从乔布斯演讲看如何写作英语演讲稿范例
从乔布斯演讲看如何写作英语演讲稿范例无论在学习还是工作中，我们都会接触或用到各类英语演讲，小到课堂作业和工作汇报，大到会议发言和职位竞选。那么如何才能打造一篇精彩的英语演讲稿呢?下面笔者就以乔布斯XX年斯坦福大学
毕业演讲稿为范本来具体剖析一下英语演讲稿的写作要点，帮助大家了解其基本写作要领。
结构清楚，逻辑清晰
由于公共演讲的听众一般有数十人甚至数百、数千人，再加上演讲环境的不确定性(比如观众的欢呼或者抱怨)，演讲者最好在进入主题之后马上给出所讲内容的框架结构，使听众能跟随演讲者的思路，更好地预判整个演讲内容，以达到良好的演讲效果。比如，乔布斯在XX年斯坦福大学毕业典礼上的演讲中，开篇稍微寒暄之后就进入正题：“today i want to tell you three stories from my life. that’s it. no big deal. just three stories.”听众马上能对演讲内容做出预判——今天会听到乔布斯谈三点，然后他们会关注具体是哪三点。这种演讲就具备了“以观众为中心”的特质。乔布斯在随后的演讲中分别提到，“the first story is about connecting the dots.”“my second story is about love and loss.”“my third story is about death.”由于演讲思路非常明晰，听众在听完之后也会记忆犹新。
当然，演讲稿在结构方面的逻辑顺序有许多种，乔布斯的这篇演
讲是按照话题顺序和时间顺序来安排的。除此之外，还有空间顺序，“提出问题——分析问题——解决问题”的顺序等。大家可以根据不同演讲内容的需要来安排自己演讲稿的逻辑顺序和整体结构。
开篇出彩，吸引听众
演讲稿的开篇往往需要花费大量的功夫去设计。在写作开篇时，演讲者需要结合听众特点、演讲场合和演讲主题等因素，争取在一开始就紧紧抓住听众的注意力和兴趣。下面笔者就介绍一下基本的演讲开篇模式，供大家以后写作演讲稿参考。
演讲稿开篇的目的是吸引听众。乔布斯在他的演讲稿开篇使用的是“关联话题与听众”的方式。这是一种比较有效的方法，因为人们一般对自己的事情都很关注，和自己相关的事情也会格外留意。乔布斯在演讲开篇说道：“i am honored to be with you today for your commencement from one of the finest universities in the world. truth be told, i never graduated from college. and this is the closest i’ve ever gotten to a college graduation.”高度赞美斯坦福大学——这就是在与听众发生关联。乔布斯就是通过这种方式让听众一开始就对自己产生好感或对自己的演讲内容产生兴趣。当然，乔布斯还用了适当的幽默，更好地融洽了与听众的关系。
除了乔布斯的这种开篇方式外，我们还需要了解和掌握其他一些开篇方式：①指出演讲话题的重要性。比如要做一场关于“英语演讲的艺术”的演讲，演讲者在一开始就可以指出该演讲对于听众今后的学习、工作将会有很大帮助，甚至可以给出一些数据和实例，让听众
明白不听这个演讲将会是一个损失，这样听众就会乐于认真听演讲了。
②使听众感到震惊。例如要做一场关于“生活方式与疾病”的演讲，开篇就可以给出一组极具冲击力的数据，让听众看到生活方式不健康将会产生多么可怕的后果，这样的震惊能够使听众快速调整状态，投入到听演讲中去。③引起听众的好奇心。演讲者可以在开篇指出一种特别的现象，听众出于好奇就会认真听演讲，想知道演讲者如何分析或解释。④向观众提问。演讲者可以在开篇提出一个问题，这样可以引发听众的思考，也会引导他们去听演讲者如何解答问题。此外，也可以在开篇引用一段名言，或是讲述一个故事等，这些基本的开篇方式被无数的演讲证明是实用而且有效的。
观点明确，支撑有效
毫无疑问，在演讲稿中，主体段的信息量最大，写作量也最大。如何清晰地阐释演讲者的观点或演讲要点，如何用相关事实有效地支撑演讲者的各个论点或要点，是演讲稿主体段写作时应该把握的关键。乔布斯在斯坦福大学的毕业演讲中明确给出了三个要点：① the
first story is about connecting the dots. ② my second story is about love and loss. ③ my third story is about death.为
了清晰、有效地阐述自己想要表达的这三个要点，他运用了以下三种手段：首先是举例子。乔布斯在演讲中用了大量的事例来说明他怎么对待学习、工作和死亡。比如他说自己读书时旁听有意思的书法课程，这些课在当时对他没什么实质帮助，但是十年后在当他设计第一款macintosh电脑的时候，这些东西全派上了用场，这个例子充分说明
了他演讲的第一个要点——串起生命中的点滴。另一个手段是引用。乔布斯在演讲中引用了一些名言警句来阐述自己的观点。比如在讲到死亡时，他引用了一句格言：“if you live each day as if it was your last, someday you’ll most certainly be right.”这句话表明了他对于生命和死亡的看法，使听众印象深刻。第三个手段是数据支持。在讲第二个故事——关于爱和失去时，乔布斯用了一系列数据来支撑自己的观点。他说自己是幸运的，因为“woz and i started apple in my parents’ garage when i was 20. we worked hard, and in 10 years apple had grown from just the two of us in a garage into a $2 billion company with over 4000 employees. we’d just released our finest creation—the macintosh—a year earlier, and i’d just turned 30.”数据很直观，能让听众更直接地认识和理解演讲内容。
结尾有“道”，画龙点睛
演讲的结尾往往需要起到“画龙点睛”的作用，要尽量做到意味深长、启发思考。开篇和正文再好，如果结尾过于平淡，整个演讲的精彩程度也会大打折扣。那么如何做到结尾有“道”呢?首先我们来看看乔布斯的这篇演讲稿，他的结尾比开篇更加出彩，采用的是“引文结尾”的方式，达到了引人深思的效果。他在结尾说道：“stewart and his team put out several issues of the whole earth catalog, and then when it had run its course, they put out a final issue. it was the mid-1970s, and i was your age. on the back cover of
their final issue was a photograph of an early morning country road, the kind you might find yourself hitchhiking on if you were so adventurous. beneath it were the words ‘stay hungry. stay foolish.’ it was their farewell message as they signed off. stay hungry. stay foolish. and i have always wished that for myself. and now, as you graduate to begin anew, i wish that for you. stay hungry. stay foolish.”乔布斯不仅在演讲结尾引用了这句“stay hungry. stay foolish”(求知若渴，虚怀若谷)，而且重复三遍，强化了听众的印象。这句话后来也被广泛传播，被誉为该篇演讲的精髓。
除了乔布斯这种“引文结尾”的方式，常见的演讲结尾方式还有如下几种：①总结演讲。对演讲中的各个论点或要点进行简单总结和梳理，加深听众的印象。②强有力的陈述。这种方式不同于引用他人之言，往往是演讲者自己的总结和心声。一个非常经典的例子是patrick henry的演讲“liberty or death”。他在结尾时说道：“is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? forbid it, almighty god! i know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty, or give me death!”③首尾呼应。在演讲结尾对开篇提到的主题和重点进行重新阐述，这是体现演讲内在统一性的经典形式，值得借鉴。
为了更加有效地掌握文中讲到的写作演讲稿的要点，笔者建议大家做到以下三点：①多看。多看一些演讲素材，比如名人演讲、演讲
比赛优秀选手的演讲等，积累大量的一手素材;也有必要阅读一些关于英语公共演讲的书籍，笔者在此推荐stephen e. lucas的《演讲的艺术》(the art of public speaking)一书。②多想。学会分析这些演讲之所以精彩的原因，可以从笔者上面讲的几点入手分析。③多练。在有了一定的积累之后，要大量练习写作演讲稿，话题可以从日常学习和工作中选取，这样练习起来会更有兴趣和成就感。
---来源网络整理，仅供参考
乔布斯2005年在斯坦福大学的演讲稿(中英文)
史蒂夫乔布斯2005年6月在斯坦福大学毕业典礼上的演讲 'You've got to find what you love,' Jobs says This is the text of the Commencement address by Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple Com puter and of Pixar Animation Studios, delivered on June 12, 2005. I am honored to be with you today at your commencement from one of the finest universities in the world. I never graduated from college. Truth be told, this is the closest I've ever gotten to a college graduation. Today I want to tell you three stories from my life. That's it. No big deal. Just three stories. 你必须要找到你所爱的东西 很荣幸和大家一道参加这所世界上最好的一座大学的毕业典礼。我大学没毕业，说实话，这是我第一次离大学毕业典礼这么近。今天我想给大家讲三个我自己的故事，不讲别的，也不讲大道理，就讲三 The first story is about connecting the dots. I dropped out of Reed College after the first 6 months, but then stayed around as a drop-in for another 18 months or so before I really quit. So why did I drop out? 第一个故事讲的是点与点之间的关系。我在里德学院（Reed College）只读了六个月就退学了，此后便在学校里旁听，又过了大约一年半，我彻底离开。那么，我为什么退学呢？ It started before I was born. My biological mother was a young, unwed college gra duate student, and she decided to put me up for adoption. She felt very strongly t hat I should be adopted by college graduates, so everything was all set for me to be adopted at birth by a lawyer and his wife. Except that when I popped out they decided at the last minute that they really wanted a girl. 这得从我出生前讲起。我的生母是一名年轻的未婚在校研究生，她决定将我送给别人收养。她非常希望收养我的是有大学学历的人，所以把一切都安排好了，我一出生就交给一对律师夫妇收养。没想到我落地的霎那间，那对夫妇却决定收养一名女孩。So my parents, who were on a waiting list, g ot a call in the middle of the night asking: "We have an unexpected baby boy; do you want him?" They said: "Of course." My biological mother later found out that
英语励志演讲：乔布斯辞职前最后一次公开演讲
英语励志演讲：乔布斯辞职前最后一次公开演讲 英语励志演讲：乔布斯辞职前最后一次公开演讲 2020-10-13 以下是范文大全小编给大家整理的英语励志演讲：乔布斯辞职前最后一次公开演讲，希望能帮到你! 英语励志演讲：乔布斯辞职前最后一次公开演讲 Cupertino is very famous for Apple Computer. And we are very honor to have Steve Jobs to come here tonight to give us special presentation. Mr. Jobs? 苹果如今变得炙手可热Cupertino也沾光不少，今晚我们荣幸地邀请到乔布斯莅临现场。乔总? Welcome, Mr Jobs: you have a fan club here.. 欢迎你，这里貌似都是你的粉丝。 Thank you. Apple s grown like a weed, and as you know, we ve always been in Cupertino. Started in an office par, eventually, got the buildings, we are in now the corner of the ends of 280.and those buildings hold maybe 2600 or 2800 people. But we ve got almost 12,000 people in the area. So we re renting buildings - not very good buildings, either at an ever-greater radius from our campus and we re putting people in those. It is clear that we need to build new campus, so we just add space.
乔布斯斯坦福大学演讲稿中英版
Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish. I am honored to be with you today at your commencement from one of the finest universities in the world. I never graduated from college. Truth be told, this is the closest I've ever gotten to a college graduation. Today I want to tell you three stories from my life. That's it. No big deal. Just three stories. The first story is about connecting the dots. It dropped out of Reed College after the first 6 months, but then stayed around as a drop-in for another 18 months or so before I really quit. So why did I drop out? It started before I was born. My biological mother was a young, unwed college graduate student, and she decided to put me up for adoption. She felt very strongly that I should be adopted by college graduates, so everything was all set for me to be adopted at birth by a lawyer and his wife. Except that when I popped out they decided at the last minute that they really wanted a girl. So my parents, who were on a waiting list, got a call in the middle of the night asking: "We have an unexpected baby boy; do you want him?" They said: "Of course." My biological mother later found out that my mother had never graduated from college and that my father had never graduated from high school. She refused to sign the final adoption papers. She only relented a few months later when my parents promised that I would someday go to college. And 17 years later I did go to college. But I naively chose a college that was almost as expensive as Stanford, and all of my working-class parents' savings were being spent on my college tuition. After six months, I couldn't see the value in it. I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life and no idea how college was going to help me figure it out. And here I was spending all of the money my parents had saved their entire life. So I decided to drop out and trust that it would all work out OK. It was pretty scary at the time, but looking back it was one of the best decisions I ever made. The minute I dropped out I could stop taking the required classes that didn't interest me, and begin dropping in on the ones that looked interesting. It wasn't all romantic. I didn't have a dorm room, so I slept on the floor in friends' rooms, I returned coke bottles for the 5￠deposits to buy food with, and I would walk the 7 miles across town every Sunday night to get one good meal a week at the Hare Krishna
乔布斯在斯坦福大学的演讲稿英文原稿
乔布斯在斯坦福大学的演讲稿英文原稿 Thank you. I'm honored to be with you today for your commencement from one of the finest universities in the world. Truth be told, I never graduated from college and this is the closest I've ever gotten to a college graduation. Today I want to tell you three stories from my life. That's it. No big deal. Just three stories. The first story is about connecting the dots. I dropped out of Reed College after the first six months but then stayed around as a drop-in for another eighteen months or so before I really quit. So why did I drop out? It started before I was born. My biological mother was a young, unwed graduate student, and she decided to put me up for adoption. She felt very strongly that I should be adopted by college graduates, so everything was all set for me to be adopted at birth by a lawyer and his wife, except that when I popped out, they decided at the last minute that they really wanted a girl. So my parents, who were on a waiting list, got a call in the middle of the night asking, "We've got an unexpected baby boy. Do you want him?" They said, "Of course." My biological mother found out later that my mother had never graduated from college and that my father had never graduated from high school. She refused to sign the final adoption papers. She only relented a few months later when my parents promised that I would go to college. This was the start in my life. And seventeen years later, I did go to college, but I na?vely chose a college that was almost as expensive as Stanford, and all of my working-class parents' savings were being spent on my college tuition. After six months, I couldn't see the value in it. I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life, and no idea of how college was going to help me figure it out, and here I was, spending all the money my parents had saved their entire life. So I decided to drop out and trust that it would all work out OK. It was pretty scary at the time, but looking back, it was one of the best decisions I ever made. The minute I dropped out, I could stop taking the required classes that didn't interest me and begin dropping in on the ones that looked far more interesting. It wasn't all romantic. I didn't have a dorm room, so I slept on the floor in friends' rooms. I returned Coke bottles for the five-cent deposits to buy food with, and I would walk the seven miles across town every Sunday night to get one good meal a week at the Hare Krishna temple. I loved it. And much of what I stumbled into by following my curiosity and intuition turned out to be priceless later on. Let me give you one example. Reed College at that time offered perhaps the best calligraphy instruction in the country. Throughout the campus every poster, every label on every drawer was beautifully hand-calligraphed. Because I had dropped out and didn't have to take the normal classes, I decided to take a calligraphy class to learn how to do this. I learned about serif and sans-serif typefaces, about varying the amount of space between different letter combinations, about what makes great typography great. It was beautiful, historical, artistically subtle in a way that science can't capture, and I found it fascinating.
(完整word版)乔布斯2005年斯坦福大学毕业演讲中英文对照版
乔布斯2005年斯坦福大学毕业演讲中英文完整版 直面死亡+勇气 Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish 求知若饥，虚心若愚 'You've got to find what you love, 你必须要找到你所爱的东 I am honored to be with you today at your commencement from one of the finest universities in the world. I never graduated from college. Truth be told, this is the closest I've ever gotten to a college graduation. Today I want to tell you three stories from my life. That's it. No big deal. Just three stories. 很荣幸和大家一道参加这所世界上最好的一座大学的毕业典礼。我大学没毕业，说实话，这是我第一次离大学毕业典礼这么近。今天我想给大家讲三个我自己的故事，不讲别的，也不讲大道理，就讲三个故事。 The first story is about connecting the dots. I dropped out of Reed College after the first 6 months, but then stayed around as a drop-in for another 18 months or so before I really quit. So why did I drop out? 第一个故事讲的是点与点之间的关系。我在里德学院(Reed College)只读了六个月就退学了，此后便在学校里旁听，又过了大约一年半，我彻底离开。那么，我为什么退学呢? It started before I was born. My biological mother was a young, unwed college graduate student, and she decided to put me up for adoption. She felt very strongly that I should be adopted by college graduates, so everything was all set for me to be adopted at birth by a lawyer and his wife. Except that when I popped out they decided at the last minute that they really wanted a girl. So my parents, who were on a waiting list, got a call in the middle of the night asking: "We have an unexpected baby boy; do you want him?" They said: "Of course." My biological mother later found out that my mother had never graduated from college and that my father had never graduated from high school. She refused to sign the final adoption papers. She only relented a few months later when my parents promised that I would someday go to college. 这得从我出生前讲起。我的生母是一名年轻的未婚在校研究生，她决定将我送给别人收养。她非常希望收养我的是有大学学历的人，所以把一切都安排好了，我一出生就交给一对
英语演讲幽默开场白.
幽默演讲——调侃自己（中英对照）演讲者如何调侃自己作为一个演讲者，我从观众那只得到过两种抱怨：一种是我讲话声音太大了，他们无法入睡；第二种是我讲得时间太长了，他们无法一直清醒。As a speaker, I’ve only had two complaints from audiences. One, that I talk so loud they can’t fall asleep. And two, that I talk so long they can’t stay awake. 创新句子：你们或者睡觉，或者不睡，只要不打呼噜，我就接着讲。作为一个讲演者，他的演讲总拿来和林肯的哥得堡演讲[一个著名的演讲]相比较。当他演讲结束时，也有悲伤、眼泪和悲痛——特别是计划委员会。 As a speaker, he has often been compared to Abraham Lincoln delivering the Gettysburg Address. When he finishes his speech, there is also sorrow, tears and mourning ---- especially by the program committee. 幽默注释：演讲者讲得太糟糕了，组织者哭得很伤心。演讲结束时，宴会主人感谢你从繁忙的日程中抽出时间来——你泰然自若，优雅地点头微笑着，心里非常清楚你日历上唯一的事情就是就早餐后喝点咖啡。 Poise is when you finish your speech and the toastmaster thanks you for taking time out of your busy schedule to be a part of their program --- and you nod and smile graciously knowing full well that the only thing on your calendar is a little coffee from breakfast. 幽默注释：一些老干部退休后没什么事干，有人请他参加一些活动，他还假装很忙，好象推开了很多事才赶去似的。过去我演讲时常常会比较紧张，但那时我看到一条信息说如果你想象所有的观众都是裸体会有所帮助。此时此刻，我站在这里想象着观众都是裸体，真的起作用，我不再紧张了，但眼睛有些疲劳。 I used to get nervous when giving a speech but then I read that it helps to think of the entire audience as being naked. And so, at this very moment, I’m standing up here imagining every one in this audience as being naked. And it really works. I no suffer from nervousness. Eyestrain. Yes. 幽默注释：把观众想象成裸体，意思是我不怕你们，就不紧张了。创新句子：大部分人站在讲台上都会有点儿紧张，我属于少部分人，我非常紧张。我本人不自负——我简直不能告诉你们我是多么钦佩我这一点。 Personally, I have never been conceited --- and I can’t tell you how much I admire myself for that. 幽默句子：他因为自己不自负，所以变得非常骄傲。创新句子：我一点儿都不自负，我希望别人也这么看我。我先用简单明了的英语演讲，以后我
乔布斯斯坦福大学演讲 - 中英文完整版
This is the text of the Commencement address by Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple Computer and of Pixar Animation Studios, delivered on June 12, 2005. Thank you. I’m honored to be with you today for your commencement from one of the finest universities in the world. Truth be told, I never graduated from college, and this is the closest I’ve ever gotten to a college graduation. Today I want to tell you three stories from my life. That’s it. No big deal. Just three stories. The first story is about connecting the dots. I dropped out of Reed College after the first 6 months, but then stayed around as a drop-in for another 18 months or so before I really quit. So why did I drop out? It started before I was born. My biological mother was a young, unwed college graduate student, and she decided to put me up for adoption. She felt very strongly that I should be adopted by college graduates, so everything was all set for me to be adopted at birth by a lawyer and his wife. Except that when I popped out they decided at the last minute that they really wanted a girl. So my parents, who were on a waiting list, got a call in the middle of the night asking: “We have an unexpected baby boy, do you want him?” They said: “Of course.” My biological mother found out later that my mother had never graduated from college and that my father had never graduated from high school. She refused to sign the final adoption papers. She only relented a few months later when my parents promised that I would go to college. This was the start in my life. And 17 years later I did go to college. But I naively chose a college that was almost as expensive as Stanford, and all of my working-class parents’ savings were being spent on my college tuit ion. After six months, I couldn’t see the value in it. I had no idea
乔布斯_斯坦福演讲_《Stay_Foolish,_Stay_Hungry》演讲稿1
I am honored to be with you today at your commencement from one of the finest universities in the world. I never graduated from college. Truth be told, this is the closest I’ve ever gotten to a college graduation. Today I want to tell you three stories from my life. That’s it. No big deal. Just three stories. The first story is about connecting the dots. I dropped out of Reed College after the first 6 months, but then stayed around as a drop-in for another 18 months or so before I really quit. So why did I drop out? It started before I was born. My biological mother was a young, unwed college graduate student, and she decided to put me up for adoption. She felt very strongly that I should be adopted by college graduates, so everything was all set for me to be adopted at birth by a lawyer and his wife. Except that when I popped out they decided at the last minute that they really wanted a girl. So my parents, who were on a waiting list, got a call in the middle of the night asking: ―We have a n unexpected baby boy; do you want him?‖ They said: ―Of course.‖ My biological mother later found out that my mother had never graduated from college and that my father had never graduated from high school. She refused to sign the final adoption papers. She only relented a few months later when my parents promised that I would someday go to college. And 17 years later I did go to college. But I naively chose a college that was almost as expensive as Stanford, and all of my working-class parents’ sa vings were being spent on my college tuition. After six months, I couldn’t see the value in it. I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life and no idea how college was going to help me figure it out. And here I was spending all of the money my parents had saved their entire life. So I decided to drop out and trust that it would all work out OK. It was pretty scary at the time, but looking back it was one of the best decisions I ever made. The minute I dropped out I could stop taking the required cl asses that didn’t interest me, and begin dropping in on the ones that looked interesting.
英语演讲开场白(精选多篇)
英语演讲开场白 英语演讲开场白：欢迎听众(正式) - wele to our pany - i am pleased to be able to wele you to our pany... - i'd like to thank you for ing. - may i take this opportunity of thanking you for ing 英语演讲开场白：欢迎听众(非正式) - i'm glad you could all get here... - i'm glad to see so many people here. - it's great to be back here. - hello again everybody. thank you for being on time/making the effort to e today. - wele to x part ii. 英语演讲开场白：受邀请在会议上致词 - i am delighted/pleased/glad to have the opportunity to present/of making this presentation... - i am grateful for the opportunity to present... - i'd like to thank you for inviting/asking me/giving me the chance to... - good morning/afternoon/evening ladies and gentleman - it's my pleasant duty today to... - i've been asked to... 第1 页共17 页
乔布斯在斯坦福大学的演讲稿(中英)
名人演讲>>乔布斯演讲总结自己的一生 这是苹果公司和Pixar动画工作室的CEO Steve Jobs于2005年6月12号在斯坦福大学的毕业典礼上面的演讲稿。 I am honored to be with you today at your commencement from one of the finest universities in the world. I never graduated from college. Truth be told, this is the closest I've ever gotten to a college graduation. Today I want to tell you three stories from my life. That's it. No big deal. Just three stories. 我今天很荣幸能和你们一起参加毕业典礼，斯坦福大学是世界上最好的大学之一。我从来没有从大学中毕业。说实话,今天也许是在我的生命中离大学毕业最近的一天了。今天我想向你们讲述我生活中的三个故事。不是什么 大不了的事情,只是三个故事而已。 The first story is about connecting the dots. 第一个故事是关于“因”和“果”。 I dropped out of Reed College after the first 6 months, but then stayed around as a drop-in for another 18 months or so before I really quit. So why did I drop out? 我在Reed大学读了六个月之后就退学了,但是在十八个月以后——我真正的作出退学决定之前,我还经常去学校。我为什么要退学呢？ It started before I was born. My biological mother was a young, unwed college graduate student, and she decided to put me up for adoption. She felt very strongly that I should be adopted by college graduates, so everything was all set for me to be adopted at birth by a lawyer and his wife. Except that whe n I popped out they decided at the last minute that they really wanted a girl. So my parents, who were on a waiting list, got a call in the middle of the night asking: "We have an unexpected baby boy; do you want him?" They said: "Of course." My biological mother later found out that my mother had never graduated from college and that my father had never graduated from high school. She refused to sign the final adoption papers. She only relented a few months later when my parents promised that I would someday go to college. 故事从我出生的时候讲起。我的亲生母亲是一个年轻的,没有结婚的大学毕业生。她决定让别人收养我, 她十分 想让我被大学毕业生收养。所以在我出生的时候，她已经做好了一切的准备工作，能使得我被一个律师和他的妻子所收养。但是她没有料到,当我出生之后,律师夫妇突然决定他们想要一个女孩。所以我的生养父母（他们还 在我亲生父母的观察名单上）突然在半夜接到了一个电话:“我们现在这儿有一个不小心生出来的男婴,你们想要他吗？”他们回答道:“当然！”但是我亲生母亲随后发现，我的养母从来没有上过大学,我的父亲甚至从没有读过高中。她拒绝签这个收养合同。但是在几个月以后,我的父母答应她一定要让我上大学,那个时候她才同意。 And 17 years later I did go to college. But I naively chose a college that was almost as expensive as Stanford, and all of my working-class parents' savings were being spent on my college tuition. After