第一篇：奧巴馬對美國學生的中英演講稿

奧巴馬對美國學生的全國講話 中英演講稿

“沒有什么是你們無法實現的，只要你們胸懷大志，只要你們愿意努力，只要你們專注于學習，” know that for many of you, today is the first day of school.And for those of you in kindergarten, or starting middle or high school, it’s your first day in a new school, so it’s understandable if you’re a little nervous.I imagine there are some seniors out there who are feeling pretty good right now--(applause)--with just one more year to go.我知道，今天是你們很多人開學的日子。對于進入小學預備班、初中或高中的學生，今天是你們來到新學校的第一天，心里可能有點緊張，這是可以理解的。我能想象有些畢業(yè)班學生現在感覺很不錯——（掌聲）——還有一年就畢業(yè)了。

I know that feeling.When I was young, my family lived overseas.I lived in Indonesia for a few years.And my mother, she didn’t have the money to send me where all the American kids went to school, but she thought it was important for me to keep up with an American education.So she decided to teach me extra lessons herself, Monday through Friday.我了解這種感覺。我小時候，我們家生活在海外。我在印度尼西亞住了幾年。我媽媽沒有錢送我上其他美國孩子上的學校，但她認為必須讓我接受美式教育。

Now, as you might imagine, I wasn’t too happy about getting up that early.And a lot of times, I’d fall asleep right there at the kitchen table.But whenever I’d complain, my mother would just give me one of those looks and she’d say

你們可以想見，我不太情愿那么早起床。有很多次，我趴在餐桌上就睡著了。但每當我抱怨的時候，我媽媽都會那樣地看我一眼

So I know that some of you are still adjusting to being back at school.But I’m here today because I have something important to discuss with you.我知道你們有些人還在適應開學后的生活。但我今天來到這里是因為有重要的事情要和你們說。我來這里是要和你們談談你們的教育問題，以及在這個新學年對你們所有人的期望。

Now, I’ve given a lot of speeches about education.And I’ve talked about responsibility a lot.我做過很多次有關教育問題的演講。我多次談到過責任問題。

I’ve talked about teachers’ responsibility for inspiring students and pushing you to learn.我談到過教師激勵學生并督促他們學習的責任。

I’ve talked about your parents’ responsibility for making sure you stay on track, and you get your homework done, and don’t spend every waking hour in front of the TV or with the Xbox.我談到過家長的責任，要確保你們走正路，完成家庭作業(yè)，不要整天坐在電視前或玩Xbox游戲。I’ve talked a lot about your government’s responsibility for setting high standards, and supporting teachers and principals, and turning around schools that aren’t working, where students aren’t getting the opportunities that they deserve.我多次談到過政府的責任，要制定高標準，支持教師和校長的工作，徹底改善不能為學生提供應有機會的、教育質量差的學校。

But at the end of the day, we can have the most dedicated teachers, the most supportive parents, the best schools in the world--and none of it will make a difference, none of it will matter unless all of you fulfill your responsibilities, unless you show up to those schools, unless you pay attention to those teachers, unless you listen to your parents and grandparents and other adults and put in the hard work it takes to succeed.That’s what I want to focus on today

然而，即使我們擁有最敬業(yè)的教師，最盡力的家長和全世界最好的學?！绻銈兇蠹也宦男心銈兊呢熑?，不到校上課，不專心聽講，不聽家長、祖父祖母和其他大人的話，不付出取得成功所必須的勤奮努力，那么這一切都毫無用處，都無關緊要。這就是我今天講話的重點

I want to start with the responsibility you have to yourself.Every single one of you has something that you’re good at.Every single one of you has something to offer.我首先要講講你們對自己應盡的責任。你們每個人都有自己的長處。

Maybe you could be a great writer--maybe even good enough to write a book or articles in a newspaper--but you might not know it until you write that English paper--that English class paper that’s assigned to you.Maybe you could be an innovator or an inventor--maybe even good enough to come up with the next iPhone or the new medicine or vaccine

你或許能成為一名出色的作家——甚至可能寫書或在報紙上發(fā)表文章——但你可能要在完成那篇英文課的作文后才會發(fā)現自己的才華。你或許能成為一名創(chuàng)新者或發(fā)明家——甚至可能設計出新一代iPhone或研制出新型藥物或疫苗——但你可能要在完成科學課的實驗后才會發(fā)現自己的才華。你或許能成為一名市長或參議員或最高法院的大法官——但你可能要在參加學生會的工作或辯論隊后才會發(fā)現自己的才華。And no matter what you want to do with your life, I guarantee that you’ll need an education to do it.You want to be a doctor, or a teacher, or a police officer? You want to be a nurse or an architect, a lawyer or a member of our military? You’re going to need a good education for every single one of those careers.You cannot drop out of school and just drop into a good job.You’ve got to train for it and work for it and learn for it.不論你的生活志向是什么，我敢肯定你必須上學讀書才能實現它。你想當醫(yī)生、教師或警官嗎？你想當護士、建筑師、律師或軍人嗎？你必須接受良好的教育，才能從事上述任何一種職業(yè)。你不能指望輟學后能碰上個好工作。你必須接受培訓，為之努力，為之學習。

And this isn’t just important for your own life and your own future.What you make of your education will decide nothing less than the future of this country.The future of America depends on you.What you’re learning in school today will determine whether we as a nation can meet our greatest challenges in the future.這并非只對你個人的人生和未來意義重大?？梢院敛豢浯蟮卣f，教育給你帶來的益處將決定這個國家的未來。美國的未來取決于你們。你們今日在校學習的知識將決定我們作為一個國家是否能夠迎接我們未來所面臨的最嚴峻挑戰(zhàn)。

You’ll need the knowledge and problem-solving skills you learn in science and math to cure diseases like cancer and AIDS, and to develop new energy technologies and protect our environment.You’ll need the insights and critical-thinking skills you gain in history and social studies to fight poverty and homelessne and discrimination, and make our nation more fair and more free.You’ll need the creativity and ingenuity you develop in all your classes to build new companies that will create new jobs and boost our economy.你們將需要利用你們通過自然科學和數學課程所學到的知識和解決問題的能力來治愈癌癥、艾滋病及其他疾病，開發(fā)新的能源技術和保護我們的環(huán)境。你們將需要利用你們在歷史學和社會學課堂上所獲得的知識和獨立思考能力來抗擊貧困和解決無家可歸問題，打擊犯罪和消除歧視，使我們的國家更公平、更自由。你們將需要利用你們在所有課堂上培養(yǎng)的創(chuàng)造力和智慧來創(chuàng)辦新公司，增加就業(yè)機會，振興我們的經濟。We need every single one of you to develop your talents and your skills and your intellect so you can help us old folks solve our most difficult problems.If you don’t do that--if you quit on school--you’re not just quitting on yourself, you’re quitting on your country.我們需要你們每個人發(fā)揮你們的聰明才智和技能，以便幫助老一輩人解決我們面臨的最棘手問題。如果你們不這樣做，如果你們輟學，你們不僅僅是自暴自棄，也是拋棄自己的國家。

Now, I know it’s not always easy to do well in school.I know a lot of you have challenges in your lives right now that can make it hard to focus on your schoolwork.我自然知道要做到學業(yè)優(yōu)秀并非總是易事。我知道你們許多人在生活中面臨挑戰(zhàn)，難以集中精力從事學業(yè)。I get it.I know what it’s like.My father left my family when I was two years old, and I was raised by a single mom who had to work and who struggled at times to pay the bills and wasn’t always able to give us the things that other kids had.There were times when I missed having a father in my life.There were times when I was lonely and I felt like I didn’t fit in.我明白這一點。我有親身感受。兩歲時，我父親離家而去，我是由一位單親母親撫養(yǎng)成人的，母親不得不工作，并時常為支付生活費用而苦苦掙扎，但有時仍無法為我們提供其他孩子享有的東西。有時，我渴望生活中能有一位父親。有時我感到孤獨，感到自己不適應社會。

So I wasn’t always as focused as I should have been on school, and I did some things I’m not proud of, and I got in more trouble than I should have.And my life could have easily taken a turn for the worse.我并非總是像我應該做到的那樣專心學習，我也曾做過我如今不能引以為豪的一些事情，我曾惹過不應該惹的麻煩。我的人生原本會輕易陷入更糟糕的境地。

But I was--I was lucky.I got a lot of second chances, and I had the opportu, she has a similar story.Neither of her parents had gone to college, and they didn’t have a lot of money.But they worked hard, and she worked hard, so that she could go to the best schools in this country.但是，我當年際遇不錯。我有過許多第二次機會，我有幸能上大學，上法學院，追求自己的理想。我的妻子，我們的第一夫人米歇爾?奧巴馬，也有著類似的經歷。她的父母都過大學，家里很窮。但他們非常勤奮，她也是如此，因此她得以進入一些美國最好的學校。

Some of you might not have those advantages.Maybe you don’t have adults in your life who give you the support that you need.Maybe someone in your family has lor job and there’s not enough money to go around.Maybe you live in a neighborhood where you don’t feel safe, or have friends who are pressuring you to do things you know aren’t right.你們中有一些人可能沒有那些有利條件?；蛟S你們生活中沒有成年人為你們提供你們所需要的支持?；蛟S你們家中有人失業(yè)，經濟非常拮據。或許你們生活在使你們感覺不安全的社區(qū)，或有朋友逼迫你們去做你們知道不對的事情。

But at the end of the day, the circumstances of your life--what you look like, where you come from, how much money you have, what you’ve got going on at home--none of that is an excuse for neglecting your homework or having a bad attitude in school.That’s no e for talking back to your teacher, or cutting class, or dropping out of school.There is no excuse for not trying.然而說到底，你們生活的環(huán)境、你們的膚色、你們的原籍、你們的經濟收入、你們家中的境況等等，這一切都不能成為你們不用功或不努力的理由。你們沒有理從你們的老師、逃學、或輟學。沒有理由不付出努力。

Where you are right now doesn’t have to determine where you’ll end up.No one’s written your destiny for you, because here in America, you write your own destiny.You make your own future.你們目前的狀況并不決定著你們的未來。沒有人決定你們的命運，在美國，你們決定自己的命運。你們掌握自己的未來。

That’s what young people like you are doing every day, all across America.這就是像你們這樣的年輕人每天都在做的事情，全美各地都是如此。

Young people like Jazmin Perez, from Roma, Texas.Jazmin didn’t speak English when she first started school.Neither of her parents had gone to college.But she worked hard, earned good grades, and got a scholarship to Brown University--is now in graduate school, studying public health, on her way to becoming Dr.Jazmin Perez.來自得州羅馬城的賈茲敏?佩雷斯（Jazmin Perez）就是一個例證，她剛開始上學時并不會說英文。她的父母都沒有上過大學。然而，她非常勤奮，成績優(yōu)秀，獲得了布朗大學的獎學金，她如今正在讀研究生，攻讀公共衛(wèi)生專業(yè)，不久將成為賈茲敏?佩雷斯博士。

I’m thinking about Andoni Schultz, from Los Altos, California, who’s fought brain cancer since he was three.He’s had to endure all sorts of treatments and surgeries, one of which affected his memory, so it took him much longer--hundreds of extra hours--to do his schoolwork.But he never fell behind.He’s headed to college this fall.我想起了加州洛斯阿爾托斯城的安多尼?舒爾茨（Andoni Schultz），他從三歲開始就一直與腦癌進行抗爭，他不得不忍受各類治療和手術帶來的痛苦，其中一項手術曾影響了他的記憶，因此他花在功課上的時間比一般人長得多，要多出數百個小時。然而，他從未落后。他今年秋季將邁進大學。

And Jazmin, Andoni, and Shantell aren’t any different from any of you.They face challenges in their lives just like you do.In some cases they’ve got it a lot worse off than many of you.But they refused to give up.They chose to take responsibility for their lives, for their education, and set goals for themselves.And I expect all of you to do the same.賈茲敏、安多尼和尚特爾與你們中間的每個人沒什么兩樣。跟你們一樣，他們在生活中面臨種種挑戰(zhàn)。在某些情況下，他們的處境比起你們許多人更差。但他們拒絕放棄。他們決定要為自己的一生、自己的教育負起責任，為自己設定各項奮斗目標。我期待你們大家都會這樣做。That’s why today I’m calling on each of you to set your own goals for your education--and do everything you can to meet them.Your goal can be something as simple as doing all your homework, paying attention in class, or spending some time each day reading a book.Maybe you’ll decide to get involved in an extracurri because of who they are or how they look, because you believe, like I do, that all young people deserve a safe environment to study and learn.Maybe you’ll decide to take better care of yourself so you can be more ready to learn.And along those lines, by the way, I hope all of you are washing your hands a lot, and that you stay home from school when you don’t feel well, so we can keep people from getting the flu this fall and winter.因此，我今天呼吁你們每一個人為自己的教育設定目標，并盡自己的最大努力來實現這些目標。你的目標可以是一件十分簡單的事情，例如完成家庭作業(yè)、上課專心聽講、或每天花一點時間讀一本書。也許你會決定要參加課外活動或在你的有的年輕人都應該享有一個適合讀書和學習的安全環(huán)境。也許你會決定更好地照料自己，以便有更充沛的精力來學習。順便提一下，除了這些事情外，我希望大家要勤洗手，身體感到不舒服的時候要呆在家里不去上學，這樣我們能防止人們在今年秋冬季節(jié)染上流感。

But whatever you resolve to do, I want you to commit to it.I want you to really work at it.但無論你決定做什么，我希望你保證去做。我希望你腳踏實地地去做。

I know that sometimes you get that sense from TV that you can be rich and successful without any hard work--that your ticket to success is through rapping or basketball or being a reality TV star.Chances are you’re not going to The truth is, being successful is hard.You won’t love every subject that you study.You won’t click with every teacher that you have.Not every homework assignment will seem completely relevant to your life right at this minute.And you won’t necessarily succeed at everything the first time you try.事實上，取得成功不是輕而易舉的事情。你不會喜歡你學習的每一門課目。你不會與你的每一位老師都很投契。不是所有的家庭作業(yè)似乎都與你眼前的生活完全有關。你第一次嘗試做每件事的時候，不一定成功。That’s okay.Some of the most successful people in the world are the ones who’ve had the most failures.J.K.Rowling’s--who wrote Harry Potter--her first Harry Potter book was rejected 12 times before it was finally published.這些都沒關系。世界上最成功的人士中有一些是遭遇失敗最多的人。作者J?K?羅琳（J.K.Rowling）所寫的系列小說《哈利?波特》（Harry Potter）第一部在獲得出版之前被退稿12次。邁克爾?喬丹（Michael Jordan）曾被他的高中籃球隊除名。在喬丹的籃球生涯中，他輸過數百場比賽，有成千上萬個球沒有投中。但他曾說過：“在我的一生中，我失敗了一次又一次、一次又一次。這就是我成功的原因?！?/p>

Don’t be afraid to ask questions.Don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it.I do that every day.Asking for help isn’t a sign of weakness, it’s a sign of strenge it shows you have the courage to admit when you don’t know something, and that then allows you to learn something new.So find an adult that you trust--a parent, a grandparent or teacher, a coach or a counselor--and ask them to help you stay on track to meet your goals.不要害怕提問。不要在需要幫助時害怕請求別人幫助。我天天請求別人的幫助。請求幫助不是軟弱的表現，它是力量的標志，因為它表明你有勇氣承認自己對某些事情不懂，這樣做會使你學到新的東西。因此，請確定一位你信任的成年人，例如家長、祖父母或老師、教練或輔導員，請他們幫助你遵循既定計劃實現你的目標。

And even when you’re struggling, even when you’re discouraged, and you feel like other people have given up on you, don’t ever give up on yourself, because when you give up on yourself, you give up on your country.It’s the story of students who sat where you sit 250 years ago, and went on to wage a revolution and they founded this nation.Young people.Students who sat where you sit 75 years ago who overcame a Depression and won a world war;who fought for civil rights and put a man on the moon.Students who sat where you sit 20 years ago who founded Google and Twitter and Facebook and changed the way we communicate with each other.書寫美國歷史的是250年前坐在你們的位置上的學生，他們后來進行了獨立戰(zhàn)爭并創(chuàng)建了這個國家。還有75年前坐在你們的位置上的年輕人和學生，他們走出了大蕭條并打贏了一場世界大戰(zhàn)；他們?yōu)槊駲喽鴬^斗并把宇航員送上了月球。至于20年前坐在你

So today, I want to ask all of you, what’s your contribution going to be? What problems are you going to solve? What discoveries will you make? What will a President who comes here in 20 or 50 or 100 years say about what all of you did for this country? 而今天，我要問問你們大家，你們將做出什么貢獻？你們將解決什么問題？你們將有什么發(fā)現？20年、50年或100年后來到這里講話的總統(tǒng)將會怎樣評價你們大家為

Now, your families, your teachers, and I are doing everything we can to make sure you have the education you need to answer these questions.I’m working hard to fix up your classrooms and get you the books and the equipment and the compeed to learn.But you’ve got to do your part, too.So I expect all of you to get serious this year.I expect you to put your best effort into everything you do.I expect great things from each of you.So don’t let us down.Don’t let your family down or your country down.Most of all, don’t let yourself down.Make us all proud.你們的家人、你們的老師和我正在竭盡全力保證你們接受必要的教育，以便回答上述問題。我正在努力工作，以便你們的教室得到修繕，你們能夠得到學習所需的課本、設備和電腦。但你們也必須盡自己的努力。因此，我希望你們大家從今年起認真對待這個問題。我希望你們盡最大努力做好每一件事。我希望你們每個人都有出色的表現。不要讓我們失望。不人或你們的國家失望。而最重要的是，不要辜負你們自己，而要讓我們都能[為你們]感到驕傲。

Thank you very much, everybody.God bless you.God bless America.Thank you.(Applause.)非常感謝你們大家。愿主保佑你們。愿主保佑美國。謝謝你們。（掌聲）

第二篇：奧巴馬競選演講稿(中英)

美國首任黑人總統(tǒng)奧巴馬競選演講稿（中英）

Obama: The Change We Need

This is a defining moment in our history.We face the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression--760,000 workers have lost their jobs this year.Businesses and families can't get credit.Home values are falling, and pensions are disappearing.Wages are lower than they've been in a decade, at a time when the costs of health care and college have never been higher.At a moment like this, we can't afford four more years of spending increases, poorly designed tax cuts, or the complete lack of regulatory oversight that even former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan now believes was a mistake.America needs a new direction.That's why I'm running for president of the United States.Tomorrow, you can give this country the change we need.My opponent, Senator McCain, has served his country honorably.He can even point to a few moments in the past where he has broken from his party.But over the past eight years, he's voted with President Bush 90% of the time.And when it comes to the economy, he still can't tell the American people one major thing he'd do differently from George Bush.It's not change to come up with a tax plan that doesn't give a penny of relief to more than 100 million middle-class Americans--a plan that even the National Review and other conservative organizations complain does far too little to benefit the middle class.It's not change to add more than $5 trillion to the deficits we've run up in recent years.It's not change to come up with a plan to address our housing crisis that puts another $300 billion of taxpayer money at risk--a plan that the editorial board of this newspaper said 'raises more questions than it answers.'If there's one thing we've learned from this economic crisis, it's that we are all in this together.From CEOs to shareholders, from

financiers to factory workers, we all have a stake in each other's success because the more Americans prosper, the more America prospers.That's why we've had titans of industry who've made it their mission to pay well enough that their employees could afford the products they made--businessmen like Warren Buffett, whose support I'm proud to have.That's why our economy hasn't just been the world's greatest wealth creator--it's been the world's greatest job generator.It's been the tide that has lifted the boats of the largest middle class in history.To rebuild that middle class, I'll give a tax break to 95% of workers and their families.If you work, pay taxes, and make less than $200,000, you'll get a tax cut.If you make more than $250,000, you'll still pay taxes at a lower rate than in the 1990s--and capital gains and dividend taxes one-third lower than they were under President Reagan.We'll create two million new jobs by rebuilding our crumbling

infrastructure and laying broadband lines that reach every corner of the country.I'll invest $15 billion a year over the next decade in renewable energy, creating five million new, green jobs that pay well, can't be outsourced, and can help end our dependence on Middle East oil.When it comes to health care, we don't have to choose between a government-run system and the unaffordable one we have now.My opponent's plan would make you pay taxes on your health-care benefits for the first time in history.My plan will make health care affordable and accessible for every American.If you already have health insurance, the only change you'll see under my plan is lower premiums.If you don't, you'll be able to get the same kind of plan that members of Congress get for themselves.To give every child a world-class education so they can compete in this global economy for the jobs of the 21st century, I'll invest in early childhood education and recruit an army of new teachers.But I'll also demand higher standards and more accountability.And we'll make a deal with every young American: If you commit to serving your community or your country, we will make sure you can afford your tuition.And when it comes to keeping this country safe, I'll end the Iraq war responsibly so we stop spending $10 billion a month in Iraq while it sits on a huge surplus.For the sake of our economy, our military and the long-term stability of Iraq, it's time for the Iraqis to step up.I'll finally finish the fight against bin Laden and the al Qaeda terrorists who attacked us on 9/11, build new partnerships to defeat the threats of the 21st century, and restore our moral standing so that America remains the last, best hope of Earth.None of this will be easy.It won't happen overnight.But I believe we can do this because I believe in America.This is the country that allowed our parents and grandparents to believe that even if they couldn't go to college, they could save a little bit each week so their child could;that even if they couldn't have their own business, they could work hard enough so their child could open one of their own.And at every moment in our history, we've risen to meet our challenges because we've never

forgotten the fundamental truth that in America, our destiny is not written for us, but by us.So tomorrow, I ask you to write our nation's next great chapter.I ask you to believe--not just in my ability to bring about change, but in yours.Tomorrow, you can choose policies that invest in our middle class, create new jobs, and grow this economy so that everyone has a chance to succeed.You can choose hope over fear, unity over division, the promise of change over the power of the status quo.If you give me your vote, we won't just win this election--together, we will change this country and change the world.現在是美國歷史的關鍵時刻。我們面臨著大蕭條以來最為嚴重的一場經濟危機：今年以來已經有76萬人失業(yè)；企業(yè)和家庭無法獲得信貸；房價不斷下滑，養(yǎng)老金日益縮水；工資降到了十年來的最低水平，同時醫(yī)療和教育成本卻漲到了有史以來的最高點。

在眼下這樣的危急時刻，我們承受不起又一個四年的支出增長、千瘡百孔的減稅措施、或是監(jiān)管全無──即使是美國聯邦儲備委員會（Fed）前主席格林斯潘（Alan Greenspan）現在也承認那是個錯誤。美國需要一個新的方向。這也正是我競選美國總統(tǒng)的原因所在。

明天，也就是周二，你們將有能力賦予這個國家我們所需要的變革。Corbis我的競選對手麥凱恩參議員為美國作出的貢獻令人尊敬。他甚至可以指出他過去曾有幾次與自己的黨派分道揚鑣。然而，在過去八年中，他十之八九都贊同布什總統(tǒng)的主張。而在經濟問題上，他仍然無法向美國民眾說明，他與布什的做法會有什么太大區(qū)別。

如果提出的稅收計劃沒有讓1億多美國中產階級獲得一分錢的稅項減免，這不是變革──即使是《國家評論》（National Review）雜志和其他保守派組織也抱怨說，這個計劃對造福中產階級貢獻寥寥。在近年來不斷累積的財政赤字上再添5萬億美元，這不是變革。如果解決房市危機的計劃又將另外3,000億美元納稅人的錢置于風險之中，這不是變革──《華爾街日報》編輯委員會稱這一計劃“產生的問題比解決的問題多”。

如果說我們從此次經濟危機中學到了什么的話，那就是我們要患難與共。從首席執(zhí)行長到公司股東，從金融家到工廠工人，我們每個人都休戚相關，因為美國的民眾越富足，美國才會越繁榮。

這就是為什么我們有些企業(yè)巨頭把提高員工薪酬作為自己的一項使命，讓員工能買得起自己生產的產品，比如巴菲特（Warren Buffett）這樣的商界人士。我對能有他的支持感到自豪。這就是為什么美國經濟不僅是世界上最偉大的財富創(chuàng)造者，也是世界上最偉大的就業(yè)機會制造者。它一直托舉著有史以來規(guī)模最大的中產階級之舟。

為了重塑美國中產階級，我將給予95%的工人及其家庭稅收減免待遇。如果你工作，就交稅；如果年收入不足20萬美元，你會獲得減稅；即使你的年收入超過了25萬美元，你所負擔的稅率也比上世紀九十年代要低──資本利得稅和股息稅要比里根總統(tǒng)時期低三分之一。

通過重建日益破敗的基礎設施、在美國的各個角落接通寬帶，我們將創(chuàng)造200萬個就業(yè)崗位。未來的十年中，我將每年在可再生能源領域投資150億美元，進而新增500萬個崗位；這些工作環(huán)保、薪酬豐厚、不能外包，而且能幫助我們擺脫對中東石油的依賴。

在醫(yī)療問題上，我們不必在政府運營的體系和目前這種我們難以負擔的體系之間進行選擇。我的競選對手提出的方案會令美國人有史以來首次為自己獲得的醫(yī)療福利納稅。我的計劃則會讓醫(yī)療保健成為每個美國人都負擔得起、享受得到的服務。根據我的計劃，如果你已經有了醫(yī)療保險，你將看到的唯一一個變化是保費降低；如果你還沒有醫(yī)療保險，你將能與國會議員們享受到同樣的醫(yī)療福利。為了讓每個孩子享受到世界級的教育，讓他們能在全球經濟中競爭21世紀的工作崗位，我將投資早期教育，并且增加師資力量。不過，我同時也會要求更高的標準和更多的責任。我們向每個美國年輕人作出承諾：如果你致力于服務你的社區(qū)或是你的國家，我們將確保你能負擔得起自己的學費。

在國防安全問題上，我將負責任地結束伊拉克戰(zhàn)爭，這樣我們就不必在這個國家享有巨額財政盈余的情況下每月卻要在那里花費100億美元。為了美國的經濟、美國的軍隊和伊拉克的長期穩(wěn)定，現在是伊拉克人站出來的時候了。我將最終完成對本·拉登（Bin Laden）和基地組織恐怖分子的打擊，正是這些人制造了9/11恐怖襲擊，同時我還會建立新的合作關系、擊退21世紀出現的威脅，恢復我們的道德威望，讓美國仍然是地球上最后也是最好的希望。

這些事情沒有一件是輕而易舉能辦到的，也不是一朝一夕能完成的。但是，我堅信我們能成功，因為我對美國深信不疑。是美國使我們的父輩相信，即使他們自己無法上大學，也可以每周積攢下一些錢來，讓他們的孩子接受好的教育；即使他們不能擁有自己的企業(yè)，也可以通過努力工作讓自己的孩子創(chuàng)辦企業(yè)。在美國歷史的每個時刻，我們都勇敢地站起來面對挑戰(zhàn)，因為我們從來沒有忘記過這樣一個基本真理：在美國，我們的命運并非天定，而是掌握在我們自己的手中。所以，明天，我懇請你們書寫美國下一個偉大的篇章。我懇請你們不只相信我?guī)碜兏锏哪芰?，還有你們自己的能力。明天，你們可以選擇這樣一種政策──向美國中產階級進行投入、創(chuàng)造新的就業(yè)崗位、實現經濟增長讓人人都有成功的機會。你們可以選擇希望而非恐懼、選擇團結而非分裂、選擇變革的希望而非墨守成規(guī)。如果你們投我的票，我們將不僅贏得此次競選，還將一起改變這個國家、改變這個世界。

第三篇：美國首任黑人總統(tǒng)奧巴馬競選演講稿(中英)

美國首任黑人總統(tǒng)奧巴馬競選演講稿（中英）網友常用標簽（共4個）：

中英對照奧巴馬美國競選黑人總統(tǒng)

美國首任黑人總統(tǒng)奧巴馬競選演講：我們需要的變革。

Obama: The Change We Need

This is a defining moment in our history.We face the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression--760,000 workers have lost their jobs this year.Businesses and families can't get credit.Home values are falling, and pensions are disappearing.Wages are lower than they've been in a decade, at a time when the costs of health care and college have never been higher.At a moment like this, we can't afford four more years of spending increases, poorly designed tax cuts, or the complete lack of regulatory oversight that even former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan now believes was a mistake.America needs a new direction.That's why I'm running for president of the United States.Tomorrow, you can give this country the change we need.My opponent, Senator McCain, has served his country honorably.He can even point to a few moments in the past where he has broken from his party.But over the past eight years, he's voted with President Bush 90% of the time.And when it comes to the economy, he still can't tell the American people one major thing he'd do differently from George Bush.It's not change to come up with a tax plan that doesn't give a penny of relief to more than 100 million middle-class Americans--a plan that even the National Review and other conservative organizations complain does far too little to benefit the middle class.It's not change to add more than $5 trillion to the deficits we've run up in recent years.It's not change to come up with a plan to address our housing crisis that puts another $300 billion of taxpayer money at risk--a plan that the editorial board of this newspaper said 'raises more questions than it answers.'

If there's one thing we've learned from this economic crisis, it's that we are all in this together.From CEOs to shareholders, from financiers to factory workers, we all have a stake in each other's success because the more Americans prosper, the more America prospers.That's why we've had titans of industry who've made it their mission to pay well enough that their employees could afford the products they made--businessmen like Warren Buffett, whose support I'm proud to have.That's why our economy hasn't just been the world's greatest wealth creator--it's been the world's greatest job generator.It's been the tide that has lifted the boats of the largest middle class in history.To rebuild that middle class, I'll give a tax break to 95% of workers and their families.If you work, pay taxes, and make less than $200,000, you'll get a tax cut.If you make more than $250,000, you'll still pay taxes at a lower rate than in the 1990s

--and capital gains and dividend taxes one-third lower than they were under President Reagan.We'll create two million new jobs by rebuilding our crumbling infrastructure and laying broadband lines that reach every corner of the country.I'll invest $15 billion a year over the next decade in renewable energy, creating five million new, green jobs that pay well, can't be outsourced, and can help end our dependence on Middle East oil.When it comes to health care, we don't have to choose between a government-run system and the unaffordable one we have now.My opponent's plan would make you pay taxes on your health-care benefits for the first time in history.My plan will make health care affordable and accessible for every American.If you already have health insurance, the only change you'll see under my plan is lower premiums.If you don't, you'll be able to get the same kind of plan that members of Congress get for themselves.To give every child a world-class education so they can compete in this global economy for the jobs of the 21st century, I'll invest in early childhood education and recruit an army of new teachers.But I'll also demand higher standards and more accountability.And we'll make a deal with every young American: If you commit to serving your community or your country, we will make sure you can afford your tuition.And when it comes to keeping this country safe, I'll end the Iraq war responsibly so we stop spending $10 billion a month in Iraq while it sits on a huge surplus.For the sake of our economy, our military and the long-term stability of Iraq, it's time for the Iraqis to step up.I'll finally finish the fight against bin Laden and the al Qaeda terrorists who attacked us on 9/11, build new partnerships to defeat the threats of the 21st century, and restore our moral standing so that America remains the last, best hope of Earth.None of this will be easy.It won't happen overnight.But I believe we can do this because I believe in America.This is the country that allowed our parents and

grandparents to believe that even if they couldn't go to college, they could save a little bit each week so their child could;that even if they couldn't have their own business, they could work hard enough so their child could open one of their own.And at every moment in our history, we've risen to meet our challenges because we've never forgotten the fundamental truth that in America, our destiny is not written for us, but by us.So tomorrow, I ask you to write our nation's next great chapter.I ask you to believe--not just in my ability to bring about change, but in yours.Tomorrow, you can choose policies that invest in our middle class, create new jobs, and grow this economy so that everyone has a chance to succeed.You can choose hope over fear, unity over division, the promise of change over the power of the status quo.If you give me your vote, we won't just win this election--together, we will change this country and change the world.現在是美國歷史的關鍵時刻。我們面臨著大蕭條以來最為嚴重的一場經濟危機：今年以來已經有76萬人失業(yè)；企業(yè)和家庭無法獲得信貸；房價不斷下滑，養(yǎng)老金日益縮水；工資降到了十年來的最低水平，同時醫(yī)療和教育成本卻漲到了有史以來的最高點。

在眼下這樣的危急時刻，我們承受不起又一個四年的支出增長、千瘡百孔的減稅措施、或是監(jiān)管全無──即使是美國聯邦儲備委員會（Fed）前主席格林斯潘（Alan Greenspan）現在也承認那是個錯誤。美國需要一個新的方向。這也正是我競選美國總統(tǒng)的原因所在。

明天，也就是周二，你們將有能力賦予這個國家我們所需要的變革。

Corbis我的競選對手麥凱恩參議員為美國作出的貢獻令人尊敬。他甚至可以指出他過去曾有幾次與自己的黨派分道揚鑣。然而，在過去八年中，他十之八九都贊同布什總統(tǒng)的主張。而在經濟問題上，他仍然無法向美國民眾說明，他與布什的做法會有什么太大區(qū)別。

如果提出的稅收計劃沒有讓1億多美國中產階級獲得一分錢的稅項減免，這不是變革──即使是《國家評論》（National Review）雜志和其他保守派組織也抱怨說，這個計劃對造福中產階級貢獻寥寥。在近年來不斷累積的財政赤字上再添5萬億美元，這不是變革。如果解決房市危機的計劃又將另外3,000億美元納稅人的錢置于風險之中，這不是變革──《華爾街日報》編輯委員會稱這一計劃“產生的問題比解決的問題多”。

如果說我們從此次經濟危機中學到了什么的話，那就是我們要患難與共。從首席執(zhí)行長到公司股東，從金融家到工廠工人，我們每個人都休戚相關，因為美國的民眾越富足，美國才會越繁榮。

這就是為什么我們有些企業(yè)巨頭把提高員工薪酬作為自己的一項使命，讓員工能買得起自己生產的產品，比如巴菲特（Warren Buffett）這樣的商界人士。我對能有他的支持感到自豪。這就是為什么美國經濟不僅是世界上最偉大的財富創(chuàng)造者，也是世界上最偉大的就業(yè)機會制造者。它一直托舉著有史以來規(guī)模最大的中產階級之舟。

為了重塑美國中產階級，我將給予95%的工人及其家庭稅收減免待遇。如果你工作，就交稅；如果年收入不足20萬美元，你會獲得減稅；即使你的年收入超過了25萬美元，你所負擔的稅率也比上世紀九十年代要低──資本利得稅和股息稅要比里根總統(tǒng)時期低三分之一。

通過重建日益破敗的基礎設施、在美國的各個角落接通寬帶，我們將創(chuàng)造200萬個就業(yè)崗位。未來的十年中，我將每年在可再生能源領域投資150億美元，進而新增500萬個崗位；這些工作環(huán)保、薪酬豐厚、不能外包，而且能幫助我們擺脫對中東石油的依賴。

在醫(yī)療問題上，我們不必在政府運營的體系和目前這種我們難以負擔的體系之間進行選擇。我的競選對手提出的方案會令美國人有史以來首次為自己獲得的醫(yī)療福利納稅。我的計劃則會讓醫(yī)療保健成為每個美國人都負擔得起、享受得到的服務。根據我的計劃，如果你已經有了醫(yī)療保險，你將看到的唯一一個變化是保費降低；如果你還沒有醫(yī)療保險，你將能與國會議員們享受到同樣的醫(yī)療福利。

為了讓每個孩子享受到世界級的教育，讓他們能在全球經濟中競爭21世紀的工作崗位，我將投資早期教育，并且增加師資力量。不過，我同時也會要求更高的標準和更多的責任。我們向每個美國年輕人作出承諾：如果你致力于服務你的社區(qū)或是你的國家，我們將確保你能負擔得起自己的學費。

在國防安全問題上，我將負責任地結束伊拉克戰(zhàn)爭，這樣我們就不必在這個國家享有巨額財政盈余的情況下每月卻要在那里花費100億美元。為了美國的經濟、美國的軍隊和伊拉克的長期穩(wěn)定，現在是伊拉克人站出來的時候了。我將最終完成對本·拉登（Bin Laden）和基地組織恐怖分子的打擊，正是這些人制造了9/11恐怖襲擊，同時我還會建立新的合作關系、擊退21世紀出現的威脅，恢復我們的道德威望，讓美國仍然是地球上最后也是最好的希望。

這些事情沒有一件是輕而易舉能辦到的，也不是一朝一夕能完成的。但是，我堅信我們能成功，因為我對美國深信不疑。是美國使我們的父輩相信，即使他們自己無法上大學，也可以每周積攢下一些錢來，讓他們的孩子接受好的教育；即使他們不能擁有自己的企業(yè)，也可以通過努力工作讓自己的孩子創(chuàng)辦企業(yè)。在美國歷史的每個時刻，我們都勇敢地站起來面對挑戰(zhàn)，因為我們從來沒有忘記過這樣一個基本真理：在美國，我們的命運并非天定，而是掌握在我們自己的手中。所以，明天，我懇請你們書寫美國下一個偉大的篇章。我懇請你們不只相信我?guī)碜兏锏哪芰?，還有你們自己的能力。明天，你們可以選擇這樣一種政策──向美國中產階級進行投入、創(chuàng)造新的就業(yè)崗位、實現經濟增長讓人人都有成功的機會。你們可以選擇希望而非恐懼、選擇團結

而非分裂、選擇變革的希望而非墨守成規(guī)。如果你們投我的票，我們將不僅贏得此次競選，還將一起改變這個國家、改變這個世界。

第四篇：夢想與責任---奧巴馬對美國學生的全國講話 中英演講稿

名人名校勵志演講：夢想與責任---奧巴馬對美國學生的全國講話 中英演講稿

國總統(tǒng)奧巴馬2009年9月8日開學演講 英文全文 For Immediate Release September 8, 2009

REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT IN A NATIONAL ADDRESS TO AMERICA'S SCHOOLCHILDREN

Wakefield High School Arlington, Virginia

THE PRESIDENT: Hello, everybody!Thank you.Thank you.Thank you, everybody.All right, everybody go ahead and have a seat.How is everybody doing today?(Applause.)How about Tim Spicer?(Applause.)I am here with students at Wakefield High School in Arlington, Virginia.And we’ve got students tuning in from all across America, from kindergarten through 12th grade.And I am just so glad that all could join us today.And I want to thank Wakefield for being such an outstanding host.Give yourselves a big round of applause.(Applause.)大家好！謝謝你們。謝謝你們。謝謝你們大家。好，大家請就坐。你們今天都好嗎？（掌聲）蒂姆?斯派塞（Tim Spicer）好嗎？（掌聲）我現在與弗吉尼亞州阿靈頓郡韋克菲爾德高中的學生們在一起。美國各地從小學預備班到中學12年級的學生正在收聽收看。我很高興大家今天都能參與。我還要感謝韋克菲爾德高中出色的組織安排。請為你們自己熱烈鼓掌。（掌聲）

I know that for many of you, today is the first day of school.And for those of you in kindergarten, or starting middle or high school, it’s your first day in a new school, so it’s understandable if you’re a little nervous.I imagine there are some seniors out there who are feeling pretty good right now--(applause)--with just one more year to go.And no matter what grade you’re in, some of you are probably wishing it were still summer and you could’ve stayed in bed just a little bit longer this morning.我知道，今天是你們很多人開學的日子。對于進入小學預備班、初中或高中的學生，今天是你們來到新學校的第一天，心里可能有點緊張，這是可以理解的。我能想象有些畢業(yè)班學生現在感覺很不錯——（掌聲）——還有一年就畢業(yè)了。不論在哪個年級，你們有些人可能希望暑假更長一點，今天早上還能多睡一小會兒。

I know that feeling.When I was young, my family lived overseas.I lived in Indonesia for a few years.And my mother, she didn’t have the money to send me where all the American kids went to school, but she thought it was important for me to keep up with an American education.So she decided to teach me extra lessons herself, Monday through Friday.But because she had to go to work, the only time she could do it was at 4:30 in the morning.我了解這種感覺。我小時候，我們家生活在海外。我在印度尼西亞住了幾年。我媽媽沒有錢送我上其他美國孩子上的學校，但她認為必須讓我接受美式教育。因此，她決定從周一到周五自己給我補課。不過她還要上班，所以只能在清晨四點半給我上課。

Now, as you might imagine, I wasn’t too happy about getting up that early.And a lot of times, I’d fall asleep right there at the kitchen table.But whenever I’d complain, my mother would just give me one of those looks and she’d say, “This is no picnic for me either, buster.”(Laughter.)

你們可以想見，我不太情愿那么早起床。有很多次，我趴在餐桌上就睡著了。但每當我抱怨的時候，我媽媽都會那樣地看我一眼，然后說：“小子，這對我也并不輕松?！保ㄐβ暎㏒o I know that some of you are still adjusting to being back at school.But I’m here today because I have something important to discuss with you.I’m here because I want to talk with you about your education and what’s expected of all of you in this new school year.我知道你們有些人還在適應開學后的生活。但我今天來到這里是因為有重要的事情要和你們說。我來這里是要和你們談談你們的教育問題，以及在這個新學年對你們所有人的期望。Now, I’ve given a lot of speeches about education.And I’ve talked about responsibility a lot.我做過很多次有關教育問題的演講。我多次談到過責任問題。

I’ve talked about teachers’ responsibility for inspiring students and pushing you to learn.我談到過教師激勵學生并督促他們學習的責任。

I’ve talked about your parents’ responsibility for making sure you stay on track, and you get your homework done, and don’t spend every waking hour in front of the TV or with the Xbox.我談到過家長的責任，要確保你們走正路，完成家庭作業(yè)，不要整天坐在電視前或玩Xbox游戲。I’ve talked a lot about your government’s responsibility for setting high standards, and supporting teachers and principals, and turning around schools that aren’t working, where students aren’t getting the opportunities that they deserve.我多次談到過政府的責任，要制定高標準，支持教師和校長的工作，徹底改善不能為學生提供應有機會的、教育質量差的學校。

But at the end of the day, we can have the most dedicated teachers, the most supportive parents, the best schools in the world--and none of it will make a difference, none of it will matter unless all of you fulfill your responsibilities, unless you show up to those schools, unless you pay attention to those teachers, unless you listen to your parents and grandparents and other adults and put in the hard work it takes to succeed.That’s what I want to focus on today: the responsibility each of you has for your education.然而，即使我們擁有最敬業(yè)的教師，最盡力的家長和全世界最好的學?！绻銈兇蠹也宦男心銈兊呢熑?，不到校上課，不專心聽講，不聽家長、祖父祖母和其他大人的話，不付出取得成功所必須的勤奮努力，那么這一切都毫無用處，都無關緊要。這就是我今天講話的重點：你們每個人對自己的教育應盡的責任。

I want to start with the responsibility you have to yourself.Every single one of you has something that you’re good at.Every single one of you has something to offer.And you have a responsibility to yourself to discover what that is.That’s the opportunity an education can provide.我首先要講講你們對自己應盡的責任。你們每個人都有自己的長處。你們每個人都能做出自己的貢獻。你們對自己應盡的責任是發(fā)現自己的能力所在。而教育能夠提供這樣的機會。

Maybe you could be a great writer--maybe even good enough to write a book or articles in a newspaper--but you might not know it until you write that English paper--that English class paper that’s assigned to you.Maybe you could be an innovator or an inventor--maybe even good enough to come up with the next iPhone or the new medicine or vaccine--but you might not know it until you do your project for your science class.Maybe you could be a mayor or a senator or a Supreme Court justice--but you might not know that until you join student government or the debate team.你或許能成為一名出色的作家——甚至可能寫書或在報紙上發(fā)表文章——但你可能要在完成那篇英文課的作文后才會發(fā)現自己的才華。你或許能成為一名創(chuàng)新者或發(fā)明家——甚至可能設計出新一代iPhone或研制出新型藥物或疫苗——但你可能要在完成科學課的實驗后才會發(fā)現自己的才華。你或許能成為一名市長或參議員或最高法院的大法官——但你可能要在參加學生會的工作或辯論隊后才會發(fā)現自己的才華。

And no matter what you want to do with your life, I guarantee that you’ll need an education to do it.You want to be a doctor, or a teacher, or a police officer? You want to be a nurse or an architect, a lawyer or a member of our military? You’re going to need a good education for every single one of those careers.You cannot drop out of school and just drop into a good job.You’ve got to train for it and work for it and learn for it.不論你的生活志向是什么，我敢肯定你必須上學讀書才能實現它。你想當醫(yī)生、教師或警官嗎？你想當護士、建筑師、律師或軍人嗎？你必須接受良好的教育，才能從事上述任何一種職業(yè)。你不能指望輟學后能碰上個好工作。你必須接受培訓，為之努力，為之學習。And this isn’t just important for your own life and your own future.What you make of your education will decide nothing less than the future of this country.The future of America depends on you.What you’re learning in school today will determine whether we as a nation can meet our greatest challenges in the future.這并非只對你個人的人生和未來意義重大?？梢院敛豢浯蟮卣f，教育給你帶來的益處將決定這個國家的未來。美國的未來取決于你們。你們今日在校學習的知識將決定我們作為一個國家是否能夠迎接我們未來所面臨的最嚴峻挑戰(zhàn)。

You’ll need the knowledge and problem-solving skills you learn in science and math to cure diseases like cancer and AIDS, and to develop new energy technologies and protect our environment.You’ll need the insights and critical-thinking skills you gain in history and social studies to fight poverty and homelessness, crime and discrimination, and make our nation more fair and more free.You’ll need the creativity and ingenuity you develop in all your classes to build new companies that will create new jobs and boost our economy.你們將需要利用你們通過自然科學和數學課程所學到的知識和解決問題的能力來治愈癌癥、艾滋病及其他疾病，開發(fā)新的能源技術和保護我們的環(huán)境。你們將需要利用你們在歷史學和社會學課堂上所獲得的知識和獨立思考能力來抗擊貧困和解決無家可歸問題，打擊犯罪和消除歧視，使我們的國家更公平、更自由。你們將需要利用你們在所有課堂上培養(yǎng)的創(chuàng)造力和智慧來創(chuàng)辦新公司，增加就業(yè)機會，振興我們的經濟。

We need every single one of you to develop your talents and your skills and your intellect so you can help us old folks solve our most difficult problems.If you don’t do that--if you quit on school--you’re not just quitting on yourself, you’re quitting on your country.我們需要你們每個人發(fā)揮你們的聰明才智和技能，以便幫助老一輩人解決我們面臨的最棘手問題。如果你們不這樣做，如果你們輟學，你們不僅僅是自暴自棄，也是拋棄自己的國家。Now, I know it’s not always easy to do well in school.I know a lot of you have challenges in your lives right now that can make it hard to focus on your schoolwork.我自然知道要做到學業(yè)優(yōu)秀并非總是易事。我知道你們許多人在生活中面臨挑戰(zhàn)，難以集中精力從事學業(yè)。

I get it.I know what it’s like.My father left my family when I was two years old, and I was raised by a single mom who had to work and who struggled at times to pay the bills and wasn’t always able to give us the things that other kids had.There were times when I missed having a father in my life.There were times when I was lonely and I felt like I didn’t fit in.我明白這一點。我有親身感受。兩歲時，我父親離家而去，我是由一位單親母親撫養(yǎng)成人的，母親不得不工作，并時常為支付生活費用而苦苦掙扎，但有時仍無法為我們提供其他孩子享有的東西。有時，我渴望生活中能有一位父親。有時我感到孤獨，感到自己不適應社會。So I wasn’t always as focused as I should have been on school, and I did some things I’m not proud of, and I got in more trouble than I should have.And my life could have easily taken a turn for the worse.我并非總是像我應該做到的那樣專心學習，我也曾做過我如今不能引以為豪的一些事情，我曾惹過不應該惹的麻煩。我的人生原本會輕易陷入更糟糕的境地。

But I was--I was lucky.I got a lot of second chances, and I had the opportunity to go to college and law school and follow my dreams.My wife, our First Lady Michelle Obama, she has a similar story.Neither of her parents had gone to college, and they didn’t have a lot of money.But they worked hard, and she worked hard, so that she could go to the best schools in this country.但是，我當年際遇不錯。我有過許多第二次機會，我有幸能上大學，上法學院，追求自己的理想。我的妻子，我們的第一夫人米歇爾?奧巴馬，也有著類似的經歷。她的父母都未曾上過大學，家里很窮。但他們非常勤奮，她也是如此，因此她得以進入一些美國最好的學校。Some of you might not have those advantages.Maybe you don’t have adults in your life who give you the support that you need.Maybe someone in your family has lost their job and there’s not enough money to go around.Maybe you live in a neighborhood where you don’t feel safe, or have friends who are pressuring you to do things you know aren’t right.你們中有一些人可能沒有那些有利條件?；蛟S你們生活中沒有成年人為你們提供你們所需要的支持?；蛟S你們家中有人失業(yè)，經濟非常拮據?；蛟S你們生活在使你們感覺不安全的社區(qū)，或有朋友逼迫你們去做你們知道不對的事情。

But at the end of the day, the circumstances of your life--what you look like, where you come from, how much money you have, what you’ve got going on at home--none of that is an excuse for neglecting your homework or having a bad attitude in school.That’s no excuse for talking back to your teacher, or cutting class, or dropping out of school.There is no excuse for not trying.然而說到底，你們生活的環(huán)境、你們的膚色、你們的原籍、你們的經濟收入、你們家中的境況等等，這一切都不能成為你們不用功或不努力的理由。你們沒有理由不服從你們的老師、逃學、或輟學。沒有理由不付出努力。

Where you are right now doesn’t have to determine where you’ll end up.No one’s written your destiny for you, because here in America, you write your own destiny.You make your own future.你們目前的狀況并不決定著你們的未來。沒有人決定你們的命運，在美國，你們決定自己的命運。你們掌握自己的未來。That’s what young people like you are doing every day, all across America.這就是像你們這樣的年輕人每天都在做的事情，全美各地都是如此。

Young people like Jazmin Perez, from Roma, Texas.Jazmin didn’t speak English when she first started school.Neither of her parents had gone to college.But she worked hard, earned good grades, and got a scholarship to Brown University--is now in graduate school, studying public health, on her way to becoming Dr.Jazmin Perez.來自得州羅馬城的賈茲敏?佩雷斯（Jazmin Perez）就是一個例證，她剛開始上學時并不會說英文。她的父母都沒有上過大學。然而，她非常勤奮，成績優(yōu)秀，獲得了布朗大學的獎學金，她如今正在讀研究生，攻讀公共衛(wèi)生專業(yè)，不久將成為賈茲敏?佩雷斯博士。I’m thinking about Andoni Schultz, from Los Altos, California, who’s fought brain cancer since he was three.He’s had to endure all sorts of treatments and surgeries, one of which affected his memory, so it took him much longer--hundreds of extra hours--to do his schoolwork.But he never fell behind.He’s headed to college this fall.我想起了加州洛斯阿爾托斯城的安多尼?舒爾茨（Andoni Schultz），他從三歲開始就一直與腦癌進行抗爭，他不得不忍受各類治療和手術帶來的痛苦，其中一項手術曾影響了他的記憶，因此他花在功課上的時間比一般人長得多，要多出數百個小時。然而，他從未落后。他今年秋季將邁進大學。And then there’s Shantell Steve, from my hometown of Chicago, Illinois.Even when bouncing from foster home to foster home in the toughest neighborhoods in the city, she managed to get a job at a local health care center, start a program to keep young people out of gangs, and she’s on track to graduate high school with honors and go on to college.我還想起家鄉(xiāng)伊利諾伊州芝加哥市的尚特爾?史蒂夫（Shantell Steve）。她曾在芝加哥最困難的社區(qū)生活，寄養(yǎng)于多個不同的家庭，但她最終在一家地方醫(yī)療中心找到工作，并開始了一項幫助年輕人遠離流氓團伙的計劃，她即將以優(yōu)異成績從中學畢業(yè)，緊接著將上大學。And Jazmin, Andoni, and Shantell aren’t any different from any of you.They face challenges in their lives just like you do.In some cases they’ve got it a lot worse off than many of you.But they refused to give up.They chose to take responsibility for their lives, for their education, and set goals for themselves.And I expect all of you to do the same.賈茲敏、安多尼和尚特爾與你們中間的每個人沒什么兩樣。跟你們一樣，他們在生活中面臨種種挑戰(zhàn)。在某些情況下，他們的處境比起你們許多人更差。但他們拒絕放棄。他們決定要為自己的一生、自己的教育負起責任，為自己設定各項奮斗目標。我期待你們大家都會這樣做。

That’s why today I’m calling on each of you to set your own goals for your education--and do everything you can to meet them.Your goal can be something as simple as doing all your homework, paying attention in class, or spending some time each day reading a book.Maybe you’ll decide to get involved in an extracurricular activity, or volunteer in your community.Maybe you’ll decide to stand up for kids who are being teased or bullied because of who they are or how they look, because you believe, like I do, that all young people deserve a safe environment to study and learn.Maybe you’ll decide to take better care of yourself so you can be more ready to learn.And along those lines, by the way, I hope all of you are washing your hands a lot, and that you stay home from school when you don’t feel well, so we can keep people from getting the flu this fall and winter.因此，我今天呼吁你們每一個人為自己的教育設定目標，并盡自己的最大努力來實現這些目標。你的目標可以是一件十分簡單的事情，例如完成家庭作業(yè)、上課專心聽講、或每天花一點時間讀一本書。也許你會決定要參加課外活動或在你的社區(qū)提供志愿服務。也許你會決定挺身而出保護那些因為身份或長相而受人戲弄或欺負的孩子，原因是你和我一樣認為所有的年輕人都應該享有一個適合讀書和學習的安全環(huán)境。也許你會決定更好地照料自己，以便有更充沛的精力來學習。順便提一下，除了這些事情外，我希望大家要勤洗手，身體感到不舒服的時候要呆在家里不去上學，這樣我們能防止人們在今年秋冬季節(jié)染上流感。But whatever you resolve to do, I want you to commit to it.I want you to really work at it.但無論你決定做什么，我希望你保證去做。我希望你腳踏實地地去做。

I know that sometimes you get that sense from TV that you can be rich and successful without any hard work--that your ticket to success is through rapping or basketball or being a reality TV star.Chances are you’re not going to be any of those things.我知道有時候你會從電視上得到這樣的印象：你不用做任何艱苦的工作就能發(fā)財致富并取得成功，唱小調、打籃球或成為真人秀明星是走向成功的途徑。但實際情況是：你可能不會成為其中的一員。

The truth is, being successful is hard.You won’t love every subject that you study.You won’t click with every teacher that you have.Not every homework assignment will seem completely relevant to your life right at this minute.And you won’t necessarily succeed at everything the first time you try.事實上，取得成功不是輕而易舉的事情。你不會喜歡你學習的每一門課目。你不會與你的每一位老師都很投契。不是所有的家庭作業(yè)似乎都與你眼前的生活完全有關。你第一次嘗試做每件事的時候，不一定成功。

That’s okay.Some of the most successful people in the world are the ones who’ve had the most failures.J.K.Rowling’s--who wrote Harry Potter--her first Harry Potter book was rejected 12 times before it was finally published.Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team.He lost hundreds of games and missed thousands of shots during his career.But he once said, “I have failed over and over and over again in my life.And that’s why I succeed.” 這些都沒關系。世界上最成功的人士中有一些是遭遇失敗最多的人。作者J?K?羅琳（J.K.Rowling）所寫的系列小說《哈利?波特》（Harry Potter）第一部在獲得出版之前被退稿12次。邁克爾?喬丹（Michael Jordan）曾被他的高中籃球隊除名。在喬丹的籃球生涯中，他輸過數百場比賽，有成千上萬個球沒有投中。但他曾說過：“在我的一生中，我失敗了一次又一次、一次又一次。這就是我成功的原因?！?/p>

These people succeeded because they understood that you can’t let your failures define you--you have to let your failures teach you.You have to let them show you what to do differently the next time.So if you get into trouble, that doesn’t mean you’re a troublemaker, it means you need to try harder to act right.If you get a bad grade, that doesn’t mean you’re stupid, it just means you need to spend more time studying.這些人士獲得成功，因為他們懂得：你不能讓失敗來限制你，而必須讓失敗來開導你。你必須讓失敗向你展示下次如何以不同的方式去做這件事情。因此，如果你遇到麻煩，那并不表示你是麻煩的制造者，而意味著你需要更加努力去把它做對。如果你有一門課分數低，那不表示你比別人笨，而只表示你需要花更多的時間學習。

No one’s born being good at all things.You become good at things through hard work.You’re not a varsity athlete the first time you play a new sport.You don’t hit every note the first time you sing a song.You’ve got to practice.The same principle applies to your schoolwork.You might have to do a math problem a few times before you get it right.You might have to read something a few times before you understand it.You definitely have to do a few drafts of a paper before it’s good enough to hand in.沒有一個人天生擅長做各種事情。你通過勤奮而變得擅長于各種事情。第一次從事新的體育項目時，你不可能是一位主力隊員。第一次唱一首歌曲時，你不可能唱準每個音。你必須練習。同樣的道理適用于你的學業(yè)。你可能要把一道數學題做幾次才把它做對。你可能要把一些材料閱讀幾遍才能理解。在交出一篇優(yōu)美的作文之前，你肯定需要打幾遍草稿。Don’t be afraid to ask questions.Don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it.I do that every day.Asking for help isn’t a sign of weakness, it’s a sign of strength because it shows you have the courage to admit when you don’t know something, and that then allows you to learn something new.So find an adult that you trust--a parent, a grandparent or teacher, a coach or a counselor--and ask them to help you stay on track to meet your goals.不要害怕提問。不要在需要幫助時害怕請求別人幫助。我天天請求別人的幫助。請求幫助不是軟弱的表現，它是力量的標志，因為它表明你有勇氣承認自己對某些事情不懂，這樣做會使你學到新的東西。因此，請確定一位你信任的成年人，例如家長、祖父母或老師、教練或輔導員，請他們幫助你遵循既定計劃實現你的目標。

And even when you’re struggling, even when you’re discouraged, and you feel like other people have given up on you, don’t ever give up on yourself, because when you give up on yourself, you give up on your country.即使當你苦苦掙扎、灰心喪氣、感到其他人對你不抱希望時，也不要對你自己喪失信心，因為當你自暴自棄時，你也拋棄了自己的國家。

The story of America isn’t about people who quit when things got tough.It’s about people who kept going, who tried harder, who loved their country too much to do anything less than their best.書寫美國歷史的不是在困難時刻退縮的人，而是堅持不懈、加倍努力的人，他們對國家的愛促使他們全力以赴。

It’s the story of students who sat where you sit 250 years ago, and went on to wage a revolution and they founded this nation.Young people.Students who sat where you sit 75 years ago who overcame a Depression and won a world war;who fought for civil rights and put a man on the moon.Students who sat where you sit 20 years ago who founded Google and Twitter and Facebook and changed the way we communicate with each other.書寫美國歷史的是250年前坐在你們的位置上的學生，他們后來進行了獨立戰(zhàn)爭并創(chuàng)建了這個國家。還有75年前坐在你們的位置上的年輕人和學生，他們走出了大蕭條并打贏了一場世界大戰(zhàn)；他們?yōu)槊駲喽鴬^斗并把宇航員送上了月球。至于20年前坐在你們的位置上的學生，他們創(chuàng)辦了谷歌（Google）、嘰喳網（Twitter）和臉譜網（Facebook），改變了我們交流溝通的方式。

So today, I want to ask all of you, what’s your contribution going to be? What problems are you going to solve? What discoveries will you make? What will a President who comes here in 20 or 50 or 100 years say about what all of you did for this country? 而今天，我要問問你們大家，你們將做出什么貢獻？你們將解決什么問題？你們將有什么發(fā)現？20年、50年或100年后來到這里講話的總統(tǒng)將會怎樣評價你們大家為這個國家所做的一切？

Now, your families, your teachers, and I are doing everything we can to make sure you have the education you need to answer these questions.I’m working hard to fix up your classrooms and get you the books and the equipment and the computers you need to learn.But you’ve got to do your part, too.So I expect all of you to get serious this year.I expect you to put your best effort into everything you do.I expect great things from each of you.So don’t let us down.Don’t let your family down or your country down.Most of all, don’t let yourself down.Make us all proud.你們的家人、你們的老師和我正在竭盡全力保證你們接受必要的教育，以便回答上述問題。我正在努力工作，以便你們的教室得到修繕，你們能夠得到學習所需的課本、設備和電腦。但你們也必須盡自己的努力。因此，我希望你們大家從今年起認真對待這個問題。我希望你們盡最大努力做好每一件事。我希望你們每個人都有出色的表現。不要讓我們失望。不要讓你們的家人或你們的國家失望。而最重要的是，不要辜負你們自己，而要讓我們都能[為你們]感到驕傲。Thank you very much, everybody.God bless you.God bless America.Thank you.(Applause.)非常感謝你們大家。愿主保佑你們。愿主保佑美國。謝謝你們。（掌聲）

第五篇：奧巴馬對學生的演講稿

奧巴馬對學生的演講稿

Hello, everybody!Thank you.Thank you.Thank you, everybody.All right, everybody go ahead and have a seat.How is everybody doing today?(Applause.)How about Tim Spicer?(Applause.)I am here with students at Wakefield High School in Arlington, Virginia.And we’ve got students tuning in from all across America, from kindergarten through 12th grade.And I am just so glad that all could join us today.And I want to thank Wakefield for being such an outstanding host.Give yourselves a big round of applause.(Applause.)大家好！謝謝你們。謝謝你們。謝謝你們大家。好，大家請就坐。你們今天都好嗎？(掌聲)蒂姆·斯派塞(Tim Spicer)好嗎？(掌聲)我現在與弗吉尼亞州阿靈頓郡韋克菲爾德高中的學生們在一起。美國各地從小學預備班到中學12年級的學生正在收聽收看。我很高興大家今天都能參與。我還要感謝韋克菲爾德高中出色的組織安排。請為你們自己熱烈鼓掌。(掌聲)

I know that for many of you, today is the first day of school.And for those of you in kindergarten, or starting middle or high school, it’s your first day in a new school, so it’s understandable if you’re a little nervous.I imagine there are some seniors out there who are feeling pretty good right now--(applause)--with just one more year to go.And no matter what grade you’re in, some of you are probably wishing it were still summer and you could’ve stayed in bed just a little bit longer this morning.我知道，今天是你們很多人開學的日子。對于進入小學預備班、初中或高中的學生，今天是你們來到新學校的第一天，心里可能有點緊張，這是可以理解的。我能想象有些畢業(yè)班學生現在感覺很不錯——(掌聲)——還有一年就畢業(yè)了。不論在哪個年級，你們有些人可能希望暑假更長一點，今天早上還能多睡一小會兒。I know that feeling.When I was young, my family lived overseas.I lived in Indonesia for a few years.And my mother, she didn’t have the money to send me where all the American kids went to school, but she thought it was important for me to keep up with an American education.So she decided to teach me extra lessons herself, Monday through Friday.But because she had to go to work, the only time she could do it was at 4:30 in the morning.我了解這種感覺。我小時候，我們家生活在海外。我在印度尼西亞住了幾年。我媽媽沒有錢送我上其他美國孩子上的學校，但她認為必須讓我接受美式教育。因此，她決定從周一到周五自己給我補課。不過她還要上班，所以只能在清晨四點半給我上課。

Now, as you might imagine, I wasn’t too happy about getting up that early.And a lot of times, I’d fall asleep right there at the kitchen table.But whenever I’d complain, my mother would just give me one of those looks and she’d say, “This is no picnic for me either, buster.”(Laughter.)

你們可以想見，我不太情愿那么早起床。有很多次，我趴在餐桌上就睡著了。但每當我抱怨的時候，我媽媽都會那樣地看我一眼，然后說：“小子，這對我也并不輕松?！?笑聲)

So I know that some of you are still adjusting to being back at school.But I’m here today because I have something important to discuss with you.I’m here because I want to talk with you about your education and what’s expected of all of you in this new school year.我知道你們有些人還在適應開學后的生活。但我今天來到這里是因為有重要的事情要和你們說。我來這里是要和你們談談你們的教育問題，以及在這個新學年對你們所有人的期望。

Now, I’ve given a lot of speeches about education.And I’ve talked about responsibility a lot.我做過很多次有關教育問題的演講。我多次談到過責任問題。

I’ve talked about teachers’ responsibility for inspiring students and pushing you to learn.我談到過教師激勵學生并督促他們學習的責任。

I’ve talked about your parents’ responsibility for making sure you stay on track, and you get your homework done, and don’t spend every waking hour in front of the TV or with the Xbox.我談到過家長的責任，要確保你們走正路，完成家庭作業(yè)，不要整天坐在電視前或玩Xbox游戲。

I’ve talked a lot about your government’s responsibility for setting high standards, and supporting teachers and principals, and turning around schools that aren’t working, where students aren’t getting the opportunities that they deserve.我多次談到過政府的責任，要制定高標準，支持教師和校長的工作，徹底改善不能為學生提供應有機會的、教育質量差的學校。

But at the end of the day, we can have the most dedicated teachers, the most supportive parents, the best schools in the world--and none of it will make a difference, none of it will matter unless all of you fulfill your responsibilities, unless you show up to those schools, unless you pay attention to those teachers, unless you listen to your parents and grandparents and other adults and put in the hard work it takes to succeed.That’s what I want to focus on today: the responsibility each of you has for your education.然而，即使我們擁有最敬業(yè)的教師，最盡力的家長和全世界最好的學?！绻銈兇蠹也宦男心銈兊呢熑危坏叫Ｉ险n，不專心聽講，不聽家長、祖父祖母和其他大人的話，不付出取得成功所必須的勤奮努力，那么這一切都毫無用處，都無關緊要。這就是我今天講話的重點：你們每個人對自己的教育應盡的責任。I want to start with the responsibility you have to yourself.Every single one of you has something that you’re good at.Every single one of you has something to offer.And you have a responsibility to yourself to discover what that is.That’s the opportunity an education can provide.我首先要講講你們對自己應盡的責任。你們每個人都有自己的長處。你們每個人都能做出自己的貢獻。你們對自己應盡的責任是發(fā)現自己的能力所在。而教育能夠提供這樣的機會。

Maybe you could be a great writer--maybe even good enough to write a book or articles in a newspaper--but you might not know it until you write that English paper--that English class paper that’s assigned to you.Maybe you could be an innovator or an inventor--maybe even good enough to come up with the next iPhone or the new medicine or vaccine--but you might not know it until you do your project for your science class.Maybe you could be a mayor or a senator or a Supreme Court justice--but you might not know that until you join student government or the debate team.你或許能成為一名出色的作家——甚至可能寫書或在報紙上發(fā)表文章——但你可能要在完成那篇英文課的作文后才會發(fā)現自己的才華。你或許能成為一名創(chuàng)新者或發(fā)明家——甚至可能設計出新一代iPhone或研制出新型藥物或疫苗——但你可能要在完成科學課的實驗后才會發(fā)現自己的才華。你或許能成為一名市長或參議員或最高法院的大法官——但你可能要在參加學生會的工作或辯論隊后才會發(fā)現自己的才華。

And no matter what you want to do with your life, I guarantee that you’ll need an education to do it.You want to be a doctor, or a teacher, or a police officer? You want to be a nurse or an architect, a lawyer or a member of our military? You’re going to need a good education for every single one of those careers.You cannot drop out of school and just drop into a good job.You’ve got to train for it and work for it and learn for it.不論你的生活志向是什么，我敢肯定你必須上學讀書才能實現它。你想當醫(yī)生、教師或警官嗎？你想當護士、建筑師、律師或軍人嗎？你必須接受良好的教育，才能從事上述任何一種職業(yè)。你不能指望輟學后能碰上個好工作。你必須接受培訓，為之努力，為之學習。

And this isn’t just important for your own life and your own future.What you make of your education will decide nothing less than the future of this country.The future of America depends on you.What you’re learning in school today will determine whether we as a nation can meet our greatest challenges in the future.這并非只對你個人的人生和未來意義重大。可以毫不夸大地說，教育給你帶來的益處將決定這個國家的未來。美國的未來取決于你們。你們今日在校學習的知識將決定我們作為一個國家是否能夠迎接我們未來所面臨的最嚴峻挑戰(zhàn)。

You’ll need the knowledge and problem-solving skills you learn in science and math to cure diseases like cancer and AIDS, and to develop new energy technologies and protect our environment.You’ll need the insights and critical-thinking skills you gain in history and social studies to fight poverty and homelessness, crime and discrimination, and make our nation more fair and more free.You’ll need the creativity and ingenuity you develop in all your classes to build new companies that will create new jobs and boost our economy.你們將需要利用你們通過自然科學和數學課程所學到的知識和解決問題的能力來治愈癌癥、艾滋病及其他疾病，開發(fā)新的能源技術和保護我們的環(huán)境。你們將需要利用你們在歷史學和社會學課堂上所獲得的知識和獨立思考能力來抗擊貧困和解決無家可歸問題，打擊犯罪和消除歧視，使我們的國家更公平、更自由。你們將需要利用你們在所有課堂上培養(yǎng)的創(chuàng)造力和智慧來創(chuàng)辦新公司，增加就業(yè)機會，振興我們的經濟。

We need every single one of you to develop your talents and your skills and your intellect so you can help us old folks solve our most difficult problems.If you don’t do that--if you quit on school--you’re not just quitting on yourself, you’re quitting on your country.004km.cn 我們需要你們每個人發(fā)揮你們的聰明才智和技能，以便幫助老一輩人解決我們面臨的最棘手問題。如果你們不這樣做，如果你們輟學，你們不僅僅是自暴自棄，也是拋棄自己的國家。

Now, I know it’s not always easy to do well in school.I know a lot of you have challenges in your lives right now that can make it hard to focus on your schoolwork.我自然知道要做到學業(yè)優(yōu)秀并非總是易事。我知道你們許多人在生活中面臨挑戰(zhàn)，難以集中精力從事學業(yè)。I get it.I know what it’s like.My father left my family when I was two years old, and I was raised by a single mom who had to work and who struggled at times to pay the bills and wasn’t always able to give us the things that other kids had.There were times when I missed having a father in my life.There were times when I was lonely and I felt like I didn’t fit in.我明白這一點。我有親身感受。兩歲時，我父親離家而去，我是由一位單親母親撫養(yǎng)成人的，母親不得不工作，并時常為支付生活費用而苦苦掙扎，但有時仍無法為我們提供其他孩子享有的東西。有時，我渴望生活中能有一位父親。有時我感到孤獨，感到自己不適應社會。

So I wasn’t always as focused as I should have been on school, and I did some things I’m not proud of, and I got in more trouble than I should have.And my life could have easily taken a turn for the worse.我并非總是像我應該做到的那樣專心學習，我也曾做過我如今不能引以為豪的一些事情，我曾惹過不應該惹的麻煩。我的人生原本會輕易陷入更糟糕的境地。

But I was--I was lucky.I got a lot of second chances, and I had the opportunity to go to college and law school and follow my dreams.My wife, our First Lady Michelle Obama, she has a similar story.Neither of her parents had gone to college, and they didn’t have a lot of money.But they worked hard, and she worked hard, so that she could go to the best schools in this country.但是，我當年際遇不錯。我有過許多第二次機會，我有幸能上大學，上法學院，追求自己的理想。我的妻子，我們的第一夫人米歇爾?奧巴馬，也有著類似的經歷。她的父母都未曾上過大學，家里很窮。但他們非常勤奮，她也是如此，因此她得以進入一些美國最好的學校。

Some of you might not have those advantages.Maybe you don’t have adults in your life who give you the support that you need.Maybe someone in your family has lost their job and there’s not enough money to go around.Maybe you live in a neighborhood where you don’t feel safe, or have friends who are pressuring you to do things you know aren’t right.你們中有一些人可能沒有那些有利條件?；蛟S你們生活中沒有成年人為你們提供你們所需要的支持?；蛟S你們家中有人失業(yè)，經濟非常拮據。或許你們生活在使你們感覺不安全的社區(qū)，或有朋友逼迫你們去做你們知道不對的事情。

But at the end of the day, the circumstances of your life--what you look like, where you come from, how much money you have, what you’ve got going on at home--none of that is an excuse for neglecting your homework or having a bad attitude in school.That’s no excuse for talking back to your teacher, or cutting class, or dropping out of school.There is no excuse for not trying.然而說到底，你們生活的環(huán)境、你們的膚色、你們的原籍、你們的經濟收入、你們家中的境況等等，這一切都不能成為你們不用功或不努力的理由。你們沒有理由不服從你們的老師、逃學、或輟學。沒有理由不付出努力。

Where you are right now doesn’t have to determine where you’ll end up.No one’s written your destiny for you, because here in America, you write your own destiny.You make your own future.你們目前的狀況并不決定著你們的未來。沒有人決定你們的命運，在美國，你們決定自己的命運。你們掌握自己的未來。

That’s what young people like you are doing every day, all across America.這就是像你們這樣的年輕人每天都在做的事情，全美各地都是如此。Young people like Jazmin Perez, from Roma, Texas.Jazmin didn’t speak English when she first started school.Neither of her parents had gone to college.But she worked hard, earned good grades, and got a scholarship to Brown University--is now in graduate school, studying public health, on her way to becoming Dr.Jazmin Perez.來自得州羅馬城的賈茲敏?佩雷斯(Jazmin Perez)就是一個例證，她剛開始上學時并不會說英文。她的父母都沒有上過大學。然而，她非常勤奮，成績優(yōu)秀，獲得了布朗大學的獎學金，她如今正在讀研究生，攻讀公共衛(wèi)生專業(yè)，不久將成為賈茲敏?佩雷斯博士。

I’m thinking about Andoni Schultz, from Los Altos, California, who’s fought brain cancer since he was three.He’s had to endure all sorts of treatments and surgeries, one of which affected his memory, so it took him much longer--hundreds of extra hours--to do his schoolwork.But he never fell behind.He’s headed to college this fall.我想起了加州洛斯阿爾托斯城的安多尼?舒爾茨(Andoni Schultz)，他從三歲開始就一直與腦癌進行抗爭，他不得不忍受各類治療和手術帶來的痛苦，其中一項手術曾影響了他的記憶，因此他花在功課上的時間比一般人長得多，要多出數百個小時。然而，他從未落后。他今年秋季將邁進大學。

And then there’s Shantell Steve, from my hometown of Chicago, Illinois.Even when bouncing from foster home to foster home in the toughest neighborhoods in the city, she managed to get a job at a local health care center, start a program to keep young people out of gangs, and she’s on track to graduate high school with honors and go on to college.我還想起家鄉(xiāng)伊利諾伊州芝加哥市的尚特爾?史蒂夫(Shantell Steve)。她曾在芝加哥最困難的社區(qū)生活，寄養(yǎng)于多個不同的家庭，但她最終在一家地方醫(yī)療中心找到工作，并開始了一項幫助年輕人遠離流氓團伙的計劃，她即將以優(yōu)異成績從中學畢業(yè)，緊接著將上大學。

And Jazmin, Andoni, and Shantell aren’t any different from any of you.They face challenges in their lives just like you do.In some cases they’ve got it a lot worse off than many of you.But they refused to give up.They chose to take responsibility for their lives, for their education, and set goals for themselves.And I expect all of you to do the same.004km.cn

賈茲敏、安多尼和尚特爾與你們中間的每個人沒什么兩樣。跟你們一樣，他們在生活中面臨種種挑戰(zhàn)。在某些情況下，他們的處境比起你們許多人更差。但他們拒絕放棄。他們決定要為自己的一生、自己的教育負起責任，為自己設定各項奮斗目標。我期待你們大家都會這樣做。

That’s why today I’m calling on each of you to set your own goals for your education--and do everything you can to meet them.Your goal can be something as simple as doing all your homework, paying attention in class, or spending some time each day reading a book.Maybe you’ll decide to get involved in an extracurricular activity, or volunteer in your community.Maybe you’ll decide to stand up for kids who are being teased or bullied because of who they are or how they look, because you believe, like I do, that all young people deserve a safe environment to study and learn.Maybe you’ll decide to take better care of yourself so you can be more ready to learn.And along those lines, by the way, I hope all of you are washing your hands a lot, and that you stay home from school when you don’t feel well, so we can keep people from getting the flu this fall and winter.因此，我今天呼吁你們每一個人為自己的教育設定目標，并盡自己的最大努力來實現這些目標。你的目標可以是一件十分簡單的事情，例如完成家庭作業(yè)、上課專心聽講、或每天花一點時間讀一本書。也許你會決定要參加課外活動或在你的社區(qū)提供志愿服務。也許你會決定挺身而出保護那些因為身份或長相而受人戲弄或欺負的孩子，原因是你和我一樣認為所有的年輕人都應該享有一個適合讀書和學習的安全環(huán)境。也許你會決定更好地照料自己，以便有更充沛的精力來學習。順便提一下，除了這些事情外，我希望大家要勤洗手，身體感到不舒服的時候要呆在家里不去上學，這樣我們能防止人們在今年秋冬季節(jié)染上流感。

But whatever you resolve to do, I want you to commit to it.I want you to really work at it.但無論你決定做什么，我希望你保證去做。我希望你腳踏實地地去做。I know that sometimes you get that sense from TV that you can be rich and successful without any hard work--that your ticket to success is through rapping or basketball or being a reality TV star.Chances are you’re not going to be any of those things.我知道有時候你會從電視上得到這樣的印象：你不用做任何艱苦的工作就能發(fā)財致富并取得成功，唱小調、打籃球或成為真人秀明星是走向成功的途徑。但實際情況是：你可能不會成為其中的一員。

The truth is, being successful is hard.You won’t love every subject that you study.You won’t click with every teacher that you have.Not every homework assignment will seem completely relevant to your life right at this minute.And you won’t necessarily succeed at everything the first time you try.事實上，取得成功不是輕而易舉的事情。你不會喜歡你學習的每一門課目。你不會與你的每一位老師都很投契。不是所有的家庭作業(yè)似乎都與你眼前的生活完全有關。你第一次嘗試做每件事的時候，不一定成功。

That’s okay.Some of the most successful people in the world are the ones who’ve had the most failures.J.K.Rowling’s--who wrote Harry Potter--her first Harry Potter book was rejected 12 times before it was finally published.Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team.He lost hundreds of games and missed thousands of shots during his career.But he once said, “I have failed over and over and over again in my life.And that’s why I succeed.”

這些都沒關系。世界上最成功的人士中有一些是遭遇失敗最多的人。作者J?K?羅琳(J.K.Rowling)所寫的系列小說《哈利?波特》(Harry Potter)第一部在獲得出版之前被退稿12次。邁克爾?喬丹(Michael Jordan)曾被他的高中籃球隊除名。在喬丹的籃球生涯中，他輸過數百場比賽，有成千上萬個球沒有投中。但他曾說過：“在我的一生中，我失敗了一次又一次、一次又一次。這就是我成功的原因。” These people succeeded because they understood that you can’t let your failures define you--you have to let your failures teach you.You have to let them show you what to do differently the next time.So if you get into trouble, that doesn’t mean you’re a troublemaker, it means you need to try harder to act right.If you get a bad grade, that doesn’t mean you’re stupid, it just means you need to spend more time studying.這些人士獲得成功，因為他們懂得：你不能讓失敗來限制你，而必須讓失敗來開導你。你必須讓失敗向你展示下次如何以不同的方式去做這件事情。因此，如果你遇到麻煩，那并不表示你是麻煩的制造者，而意味著你需要更加努力去把它做對。如果你有一門課分數低，那不表示你比別人笨，而只表示你需要花更多的時間學習。

No one’s born being good at all things.You become good at things through hard work.You’re not a varsity athlete the first time you play a new sport.You don’t hit every note the first time you sing a song.You’ve got to practice.The same principle applies to your schoolwork.You might have to do a math problem a few times before you get it right.You might have to read something a few times before you understand it.You definitely have to do a few drafts of a paper before it’s good enough to hand in.沒有一個人天生擅長做各種事情。你通過勤奮而變得擅長于各種事情。第一次從事新的體育項目時，你不可能是一位主力隊員。第一次唱一首歌曲時，你不可能唱準每個音。你必須練習。同樣的道理適用于你的學業(yè)。你可能要把一道數學題做幾次才把它做對。你可能要把一些材料閱讀幾遍才能理解。在交出一篇優(yōu)美的作文之前，你肯定需要打幾遍草稿。

Don’t be afraid to ask questions.Don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it.I do that every day.Asking for help isn’t a sign of weakness, it’s a sign of strength because it shows you have the courage to admit when you don’t know something, and that then allows you to learn something new.So find an adult that you trust--a parent, a grandparent or teacher, a coach or a counselor--and ask them to help you stay on track to meet your goals.不要害怕提問。不要在需要幫助時害怕請求別人幫助。我天天請求別人的幫助。請求幫助不是軟弱的表現，它是力量的標志，因為它表明你有勇氣承認自己對某些事情不懂，這樣做會使你學到新的東西。因此，請確定一位你信任的成年人，例如家長、祖父母或老師、教練或輔導員，請他們幫助你遵循既定計劃實現你的目標。

And even when you’re struggling, even when you’re discouraged, and you feel like other people have given up on you, don’t ever give up on yourself, because when you give up on yourself, you give up on your country.即使當你苦苦掙扎、灰心喪氣、感到其他人對你不抱希望時，也不要對你自己喪失信心，因為當你自暴自棄時，你也拋棄了自己的國家。

The story of America isn’t about people who quit when things got tough.It’s about people who kept going, who tried harder, who loved their country too much to do anything less than their best.書寫美國歷史的不是在困難時刻退縮的人，而是堅持不懈、加倍努力的人，他們對國家的愛促使他們全力以赴。It’s the story of students who sat where you sit 250 years ago, and went on to wage a revolution and they founded this nation.Young people.Students who sat where you sit 75 years ago who overcame a Depression and won a world war;who fought for civil rights and put a man on the moon.Students who sat where you sit 20 years ago who founded Google and Twitter and Facebook and changed the way we communicate with each other.書寫美國歷史的是250年前坐在你們的位置上的學生，他們后來進行了獨立戰(zhàn)爭并創(chuàng)建了這個國家。還有75年前坐在你們的位置上的年輕人和學生，他們走出了大蕭條并打贏了一場世界大戰(zhàn)；他們?yōu)槊駲喽鴬^斗并把宇航員送上了月球。至于20年前坐在你們的位置上的學生，他們創(chuàng)辦了谷歌(Google)、嘰喳網(Twitter)和臉譜網(Facebook)，改變了我們交流溝通的方式。

So today, I want to ask all of you, what’s your contribution going to be? What problems are you going to solve? What discoveries will you make? What will a President who comes here in 20 or 50 or 100 years say about what all of you did for this country? 而今天，我要問問你們大家，你們將做出什么貢獻？你們將解決什么問題？你們將有什么發(fā)現？20年、50年或100年后來到這里講話的總統(tǒng)將會怎樣評價你們大家為這個國家所做的一切？

Now, your families, your teachers, and I are doing everything we can to make sure you have the education you need to answer these questions.I’m working hard to fix up your classrooms and get you the books and the equipment and the computers you need to learn.But you’ve got to do your part, too.So I expect all of you to get serious this year.I expect you to put your best effort into everything you do.I expect great things from each of you.So don’t let us down.Don’t let your family down or your country down.Most of all, don’t let yourself down.Make us all proud.你們的家人、你們的老師和我正在竭盡全力保證你們接受必要的教育，以便回答上述問題。我正在努力工作，以便你們的教室得到修繕，你們能夠得到學習所需的課本、設備和電腦。但你們也必須盡自己的努力。因此，我希望你們大家從今年起認真對待這個問題。我希望你們盡最大努力做好每一件事。我希望你們每個人都有出色的表現。不要讓我們失望。不要讓你們的家人或你們的國家失望。而最重要的是，不要辜負你們自己，而要讓我們都能[為你們]感到驕傲。Thank you very much, everybody.God bless you.God bless America.Thank you.(Applause.)非常感謝你們大家。愿主保佑你們。愿主保佑美國。謝謝你們。(掌聲)