As I grew older my taste grew more 10)eccentric. I loved everything from Frank Sinatra to The Spice Girls, although Celine tapes were still my favorite. After several warnings by my brother about singing and disturbing his concentration for his video games, I limited my singing to the shower. I decided that the 11)shampoo bottles were my fans. My voice was 12)squeaky, and I’d occasionally get a bit of shampoo in my mouth and have to stop mid-song to spit it out, but still my audience loved me. I made my own little dream world out of that shower. When times were 13)rough, and I needed to go nuts and let go of all of my 14)frustrations, the shower was my 15)sanctuary.
As I grew older and a bit wiser (as wise as a teenager can get) I realized that my 16)imaginary fame couldn’t be spoken about outside the shower. I learned this lesson when I tried to describe to my friend what a freedom it was to sing my heart out. She laughed at me and said, “I pity anyone who has to hear that.” Those 17)thoughtless words were a blow to my 18)fragile 19)ego. That’s when I decided that my make-believe world had to take a little break. A 20)sabbatical. Within two weeks I missed my fans and I know they missed my talent.
With age, my voice grew as well. It transformed from squeaky to deep and unique. Singing made me happy, it made my fans happy. Why I let someone try to ruin that feeling is beyond me? I forgot about my “sabbatical” and started to sing again. By now I was in the middle of “Hero” by Mariah Carey and told myself to 21)ignore everyone else, this was my world.
Now at the age of fifteen, my voice has become somewhat nice. At least that’s what I’ve been told. I sing all the time now, not just in the shower. Sure, I get on people’s nerves every once in a while. Everyday, sometimes twice a day, I put in a CD and 22)blast it as loudly as possible and I sing. My neighbours often 23)compliment me for the show I put on from my bedroom window. I still get on my brother’s nerves while he tries to concentrate on his video games, I guess some people never grow up! I’m not the one to be throwing any stones though. I live in my own little 24)glasshouse.
My fans from the shower think it’s great that I’m 25)on tour. My fan base has grown drastically over the years, from the shower, to my room and beyond and I have an obligation to keep them all entertained, don’t I?
Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some very loyal shampoo bottles waiting for me in the “Shower 26)auditorium.” It is never wise to keep good fans waiting!
艾希里的澡堂歌星梦
音乐一直举足轻重地影响着我的生活。
记得刚三、四岁大时，我就对着一个芥末瓶子放声高歌。我家墙上挂有一张麦克尔·鲍顿的巨型海报，尽管我当时还年纪小，但因为唱了一遍又一遍，他的歌我能记个八九不离十。
有一次去看牙医，竟然提高了我的音乐品味。为了打发检查牙齿前那段痛苦的时间，祖母带我走进同一栋楼里一家卖酒的商店。我看见红酒瓶颈上挂着一张录音带盒面，上面印着一位女郎的肖像。收银员看到我这么好奇，慷慨地把磁带送给了我，以嘉奖我这名好顾客。检查刚一结束，我马上迫不及待地跳上车，开始聆听我拥有的第一盒真正的磁带。那是席琳·迪翁唱的《爱的力量》。祖母滔滔不绝地告诉我席琳·迪翁是何等优秀。她从这里走出去并把音乐做成功，那有多么罕见。我跑回房间，把新磁带放进“玩乐学校”牌录音机里听了一遍又一遍。这让我的家人很恼火，直至我的哥哥威胁要揍我一顿，我才罢休。就因为它，麦克尔·鲍顿退居二线，席琳·迪翁成了我的至爱，我并不懂自己唱的歌词是什么意思，但我就是爱唱歌，谁也挡不了。
随着年龄的增长，我喜欢的音乐更加独特了。尽管席琳·迪翁仍是最爱，但我也喜欢弗兰克·希兰瑞和辣妹的所有歌曲。哥哥三番五次地警告我，歌声让他没法集中精力打游戏，于是我只好把演唱场所缩小到洗澡间里。那些洗发水瓶子成了我的歌迷。我的嗓音比较扎耳，不时地嘴里会吞进一些洗发水，所以唱到半途还得停下来吐两口，但这并不会影响歌迷对我的爱戴。洗澡间成全了我的小小梦想。每当生活变得艰难坎坷，我需要放松，需要彻底释放心中不快时，洗澡间就成了我的避难所。
随着我成长和日渐聪明(青少年的聪明)，我明白到自己虚有的名气是不能在洗澡间外提到的。此教训来自我跟朋友描述放声歌唱是何等的惬意时，她却嘲笑道：“我好同情所有听到这句话的人。”那句轻率的话对于我脆弱的自尊心而言无异是一记重击。自那时起，我便决定要暂别虚拟舞台，放个短假。可没到两星期，我就想念起歌迷来，我知道他们也怀念我的歌声。
我的嗓音随着年龄的增长在发生变化，从原本刺耳变得低沉且有磁性了。唱歌带给我快乐，也带给我的歌迷快乐。我怎能让别人破坏了这种快乐的感觉呢？我终止了“休假”，重展歌喉。玛丽亚·凯利的《英雄》，我如今已能唱完一半；我告诉自己不管别人怎么想，这里就是我的世界。
等到15岁那年，我的声音变得悦耳动听起来。至少别人这样称赞过我。我不只在洗澡间里唱歌，随时随处都唱。当然了，我偶尔还会让人们感到不适应。每天，甚至每天两次，我用最大的声量播放CD，自己一边跟着唱。邻居经常称赞我在卧室窗户后做的表演。我仍然会干扰到哥哥不能全神贯注地打游戏。我想，有的人是永远不会长大的！尽管人们已不再朝我扔石块了。我就住在自己的小天地里。
我开巡回演唱会，这让我的澡堂歌迷们欣喜若狂。这些年来，我的歌迷人数急剧增加，从洗澡间到卧室甚至别的地方，四处都有我的歌迷。我完全有责任让他们高高兴兴的，不是吗？
请原谅，我得走了。忠实的洗发水瓶子们正在“洗澡大礼堂”等候着我呢。最好别让热情的歌迷们等久了!
注释:
1) mustard n. 芥末
2) chorus n. 合唱
3) dentist n. 牙医
4) drag v. 拉，拖
5) drape v. 悬挂，装饰
6) hop v. 单脚跳
7) lecture n. 长篇大论的讲话
8) pop into 迅速地将某物放到某处
9) retirement n. 退休，引退
10) eccentric a. 古怪的
11) shampoo n. 洗发水
12) squeaky a. 吱吱响的
13) rough a. 困难的
14) frustration n. 沮丧
15) sanctuary a. 避难所
16) imaginary a. 想象的
17) thoughtless a. 欠考虑的
18) fragile a. 脆弱的
19) ego n. 自我
20) sabbatical a. 周期性休息的
21) ignore v. 忽视
22) blast v. 发出尖响的声音
23) compliment n. 赞扬
24) glasshouse n. 玻璃房，暖房
25) on tour 巡回演唱
26) auditorium n. 礼堂
★★《2003年09月号-第42期-Disc02-07》★★
Sparking Sparkles (4)
妙语连珠
CNN电视台的高级政治分析员Jeff Greenfield分析商业在美国的重要性。
In large measure, I think the dreams that 1)animate Americans and the tens of millions who have ever risked everything to become Americans have always been as much about work and 2)prosperity as they’ve been about liberty. This country has become almost 3)obsessed with the business of business. Every day, it seems another 25-year-old billionaire 4)reveals himself as the blood pressure of career middle-aged, middle-management types 5)soars higher than a Silicon Valley 6)IPO.
我觉得，很大程度上，在推动美国人前进并使许多人不惜冒险成为美国人的梦想中，大量就业机会和繁荣经济这两者的分量与民主自由不相伯仲。这个国家几乎已经变得唯“商”是举了。似乎每天都有一名25岁的亿万富翁出现；中年中层管理人员的血压急升快过硅谷新上市公司的股价。
鲜花、掌声、喝彩，明星的生活何其夺目，但美国著名乡村摇滚歌星Jimmy Buffett却毫不讳言：
It’s been wonderful for me and I feel so 7)privileged to have fans that are that loyal, but on some days I want to go to tell ‘em: Get a life now! It’s just made up!
我觉得这种生活好极了，我很荣幸拥有这些忠实的歌迷，但有时候我会想对他们说：“实实在在地过日子吧！这些都是虚幻的！”
诺贝尔文学奖得主Toni Morrison谈论她作品中反映的主要题材--种族关系：
I feel that white people will betray me, that in the final 8)analysis they’ll give me up. If the 9)trucks pass and they have to make a choice, they’ll put me on that truck. By the way there are lots of black people who put me on that truck also, so I’m not trying to
10)demonize the white race. It’s just a kind of 11)constant 12) vigilance and awareness that maybe these relationships can go just so far.
我觉得白人会背叛我。根据我最后的分析，他们会舍弃我。要作抉择时，他们就会抛弃我。当然，亦有许多黑人同样会抛弃我；所以说我并不想把白人描绘成恶魔--这不过是不断地提醒与告诫人们，种族关系目前的形态如何。
企业财务教授Stephen Carbene提醒现代社会的人们“莫等闲，时不我待”：
Today it is people, people, people, and speed, speed, speed. If you take your time or 13)hesitate the world can just pass you by.
现在讲求的是“人、人、人”，“快、快、快”，若是你稍一放松或者犹豫一下，世界便会离你而去。
通用电气前总裁杰克·韦尔奇的助理Rosanne Badowski谈为人处世的一种方式：
It is if you go in there with the 14)intent that you think you are going to manage some other person or change them or sway them to do things differently, you might help them but that’s just it’s not going to happen.
如果从一开始就指望驾驭、改变别人，或者企图左右别人的处事方式，虽出于好意，但永不会成功。
经济学教授McCormick勇言驳斥“金钱万能”说：
Money has always talked in America, but my main answer is no. Do billionaire 15)activitists, so to speak, to coin that phrase there or use that phrase there, are they moving markets? I’m not seeing any 16)evidence of that.
在美国，有钱永远可以使鬼推磨，但我对此不以为然。那些活跃的亿万富豪随便编几句话说说，就指望能推动股市？我认为不会。
体育商家Pat Croce的看法是给所有受挫者的最好鼓励：
I can go from a 17)row home in north Philadelphia and stand in the presence of the team in their locker room then I believe that everyone can achieve their dreams and goals. But it takes dreams and goals and it takes the 18)willpower and the 19)guts and the courage and the positive 20)attitude and the 21)persistence because people are going to 22)slam doors in your face. You gotta say OK, there’s other doors, there’s other 23) hallways, and you just keep coming. If you believe in yourself and you believe in your ability to achieve your dream, good 24) stuff happens.
连我这个来自北费城、出身平凡的人都能有朝一日统领一支球队，在队员的衣帽间发号施令，那么我相信人人都有能力达到目标，完成心愿。但要想成功，就得有梦想和目标，还有无比的意志力、胆识、勇气、积极的态度和锲而不舍的精神，因为碰壁是必然的事。你要毫不气馁，继续寻觅窍门，另辟蹊径，反复尝试。如果你怀有信心，自信能达成梦想，成功终会降临。
注释:
1) animate v. 激励，鼓舞
2) prosperity n. 繁荣，兴旺
3) obsess v. 迷住，使困扰
4) reveal v. 展现，显示
5) soar v. 骤升，腾越
6) IPO: Initial Public Offering 首期公开发行股票（上市）
7) privileged a. 有荣幸的
8) analysis n. 分析，分解
9) truck n. 日本人的卡车，用来装运将被屠杀的人（文中采用比喻说法）
10) demonize v. 使成为魔鬼
11) constant a. 不断的，持续的
12) vigilance n. 警戒，警惕
13) hesitate v. 犹豫，踌躇
14) intent n. 目的，意图
15) activitist n. 活跃者
16) evidence n. 明显，迹象
17) row home费城的排房，居住的主要是低收入的人
18) willpower n. 毅力，意志力
19) guts n. 勇气，决心
20) attitude n. 态度，意见
21) persistence n. 坚持，持续
22) slam v. 砰地关上，冲击
23) hallway n. 走廊
24) stuff n. 物质，素材
★★《2003年09月号-第42期-Disc02-08》★★
1)Barbara Pierce Bush
Commencement Address at 2)Wellesley College
Wellesley, you see, is not just a place but an idea --an experiment in excellence in which 3)diversity is not just 4)tolerated, but is 5)embraced. The 6)essence of this spirit was 7)captured in a moving speech about tolerance given last year by a student body president of one of your sister colleges. She related the story by Robert Fulghum about a young 8)pastor, finding himself in charge of some very 9)energetic children, hits upon a game called “Giants, Wizards, and 10)Dwarfs.” “You have to decide now,” the pastor 11)instructed the children, “Which you are -- a giant, a wizard or a dwarf?” At that, a small girl tugging at his pants leg, asked, “But where do the 12)mermaids stand?” And the pastor tells her there are no mermaids. And she says, “Oh yes, there are. I am a mermaid.”
Where do the mermaids stand? All of those who are different, those who do not fit the boxes and the 13)pigeonholes? “Answer that question,” wrote Fulghum, “and you can build a school, a nation, or a whole world.” As that very wise young woman said, “Diversity, like anything worth having, 14)requires effort. Effort to learn about and respect difference, to be 15)compassionate with one another, to 16)cherish your own 17)identity, and to accept 18)unconditionally the same in others.”
You should all be very proud that this is the Wellesley spirit. You have a first class education from a first class school. And so you need not, probably cannot, live a “paint-by-numbers” life. Decisions are not 19)irrevocable. Choices do come back. And as you 20)set off from Wellesley, I hope that many of you will consider making three very special choices.
The first is to believe in something larger than yourself, to 21)get involved in some of the big ideas of our time. I chose 22)literacy because I honestly believe that if more people could read, write and comprehend, we would be that much closer to solving so many of the problems that 23)plague our nation and our society.
And 24)early on I made another choice, which I hope you’ll make as well. Whether you are talking about education, career, or service, you’re talking about life -- and life really must have joy. It’s supposed to be fun! Find the joy in life, because as 25)Ferris Bueller said on his day off, “Life moves pretty fast; and if ya don’t stop and look around once in a while, ya gonna miss it!”
The third choice that must not be missed is to cherish your human connections: your relationships with family and friends. For several years, you’ve had impressed upon you the importance to your career, 26)dedication and hard work. And, of course, that’s true. But as important as your 27)obligations as a doctor, a lawyer, a business leader will be, you are a human being first. And those human connections -- with 28)spouses, with children, with friends -- are the most important 29)investment you will ever make.
At the end of your life, you will never regret not having passed one more test, winning one more 30)verdict, or not closing one more deal. You will regret time not spent with a husband, a child, a friend or a parent. Your success as a family, our success as a society, depends not on what happens in the White House, but on what happens inside your house.
For over fifty years, it was said that the winner of Wellesley’s annual hoop race would be the first to get married. Now they say, the winner will be the first to become a CEO. Both of those 31)stereotypes show too little tolerance for those who want to know where the mermaids stand. So I want to offer a new legend: the winner of the hoop race will be the first to realize her dream -- not society’s dreams -- her own personal dream.
芭芭拉·皮尔斯·布什
在韦尔斯利学院毕业典礼上的演讲
你们知道，韦尔斯利，不仅是一处地方，还是一种理念--一种对美德的考验。在此其中，多样化的差别不光得到包容，而且还受到拥护。一个来自你们姐妹院校学生团体的主席，在去年一个关于宽容的感人演讲中，已经把握住了这种精神的实质。她谈到罗伯特·富尔冈的一个故事，说的是一个年轻牧师发现自己带着一群非常活泼好动的孩子。无意中他碰上一个叫做“巨人、巫师和矮子”的游戏。“现在你们要决定啦，”他提醒那些小朋友，“你自己是哪一种人：巨人、巫师、还是矮子？”他正说着，一个小女孩拽着他的裤腿问道：“但是美人鱼站哪呢？”那牧师就告诉她没有美人鱼。但是她说：“有啊，有的，我就是一条美人鱼。”
美人鱼站哪？那些与众不同，不适合常规定位，不适合传统类别的人又站哪？“回答那个问题吧，”富尔冈写道，“那么你就能构建一所学校，一个国家或者整个世界。”正如那个聪明绝顶的女孩子所说的，“多样性的差异，如同所有值得存在的东西那样，需要人们付出努力--努力去了解和尊重差异，互相爱护，珍惜自己的独特个性，同时无条件地接纳别人同样具有的独特品质。”
你们大家都应该以这就是韦尔斯利的精神而自豪。你们拥有来自一流学校的一流教育。所以你们不需要，很可能也不允许，过一种“依序号涂颜色”的生活。决定并非无可挽回；选择确实还可以重来。在你们离开韦尔斯利之际，我希望你们中许多人会考虑作出三个十分 特别的选择。
第一个选择是，信仰某些比你自身更为博大的东西，并参与到我们这个时代一些大的构想之中。我之所以选择了读写识字能力，是因为我真诚地相信，多一些人能读会写，会理解，会更利于我们解决诸多滋扰国家和社会的问题。
早前，我做了另一个选择--我希望你们也同样会这样选择。无论你们谈论的是教育、职业生涯还是劳务活动，你们说的都是生活--生活实在要有乐趣；生活还应该是好玩的！寻找生活的乐趣吧，因为就像费里斯·巴勒在他自己的假日里说的：“人生过得飞快，要是你不偶尔停一停，到处瞧一瞧，你就会失去它啦！”
第三个你一定不要错过的选择就是，珍惜你的人际关系--你和家人朋友之间的关系。有好几年，你只记得成就自己的事业以及积极投身工作何其重要。当然，那是对的。但是，和你作为医生、律师、商界领袖的职责一样重要的还有一样东西，那就是，你首先是人类一员。而那些人际关系--夫妻之间的，父母与孩子之间的，朋友之间的--是你作过的投资中最为重要的。
在人生结束之时，你决不会因又一次考试不及格，又输了一场官司或是又丢了一桩生意而悔恨；你会为自己没花时间与丈夫、孩子、朋友和父母在一起而后悔。你家庭的幸福，我们整个社会的幸福并不取决于白宫这所房子里发生的一切，而在于你自家房子里发生的一切。
有五十多年，人们都说每年韦尔斯利学院携圈赛跑的冠军会是最快嫁出去的人；现在他们说，冠军会最先成为执行董事。这两种版本的说法，对于那些想知道“美人鱼站哪？”的人都过于苛刻了。因此我想提出一个新的说法：携圈赛跑的冠军会是最早意识到自己梦想的人-这个梦想并非社会之梦，而是她个人独有之想。
注释:
1) Barbara Pierce Bush 前美国第一夫人，现任总统小布什的母亲。
2) Wellesley College 韦尔斯利学院。位于美国马萨诸塞州的著名女子文理学院，素有“没有男子的常春藤”之称，从这里走出的著名女性不胜枚举。前美国第一夫人希拉里就在这里度过了她的大学时光
3) diversity n. 差异，多样性
4) tolerate v. 忍受，容忍
5) embrace v. 拥抱，包含
6) essence n. 本质，精髓
7) capture v. 捕捉，夺取
8) pastor n. （主管教堂的）牧师（尤指非国教派牧师）
9) energetic a. 精力充沛的，积极的
10) dwarf n. 矮子，侏儒
11) instruct v. 教导，指示
12) mermaid n. （传说中的）美人鱼
13) pigeonhole n. 鸽巢，分类架
14) require v. 需要，要求
15) compassionate a. 有同情心的，慈悲的
16) cherish v. 珍爱，珍惜
17) identity n. 身份，特征
18) unconditionally av. 无条件地，无限制地
19) irrevocable a. 不能取消的，不可挽回的
20) set off 出发，动身
21) get involved in 参与
22) literacy n. 有文化，会读会写
23) plague v. 折磨，使苦恼
24) early on 在早期，早先
25) Ferris Bueller 费里斯·巴勒，美国80年代一部电视连续剧《今天不是读书天》(Ferris Bueller’s Day Off)的导演
26) Dedication n. 奉献，献身
27) obligation n. 义务，职责
28) spouse n. 配偶（夫或妻）
29) investment n. 投资，可获利的东西
30) verdict n. （陪审团的）裁定，定论
31) stereotype n. 陈规，老套
★★《2003年09月号-第42期-Disc02-09》★★
Vitality of your voice
Do you remember the most boring thing about a boring teacher? Wasn’t it the voice that 1)droned on and on with little evidence of interest much less 2)enthusiasm. Think about the teacher you loved. You probably don’t remember any specific material from that class, but I’ll bet you remember the interest and energy of that teacher.
