next to Catherine Oxenberg,a stunning blonde actress who was accepted to the class of 85s,but decided to defer admission so she could join the cast of"Dynasty."My photo would have looked bad on any page,but next to Catherine Oxenberg,I looked like a mackerel that had been in a car accident.

You see,in those days I was six feet four inches t a l l a nd I weig hed 150pounds.Recent ly,I had some structural engineers run those numbers into a computer model and,according the computer,I collapsed in 1987,killing hundreds in Taiwan.

After freshman year I moved to Mather House.Mather House,incidentally,was designed by the same firm that built Hitler"s bunker.In fact,if Hitler had conducted the war from Mather House,he"d have shot himself a year earlier.

A lot has happened in fifteen years.When you think about it,we come from completely differentworlds.When I graduated,we watched movies starring Tom Cruise and listened to music by Madonna.I come from a time when we huddled around our TV sets and watched"The Cosby Show"on NBC,never imagining that there would one day be a show called"Cosby"on CBS.In 1985we drove cars with driver"s side airbags,but if you told us that one day there"d be passenger side airbags,we"d have burned you for witchcraft.

But of course,I think there is some common ground between us.I remember well the great uncertainty of this day.Many of you are justifiably nervous about leaving the safe,comfortable world of Harvard Yard and hurling yourself headlong into the cold,harsh world of Harvard Grad School,a plum job at your father"s firm,or a year abroad with a gold Amex card and then a plum job in your father"s firm.

But let me assure you that the knowledge you"ve gained here at Harvard is a precious gift that will never leave you.Take if from me,your education is yours to keep forever.Why,many of you have read the Merchant of Florence,and that will inspire you when you travel to the island of Spain.Your knowledge of that problem they had with those people in Russia,or that guy in South America-you know,that guy-will enrich you for the rest of your life.

There is also sadness today,a feeling of loss that you"re leaving Harvard forever.Well,let me assure you that you never really leave Harvard.The Harvard Fundraising Committee will be on your ass until the day you die.Right now,a member of the Alumni Association is at the Mt.Auburn Cemeter y sha king dow n t he cor pse of Henry Adams.They heard he had a brass toe ring and they aims to get it.

同类推荐
  • 娱乐休闲英语口语即学即用

    娱乐休闲英语口语即学即用

    在当今紧张的工作之余,人们总是争取大量的空闲时间来休闲娱乐。在各种娱乐场合,人与人之间容易增进感情,加深关系,促进交往。书中每个单元都设有与内容相关的简单句型结构和短语,并配有多个例句和汉语翻译,便于读者套用和练习。每章开篇都为读者提供了该主题所蕴含的文化背景,方便读者对语言文化的学习。
  • 世界名牌大全(英汉双语版)

    世界名牌大全(英汉双语版)

    本书《世界名牌圣经》是中英文的对照白金版本,不仅给读者展现原汁原味的世界名牌,而且领略名牌风采的同时大幅度提高了英语水平和人生品质。本书根据中国人的喜好精心挑选了8大品类:尖端品牌、世界名表、品牌服装、化妆品、珠宝首饰、皮具、名酒、豪车系列。这8部分全是作者精挑细选出的世界名牌,每一个部分分为“品牌名片”、“品牌标志”、“品牌阅读”并附核心词汇。“品牌名片”一目了然列明名牌的品类、标志风格、创始人、诞生地、诞生时间;“品牌标志”展示名牌的商标;“品牌阅读”详细叙述名牌传奇、名牌经典之作等等。
  • 用英语介绍中国这里是广州

    用英语介绍中国这里是广州

    外国人面前,你能否用一口流利的英文介绍自己所在的城市呢?走出国门,你是否能够让更多的外国人了解广州灿烂悠久的文化?本书为读者奉上原汁原味的人文阅读精华,详细介绍了人们最感兴趣的广州历史文化、城市风景、广州生活、名人逸事等,带您全方位地了解广州。读者在学习英语的同时,又能品味这座南方文化名城的独特魅力。
  • 出国应急英语大全

    出国应急英语大全

    “语言的魅力,不仅在于说得对,更在于说得地道得体。很多的英语爱好者在学习时,总是习惯自己先预定场景,再根据情节进行口语练习。而这个场景因为我们的思维定势常常被中国化,而非英语国家的真实语境。在国外真实的语境中,对话是灵活多变的,所以很多学习者在学了多年英语后,还是无法与老外进行流利沟通,自然就无法在国外畅通无阻,随心所欲地旅行了。
  • 日常生活英语口语看这本就够

    日常生活英语口语看这本就够

    全书分6大类:生活、学习、工作场景等,共涵盖148个话题,如下:生活口语30个情景话题;旅游口语16个情景话题;休闲口语24个情景话题;交际口语20个情景话题;职场口语29个情景话题;商务口语29个情景话题。另外本书诚邀资深外教为每个句子进行了朗读配音。
热门推荐
  • 证道成尊

    证道成尊

    人法地、地法天、天法道、道法自然!何为人道?何为天道?何为自然,且与我一起探索这虚无缥缈的‘道’吧!
  • 君子堂日询手镜

    君子堂日询手镜

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 情定三生:天才倾城妃

    情定三生:天才倾城妃

    他与她今生的相遇,是命运的安排还是缘分使然。前世,他与她在桃花树下约定三生三世,来世定不负君;今生,她穿越而来只为遇见他,一生一世一双人足矣。
  • 僵尸修仙记

    僵尸修仙记

    穿越或许是好事,但是穿越到了僵尸身上,可就不怎么妙了……可这还不是最重要的,重要的是我晕血……晕血……血……
  • 黑执事恶魔之约

    黑执事恶魔之约

    “我的执事这些年过的还好吗”“你是......”本篇文章是夏尔变恶魔后的故事,脑洞较大。
  • 灭天之路

    灭天之路

    意外穿越成为一个乞丐,原本浑浑噩噩地过日子,却因为一天机缘巧合的夺舍而有了新的转机……
  • 君洛召唤师

    君洛召唤师

    一场车祸,一世的魂魄便消散在世间。陌生国度,就连生存的法则都是陌生。学院之内,众人嘲笑,她不置一词。众人笑我,便让他们笑去!何为道?何为强?心中又恨!却是只能隐忍。一句废物,断了所有修炼的门路!奇异的体制!到底是福是祸?“你不是废物!你是废物中的废物!”哼!废物又如何!废物也有废物的修炼方式!(本文纯属虚构,请勿模仿。)
  • 十万个为什么(全集)

    十万个为什么(全集)

    书中列举了孩子在成长和学习过程中最爱问的常见问题,从日常生活、自然现象、科学探索、天文地理、人体奇趣、科技发明、古代文明等多方面给予孩子完整科学的解答,是学生课堂外有益的知识补充,更是生活中的得力助手和知心伙伴。《十万个为什么大全集》不仅是为孩子准备的学习礼物,也是家长和老师解答孩子问题的必备指南,有助于彼此间的良好沟通。
  • 狂武斗天

    狂武斗天

    “现在正式废除凡家第四十八代家族继承人,凡天!”大长老的声音犹如雷声一般,充斥着整个大堂。大长老的话音一落,大堂中家族所有人的目光都齐唰唰的落在人群中一个身穿黑丝衣衫,眉清目秀,薄唇挺鼻的少年身上。目光里面包含了无奈、同情、讥讽、遗憾之意!
  • 清商史册

    清商史册

    水榭荷塘角徵宫商诗词歌赋文笔华章这里清商,非家族社团,且以一茶一酒会友,執以古风原创为流,若幸得诸位不弃,清商以茶酒相待。