http://time.com/4626283/michelle-obama-final-remarks-transcript/

start: 6:45

We wanted to make higher education cool. We wanted to change theconversation/?kɑnv?’se??n/around what it means and what it takes to be a success in this country. Because let’s be honest, if we’re alwaysshining'?a?n??/thespotlighton professionalathletes/'?θli:t/or recording artists or Hollywoodcelebrities/s?'l?br?ti/, if those are the only achievements/?'t?i:vm?nt/we celebrate/'s?l?bret/, then why would we ever think kids would see college as a priority?

shining'?a?n??/

adj. 光亮的；華麗的

v. 閃爍（shine的ing形式）；發(fā)亮

athletes/'?θli:t/

n. 運動員；身強體健的人（athlete的復數(shù)形式）

celebrities/s?’l?br?ti/

n. 名人；名聲

So we decided to flip the script and shine a big, bright spotlight on all things educational. For example, we made College Signing Day a national event. We wanted tomimic/'m?m?k/all thedrama/'drɑm?/and excitementtraditionally/tr?'di??n?li/reserved for those few amazing football and basketball players choosing their college and university teams. We wanted to focus that same level of energy and attention on kids going to college because of theiracademic/??k?'d?m?k/achievements.Because as a nation, that’s where the spotlight should also be — on kids who work hard in school and do the right thing when no one is watching, many beatingdaunting/‘d?nt??/odds/ɑdz/.

mimic/'m?m?k/

vt. 模仿，摹擬

n. 效顰者，模仿者；仿制品；小丑

adj. 模仿的，模擬的；假裝的

drama/'drɑm?/

n. 戲劇，戲劇藝術；劇本；戲劇性事件

n. (Drama)人名；(剛(金))德拉馬

academic/??k?'d?m?k/

adj. 學術的；理論的；學院的

n. 大學生，大學教師；學者

daunting/‘d?nt??/

adj. 使人畏縮的；使人氣餒的；令人怯步的

odds/ɑdz/

n. 幾率；勝算；不平等；差別

Next, we launched Better Make Room. It’s a social mediacampaign/k?m'pen/to give young people the support andinspiration/??nsp?'re??n/they need to actually complete higher education. And to really drive that message home, you may recall that Idebuted/de'bju/my music career — (laughter) —rapping/'r?pi?/withJay about getting some knowledge by going to college. (Laughter and applause/?'pl?z/.)

inspiration/??nsp?'re??n/

n. 靈感；鼓舞；吸氣；妙計

debuted/de’bju/

n. 初次登臺；開張

vi. 初次登臺

n. (Debut)人名；(法)德比

rapping/'r?pi?/

n. 輕敲；起模

v. 敲；叩（rap的ing形式）

We are also very proud of all that this administration/?d,m?n?'stre??n/has done to make higher education moreaffordable/?'f?rd?bl/.We doubled investments inPell grantsand collegetax credits. We expanded income-basedloan/lon/repayment/r?'pem?nt/options fortens of millionsof students. We made it easier to apply forfinancial aid. We created a College Scorecard to help students make good decisions about higher education. And we provided new funding and support for schoolcounselors/'ka?nsl?/. (Applause.)Altogether/??lt?'ɡ?e?/, we made in this administration the largest investment in higher education since the G.I. Bill. (Applause.) And today, the high school graduation rate is at a record high, and more young people than ever before are going to college.

administration/?d,m?n?'stre??n/

n. 管理；行政；實施；行政機構

affordable/?'f?rd?bl/

adj. 負擔得起的

loan/lon/

n. 貸款；借款

vi. 借出

vt. 借；借給

repayment/r?'pem?nt/

n. 償還；[金融] 付還

Pell grantshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pell_Grant

counselors/'ka?nsl?/.

n. 顧問；法律顧問；參事（等于counsellor）

Altogether/??lt?’ɡ?e?/

adv. 完全地；總共；總而言之

n. 整個；裸體

And we know that school counselors like all of thefolks/fok/standing with me on this stage have played a critical role in helping us get there. In fact, a recent study showed that students who met with a school counselor to talk about financial aid or college were three times more likely to attend college, and they were nearly seven times more likely to apply forfinancial/fa?'n?n?l/aid.

folks/fok/

n. （復數(shù)）人們

n. (Folks)人名；(英)?？怂?/p>

So our school counselors are truly among the heroes of theReach Higherstory.And that’s why we created this event two years ago, because we thought that they should finally get some recognition/?r?k?ɡ'n???n/.(Applause.) We wanted everyone to know about the difference that thesephenomenal/f??nɑm?n?l/men and women have been making in the lives of our young people every day. And our 2017 School Counselor of the Year, Terri Tchorzynski, is a perfect example.

phenomenal/f??nɑm?n?l/

adj. 現(xiàn)象的；顯著的；異常的；能知覺的；驚人的，非凡的

So when students at Terri’s school reported feeling unprepared to apply for higher education, Terrisprang intoaction to create a school-wide, top-to-bottom college-readiness/'r?d?n?s/effort. Under Terri’s leadership, more students thanever beforeattendedworkshops/'w?k?ɑp/on resume writing, FAFSA completion — yes, I can now say FAFSA — (laughter) — and interviewpreparation?pr?p?'re??n/. I canbarely/'b?rli/say it. (Laughter.)They did career and personal —personality/?p?s?'n?l?ti/assessments/?'s?sm?nt/.They helped plan a special college week. And they organized aMilitary/'m?l?t?ri/Day, hostingrecruiters/r??krut?/from all branches of our armed forces. And because of these efforts, today, 75 percent ofCalhoun’sseniors now complete key college application steps, andTerri’s school has won state and national recognition.

sprang/spr??/into

v. 跳躍；彈起（spring的過去式）

n. 網(wǎng)眼；網(wǎng)眼編織法

n. (Sprang)人名；(德、瑞典、英)施普朗

readiness/‘r?d?n?s/

n. 敏捷，迅速；準備就緒；愿意

ever before

以前；從前

workshops/'w?k?ɑp/

n. 車間；研討會；工場；講習班

barely/'b?rli/

adv. 僅僅，勉強；幾乎不；公開地；貧乏地

assessments/?'s?sm?nt/.

n. 評定；估價

recruiters/r??krut?/

n. 招聘人員，征兵人員

And all of this is just one small part of what Terri does for her students each day.I can go on and on about all the time she spends one-on-one with students, helping them figure out their life path. Terri told us — as you heard, she told us about one of those students, so wereached out toKyra.And here’s what Kyra had to say in her own words. Kyra wrote that “Mrs. Tchorzynski has helped me grow to love myself. She helped me with my doubts andinsecurities/??ns?'kj?r?ti/.”She said, my life has changed “for the better in all aspects.” Kyra said, “She held my hand through my hardest times.” She said, “Mrs. Tchorzynski is mylifesaver.” That’s what Kyra said. (Laughter.)

And this is what each of you do every single day. You see the promise in each of your students.You believe in them even when they can’t believe in themselves, and you worktirelessly/'ta?rl?sli/to help them be who they were truly meant to be. And you do it all in the face of some overwhelming challenges — tight budgets/'b?d?it/, impossible student- counselor ratios — yeah,amen— (laughter) — endless demands on your time.

You all come in early, you stay late. You reach into your own pockets — and see, we’ve got the amen corner. (Laughter.) You stick with students in their darkest moments, when they’re most anxious and afraid. And if anyone is dealing with a college [high school] senior or junior, you know what this feels like. These men and women show them that those kids matter; that they have something to offer; that no matter where they’re from or how much money their parents have, no matter what they look like or who they love or how theyworship/'w???p/or what language they speak at home,they have a place in this country.

worship/‘w???p/

n. 崇拜；禮拜；尊敬

vt. 崇拜；尊敬；愛慕

vi. 拜神；做禮拜

And as I end my time in the White House, I can think of no better message to send our young people in my last official remarks as First Lady. So for all the young people in this room and those who are watching, know that this country belongs to you — to all of you, from every background and walk of life. If you or your parents areimmigrants/'?m?ɡr?nt/, know that you are part of a proud Americantradition/tr?'d???n/—theinfusion/?n'fju?n/of new cultures, talents and ideas, generation after generation, that has made us the greatest country on earth.

infusion/?n'fju?n/

n. 灌輸；浸泡；注入物；激勵

If your family doesn’t have much money, I want you to remember that in this country, plenty of folks, including me and my husband — we started out with very little. But with a lot of hard work and a good education, anything is possible — even becoming President. That’s what the American Dream is all about.(Applause.)

If you are a person of faith, know thatreligious/r?'l?d??s/diversity/da?'v?s?ti/is a great American tradition, too. In fact, that’s why people first came to this country — to worship freely. And whether you are Muslim/?m?zl?m/, Christian/'kr?st??n/, Jewish/'d????/, Hindu/?h?ndu/, Sikh/sik/— these religions/r?'l?d??n/are teaching our young people about justice, andcompassion/k?m'p???n/, andhonesty/'ɑn?sti/. So I want our young people to continue to learn and practice those values with pride. You see, ourglorious/'ɡl?ri?s/diversity — our diversities of faiths and colors andcreeds/kri:d/— that is not athreat/θr?t/to who we are, it makes us who we are. (Applause.) So the young people here and the young people out there:Do not ever let anyone make you feel like you don’t matter, or like you don’t have a place in our American story — because you do. And you have a right to be exactly who you are.But I also want to be very clear: This right isn’t just handed to you. No, this right has to be earned every single day.You cannot take your freedoms forgranted/?ɡr?nt?d/.Just like generations who have come before you, you have to do your part topreserve/pr?'z?v/and protect those freedoms. And that starts right now, when you’re young.

religious/r?'l?d??s/

adj. 宗教的；虔誠的；嚴謹?shù)?；修道?/p>

n. 修道士；尼姑

diversity/da?'v?s?ti/

n. 多樣性；差異

religions/r?'l?d??n/

n. 宗教；宗教信仰

compassion/k?m'p???n/

n. 同情；憐憫

honesty/'ɑn?sti/.

n. 誠實，正直

glorious/'ɡl?ri?s/

adj. 光榮的；輝煌的；極好的

creeds/kri:d/

n. 信條，教義（creed的復數(shù)形式）

threat/θr?t/

n. 威脅，恐嚇；兇兆

don’t matter 無關緊要

granted/?ɡr?nt?d/

想當然

preserve/pr?'z?v/vt. 保存

Right now, you need to be preparing yourself to add your voice to our national conversation. You need to prepare yourself to be informed and engaged as a citizen, to serve and to lead, to stand up for our proud American values and to honor them in your daily lives. And that means getting the best education possible so you can thinkcritically/?kr?t?kl?/, so you can express yourself clearly, so you can get a good job and support yourself and your family, so you can be a positive force in your communities.

thinkcritically/?kr?t?kl?/批判性思考

adv. 精密地；危急地；嚴重地；批評性地；用鉆研眼光地；很大程度上；極為重要地

And when you encounterobstacles/'ɑbst?kl/— because Iguarantee/?ɡ?r?n'ti/you, you will, and many of you already have — when you are struggling and you start thinking about giving up, I want you to remember something that my husband and I have talked about since we first started thisjourney/'d??ni/nearly a decade/'d?ked/ago, something that has carried us through every moment in this White House and every moment of our lives, and that is the power of hope — the belief that something better is always possible if you’re willing to work for it and fight for it.

obstacles/‘ɑbst?kl/

n. 障礙，干擾；妨害物

It is ourfundamental/?f?nd?'m?ntl/belief in the power of hope that has allowed us to rise above the voices of doubt anddivision/d?'v???n/, of anger and fear that we have faced in our own lives and in the life of this country. Our hope that if we work hard enough and believe in ourselves, then we can be whatever we dream, regardless of the limitations that others may place on us. The hope that when people see us for who we truly are, maybe, just maybe they, too, will beinspired/?n'spa?rd/to rise to their best possibleselves/s?lvz/.

That is the hope of students like Kyra who fight to discover their gifts and share them with the world. It’s the hope of school counselors like Terri and all these folks up here who guide those students every step of the way, refusing to give up on even a single young person. Shoot, it’s the hope of my — folks like my dad who got up every day to do his job at the city water plant; the hope that one day, his kids would go to college and have opportunities he never dreamed of.

That’s the kind of hope that every single one of us — politicians, parents,preachers/'prit??/— all of us need to be providing for our young people. Because that is what moves this country forward every single day — our hope for the future and the hard work that hope inspires.

preachers/'prit??/

n. 牧師；傳教士；鼓吹者

So that’s my final message to young people as First Lady. It is simple. (Applause.) I want our young people to know that they matter, that they belong. So don’t be afraid — you hear me, young people? Don’t be afraid. Be focused. Be determined. Be hopeful. Beempowered/?m'pa??/. Empower yourselves with a good education, then get out there and use that education to build a country worthy of your boundless promise. Lead by example with hope, never fear. And know that I will be with you, rooting for you and working to support you for the rest of my life.

empowered/?m'pa??/

vt. 授權，允許；使能夠

And that is true I know for every person who are here — is here today, and for educators andadvocates/'?dv?k?t/all across this nation who get up every day and work their hearts out tolift upour young people. And I am so grateful to all of you for your passion and your dedication and all the hard work on behalf of our next generation. And I can think of no better way to end my time as First Lady than celebrating with all of you.

advocates/'?dv?k?t/

vt. 提倡，主張，擁護

n. 提倡者；支持者；律師

lift up

舉起；激勵

So I want to close today by simply saying thank you.Thank you for everything you do for our kids and for our country.Being your First Lady has been the greatest honor of my life, and I hope I’ve made you proud.

[time]

Start: 6:45

End: 7:10

Time: 25m

11:04 - 11.56 52m

[sentences]

Because as a nation, that’s where the spotlight should also be — on kids who work hard in school and do the right thing when no one is watching, many beating daunting /‘d?nt??/ odds/ɑdz/.

We are also very proud of all that this administration/?d,m?n?'stre??n/ has done to make higher education more affordable/?'f?rd?bl/.

And that’s why we created this event two years ago, because we thought that they should finally get some recognition/?r?k?ɡ'n???n/.

They did career and personal — personality/?p?s?'n?l?ti/ assessments/?'s?sm?nt/.

Terri’s school has won state and national recognition

And all of this is just one small part of what Terri does for her students each day.

And here’s what Kyra had to say in her own words.

She said, my life has changed “for the better in all aspects.” Kyra said, “She held my hand through my hardest times.” She said,

You believe in them even when they can’t believe in themselves

You all come in early, you stay late

they have a place in this country.

the infusion /?n'fju?n/ of new cultures, talents and ideas, generation after generation, that has made us the greatest country on earth.

If your family doesn’t have much money, I want you to remember that in this country, plenty of folks, including me and my husband — we started out with very little. But with a lot of hard work and a good education, anything is possible — even becoming President. That’s what the American Dream is all about.

Do not ever let anyone make you feel like you don’t matter, or like you don’t have a place in our American story — because you do. And you have a right to be exactly who you are.

You cannot take your freedoms for granted /?ɡr?nt?d/.

Thank you for everything you do for our kids and for our country. Being your First Lady has been the greatest honor of my life, and I hope I’ve made you proud.