第一篇:奧巴馬2013就職演講文本英文版
Vice President Biden, Mr.Chief Justice, Members of the United States Congress, distinguished guests, and fellow citizens: Each time we gather to inaugurate a president, we bear witness to the enduring strength of our Constitution.We affirm the promise of our democracy.We recall that what binds this nation together is not the colors of our skin or the tenets of our faith or the origins of our names.What makes us exceptional — what makes us American — is our allegiance to an idea, articulated in a declaration made more than two centuries ago: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” Today we continue a never-ending journey, to bridge the meaning of those words with the realities of our time.For history tells us that while these truths may be self-evident, they have never been self-executing;that while freedom is a gift from God, it must be secured by His people here on Earth.The patriots of 1776 did not fight to replace the tyranny of a king with the privileges of a few or the rule of a mob.They gave to us a Republic, a government of, and by, and for the people, entrusting each generation to keep safe our founding creed.For more than two hundred years, we have.Through blood drawn by lash and blood drawn by sword, we learned that no union founded on the principles of liberty and equality could survive half-slave and half-free.We made ourselves anew, and vowed to move forward together.Together, we determined that a modern economy requires railroads and highways to speed travel and commerce;schools and colleges to train our workers.Together, we discovered that a free market only thrives when there are rules to ensure competition and fair play.Together, we resolved that a great nation must care for the vulnerable, and protect its people from life's worst hazards and misfortune.Through it all, we have never relinquished our skepticism of central authority, nor have we succumbed to the fiction that all society's ills can be cured through government alone.Our celebration of initiative and enterprise;our insistence on hard work and personal responsibility, are constants in our character.But we have always understood that when times change, so must we;that fidelity to our founding principles requires new responses to new challenges;that preserving our individual freedoms ultimately requires collective action.For the American people can no more meet the demands of today's world by acting alone than American soldiers could have met the forces of fascism or communism with muskets and militias.No single person can train all the math and science teachers we'll need to equip our children for the future, or build the roads and networks and research labs that will bring new jobs and businesses to our shores.Now, more than ever, we must do these things together, as one nation, and one people.This generation of Americans has been tested by crises that steeled our resolve and proved our resilience.A decade of war is now ending.An economic recovery has begun.America's possibilities are limitless, for we possess all the qualities that this world without boundaries demands: youth and drive;diversity and openness;an endless capacity for risk and a gift for reinvention.My fellow Americans, we are made for this moment, and we will seize it — so long as we seize it together.For we, the people, understand that our country cannot succeed when a shrinking few do very well and a growing many barely make it.We believe that America's prosperity must rest upon the broad shoulders of a rising middle class.We know that America thrives when every person can find independence and pride in their work;when the wages of honest labor liberate families from the brink of hardship.We are true to our creed when a little girl born into the bleakest poverty knows that she has the same chance to succeed as anybody else, because she is an American, she is free, and she is equal, not just in the eyes of God but also in our own.We understand that outworn programs are inadequate to the needs of our time.We must harness new ideas and technology to remake our government, revamp our tax code, reform our schools, and empower our citizens with the skills they need to work harder, learn more, and reach higher.But while the means will change, our purpose endures: a nation that rewards the effort and determination of every single American.That is what this moment requires.That is what will give real meaning to our creed.We, the people, still believe that every citizen deserves a basic measure of security and dignity.We must make the hard choices to reduce the cost of health care and the size of our deficit.But we reject the belief that America must choose between caring for the generation that built this country and investing in the generation that will build its future.For we remember the lessons of our past, when twilight years were spent in poverty, and parents of a child with a disability had nowhere to turn.We do not believe that in this country, freedom is reserved for the lucky, or happiness for the few.We recognize that no matter how responsibly we live our lives, any one of us, at any time, may face a job loss, or a sudden illness, or a home swept away in a terrible storm.The commitments we make to each other — through Medicare, and Medicaid, and Social Security — these things do not sap our initiative;they strengthen us.They do not make us a nation of takers;they free us to take the risks that make this country great.We, the people, still believe that our obligations as Americans are not just to ourselves, but to all posterity.We will respond to the threat of climate change, knowing that the failure to do so would betray our children and future generations.Some may still deny the overwhelming judgment of science, but none can avoid the devastating impact of raging fires, and crippling drought, and more powerful storms.The path towards sustainable energy sources will be long and sometimes difficult.But America cannot resist this transition;we must lead it.We cannot cede to other nations the technology that will power new jobs and new industries — we must claim its promise.That is how we will maintain our economic vitality and our national treasure — our forests and waterways;our croplands and snowcapped peaks.That is how we will preserve our planet, commanded to our care by God.That's what will lend meaning to the creed our fathers once declared.We, the people, still believe that enduring security and lasting peace do not require perpetual war.Our brave men and women in uniform, tempered by the flames of battle, are unmatched in skill and courage.Our citizens, seared by the memory of those we have lost, know too well the price that is paid for liberty.The knowledge of their sacrifice will keep us forever vigilant against those who would do us harm.But we are also heirs to those who won the peace and not just the war, who turned sworn enemies into the surest of friends, and we must carry those lessons into this time as well.We will defend our people and uphold our values through strength of arms and rule of law.We will show the courage to try and resolve our differences with other nations peacefully — not because we are na?ve about the dangers we face, but because engagement can more durably lift suspicion and fear.America will remain the anchor of strong alliances in every corner of the globe;and we will renew those institutions that extend our capacity to manage crisis abroad, for no one has a greater stake in a peaceful world than its most powerful nation.We will support democracy from Asia to Africa;from the Americas to the Middle East, because our interests and our conscience compel us to act on behalf of those who long for freedom.And we must be a source of hope to the poor, the sick, the marginalized, the victims of prejudice — not out of mere charity, but because peace in our time requires the constant advance of those principles that our common creed describes: tolerance and opportunity;human dignity and justice.We, the people, declare today that the most evident of truths — that all of us are created equal — is the star that guides us still;just as it guided our forebears through Seneca Falls, and Selma, and Stonewall;just as it guided all those men and women, sung and unsung, who left footprints along this great Mall, to hear a preacher say that we cannot walk alone;to hear a King proclaim that our individual freedom is inextricably bound to the freedom of every soul on Earth.It is now our generation's task to carry on what those pioneers began.For our journey is not complete until our wives, our mothers, and daughters can earn a living equal to their efforts.Our journey is not complete until our gay brothers and sisters are treated like anyone else under the law — for if we are truly created equal, then surely the love we commit to one another must be equal as well.Our journey is not complete until no citizen is forced to wait for hours to exercise the right to vote.Our journey is not complete until we find a better way to welcome the striving, hopeful immigrants who still see America as a land of opportunity;until bright young students and engineers are enlisted in our workforce rather than expelled from our country.Our journey is not complete until all our children, from the streets of Detroit to the hills of Appalachia to the quiet lanes of Newtown, know that they are cared for, and cherished, and always safe from harm.That is our generation's task — to make these words, these rights, these values — of Life, and Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness — real for every American.Being true to our founding documents does not require us to agree on every contour of life;it does not mean we will all define liberty in exactly the same way, or follow the same precise path to happiness.Progress does not compel us to settle centuries-long debates about the role of government for all time — but it does require us to act in our time.For now decisions are upon us, and we cannot afford delay.We cannot mistake absolutism for principle, or substitute spectacle for politics, or treat name-calling as reasoned debate.We must act, knowing that our work will be imperfect.We must act, knowing that today's victories will be only partial, and that it will be up to those who stand here in four years, and forty years, and four hundred years hence to advance the timeless spirit once conferred to us in a spare Philadelphia hall.My fellow Americans, the oath I have sworn before you today, like the one recited by others who serve in this Capitol, was an oath to God and country, not party or faction – and we must faithfully execute that pledge during the duration of our service.But the words I spoke today are not so different from the oath that is taken each time a soldier signs up for duty, or an immigrant realizes her dream.My oath is not so different from the pledge we all make to the flag that waves above and that fills our hearts with pride.They are the words of citizens, and they represent our greatest hope.You and I, as citizens, have the power to set this country's course.You and I, as citizens, have the obligation to shape the debates of our time — not only with the votes we cast, but with the voices we lift in defense of our most ancient values and enduring ideals.Let each of us now embrace, with solemn duty and awesome joy, what is our lasting birthright.With common effort and common purpose, with passion and dedication, let us answer the call of history, and carry into an uncertain future that precious light of freedom.Thank you, God Bless you, and may He forever bless these United States of America.
第二篇:奧巴馬就職演講
美國歷屆總統(tǒng)就職演說之---第44任總統(tǒng)Barack Obama的就職演講稿
Inaugural Address of Barack Obama My fellow citizens: I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors.I thank President Bush for his service to our nation, as well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this transition.Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath.The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace.Yet, every so often the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms.At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because We the People have remained faithful to the ideals of our forbearers, and true to our founding documents.So it has been.So it must be with this generation of Americans.That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood.Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred.Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age.Homes have been lost;jobs shed;businesses shuttered.Our health care is too costly;our schools fail too many;and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics.Less measurable but no less profound is a sapping of confidence across our land—a nagging fear that America’s decline is inevitable, that the next generation must lower its sights.Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real.They are serious and they are many.They will not be met easily or in a short span of time.But know this, America—they will be met.On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn-out dogmas that for far too long have strangled our politics.We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things.The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit;to choose our better history;to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given.It must be earned.Our journey has never been one of shortcuts or settling for less.It has not been the path for the faint-hearted—for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame.Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things—some celebrated but more often men and women obscure in their labor, who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom.For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled across oceans in search of a new life.For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West;endured the lash of the whip and plowed the hard earth.For us, they fought and died, in places like Concord and Gettysburg;Normandy and Khe Sahn.Time and again these men and women struggled and sacrificed and worked till their hands were raw so that we might live a better life.They saw America as bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions;greater than all the differences of birth or wealth or faction.This is the journey we continue today.We remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on Earth.Our workers are no less productive than when this crisis began.Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were last week or last month or last year.Our capacity remains undiminished.But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions—that time has surely passed.Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.For everywhere we look, there is work to be done.The state of our economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act—not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth.We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together.We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology’s wonders to raise health care’s quality and lower its cost.We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories.And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age.All this we can do.All this we will do.Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions—who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans.Their memories are short.For they have forgotten what this country has already done;what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose, and necessity to courage.17 What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them—that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply.The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works—whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified.Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward.Where the answer is no, programs will end.And those of us who manage the public’s dollars will be held to account—to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day—because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government.Nor is the question before us whether the market is a force for good or ill.Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched, but this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control—the nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous.The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our Gross Domestic Product, but on the reach of our prosperity;on the ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart—not out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good.As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals.Our Founding Fathers, faced with perils that we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations.Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience’s sake.And so to all the other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman, and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and we are ready to lead once more.Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with the sturdy alliances and enduring convictions.They understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please.Instead, they knew that our power grows through its prudent use;our security emanates from the justness of our cause, the force of our example, the tempering qualities of humility and restraint.We are the keepers of this legacy.Guided by these principles once more, we can meet those new threats that demand even greater effort—even greater cooperation and understanding between nations.We will begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people, and forge a hard-earned peace in Afghanistan.With old friends and former foes, we will work tirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat, and roll back the specter of a warming planet.We will not apologize for our way of life, nor will we waver in its defense, and for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken;you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you.For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness.We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus—and non-believers.We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth;and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass;that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve;that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself;and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace.To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect.To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society’s ills on the West—know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy.To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history;but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow;to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds.And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to the suffering outside our borders;nor can we consume the world’s resources without regard to effect.For the world has changed, and we must change with it.As we consider the road that unfolds before us, we remember with humble gratitude those brave Americans who, at this very hour, patrol far-off deserts and distant mountains.They have something to tell us, just as the fallen heroes who lie in Arlington whisper through the ages.We honor them not only because they are the guardians of our liberty, but because they embody the spirit of service;a willingness to find meaning in something greater than themselves.And yet, at this moment—a moment that will define a generation—it is precisely this spirit that must inhabit us all.For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies.It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break, the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours.It is the firefighter’s courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent’s willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate.Our challenges may be new.The instruments with which we meet them may be new.But those values upon which our success depends—honesty and hard work, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism—these things are old.These things are true.They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history.What is demanded then is a return to these truths.What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility—a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task.This is the price and the promise of citizenship.This is the source of our confidence—the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny.This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed—why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent mall, and why a man whose father less than sixty years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.So let us mark this day with remembrance, of who we are and how far we have traveled.In the year of America’s birth, in the coldest of months, a small band of patriots huddled by dying campfires on the shores of an icy river.The capital was abandoned.The enemy was advancing.The snow was stained with blood.At a moment when the outcome of our revolution was most in doubt, the father of our nation ordered these words be read to the people:
“Let it be told to the future world … that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive … that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet … it.”
America!In the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words.With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come.Let it be said by our children’s children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter;and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God’s grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations.Thank you.God bless you.And God bless the United States of America.巴拉克·侯賽因·奧巴馬,1961年8月4日生于美國夏威夷,父親巴拉克·侯賽因·奧巴馬一世是來自肯尼亞的黑人,穆斯林。母親是堪薩斯州的白人。是左撇子,這是美國總統(tǒng)史自40屆以來的第四位左撇子總統(tǒng)。
奧巴馬祖籍肯尼亞,是美國歷史上第一位具有黑人血統(tǒng)的總統(tǒng)。當(dāng)然,美國社會對黑人和其他有色人種的種族歧視,至今仍然存在,解決種族歧視依然任重道遠。事實上,奧巴馬并沒有像很多美國黑人奴隸的后裔一樣在很多城市的貧民窟長大。他小時候是由他的白人祖父母撫養(yǎng),他的童年中有很長時間是在印度尼西亞度過的。因此他的思維方式和美國白人或亞洲人比較接近。他本人從來也沒有在公開場合,承認自己是黑人,或者是非洲裔美國人,只承認自己是混血。
1983年畢業(yè)于哥倫比亞大學(xué),1985年到芝加哥參加社會工作。1991年畢業(yè)于哈佛大學(xué)的法學(xué)院,是第一個擔(dān)任哈佛法學(xué)評論主編的所謂的 非洲裔美國人,并在此期間獲得了全國范圍的認可。1992年和米歇爾·拉沃恩·奧巴馬結(jié)婚,并生了二個女兒瑪麗亞 ·安· 奧巴馬(Malia Ann Obama), 娜塔莎· 奧巴馬(Natasha Obama)。1996年,奧巴馬從芝加哥當(dāng)選為伊利諾伊州國會參議員并在之后的3年中連任;2000年,在競選美國眾議院議員席位失敗后,奧巴馬將主要精力投入到伊利諾伊州的參議工作中。
2004年7月,美國民主黨召開全國代表大會,奧巴馬被指定在第二天做“基調(diào)演講”。(所謂“基調(diào)演講”,就是民主黨人闡述本黨的綱領(lǐng)和政策宣言,通常由本黨極有前途的政治新星來發(fā)表,1988年做“基調(diào)演講”的人就是時任阿肯色州州長的克林頓。)奧巴馬不負眾望,他親自撰寫演講稿,并發(fā)表了題為“無畏的希望”(The Audacity ofHope)慷慨激昂的演講。在演說中他提出消除黨派分歧和種族分歧、實現(xiàn)“一個美國”的夢想。該演講后,奧巴馬成為全美知名的政界人物。同年11月,奧巴馬順利的以高達70%的選票當(dāng)選聯(lián)邦參議員。
2007年2月10日,奧巴馬在伊利諾伊州斯普林菲爾德市正式宣布參加2008年美國總統(tǒng)大選,并提出了重點在“完結(jié)伊拉克戰(zhàn)爭以及實施全民醫(yī)療保險制度”的競選綱領(lǐng)。2008年1月4日,在俄亥俄州民主黨初選大會上,奧巴馬贏得了38%的支持率,領(lǐng)先于知名度高于自己的約翰·愛德華茲以及希拉里·克林頓,在民主黨諸位候選人中領(lǐng)跑。2008年6月3日,奧巴馬票數(shù)領(lǐng)先于希拉里·克林頓,被定為民主黨總統(tǒng)候選人;同年8月23日,在民主黨全國代表大會上奧巴馬被正式提名,從而成為了美國歷史上首個非洲裔總統(tǒng)大選候選人。
2008年11月5日,奧巴馬擊敗共和黨候選人約翰·麥凱恩,正式當(dāng)選為美國第四十四任總統(tǒng)。
2009年10月9日,據(jù)英國廣播公司報道,諾貝爾獎評審會稱,美國總統(tǒng)奧巴馬因“為增強國際外交及各國人民間的合作做出非同尋常的努力”而被授予2009諾貝爾和平獎。
第三篇:奧巴馬就職演講
You know,there are those who were saying that North Carolina would be a game-changer in this election.But today,what North Carolina decided is that the only game that needs changing is the one in Washington.D.C.I want to start by congratulating Senator Clinton on what appears to be her victory in the state of Indiana.And I want to thank all the people--I want to thank all the wonderful people of Indiana who worked so hard on our behalf.The people in Indiana could not be finer.They worked tirelessly,and I will always be grateful to them.I want to thank,of course, the people of North Carolina for giving us a victory in a big state,a swing state,in a state where we will compete to win if I am the Democratic nominee for President of the United States.You know,when this campaign began,Washington didn't give us much of a chance.But because you came out in the bitter cold,and knocked on doors,and enlisted your friends and neighbors in this cause; because you stood up to the cynics,and the doubters,and the naysayers when we were up and when we were down; because you still believe that this is our moment and our time to change America,tonight we stand less than two hundred delegates away from securing the Democratic nomination for President of the United States.More importantly,because of you,we have seen that it s possible to overcome the politics of division and distraction; that it's possible to overcome the same, old negative attacks that are always about scoring points and never about solving our problems.We've seen that the American people aren t looking for more spin.They're looking for honest answers about the challenges we face.That s what you ve accomplished in this campaign,and that's how together we intend to change this country.This has been one of the longest,most closely fought contests in history.And that s partly because we have such a formidable opponent in Senator Hillary Clinton.Tonight,many of the pundits have suggested that this party is inalterably divided, that Senator Clinton's supporters will not support me,and that my supporters will not support her.Well I'm here tonight to tell you that I don't believe it.Yes,there have been bruised feelings on both sides.Yes,each side desperately wants their candidate to win.But ultimately,this race is not about Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama or John McCain.This election is about you the American people.It's about whether we will have a president and a party that can lead us toward a brighter future.This primary season may not be over,but when it is,we will have to remember who we are as Democrats,that we are the party of Jefferson and Jackson; of Roosevelt and Kennedy; and that we are at our best when we lead with principle; when we lead with conviction; when we summon an entire nation around a common purpose a higher purpose.This fall,we intend to march forward as one Democratic Party,united by a common vision for this country.Because we all agree that at this defining moment in history, a moment when we re facing two wars,an economy in turmoil,a planet in peril,a dream that feels like it's slipping away for too many Americans, we can t afford to give John McCain the chance to serve out George Bush's third term.We need change in America.And that's why we'll be nuited in November.The woman I met in Indiana who had just lost her job,lost her pension,lost her insurance, when the plant where she worked at her entire life closed down, she can t afford four more years of tax breaks for corporations like the one that shipped her job overseas.She needs us to give tax breaks to companies that create good jobs here in America.She can t afford four more years of tax breaks for CEOs like the one who walked away from her company with a multimillion-dollar bonus.She needs middle-class tax relief of the sort I've proposed,relief that will help her pay the skyrocketing price of groceries,and gas,and college tuition.That's why I'm running for President.The college student I met in Iowa who works the night shift after a full day of class ,still can't pay the medical bills for a sister who s ill, she can t afford four more years of a health care plan that only takes care of the healthy and the wealthy, that allows insurance companies to discriminate and deny coverage to those Americans who need it most.She needs us to stand up to those insurance companies and pass a plan that lowers every family s premiums and gives every uninsured American the same kind of coverage that Members of Congress give themselves.That s why I m running for President.The mother in Wisconsin who gave me a bracelet inscribed with the name of the son she lost in Iraq, the families who pray for their loved ones to come home; the heroes on their third and fourth and fifth tour of duty they can t afford four more years of a war that should ve never been authorized and never been waged.They can t afford four more years of our veterans returning to broken-down barracks and substandard care.And they don't want to see homeless veterans on the streets,they don't want to see veterans waiting years to get disability payments or having to travel for hours and miles just to get treatment.They need us to end the war that isn t making us safer.They need us to treat them with the care and respect they deserve.That s why I m running for President.The man I met in Pennsylvania who lost his job but can t even afford the gas to drive around and look for a new one, he can t afford four more years of an energy policy written by the oil companies and for the oil companies; a policy that s not only keeping gas at record prices,but funding both sides of the war on terror and destroying our planet.He doesn t need four more years of Washington policies that sound good,but don t solve the problem.He needs us to take a permanent holiday from our oil addiction by making the automakers raise their fuel standards,corporations pay for their pollution,and oil companies invest their record profits in a clean energy future.That s the change we need.And that s why I m running for President.The people that I've met in small towns and big cities across this country understand that government can t solve all our problems ,and we don t expect it to.We believe in hard work.We believe in personal responsibility and self-reliance.But we also believe that we have a larger responsibility to one another as Americans, that America is a place, that America is the place where you can make it if you try,that no matter how much money you start with or where you come from or who your parents are,opportunity is yours if you re willing to reach for it and work for it.It s the idea that, while there are few guarantees in life,you should be able to count on a job that pays the bills; health care for when you need it; a pension for when you retire; an education for your children that will allow them to fulfill their God-given potential.That s the America we believe in.That s the America we know.This is the country that gave my grandfather a chance to go to college on the GI Bill when he came home from World War II; a country that gave him and my grandmother the chance to buy their first home with a loan from the FHA.This is the country that made it possible for my mother, a single parent who had to go on food stamps at one point, to send my sister and me to the best schools in the country on scholarships.This is the country that allowed my father-in-law,a shift worker, a city worker at a water filtration plant in Chicago, to provide for his wife and two children on a single salary.Now this is a man who was diagnosed at age thirty with multiple sclerosis, who relied on a walker to get himself to work, and yet,every day he went,and he labored,and he sent my wife and her brother to one of the best colleges in the nation.And when he talked ahout his job,he expressed that it was important not just because it gave him a paycheck,but because it described his dignity,his self-worth,his self-respect.It was an America that didn t just reward wealth,but it rewarded work and the workers who created it.That's the America I love.That's the America you love.That's the America that we're fighting for in this election.Somewhere along the line,between all the bickering and the influence-peddling and the game-playing of the last few decades,Washington and Wall Street have lost touch with these core values,these American values.And while I honor John McCain's service to his country,his ideas for America are out of touch with these core values.His plans for the future,of continuing a war that has not made us safer,of continuing George Bush's economic policies that he claims have made great progress,these are nothing more than the failed policies of the past.And his plan to win in November appears to come from the very same playbook that his side has used time after time in election after election.Yes,we know what's coming.I'm not naive.We ve seen it already,the same names and labels they always pin on everyone who doesn t agree with all their ideas,the same efforts to distract us from the issues that affect our lives, by pouncing on every gaffe and association and fake controversy ,in the hopes that the media will play along.The attempts to play on our fears and exploit our differences ,to turn us against each other for pure political gain, to slice and dice this country into Red States and Blue States; blue collar and white collar; white, black, brown,young,old,rich,poor
This is the race we expect,no matter whether it's myself or Senator Clinton who is the nominee.The question then is not what kind of campaign they ll run,it s what kind of campaign we will run.It s what we will do to make this year different.I didn t get into race thinking that I could avoid this kind of politics,but I am running for President because this is the time to end it.We will end it this time not because I'm perfect.I think we know at this phase of the campaign that I am not.We will end it not by duplicating the same tactics and the same strategies as the other side,because that will lead us down the same path of polarization and of gridlock.We will end it by telling the
truth forcefully,repeatedly,confidently and by trusting that the American people will embrace the need for change ,even if it's coming from an imperfect messenger ,because that s how we ve always changed this country, not from the top down,but from the bottom up; when you, the American people ,decide that the stakes are too high and the challenges are too great.The other side can label and name-call all they want,but I trust the American people to recognize that it s not surrender to end the war in Iraq so that we can rebuild our military and go after al Qaeda's leaders.I trust the American people to understand that it s not weakness,but wisdom to talk not just to our friends,but our enemies, like Roosevelt did,and Kennedy did,and Truman did.I trust the American people to realize that, while we don t need big government,we do need a government that stands up for families who are being tricked out of their homes by Wall Street predators, a government that stands up for the middle class by giving them a tax break, a government that ensures that no American will ever lose their life savings just because their child gets sick.Security and opportunity, compassion and prosperity aren t liberal values.They're not conservative values.They re American values,and that's what we're fighting for in this election.Most of all,I trust the American people's desire to no longer be defined by our differences, because no matter where I ve been in this country, whether it was the corn fields of Iowa or the textile mills of the Carolinas, the streets of San Antonio or the foothills of Georgia, I ve found that, while we may have different stories,we hold common hopes.We may not look the same or come from the same place,but we want to move in the same direction towards a better future for our children and our grandchildren.That s why I'm in this race.I love this country too much to see it divided and distracted at this moment in history.I believe in our ability to perfect this nation, because it s the only reason
I'm standing here today.And I know the promise of America, because I have lived it.Michelle has lived it.You have lived it.It is the light of opportunity that led my father across an ocean.It is the founding ideals that the flag draped over my father's coffin stand for.It is life and liberty and the pursuit of happiness.It s the simple truth I learned all those years ago when I worked in the shadow of all those shuttered steel mills on the south side of Chicago ,that, in this country,justice can be won against the greatest odds; hope can find its way back from the darkest of corners.And when we are told that we cannot bring about the change that we seek,we answer with one voice: Yes, we can.So,North Carolina and America, don t ever forget that this election is not about me or any candidate.Don t ever forget that this campaign is about you.It's about your hopes,it's about your dreams,il's about your struggles,it's about your aspirations,it's about securing your portion of the American Dream.Don t ever forget that we have a choice in this country, that we can choose not to be divided; that we can choose not to be afraid, that we can still choose this moment to finally come together and solve the problems we ve talked about all those other years in all those other elections.This time can be different than all the rest.This time we can face down those who say our road is too long, that our climb is too steep, that we can no longer achieve the change that we seek.This is our time to answer the call that so many generations of Americans have answered before, by insisting that, by hard work and by sacrifice,the American dream will endure.Thank you,and may God Bless the United States of America.
第四篇:奧巴馬就職演講
原文地址:奧巴馬總統(tǒng)就職演說中英文對照全文作者:喬磊
巴拉克·奧巴馬(Barack Obama)于2009年1月20日宣誓就職美國第44任總統(tǒng)。以下是奧巴馬總統(tǒng)就職演說的中英文對照全文,中文由美國國務(wù)院國際信息局(IIP)根據(jù)演說記錄稿翻譯。
My fellow citizens: I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors.I thank President Bush for his service to our nation, as well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this transition.同胞們:
我今天站在這里,深感面前使命的重大,深謝你們賦予的信任,并銘記我們前輩所付的代價。我感謝布什總統(tǒng)對國家的貢獻以及他在整個過渡階段給予的大度合作。
Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath.The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace.Yet, every so often the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms.At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because we the people have remained faithful to the ideals of our forebears, and true to our founding documents.至此,有四十四個美國人發(fā)出總統(tǒng)誓言。這些字詞曾在蒸蒸日上的繁榮時期和寧靜安詳?shù)暮推侥甏b讀。但是間或,它們也響徹在陰云密布、風(fēng)暴降臨的時刻。美國能夠歷經(jīng)這些時刻而勇往直前,不僅因為當(dāng)政者具有才干或遠見,而且也因為“我們?nèi)嗣瘛笔冀K堅信我們先輩的理想,對我們的建國理念忠貞不渝。So it has been.So it must be with this generation of Americans.這是過來之路。這是這一代美國的必由之路。
That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood.Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred.Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age.Homes have been lost;jobs shed;businesses shuttered.Our health care is too costly;our schools fail too many;and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.我們處于危機之中,這一點已得到充分認識。我國在進行戰(zhàn)爭,打擊分布廣泛的暴力和仇恨勢力。我們的經(jīng)濟嚴重衰弱,部分歸咎于一些人的貪婪不軌,同時也因為我們作為一個整體,未能痛下決心,讓國家作好面對新時代的準備。如今,住房不再,就業(yè)減少,商業(yè)破產(chǎn)。醫(yī)療保健費用過度昂貴;學(xué)校質(zhì)量沒有保障;而每一天都在不斷顯示,我們使用能源的方式在助長敵人的威風(fēng),威脅我們的星球。
These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics.Less measurable but no less profound is a sapping of confidence across our land — a nagging fear that America's decline is inevitable, and that the next generation must lower its sights.這些是危機的跡象,數(shù)據(jù)統(tǒng)計將予以證明。不易于衡量然而同樣嚴重的是全國各地受動搖的信心——一種揮之不去的恐懼感,認為美國將不可避免地走下坡路,下一代人不得不放低眼光。
Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real.They are serious and they are many.They will not be met easily or in a short span of time.But know this, America — they will be met.今天,我告訴大家,我們面臨的挑戰(zhàn)真實存在,并且嚴重而多重。它們不可能在一個短時間內(nèi)被輕易征服。但是,美國,請記住這句話——它們將被征服。On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.我們今天聚集在這里是因為我們選擇希望而不是恐懼,選擇齊心協(xié)力而不是沖突對立。
On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics.我們今天在這里宣告,讓斤斤計較與虛假承諾就此結(jié)束,讓窒息我國政治為時太久的相互指責(zé)和陳詞濫調(diào)就此完結(jié)。
We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things.The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit;to choose our better history;to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.我們?nèi)允且粋€年輕的國家,但用圣經(jīng)的話說,現(xiàn)在是拋棄幼稚的時侯了?,F(xiàn)在應(yīng)是我們讓永恒的精神發(fā)揚光大的時侯,應(yīng)是選擇創(chuàng)造更佳歷史業(yè)績的時侯,應(yīng)是將代代相傳的寶貴財富、崇高理想向前發(fā)展的時侯:上帝賦予所有人平等、所有人自由和所有人充分追求幸福的機會。
In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given.It must be earned.Our journey has never been one of shortcuts or settling for less.It has not been the path for the faint-hearted — for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame.Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things — some celebrated but more often men and women obscure in their labor, who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom.在重申我們國家偉大精神的同時,我們懂得,偉大從非天生,而是必須贏得。我們的歷程從來不是走捷徑或退而求其次的歷程。它不是弱者的道路——它不屬于好逸惡勞或只圖名利享受的人;這條路屬于冒險者,實干家,創(chuàng)造者——有些人享有盛名,但大多數(shù)是默默無聞耕耘勞作的男女志士,是他們帶我們走向通往繁榮和自由的漫長崎嶇之路。
For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled across oceans in search of a new life.為了我們,他們打點起貧寒的行裝上路,遠涉重洋,追求新生活。
For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West;endured the lash of the whip and plowed the hard earth.為了我們,他們在血汗工廠勞作,在西部原野拓荒,忍著鞭笞之痛在堅硬的土地上耕耘。
For us, they fought and died, in places like Concord and Gettysburg;Normandy and Khe Sanh.為了我們,他們奔赴疆場,英勇捐軀,長眠于康科德、葛底斯堡、諾曼底和溪山。Time and again these men and women struggled and sacrificed and worked till their hands were raw so that we might live a better life.They saw America as bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions;greater than all the differences of birth or wealth or faction.為了我們能夠過上更好的生活,他們前赴后繼,歷盡艱辛,全力奉獻,不辭勞苦,直至雙手結(jié)起層層老繭。他們看到的美國超越了我們每一個人的雄心壯志,也超越了所有種族、財富或派系的差異。
This is the journey we continue today.We remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on Earth.Our workers are no less productive than when this crisis began.Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were last week or last month or last year.Our capacity remains undiminished.But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions — that time has surely passed.Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.今天,作為后來者,我們踏上了這一未竟的旅程。我們依然是地球上最繁榮、最強大的國家。我們的勞動者的創(chuàng)造力并沒有因為眼前的這場危機而減弱。我們的頭腦依然像以往那樣善于發(fā)明創(chuàng)新。我們的產(chǎn)品與服務(wù)仍舊像上星期、上個月或去年一樣受人歡迎。我們的能力絲毫無損。但是,維持現(xiàn)狀、保護狹隘的利益集團、推遲困難的抉擇的時代無疑已成為過去。從今天起,我們必須振作起來,掃除我們身上的塵土,重新開啟再造美國的事業(yè)。
For everywhere we look, there is work to be done.The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act — not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth.We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together.We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology's wonders to raise health care's quality and lower its cost.We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories.And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age.All this we can do.All this we will do.無論我們把目光投向何處,都有工作在等待著我們。經(jīng)濟形勢要求我們果敢而迅速地行動,我們將不辱使命——不僅要創(chuàng)造新的就業(yè)機會,而且要打下新的增長基礎(chǔ)。我們將建造道路和橋梁,架設(shè)電網(wǎng),鋪設(shè)承載我們的商務(wù)和把我們緊密相連的電子通訊網(wǎng)絡(luò)。我們將恢復(fù)尊重科學(xué)的傳統(tǒng),利用高新技術(shù)的超常潛力提高醫(yī)療保健質(zhì)量并降低成本。我們將利用太陽能、風(fēng)力和地?zé)釣檐囕v和工廠提供能源。我們將改造我們的中小學(xué)和高等院校,以應(yīng)對新時代的挑戰(zhàn)。這一切我們都能做到。這一切我們必將做到。
Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions — who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans.Their memories are short.For they have forgotten what this country has already done;what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose, and necessity to courage.現(xiàn)在,有人懷疑我們的雄心壯志——他們說我們的體制不能承受太多的宏偉規(guī)劃。他們的記憶是短暫的,因為他們忘記了這個國家已經(jīng)取得的成就,忘記了一旦共同的目標插上理想的翅膀、現(xiàn)實的要求鼓起勇氣的風(fēng)帆,自由的人民就會爆發(fā)出無窮的創(chuàng)造力。
What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them — that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply.The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works — whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified.Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward.Where the answer is no, programs will end.Those of us who manage the public's dollars will be held to account — to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day — because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government.那些冷眼旁觀的人沒有認識到他們腳下的大地已經(jīng)移動——那些長期以來空耗我們的精力的陳腐政治觀點已經(jīng)過時。我們今天提出的問題不是我們的政府太大還是太小,而是它是否行之有效——它是否能夠幫助人們找到報酬合理的就業(yè)機會,是否能夠為他們提供費用適度的醫(yī)療保健服務(wù),是否能夠確保他們在退休后不失尊嚴。如果回答是肯定的,我們就要向前推進。如果回答是否定的,計劃和項目必須終止。作為公共資金的管理者,我們必須承擔(dān)責(zé)任——明智地使用資金,拋棄壞習(xí)慣,在陽光下履行職責(zé)——因為只有這樣我們才能恢復(fù)人民對政府的至關(guān)重要的信任。
Nor is the question before us whether the market is a force for good or ill.Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched, but this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control — and that a nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous.The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our gross domestic product, but on the reach of our prosperity;on our ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart — not out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good.我們提出的問題也不在于市場力量是替天行道還是為虎作倀。市場在生成財富和傳播自由方面具有無與倫比的力量,但這場危機提醒我們:沒有嚴格的監(jiān)督,市場就會失控——如果一個國家僅僅施惠于富裕者,其富裕便不能持久。我們的經(jīng)濟成功從來不是僅僅依賴國內(nèi)總產(chǎn)值的規(guī)模,而是還依賴繁榮的普及,即為每一位愿意致富的人提供機會的能力——不是通過施舍——因為這才是最可靠的共同富裕之路。As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals.Our founding fathers...our found fathers, faced with perils we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations.Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience's sake.And so to all the other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman, and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and that we are ready to lead once more.至于我們的共同防御,我們決不接受安全與理念不可兩全的荒謬論點。建國先賢面對我們難以想見的險惡局面,起草了一部保障法治和人權(quán)的憲章,一部子孫后代以自己的鮮血使之更加完美的憲章。今天,這些理念仍然照耀著世界,我們不會為一時之利而棄之。因此,對于今天正在觀看此情此景的其他各國人民和政府──從最繁華的首都到我父親出生的小村莊──我們希望他們了解:凡追求和平與尊嚴的國家以及每一位男人、婦女和兒童,美國是你們的朋友。我們已經(jīng)做好準備,再一次走在前面。
Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with sturdy alliances and enduring convictions.They understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please.Instead, they knew that our power grows through its prudent use;our security emanates from the justness of our cause, the force of our example, the tempering qualities of humility and restraint.回顧過去,幾代人在戰(zhàn)勝法西斯主義和共產(chǎn)主義時依靠的不僅僅是導(dǎo)彈和坦克,更是牢固的聯(lián)盟和不渝的信念。他們懂得單憑實力無法保護我們的安全,實力也并不賦予我們隨心所欲的權(quán)利。相反,他們知道審慎使用實力會使我們更強大;我們的安全源于事業(yè)的正義性、典范的感召力、以及謙卑和克制的平衡作用。We are the keepers of this legacy.Guided by these principles once more, we can meet those new threats that demand even greater effort — even greater cooperation and understanding between nations.We will begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people, and forge a hard-earned peace in Afghanistan.With old friends and former foes, we will work tirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat, and roll back the specter of a warming planet.We will not apologize for our way of life, nor will we waver in its defense, and for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken;you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you.我們是這一傳統(tǒng)的繼承者。我們只要從新以這些原則為指導(dǎo),就能應(yīng)對那些新威脅,為此必須付出更大的努力──推動國家間更多的合作與理解。我們將開始以負責(zé)任的方式把伊拉克移交給伊拉克人民,并在阿富汗鞏固來之不易的和平。我們將與多年的朋友和昔日的對手一道不懈地努力,減輕核威脅,扭轉(zhuǎn)全球變暖的厄運。我們不會在價值觀念上退縮,也不會動搖捍衛(wèi)它的決心,對于那些妄圖以煽動恐怖和屠殺無辜的手段達到其目的的人,我們現(xiàn)在就告訴你們,我們的意志更加頑強、堅不可摧;你們無法拖垮我們,我們必將戰(zhàn)勝你們。
For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness.We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus — and non-believers.We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth;and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass;that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve;that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself;and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace.因為我們知道,我們百衲而成的傳統(tǒng)是一種優(yōu)勢,而不是劣勢。我們是一個由基督教徒和穆斯林、猶太教徒和印度教徒、以及無宗教信仰者組成的國家。我們受惠于地球上四面八方每一種語言和文化的影響。由于我們飲過南北戰(zhàn)爭和種族隔離的苦水,走出了那個黑暗時代并變得更加堅強和團結(jié),我們不能不相信昔日的仇恨終有一天會成為過去;部族之間的界線很快會消失;隨著世界變得越來越小,我們共同的人性將得到彰顯;美國必須為迎來一個和平的新紀元發(fā)揮自己的作用。
To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect.To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society's ills on the West — know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy.To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history;but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.面對穆斯林世界,我們尋求一條新的前進道路,以共同利益和相互尊重為基礎(chǔ)。對于世界上那些妄圖制造矛盾、將自己社會的弊端歸罪于西方的領(lǐng)導(dǎo)人,我們奉勸你們:你們的人民將以你們的建設(shè)成就而不是你們的毀滅能力來評判你們。對于那些依靠腐敗、欺騙、壓制不同意見等手段固守權(quán)勢的人,我們提醒你們:你們站在了歷史錯誤的一邊;但只要你們放棄壓迫,我們將伸手相助。
To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow;to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds.And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to the suffering outside our borders;nor can we consume the world's resources without regard to effect.For the world has changed, and we must change with it.對于貧困國家的人民,我們保證同你們并肩努力,為你們的農(nóng)田帶來豐收,讓清潔的用水取之不竭;使饑餓的身體得以飽食,使饑渴的心靈受到滋潤。對于那些象我們一樣比較富裕的國家,我們要說我們再不能對他人的苦難無動于衷,也再不能肆意消耗世界的資源。世界已經(jīng)改變,我們必須與時俱進。
As we consider the road that unfolds before us, we remember with humble gratitude those brave Americans who, at this very hour, patrol far-off deserts and distant mountains.They have something to tell us, just as the fallen heroes who lie in Arlington whisper through the ages.We honor them not only because they are guardians of our liberty, but because they embody the spirit of service;a willingness to find meaning in something greater than themselves.And yet, at this moment — a moment that will define a generation — it is precisely this spirit that must inhabit us all.在思索我們面前的道路時,我們懷著崇敬的心情感謝此刻正在偏遠的沙漠和山區(qū)巡邏的英勇無畏的美國人。他們向我們述說著什么,正如在阿靈頓公墓長眠的陣亡英雄在漫漫歲月中低淺的吟誦。我們崇敬他們,不僅因為他們捍衛(wèi)著我們的自由,而且因為他們代表著獻身精神,體現(xiàn)了超越個人,尋求遠大理想的意愿。然而,在這個時刻,這個具有劃時代意義的時刻,我們大家必須具備的正是這種精神。
For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies.It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break, the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours.It is the firefighter's courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent's willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate.雖然政府能有許多作為也必須有許多作為,但最終離不開美國人民的信仰和決心,這便是我國的立國之本。正是因為人們在大堤崩裂時接納陌生人的關(guān)愛之情,正是因為工人們寧愿減少自己的工時而不愿看到朋友失去工作的無私精神,才使我們度過了最暗淡的時光。正是因為消防隊員們有勇氣沖進濃煙滾滾的樓道,也正是因為做父母的希望培養(yǎng)一個孩子,我們才能決定最后的命運。
Our challenges may be new.The instruments with which we meet them may be new.But those values upon which our success depends — hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism — these things are old.These things are true.They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history.What is demanded then is a return to these truths.What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility — a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task.我們面臨的挑戰(zhàn)可能前所未聞。我們迎接挑戰(zhàn)的方式也可能前所未有。然而,我們賴以成功的價值觀──誠實和勤奮、勇氣和公平、寬容心和探索精神、忠誠和愛國──均由來以久。這些價值觀都是千真萬確的。這些價值觀是我國整個歷史過程中一股無聲的進步力量?,F(xiàn)在需要的便是重歸這些真理。我們現(xiàn)在需要做的是開創(chuàng)負責(zé)任的新時代──每一位美國人都需要認識到我們對自己、對國家、對全世界都承擔(dān)著義務(wù)。對于這些義務(wù),我們并非勉強接受,而是心甘情愿主動承擔(dān),同時堅信我們?yōu)槠D巨的使命付出一切,沒有任何事可以如此滿足我們的道義感,也沒有任何事能如此體現(xiàn)我們的特性。
This is the price and the promise of citizenship.這就是公民的義務(wù)和承諾。
This is the source of our confidence — the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny.這就是我們自信的來源──認識到上帝呼喚我們在前途不明的情況下掌握自己的命運。
This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed — why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent Mall, and why a man whose father less than sixty years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.這就是我們的自由和我們堅守的信條具有的意義──說明了為什么各種族、各類信仰的男女老少能在這個雄偉的大草坪上歡聚一堂,也說明了為什么今天有人能站在這里進行最莊嚴的宣誓,但他的父親在不到60年前還不能在當(dāng)?shù)夭宛^受到接待。
So let us mark this day with remembrance, of who we are and how far we have traveled.In the year of America's birth, in the coldest of months, a small band of patriots huddled by dying campfires on the shores of an icy river.The capital was abandoned.The enemy was advancing.The snow was stained with blood.At a moment when the outcome of our revolution was most in doubt, the father of our nation ordered these words be read to the people: “Let it be told to the future world...that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive...that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet(it).” 為此,讓我們記住這一天,記住我們是什么樣的人,記住我們已經(jīng)走過了多長的路。在美利堅誕生的年月,在那些最寒冷的日子里,為數(shù)不多的愛國者聚集在一條冰河的岸邊,身旁的篝火即將熄滅。首都已經(jīng)撤防。敵人正在進軍。雪地沾滿了斑斑血跡。在我們的革命何去何從,結(jié)局最難以估計的時刻,我國的開國元勛決定向人民宣讀以下這段話:
“讓我們昭告未來的世界......在這個酷寒的冬季,萬物一片蕭蘇,只有希望和美德堅忍不拔的時候......這個城市和這個國家,受到共同危難的召喚,挺身而出,奮起迎戰(zhàn)。” America, in the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words.With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come.Let it be said by our children's children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter;and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God's grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations.美利堅,在我們面臨共同危難之際,在我們遇到艱難險阻的冬日,讓我們牢記這些永恒的話語。心懷希望和美德,讓我們再一次迎著寒風(fēng)中流擊水,不論什么風(fēng)暴來襲,必將堅不可摧。今后,讓我們的后代子孫如此評說:我們在遇到考驗的時候沒有半途而廢,沒有退縮不前,也沒有絲毫動搖;讓我們?nèi)褙炞⒂谇胺降哪繕?,感謝上帝對我們的恩典,繼承自由這個寶貴的傳統(tǒng),世代相傳,永志不忘。Thank you.God bless you.And God bless the United States of America.謝謝。上帝保佑你們。天佑美國。
第五篇:奧巴馬就職演講
First Inaugural Address
by Barack Obama
Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real.They are serious and they are many.They will not be met easily or in a short span of time.But know this, America—they will be met.今天,我告訴大家,我們面臨的挑戰(zhàn)真實存在,并且嚴重而且多種多樣。它們不可能在一個短時間內(nèi)被輕易征服。但是,美國,請記住這句話——它們將被征服。
1.span [sp?n] n.一段時間
On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.我們今天聚集在這里是因為我們選擇希望而不是恐懼,選擇齊心協(xié)力而不是沖突對立。
2.discord ['d?sk?rd] n.沖突
On this day, we come to proclaiman end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminationsand worn out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics.我們今天在這里宣告,讓斤斤計較與虛假承諾就此結(jié)束,讓窒息我國政治為時太久的相互指責(zé)和陳詞濫調(diào)就此完結(jié)。
3.proclaim [pr?'klem] v.宣告,宣布4.pettya.心胸狹窄的5.grievance ['griv?ns] n.不滿,抱怨(grievevt.使悲傷,使苦惱)
6.recrimination n.反責(zé)7.worn outa.陳腐的8.dogman.教條
9.strangle ['str??gl] vt.使窒息
We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come toset aside childish things.The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit;to choose our better history;to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation:the God-given promise that all are equal,all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.我們?nèi)允且粋€年輕的國家,但用《圣經(jīng)》的話說,現(xiàn)在是拋棄幼稚的時候了?,F(xiàn)在應(yīng)是我們讓永恒的精神發(fā)揚光大的時候,應(yīng)是選擇創(chuàng)造更佳歷史偉績的時候,應(yīng)是將代代相傳的寶貴財富、崇高理想向前發(fā)展的時候:上帝賦予所有人平等、所有人自由和所有人充分追求幸福的機會。
10.Scripturen.《圣經(jīng)》11.set aside不顧,放棄
12.reaffirm v.重申,再肯定(affirmv.確認)
13.the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.上帝賦予所有人平等、所有人自由和所有人充分追求幸福的機會。
這句話來源于美國《獨立宣言》,原文是:We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.我們認為這些真理是不言而喻的:人人生而平等,他們都從他們的“造物主”那兒被賦予了某些不可轉(zhuǎn)讓的權(quán)利,其中包括生命權(quán)、自由權(quán)和追求幸福的權(quán)利。
In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given.It must be earned.Our journey has never been one of short-cuts or settling for less.It has not been the path for the faint-hearted for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame.Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things—some celebrated but more often men and women obscure in their labor, who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom.在重申我們國家之偉大精神的同時,我們懂得,偉大從非天生,而是必須去贏得。我們的歷程從來不是走捷徑或是退而求其次。它不是弱者的道路,它不屬于好逸惡勞或只圖名利享受的人;這條路屬于冒險者、實干家、創(chuàng)造者——有些人享有盛名,但大多數(shù)是默默無聞地耕耘勞作的男女志士,是他們帶我們走向通往繁榮和自由的漫長崎嶇之路。
14.givenn.給出物(givenprep.如果有,假如,考慮到)15.short-cutn.捷徑
16.faint-hearteda.膽怯的17.fame [fem] n.名聲,名望(famousa.著名的)
18.obscure [?b'skjur] vt.使變暗,使不明顯19.rugged a.崎嶇的For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled across oceans in search of a new life.為了我們,他們打點起貧寒的行裝上路,遠涉重洋,追求新的生活。
20.pack up打包21.worldly ['w?ldl?] a.世間的(worldn.世界)
For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West, endured the whip and plowed the hard earth.為了我們,他們在血汗工廠勞作,在西部原野拓荒,忍著鞭笞之痛在堅硬的土地上耕耘。
22.toilv.(喻)辛苦從事23.sweatshop n.血汗工廠(工作條件惡劣而工資低的工廠)
24.lash n.鞭打,抽打25.plow [plau] v.犁,耕
For us, they fought and died, in places likeConcord and Gettysburg;Normandy and Khe Sanh.為了我們,他們奔赴疆場,英勇捐軀,長眠于康科德、葛底斯堡、諾曼底和溪山。
26.Concord and Gettysburg;Normandy and Khe Sanh
列克星敦和康科德戰(zhàn)役(Battles of Lexington and Concord),發(fā)生在1775年4月19日的馬薩諸塞州米德爾塞克斯縣,是美國獨立戰(zhàn)爭中發(fā)生的第一場軍事沖突,標志著英國與其北美十三個殖民地正式爆發(fā)了戰(zhàn)爭。
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蓋茨堡之役(Gettysburg),1863年7月1日,十五萬名士兵各自為了理想中的民主政治在美國蓋茲堡打響了戰(zhàn)役,有三分之一的人倒下了,這場戰(zhàn)役成為美國南北戰(zhàn)爭的轉(zhuǎn)折點。諾曼底登陸(Normandy Invasion)是第二次世界大戰(zhàn)中的著名戰(zhàn)役。1944年6月6日凌晨,美英盟軍登陸部隊在??哲姷难谧o下,橫渡英吉利海峽,在法國西北部的諾曼底登陸,為第二戰(zhàn)場向縱深發(fā)展奠定了基礎(chǔ)。
溪山戰(zhàn)役(Battle of Khe Sanh),發(fā)生在1968年1月到4月間的越南戰(zhàn)爭。在此戰(zhàn)役中,越南人民軍部隊猛烈圍攻了美國海軍第3兩棲作戰(zhàn)部隊和越南共和國陸軍駐守的溪生基地。而美軍則在優(yōu)勢空中火力的支援下堅守基地。最終越南人民軍在激戰(zhàn)77天后結(jié)束了對溪山的圍攻。
Time and again these men and women struggled and sacrificed and worked till their hands were raw so that we might live a better life.They saw America as bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions, greater than all the differences of birth or wealth or faction.為了我們能夠過上更好的生活,他們前赴后繼,歷盡艱辛,全力奉獻,不辭勞苦,直至雙手結(jié)起層層老繭。他們看到的美國超越了我們每一個人的雄心壯志,也超越了所有種族、財富或派系的差異。
27.time and again反復(fù),多次
e.g.I've told you time and again—make sure you look before you cross the road.我跟你說過多少次了,要三思而后行(過馬路前一定要左右看一下)。
28.rawa.皮膚某處擦掉皮而疼痛的;生的;自然狀態(tài)的29.factionn.派系;小集團;內(nèi)訌
This is the journey we continue today.We remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on Earth.Our workers are no less productive than when this crisis began.Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were last week or last month or last year.Our capacity remains undiminished.But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions—that time has surely passed.Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.今天,作為后來者,我們踏上了這一未盡的旅程。我們依然是世界上最繁榮、最強大的國家。我們的勞動者的創(chuàng)造力并沒有因為眼前的這場危機而減弱。我們的頭腦依然像以往那樣善于發(fā)明創(chuàng)新。我們的產(chǎn)品與服務(wù)仍舊像上星期、上個月或去年一樣受人歡迎。我們的能力絲毫無損。但是,安于現(xiàn)狀、保護狹隘的一己之私、推遲困難的抉擇的時代無疑已成為過去。從今天起,我們必須振作起來,掃除我們身上的塵土,重新開啟再造美國的事業(yè)。
30.undiminisheda.不減的,未衰的(diminishv.減少,變?。?1.patn.輕拍
32.put off推遲;勸阻
e.g.Don't put off till tomorrow what can be done today.今天事今日畢。
33.pick oneself up跌倒后爬起
e.g.The small girl slipped and fell, but quickly picked herself up.小女孩滑了一跤,但很快就爬了起來。
34.dust off除去……的灰塵;重新使用
e.g.She was dusting off the furniture.她正在撣去家具上的灰塵。