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  9
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] It is implied in the passage that at great moments people fail to______.
选项 A、remain clear-headed
B、keep good manners
C、remember others’ words
D、recollect specific details
答案 C
解析 根据题干中的at great moments将本题出处定位到第六段末句。该句提到，事实上，就像生活中的很多重要时刻，你不能真正做到不去考虑新鞋把脚磨了个泡这样琐碎的小事。结合上文提到的学生在炎热天气里变得烦躁而听不进演讲的大道理，以及婚礼上勉强微笑着接受别人的祝酒这两个例子可知，在一些重要时刻，人们往往会因想一些琐碎的小事而记不住别人的话，故答案为[C]。[A]是针对freaked out设的干扰项。在婚礼上接受祝酒时勉强保持微笑说明人们保持了良好的举止，故排除[B]。由人们想起新鞋把脚磨了个泡这样琐碎的小事可知，人们能回想起具体的细节，故排除[D]。
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