胡敏读故事记托福词汇048：演讲 The Speech
It was the morning of my speech and I was a bit nervous. I took my daughter to the conservatory for her music lessons before going to the meeting. She wore a conspicuous red dress with stars in the form of a constellation. Her style was consonant with her personality. I looked her in the eye and said, “I don’t want you to consort with those students who were suspended from school last week, okay?”
这天早上我要去演讲，还有点紧张。我先送女儿去音乐学院上音乐课，然后再去开会。她穿着一条星星点点的鲜红裙子，那些星星形如星座。她的衣着风格很符合她的性格。我正视着女儿，说道：“你不要跟那些上周被勒令停学的学生交往，明白吗?”
“Okay dad,” she replied. “Don’t worry about your speech,” she added. “You’ve already spent considerable time on it. I know you’ll do well.”
“好的，爸爸，”她回答道，“别担心你的演讲，”她补充了一句，“你在演讲上花了不少时间，我知道你肯定做的好。”
“That’s very considerate of you to be thinking about my speech,” I replied. “You may need to console me later with a Big Mac from McDonalds.”
“你真体贴，还想着我的演讲，”我回答道，“也许过会儿你就得用麦当劳的巨无霸汉堡来慰劳我了。”
When I arrived at the meeting, the room was already full of conservative people. I wasted no time and walked up to the podium to start my speech. “We need to consolidate our efforts to conserve our natural resources,” I said, maintaining a constant forceful tone. “But conservation alone will not solve the problems facing our country. The oil companies conspire every year to increase the price of oil. They create consternation by claiming that our supply is running short. It is a conspiracy to keep the prices higher than they should be. We need to form a consortium to give thorough consideration to this serious problem. Big changes may be needed and we should not let our conservatism hold us back. We should also be prepared to maintain a consistent and unified position on the issue.”
到会场时，屋子里已经坐满了保守派人士。我立刻走上讲坛，开始演讲。“我们需要努力加强对自然资源的保护，”我说道，始终如一地保持着一种铿锵有力的声调。“但光是保护还不能解决我们国家面临的诸多问题。原油公司每年都图谋着要提高油价。他们声称原油供应量不足，造成大家惊恐万分。这是个阴谋，意在将油价维持在正常售价之上。我们需要结成联盟，全面考虑这一严重问题。我们有必要进行大变革，不能因为保守主义而裹足不前，在这一问题上，我们一定要坚持一贯联合的立场。”
My speech continued for another 15 minutes and ended to the sound of loud applause. “Whem, I’m glad it’s over,” I mumbled to myself. “Forget the Big Mac, I need a beer.”
我又继续说了15分钟，便在一片掌声中结束了演讲。“嘿，我真高兴，终于讲完了，”我嘟囔着，“不吃巨无霸了，我需要一杯啤酒。”
Words:
conservation n. 保存，保持
conservative adj. 保守的，谨慎的;守旧的
conservatism n. 保守主义，守旧性
conservatory n. 音乐学院
conserve vt. 保存，保藏
considerable adj. 相当大(或多的);值得考虑的;相当可观的
considerate adj. 考虑周到的，体贴的
consideration n. 体谅，考虑
consistent adj. 一致的，稳定的
console vt. 安慰，慰藉
consolidate v. 巩固;合并
consonant adj. 协调一致的，符合的
consort vi. 陪伴，结交
consortium n. 协会，联盟，(国际)财团
conspicuous adj. 显著的，显眼的，引人瞩目的
conspiracy n. 阴谋
conspire v. 共谋，阴谋
constant adj. (恒久)不变的，持续的;一再重复的
constellation n. 星座;灿烂的一群
consternation n. 惊愕，惊惶，失措
