每日英语练习 - 2026-06-06（星期六）

📌 今日主题

名人演讲名段 — Steve Jobs 2005年斯坦福大学毕业典礼演讲

这是科技史上最著名的毕业典礼演讲之一。Steve Jobs 分享了关于”连接人生中的点”的智慧——如何在失业、失败和不确定性中找到方向。这段演讲感染了无数人，是练习英语口语、学习叙事节奏和情感表达的绝佳素材。

📝 英文原文

I didn’t see it then, but it turned out that getting fired from Apple was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again, less sure about everything. It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods of my life.

During the next five years, I started a company named NeXT, another company named Pixar, and fell in love with an amazing woman who would become my wife. Pixar went on to create the world’s first computer animated feature film, Toy Story, and is now the most successful animation studio in the world.

In a remarkable turn of events, Apple bought NeXT, I returned to Apple, and the technology we developed at NeXT is at the heart of Apple’s current renaissance. And Laurene and I have a wonderful family together.

I’m pretty sure none of this would have happened if I hadn’t been fired from Apple. It was awful tasting medicine, but I guess the patient needed it. Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don’t lose faith. I’m convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You’ve got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers.

Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it.

🔍 重点词汇

💡 实用表达

1. “I didn’t see it then, but…” — “当时我没看出来，但……” → 用在回忆过去经历时，表达”事后才明白”的感悟。日常对话中非常好用。

   • 例：I didn’t see it then, but that failure taught me the most important lesson of my life.

2. “Don’t settle.” — “不要将就。” → 简短有力的劝告，适用于工作、感情、生活各方面。

   • 例：If you’re not happy with your job, don’t settle — keep looking for something better.

3. “As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it.” — “就像所有内心的事情一样，当你找到时，你会知道的。” → 表达直觉和内心确信的优雅说法，适合用在分享个人感悟时。

   • 例：As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when the right opportunity comes along.

4. “It was awful tasting medicine, but I guess the patient needed it.” — “那是很难吃的药，但我想病人需要它。” → 用比喻表达”痛苦的经历但有益”，非常适合在讲述逆境故事时使用。

   • 例：Losing that job was awful tasting medicine, but it pushed me to start my own business.

5. “Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick.” — “有时候生活会给你当头一棒。” → 生动形象地描述突如其来的打击，比 “life is hard” 更有力量。

   • 例：I wasn’t ready for the layoff — sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick.

🎯 练习步骤

1. 通读全文：先完整读一遍英文原文，理解大意。注意这是 Steve Jobs 在回忆自己被苹果解雇后的经历。

2. 精读标记：逐句阅读，标记不熟悉的词汇和表达。特别注意：

   • “The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again” — 这句话用了 heaviness 和 lightness 的对比
   • “It was awful tasting medicine, but I guess the patient needed it” — 这是一个隐喻

3. 跟读练习：大声朗读 3 遍，注意：

   • 断句：在 “but”、“and”、“that” 等连接词前稍作停顿
   • 重音：重读关键词（如 best thing, creative, love, great work）
   • 语调：结尾 “you’ll know when you find it” 用降调，表示确信

4. 脱稿复述：合上文本，用自己的话复述大意（中英文都可以）

5. 结构化输出：用以下框架组织你的复述：

   • 这段话在说什么？ Steve Jobs 分享了他被苹果解雇后反而获得了更大的成功，以此鼓励毕业生不要害怕失败，要找到自己真正热爱的事。
   • 主要观点是什么？
     1. 人生中的挫折可能是最好的礼物（getting fired → best thing）
     2. 只有热爱才能做出伟大的工作（the only way to do great work is to love what you do）
     3. 不要将就，坚持寻找（Don’t settle. Keep looking.）
   • 我的感受/看法？ 这段话让我意识到，当下的困境可能正在为未来的某个重要时刻做准备。

🗣️ 口才小贴士

今天学到的技巧：用”反转叙事”打动听众

Steve Jobs 这段演讲最打动人的地方在于”反转”——他先说”我被解雇了”（看似负面），然后说”这是我人生中最好的事”（正面反转）。这种叙事结构在口才中叫做 “反转叙事”（Reversal Narrative）。

具体操作方法：

1. 先说困境：用一两句话描述你遇到的困难或失败（让听众产生共鸣）
2. 再说转折：用 “but”、“however”、“little did I know” 等词引出转折
3. 最后说收获：总结这个经历给你带来的正面改变或领悟

练习： 试着用这个结构讲一个你自己的故事。比如：

• “I failed my first job interview. But that rejection pushed me to improve my skills, and now I’m in a much better position.”

这种结构让你的表达更有张力，听众也更容易记住你想传达的信息。