2. 职称英语
  3. Graduation speeches are a bit like wedding toasts. A few are memorable. The

Graduation speeches are a bit like wedding toasts. A few are memorable. The

游客2024-05-20  11
问题     Graduation speeches are a bit like wedding toasts. A few are memorable. The rest tend to trigger such thoughts as, "Why did I wear such uncomfortable shoes?"
    But graduation speeches are less about the message than the messenger. Every year a few colleges and universities in the US attract attention because they’ve managed to book high-profile speakers. And, every year, the media report some of these speakers’ wise remarks.
    Last month, the following words of wisdom were spread:
    "You really haven’t completed the circle of success unless you can help somebody else move forward." (Oprah Winfrey, Duke University).
    "There is no way to stop change; change will come. Go out and give us a future worthy of the world we all wish to create together." (Hillary Clinton, New York University).
    "This really is your moment. History is yours to bend." (Joe Biden, Wake Forest University).
    Of course, the real "get" of the graduation season was first lady Michelle Obama’s appearance at the University of California, Merced. "Remember that you are blessed," she told the class of 2009. "Remember that in exchange for those blessings, you must give something back... As advocate and activist Marian Wright Edelman says, ’Service is the rent we pay for living ... it is the true measure, the only measure of success’."
    Calls to service have a long, rich tradition in these speeches. However, it is possible for a graduation speech to go beyond cliche (陈词滥调) and say something truly compelling. The late writer David Foster Wallace’s 2005 graduation speech at Kenyon College in Ohio talked about how to truly care about other people. It gained something of a cult (狂热崇拜) after it was widely circulated on the Internet. Apple Computer CEO Steve Jobs’ address at Stanford University that year, in which he talked about death, is also considered one of the best in recent memory.
    But when you’re sitting in the hot sun, bored and freaked out (抓狂), do you really want to be lectured about the big stuff? Isn’t that like trying to maintain a smile at your wedding reception while some relative gives a toast that amounts to "marriage is hard work"? You know he’s right; you just don’t want to think about it at that particular moment. In fact, as is the case in many major life moments, you can’t really manage to think beyond the blisters (水疱) your new shoes are causing.
    That may seem anticlimactic (虎头蛇尾). But it also gets to the heart of one of life’s greatest, saddest truths: that our most "memorable" occasions may elicit the fewest memories. It’s probably not something most graduation speakers would say, but it’s one of the first lessons of growing up. [br] What is the theme of Michelle Obama’s speech mentioned in the passage?
选项 A、Religion.
B、Success.
C、Service.
D、Generosity.
答案 C
解析 根据题干中的Michelle Obama’s speech将本题出处定位到第四段。该段提到，……米歇尔·奥巴马……的演讲……记住你们是幸运的，记住获得恩赐的同时千万不要忘记回报……‘服务他人是我们为生活付的租金……这是真正的衡量标准，是成功的唯一标准’。”由此可知，米歇尔·奥巴马演讲的主题是服务，故答案为[C]。下一段首句提到的“在这样的演讲中，呼吁服务是一个经久不衰的传统”也印证了这一点。[A]是针对blessings设的干扰项。文中提到为他人服务是衡量成功的标准，强调的是为他人服务，而不是成功，故排除[B]。[D]是针对givesomething back和Service设的干扰项。
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