「獲獎的是……」 當頒獎嘉賓宣佈獎項得主時，獲獎者得在有限的時間內快速上台領獎，並說出自己的獲獎感言。但在獲獎後應該說什麼才合適呢？各大電影及音樂頒獎典禮的主辦方通常會給獲獎者一個發表感言的機會：有人幽默風趣、風度翩翩；有人慷慨激昂、感情真摯；有人則可能因為準備不充分，在台上支支吾吾地說不出話來 — 不禁讓人覺得有幾分尷尬。《隨身英語》介紹幾個做公眾演講時值得參考的小貼士。
Vocabulary: public speaking 詞彙: 公眾演講
‘Thank you’ is a very polite thing to say when you are given something, and this is particularly important when receiving an award at a prestigious ceremony. But if you’re one of the lucky winners, ‘thank you’ is just the start of the most important acceptance speech of your life.
Film, TV and music award ceremonies are all about the acceptance speeches – they are an art form in their own right. They are a chance for an actor or performer to publicly thank people who’ve helped them. In this year’s BAFTAs, Letitia Wright even thanked God for her EE Rising Star award in an emotional acceptance speech.
Speeches are also used as a platform to make a political statement or just to raise someone’s profile – so it’s important to get the words right. And these words have to be delivered in a short amount of time. For example, at this year’s Oscars, nominees have only 90 seconds from finding out they’ve won to finishing their speech. John Bailey, president of the Academy, has told them they should “get up there and keep speeches brief.”
When the clock is ticking, it’s hard to say everything you want. Weeping can waste time; bumbling costs valuable seconds. Experts in the field say it’s important to be personable, heartfelt and to speak like you’re talking to a friend. At the 2019 Golden Globes, Olivia Colman was named the best actress for her role as Queen Anne in The Favourite and gave an endearingly excited speech that ended with her holding up her trophy and sending a message to her family: “Ed and the kids – look! Yay!”
You would expect an actor to be eloquent and able to perform on stage in front of an audience. But for others, such as sports people, it can be more awkward. When Japan’s Naomi Osaka won this year’s Australian Open final, she said “Sorry, public speaking isn’t my strong point so I hope I can get through this… I read notes before this but I still forgot what I was meant to say.”
Preparation is key. It’s important to make notes that remind you to thank people, say some words of wisdom, and win over the audience. But if you’ve got nothing to say, accept your award graciously then get off stage before the music starts playing again – just remember to say ‘thank you’!
詞彙表
polite 禮貌的
prestigious 有聲望的
art form 藝術形式
emotional 動情的，激動的
profile 知名度，形象
brief 簡短的，簡潔的
weeping 流淚
bumble 結結巴巴地、支支吾吾地講話
personable 討人喜歡的，風度優雅的
heartfelt 真摯誠懇的
endearingly 使人喜愛地
eloquent 有說服力的，能言善辯的
awkward 難應對的，尷尬的
public speaking 公眾演講
words of wisdom 至理名言
win over 贏得…的喜愛
graciously 彬彬有禮地
測驗與練習
1. 閱讀課文並回答問題。
1. Name one of the major award ceremonies mentioned in the article.
2. How long have winners at this year’s Oscars got to complete their acceptance speech?
3. Who should you think you’re talking to if you want to make a good acceptance speech?
4. True or false? The winner of this year’s Australian Open final had prepared what to say before accepting her winner’s trophy.
5. Which word used in the article means ‘an actor’s part in a film’.
2. 請在不參考課文的情況下完成下列練習。選擇一個意思合適的單字填入句子的空格處。
1. I need to keep this meeting ________ as I’ve got a plane to catch.
emotional polite brief eloquent
2. When I was stressing over my exams, my mum was always there with some _________.
wisdom words word wisdoms words of wisdom words of wisdoms
3. She’s going to a very ________ university if she gets the very high grades they have asked for – and if she can afford it!
prestigious personable eloquent public speaking
4. The comedian was able to ________ the audience with his personality, jokes and stories about his childhood.
won over winned over winning over win over
5. The manager gave a _________ apology for the severe delays to train services, which were caused by a power failure.
weeping heartfelt endearingly prestigious
答案
1. 閱讀課文並回答問題。
1. Name one of the major award ceremonies mentioned in the article.
The Oscars, BAFTAs or Golden Globes.
2. How long have winners at this year’s Oscars got to complete their acceptance speech?
At this year’s Oscars, nominees have only 90 seconds from finding out they’ve won to finishing their acceptance speech in order to save time.
3. Who should you think you’re talking to if you want to make a good acceptance speech?
Experts suggest you should speak like you’re talking to a friend.
4. True or false? The winner of this year’s Australian Open final had prepared what to say before accepting her winner’s trophy.
True. Japan’s Naomi Osaka won this year’s Australian Open final, and said “…I read notes before this but I still forgot what I was meant to say.”
5. Which word used in the article means ‘an actor’s part in a film’.
The word is ‘role’. Olivia Colman was named best actress for her role as Queen Anne in The Favourite.
2. 請在不參考課文的情況下完成下列練習。選擇一個意思合適的單字填入句子的空格處。
1. I need to keep this meeting brief as I’ve got a plane to catch.
2. When I was stressing over my exams, my mum was always there with some words of wisdom.
3. She’s going to a very prestigious university if she gets the very high grades they have asked for – and if she can afford it!
4. The comedian was able to win over the audience with his personality, jokes and stories about his childhood.
5. The manager gave a heartfelt apology for the severe delays to train services, which were caused by a power failure.
