Tutor: Ah ... come in, Russ.

导师：啊……进来，拉斯。

Russ: Thank you.

拉斯：谢谢。

Tutor: Now you wanted to consult me about your class presentation on nanotechnology - you're due to give it in next week, aren't you?

导师：现在你想咨询我关于你纳米技术的课堂报告——你下周要做报告，是吗？

Russ: That's right.

拉斯：没错。

And I'm really struggling.

我真的很纠结。

I chose the topic because I didn't know much about it and wanted to learn more, but now I've read so much about it, in a way there's too much to say - I could talk for much longer than the twenty minutes I've been allocated.

我之所以选择这个话题，是因为我对它了解不多，想要了解更多，但现在我已经读了很多关于它的东西，在某种程度上，有太多要说的东西了——我想说的在安排好的二十分钟里说不完。

Should I assume the other students don't know much, and give them a kind of general introduction, or should I try and make them share my fascination with a particular aspect?

我应该假设其他学生知道的不多，给他们一个大概的介绍，还是让他们分享我热衷的某一方面？

Tutor: You could do either, but you'll need to have it clear in your own mind.

导师：这两种方法你都可以，但你得自己想清楚。

Russ: Then I think I'll give an overview.

拉斯：那么我想我要概述一下。

Tutor: OK. Now, one way of approaching this is to work through developments in chronological order.

老师：好的。现在，解决这个问题的一种方法是按时间顺序研究发展。

Russ: Uh-huh.

拉斯：嗯。

Tutor: On the other hand, you could talk about the numerous ways that nanotechnology is being applied.

导师：另一方面，你可以谈谈纳米技术应用的许多方面。

Russ: You mean things like thin films on camera displays to make them water-repellent, and additives to make motorcycle helmets stronger and lighter.

拉斯：您的意思是说，像相机显示屏上的薄膜可以防水，还有添加剂可以让摩托车头盔更结实、更轻。

Tutor: Exactly.

导师：没错。

Or another way would be to focus on its impact in one particular area, say medicine, or space exploration.

或者另一种方法是关注它在某一特定领域的影响，比如医学或太空探索。

Russ: That would make it easier to focus.

拉斯：这样一来，更容易聚焦到主题。

Perhaps I should do that.

也许我应该那样做。

Tutor: I think that would be a good idea.

导师：我想这是个好主意。

Russ: Right. How important is it to include slides in the presentation?

拉斯：没错。在报告中使用幻灯片有多重要？

Tutor: They aren't essential, by any means.

导师：无论如何，它们不是必要的。

And there's a danger of tailoring what you say to fit whatever slides you can find.

而且，根据你能找到的幻灯片来调整你所说的话是有风险的。

While it can be good to include slides, you could end up spending too long looking for suitable ones.

虽然使用幻灯片可以件好事，但最终你可能会花费太多时间去寻找合适的幻灯片。

You might find it better to leave them out.

你可能会发现把他们排除在外更好。

Russ: I see. Another thing I was wondering about was how to start.

拉斯：我明白了。另外，我想知道开场白该如何说。

I know presentations often begin with 'First I'm going to talk about this, and then I'll talk about that', but I thought about asking the audience what they know about nanotechnology.

我知道演讲往往从“首先我要讲的这个，然后我将讨论”开始，但我想问观众对纳米技术了解多少。

Tutor: That would be fine if you had an hour or two for the presentation, but you might find that you can't do anything with the answers you get, and it simply eats into the short time that's available.

导师：如果你有一两个小时的演讲时间，这样做也许不错。但是你可能会发现你不能用你得到的答案做任何事情，这只会占用你有限的时间。

Russ: So, maybe I should mention a particular way that nanotechnology is used, to focus people's attention.

拉斯：所以，或许我应该提到纳米技术的一种特殊用途，它可以引起人们的注意。

Tutor: That sounds sensible.

导师：听起来很合理。

Russ: What do you think I should do next?

拉斯：您觉得我下一步应该做什么？

I really have to plan the presentation today and tomorrow.

我今明两天必须得把报告的计划写出来。

Tutor: Well, initially I think you should ignore all the notes you've made, take a small piece of paper, and write a single short sentence that ties together the whole presentation: it can be something as simple as 'Nanotechnology is already improving our lives'.

导师：嗯，首先我认为你应该忽略所有你做过的笔记，拿一小张纸，写一个简短的句子把整个演讲联系起来。它可以是像“纳米技术已经改善了我们的生活”这样简单的话。

Then start planning the content around that.

然后开始围绕这一点规划内容。

You can always modify that sentence later, if you need to.

如果需要的话，你可以以后再修改这句话。

Russ: OK.

拉斯：好的。