第一篇：美國(guó)總統(tǒng)奧巴馬9月8日開(kāi)學(xué)演講

美國(guó)總統(tǒng)奧巴馬9月8日開(kāi)學(xué)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.)

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.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.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.)

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.Now, I've given a lot of speeches about education.And I've talked about responsibility a lot.I've talked about teachers' responsibility for inspiring students and pushing you to learn.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.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.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.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.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.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.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.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.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.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.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.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.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.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.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.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.That's what young people like you are doing every day, all across America.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.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.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.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.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.But whatever you resolve to do, I want you to commit to it.I want you to really work at it.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.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.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.”

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.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.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.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.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.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.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?

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.Thank you very much, everybody.God bless you.God bless America.Thank you.(Applause.)

END 12:22 P.M.EDT

第二篇：美國(guó)總統(tǒng)奧巴馬開(kāi)學(xué)勵(lì)志演講

美國(guó)總統(tǒng)奧巴馬2010年開(kāi)學(xué)勵(lì)志演講

美國(guó)總統(tǒng)奧巴馬開(kāi)學(xué)演講英語(yǔ)演講稿。這是奧巴馬第二次發(fā)表開(kāi)學(xué)演講。奧巴馬2009年的演講招來(lái)了許多批評(píng)和抵制。一些反對(duì)者指責(zé)稱，奧巴馬試圖通過(guò)演講向?qū)W生灌輸政治理念。部分媒體還批評(píng)奧巴馬試圖建立個(gè)人崇拜。在美國(guó)各地，也有許多家長(zhǎng)向當(dāng)?shù)亟逃賳T表示抗議，一些家長(zhǎng)甚至威脅在奧巴馬演講時(shí)把孩子離教室。有了去年的“教訓(xùn)”，今年的總統(tǒng)開(kāi)學(xué)演講，白宮意強(qiáng)調(diào)這是一次“非政治活動(dòng)”，而奧巴馬本人也在演講中回避政治話題。

轉(zhuǎn)自[英美者]-英語(yǔ)專業(yè)網(wǎng)站：http:///Listening_Speaking/Oral_English/214752572.html

Thank you!Hello!(Applause.)Thank you.Thank you.Well, hello, Philadelphia!(Applause.)And hello, Masterman.It is wonderful to see all of you.What a terrific introduction by Kelly.Give Kelly a big round of applause.(Applause.)I was saying backstage that when I was in high school, I could not have done that.(Laughter.)I would have muffed it up somehow.So we are so proud of you and everything that you’ve done.And to all the students here, I’m thrilled to be here.謝謝！你們好！（掌聲。）謝謝。謝謝。你好，費(fèi)城?。ㄕ坡暋＃┠愫?，馬斯特曼。見(jiàn)到你們真是太好了。Kelly的介紹真是太棒了。讓我們對(duì)Kelly報(bào)以熱烈的掌聲。在后臺(tái)的時(shí)候我說(shuō)，我上高中的時(shí)候我就做不這么好，我可能會(huì)弄的一團(tuán)糟。所以讓我們?yōu)槟愫湍阕龅囊磺凶院腊?。站在這里我很激動(dòng)。

kelly 在奧巴馬總統(tǒng)演講前，一名叫Kelly的學(xué)生做了演講。backstage n.后臺(tái)

muff v.笨拙地處理，將事情弄糟 thrilled a.激動(dòng)的 We’ve got a couple introductions I want to make.First of all, you’ve got the outstanding governor of Pennsylvania, Ed Rendell, in the house.(Applause.)The mayor of Philadelphia, Michael Nutter, is here.(Applause.)Congressman Chaka Fattah is here.(Applause.)Congresswoman Allyson Schwartz is here.(Applause.)Your own principal, Marge Neff, is here.(Applause.)The school superintendent, Arlene Ackerman, is here and doing a great job.(Applause.)And the Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, is here.(Applause.)

我想介紹幾個(gè)人。首先，來(lái)到這兒的有，杰出的賓夕法尼亞州州長(zhǎng)，Ed Rendell。（掌聲。）費(fèi)城市長(zhǎng)，Michael Nutter。國(guó)會(huì)議員Fattah和Allyson Schwartz（掌聲）。你們的校長(zhǎng)Marge Neff（掌聲）。學(xué)校管理人Arlene Ackerman是這個(gè)學(xué)校的，并且為學(xué)校做了很大的貢獻(xiàn)。（掌聲）。還有教育部秘書長(zhǎng)Arne Duncan。（掌聲）

outstanding a.杰出的 Congressman n.國(guó)會(huì)議員 principal n.校長(zhǎng) superintendent n.院長(zhǎng)

And I am here.(Applause.)And I am thrilled to be here.I am just so excited.I’ve heard such great things about what all of you are doing, both the students and the teachers and the staff here.還有我。（掌聲），我感到非常的激動(dòng)。我耳聞了你們做的那些偉大的事，這里面有在校的學(xué)生，老師和工作人員。

Today is about welcoming all of you, and all of America’s students, back to school, even though I know you’ve been in school for a little bit now.And I can’t think of a better place to do it than at Masterman.(Applause.)Because you are one of the best schools in Philadelphia.You are a leader in helping students succeed in the classroom.Just last week, you were recognized by a National Blue Ribbon--as a National Blue Ribbon School because of your record of achievement.And that is a testament to everybody here –-to the students, to the parents, to the teachers, to the school leaders.It’s an example of excellence that I hope communities across America can embrace.今天歡迎你們，歡迎每一個(gè)美國(guó)學(xué)生回校上課，當(dāng)然你們?cè)趯W(xué)校已經(jīng)呆了一段時(shí)間了。我想不出除了在Masterman外，還有哪個(gè)地方更適合做這件事。（掌聲）因?yàn)槟銈兪琴M(fèi)城最好的學(xué)校之一。你們?cè)诮逃矫媸穷I(lǐng)頭軍。就在上周，由于你們的卓越貢獻(xiàn)，被授為國(guó)家藍(lán)絲帶勛章。這是對(duì)每個(gè)人的見(jiàn)證，對(duì)學(xué)生，家長(zhǎng)，老師還有學(xué)校領(lǐng)導(dǎo)人。我希望全美的社會(huì)團(tuán)體都能欣然接受這個(gè)杰出代表的例子。

embrace vt.擁抱；接受

Over the past few weeks, Michelle and I have been getting Sasha and Malia ready for school.And they’re excited about it.I’ll bet they had the same feelings that you do--you’re a little sad to see the summer go, but you’re also excited about the possibilities of a new year.The possibilities of building new friendships and strengthening old ones, of joining a school club, or trying out for a team.The possibilities of growing into a better student and a better person and making not just your family proud but making yourself proud.幾周前，我和Michelle為Sasha和Malia上學(xué)的事做準(zhǔn)備。她們兩個(gè)對(duì)這非常的期待。我敢打賭她們和你們一樣，有著相同的感覺(jué)。你們?yōu)橄奶斓氖湃ザ駛?，但是你們更?yīng)該期待新的一年。如你們可以結(jié)交新的朋友，加深同老朋友的感情，加入學(xué)校俱樂(lè)部，參加各種團(tuán)隊(duì)的選拔賽。成長(zhǎng)為一個(gè)更優(yōu)秀的學(xué)生和個(gè)人，不僅僅讓你的家人自豪，同樣讓你們自己也很有成就感。

build friendships 結(jié)交新朋友

But I know some of you may also be a little nervous about starting a new school year.Maybe you’re making the jump from elementary to middle school, or from middle school to high school, and you’re worried about what that’s going to be like.Maybe you’re starting a new school.You’re not sure how you’ll like it, trying to figure out how you’re going to fit in.Or maybe you’re a senior, and you’re anxious about the whole college process;about where to apply and whether you can afford to go to college.我知道，你們中有些人在新學(xué)年會(huì)有些緊張?；蛟S你剛從小學(xué)升到初中，從初中升到高中，會(huì)擔(dān)心，新的學(xué)年將會(huì)是什么樣的呢。也許你進(jìn)入一所新的學(xué)校，不知道是否會(huì)喜歡這個(gè)學(xué)校，想著怎么來(lái)融入這個(gè)學(xué)校?；蛟S你到了高三年級(jí)，對(duì)整個(gè)的大學(xué)入學(xué)程序感到不安，比如申請(qǐng)那里的學(xué)校，能不能支付上大學(xué)的費(fèi)用等等。

elementary school n.小學(xué) figure out 想明白，弄清楚 fit in 融入，適應(yīng) afford to do 承擔(dān)得起

And beyond all those concerns, I know a lot of you are also feeling the strain of some difficult times.You know what’s going on in the news and you also know what’s going on in some of your own families.You’ve read about the war in Afghanistan.You hear about the recession that we’ve been through.And sometimes maybe you’re seeing the worries in your parents’ faces or sense it in their voice.除此之外，我知道你們還有來(lái)自困難時(shí)期的壓力。你們知道新聞內(nèi)容，知道你們一些家庭中發(fā)發(fā)生的事情。你們讀過(guò)有關(guān)阿富汗戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)的信息，聽(tīng)說(shuō)過(guò)我們經(jīng)歷過(guò)的經(jīng)濟(jì)不景氣。有時(shí)你們還看到了雙親臉上掛著的憂慮，或從他們的聲音中感受到了這些。

strain n.壓力

So a lot of you as a consequence, because we’re going through a tough time a country, are having to act a lot older than you are.You got to be strong for your family while your brother or sister is serving overseas, or you’ve got to look after younger siblings while your mom is working that second shift.Or maybe some of you who are little bit older, you’re taking on a part-time job while your dad’s out of work.所以，因?yàn)槲覀儑?guó)家面臨困難時(shí)期，你們?cè)S多人的行為看上去比實(shí)際年齡要大。姐姐哥哥在海外工作，你們會(huì)表現(xiàn)得堅(jiān)強(qiáng)，或許媽媽去值第二班，你們就要照顧年幼的弟弟妹妹?；蛟S你們有些人年長(zhǎng)一點(diǎn)的，父親失了業(yè)，你們還要做兼職。

as a consequence 結(jié)果，所以

tough time 困難時(shí)期【tough a.艱難的】 sibling n.兄弟姐妹，同胞 shift n.輪班

And that’s a lot to handle.It’s more than you should have to handle.And it may make you wonder at times what your own future will look like, whether you’re going to be able to succeed in school, whether you should maybe set your sights a little lower, scale back your dreams.有太多事情要做了，很多是你們不應(yīng)該做的。這讓你們迷茫，不知道自己的未來(lái)會(huì)是什么樣，在學(xué)校能不能取得好成績(jī)，是不是應(yīng)該把目光降低些，把理想放低些。

handle v.處理，應(yīng)對(duì) scale back 縮減

But I came to Masterman to tell all of you what I think you’re hearing from your principal and your superintendent, and from your parents and your teachers: Nobody gets to write your destiny but you.Your future is in your hands.Your life is what you make of it.And nothing--absolutely nothing--is beyond your reach, so long as you’re willing to dream big, so long as you’re willing to work hard.So long as you’re willing to stay focused on your education, there is not a single thing that any of you cannot accomplish, not a single thing.I believe that.但是，我來(lái)到馬斯特曼，告訴你們一句話。我想這句話你們的校長(zhǎng)、院長(zhǎng)、父母以及老師都曾告訴過(guò)你們，那就是，沒(méi)有人，只有你才能書寫你自己的命運(yùn)。未來(lái)在你自己手中，生活由自己締造。只要志向遠(yuǎn)大，并努力為之奮斗，沒(méi)有什么是不能得到的。只要你專注于學(xué)業(yè)，沒(méi)有什么事不能實(shí)現(xiàn)的。我確信。

destiny n.命運(yùn) accomplish v.完成

And that last part is absolutely essential, that part about really working hard in school, because an education has never been more important than it is today.I’m sure there are going to be times in the months ahead when you’re staying up late doing your homework or cramming for a test, or you’re dragging yourself out of bed on a rainy morning and you’re thinking, oh, boy, I wish maybe it was a snow day.(Laughter.)

最后這一點(diǎn)，在學(xué)校努力奮斗是必要的。因?yàn)榻逃龔奈聪瘳F(xiàn)在這樣重要。我確信，幾個(gè)月后會(huì)有一段時(shí)間，你們會(huì)完善熬夜寫作業(yè)，為考試臨時(shí)抱佛腳，或者在一個(gè)雨天的早晨把自己從被窩里拖出來(lái)，想，哦天，怎么不是下雪天？！（笑）

absolutely ad.絕對(duì)地

cram v.臨時(shí)抱佛腳；吃得過(guò)飽

But let me tell you, what you’re doing is worth it.There is nothing more important than what you’re doing right now.Nothing is going to have as great an impact on your success in life as your education, how you’re doing in school.但是讓我告訴你，你所做的一切都是值得的。你們現(xiàn)在要做的事情無(wú)比重要。沒(méi)有什么比你的受教育程度以及你在學(xué)校的所做之事更能決定你的成功。

More and more, the kinds of opportunities that are open to you are going to be determined by how far you go in school.The farther you go in school, the farther you’re going to go in life.And at a time when other countries are competing with us like never before, when students around the world in Beijing, China, or Bangalore, India, are working harder than ever, and doing better than ever, your success in school is not just going to determine your success, it’s going to determine America’s success in the 21st century.能否能抓住機(jī)遇，越來(lái)越取決于你們?cè)趯W(xué)校的努力。你們?cè)趯W(xué)校的表現(xiàn)越好，生活中就能走得越遠(yuǎn)。當(dāng)今，其他國(guó)家正與我們競(jìng)爭(zhēng)，而且比以往任何時(shí)候都激烈。在中國(guó)北京或者印度邦加羅爾的學(xué)生比以前更加努力，而且比以前表現(xiàn)更好。你們?cè)趯W(xué)校的成功并不只決定了自己一人的成功，還決定了美國(guó)在21世界是否能夠成功。

So you’ve got an obligation to yourselves, and America has an obligation to you, to make sure you’re getting the best education possible.And making sure you get that kind of education is going to take all of us working hard and all of us working hand in hand.所以，你們要承擔(dān)起這樣的責(zé)任和義務(wù)。同時(shí)國(guó)家也向你們承擔(dān)責(zé)任和義務(wù)，那就是為你們提供最好的教育，為此我們要努力，共同奮斗。

obligation n.責(zé)任，義務(wù)

It takes all of us in government--from the governor to the mayor to the superintendent to the President--all of us doing our part to prepare our students, all of them, for success in the classroom and in college and in a career.It’s going to take an outstanding principal, like Principal Neff, and outstanding teachers like the ones you have here at Masterman--teachers who are going above and beyond the call of duty for their students.And it’s going to take parents who are committed to your education.所有政府工作人員，從州長(zhǎng)到市長(zhǎng)，到院長(zhǎng)，到總統(tǒng)，所有人都要履行職責(zé)為我們的學(xué)生做好準(zhǔn)備，幫助他們?cè)诮淌?、在大學(xué)、在事業(yè)上取得成功。這就需要我們有一個(gè)杰出的校長(zhǎng)，像校長(zhǎng)Neff，和優(yōu)秀的老師，正如你們的馬斯特曼的老師們。老師們要履行好對(duì)學(xué)生所應(yīng)擔(dān)負(fù)起的責(zé)任。我也希望家長(zhǎng)負(fù)起責(zé)任。

佳句欣賞

Nobody gets to write your destiny but you.Your future is in your hands.Your life is what you make of it.沒(méi)有人，只有你才能書寫你自己的命運(yùn)。未來(lái)在你自己手中，生活由自己締造。背景知識(shí)

這是奧巴馬第二次發(fā)表開(kāi)學(xué)演講。奧巴馬2009年的演講招來(lái)了許多批評(píng)和抵制。一些反對(duì)者指責(zé)稱，奧巴馬試圖通過(guò)演講向?qū)W生灌輸政治理念。部分媒體還批評(píng)奧巴馬試圖建立個(gè)人崇拜。在美國(guó)各地，也有許多家長(zhǎng)向當(dāng)?shù)亟逃賳T表示抗議，一些家長(zhǎng)甚至威脅在奧巴馬演講時(shí)把孩子離教室。有了去年的“教訓(xùn)”，今年的總統(tǒng)開(kāi)學(xué)演講，白宮意強(qiáng)調(diào)這是一次“非政治活動(dòng)”，而奧巴馬本人也在演講中回避政治話題。

弗吉尼亞州，阿林頓市，2009年9月8日 嗨，大家好！你們今天過(guò)得怎么樣？我現(xiàn)在和弗吉尼亞州阿林頓郡韋克菲爾德高中的學(xué)生們?cè)谝黄?，全?guó)各地也有從幼兒園到高三的眾多學(xué)生們通過(guò)電視關(guān)注這里，我很高興你們能共同分享這一時(shí)刻。

我知道，對(duì)你們中的許多人來(lái)說(shuō)，今天是開(kāi)學(xué)的第一天，你們中的有一些剛剛進(jìn)入幼兒園或升上初高中，對(duì)你們來(lái)說(shuō)，這是在新學(xué)校的第一天，因此，假如你們感到有些緊張，那也是很正常的。我想也會(huì)有許多畢業(yè)班的學(xué)生們正自信滿滿地準(zhǔn)備最后一年的沖刺。不過(guò)，我想無(wú)論你有多大、在讀哪個(gè)年級(jí)，許多人都打心底里希望現(xiàn)在還在放暑假，以及今天不用那么早起床。

我可以理解這份心情。小時(shí)候，我們家在印度尼西亞住過(guò)幾年，而我媽媽沒(méi)錢送我去其他美國(guó)孩子們上學(xué)的地方去讀書，因此她決定自己給我上課——時(shí)間是每周一到周五的凌晨4點(diǎn)半。顯然，我不怎么喜歡那么早就爬起來(lái)，很多時(shí)候，我就這么在廚房的桌子前睡著了。每當(dāng)我埋怨的時(shí)候，我媽總會(huì)用同一副表情看著我說(shuō)：“小鬼，你以為教你我就很輕松？” 所以，我可以理解你們中的許多人對(duì)于開(kāi)學(xué)還需要時(shí)間來(lái)調(diào)整和適應(yīng)，但今天我站在這里，是為了和你們談一些重要的事情。我要和你們談一談你們每個(gè)人的教育，以及在新的學(xué)年里，你們應(yīng)當(dāng)做些什么。

我做過(guò)許多關(guān)于教育的講話，也常常用到“責(zé)任”這個(gè)詞。我談到過(guò)教師們有責(zé)任激勵(lì)和啟迪你們，督促你們學(xué)習(xí)。我談到過(guò)家長(zhǎng)們有責(zé)任看管你們認(rèn)真學(xué)習(xí)、完成作業(yè)，不要成天只會(huì)看電視或打游戲機(jī)。

我也很多次談到過(guò)政府有責(zé)任設(shè)定高標(biāo)準(zhǔn)嚴(yán)要求、協(xié)助老師和校長(zhǎng)們的工作，改變?cè)谟行W(xué)校里學(xué)生得不到應(yīng)有的學(xué)習(xí)機(jī)會(huì)的現(xiàn)狀。

但哪怕這一切都達(dá)到最好，哪怕我們有最盡職的教師、最好的家長(zhǎng)、和最優(yōu)秀的學(xué)校，假如你們不去履行自己的責(zé)任的話，那么這一切努力都會(huì)白費(fèi)?！悄忝刻鞙?zhǔn)時(shí)去上學(xué)、除非你認(rèn)真地聽(tīng)老師講課、除非你把父母、長(zhǎng)輩和其他大人們說(shuō)的話放在心上、除非你肯付出成功所必需的努力，否則這一切都會(huì)失去意義。而這就是我今天講話的主題：對(duì)于自己的教育，你們中每一個(gè)人的責(zé)任。首先，我想談?wù)勀銈儗?duì)于自己有什么責(zé)任。

你們中的每一個(gè)人都會(huì)有自己擅長(zhǎng)的東西，每一個(gè)人都是有用之材，而發(fā)現(xiàn)自己的才能是什么，就是你們要對(duì)自己擔(dān)起的責(zé)任。教育給你們提供了發(fā)現(xiàn)自己才能的機(jī)會(huì)。

或許你能寫出優(yōu)美的文字——甚至有一天能讓那些文字出現(xiàn)在書籍和報(bào)刊上——但假如不在英語(yǔ)課上經(jīng)常練習(xí)寫作，你不會(huì)發(fā)現(xiàn)自己有這樣的天賦；或許你能成為一個(gè)發(fā)明家、創(chuàng)造家——甚至設(shè)計(jì)出像今天的iPhone一樣流行的產(chǎn)品，或研制出新的藥物與疫苗——但假如不在自然科學(xué)課程上做上幾次實(shí)驗(yàn)，你不會(huì)知道自己有這樣的天賦；或許你能成為一名議員或最高法院法官，但假如你不去加入什么學(xué)生會(huì)或參加幾次辯論賽，你也不會(huì)發(fā)現(xiàn)自己的才能。

而且，我可以向你保證，不管你將來(lái)想要做什么，你都需要相應(yīng)的教育。——你想當(dāng)名醫(yī)生、當(dāng)名教師或當(dāng)名警官？你想成為護(hù)士、成為建筑設(shè)計(jì)師、律師或軍人？無(wú)論你選擇哪一種職業(yè)，良好的教育都必不可少，這世上不存在不把書念完就能拿到好工作的美夢(mèng)，任何工作，都需要你的汗水、訓(xùn)練與學(xué)習(xí)。

不僅僅對(duì)于你們個(gè)人的未來(lái)有重要意義，你們的教育如何也會(huì)對(duì)這個(gè)國(guó)家、乃至世界的未來(lái)產(chǎn)生重要影響。今天你們?cè)趯W(xué)校中學(xué)習(xí)的內(nèi)容，將會(huì)決定我們整個(gè)國(guó)家在未來(lái)迎接重大挑戰(zhàn)時(shí)的表現(xiàn)。

你們需要在數(shù)理科學(xué)課程上學(xué)習(xí)的知識(shí)和技能，去治療癌癥、艾滋那樣的疾病，和解決我們面臨的能源問(wèn)題與環(huán)境問(wèn)題；你們需要在歷史社科課程上培養(yǎng)出的觀察力與判斷力，來(lái)減輕和消除無(wú)家可歸與貧困、犯罪問(wèn)題和各種歧視，讓這個(gè)國(guó)家變得更加公平和自由；你們需要在各類課程中逐漸累積和發(fā)展出來(lái)的創(chuàng)新意識(shí)和思維，去創(chuàng)業(yè)和建立新的公司與企業(yè)，來(lái)制造就業(yè)機(jī)會(huì)和推動(dòng)經(jīng)濟(jì)的增長(zhǎng)。我們需要你們中的每一個(gè)人都培養(yǎng)和發(fā)展自己的天賦、技能和才智，來(lái)解決我們所面對(duì)的最困難的問(wèn)題。假如你不這么做——假如你放棄學(xué)習(xí)——那么你不僅是放棄了自己，也是放棄了你的國(guó)家。當(dāng)然，我明白，讀好書并不總是件容易的事。我知道你們中的許多人在生活中面臨著各種各樣的問(wèn)題，很難把精力集中在專心讀書之上。我知道你們的感受。我父親在我兩歲時(shí)就離開(kāi)了家庭，是母親一人將我們拉扯大，有時(shí)她付不起帳單，有時(shí)我們得不到其他孩子們都有的東西，有時(shí)我會(huì)想，假如父親在該多好，有時(shí)我會(huì)感到孤獨(dú)無(wú)助，與周圍的環(huán)境格格不入。因此我并不總是能專心學(xué)習(xí)，我做過(guò)許多自己覺(jué)得丟臉的事情，也惹出過(guò)許多不該惹的麻煩，我的生活岌岌可危，隨時(shí)可能急轉(zhuǎn)直下。

但我很幸運(yùn)。我在許多事上都得到了重來(lái)的機(jī)會(huì)，我得到了去大學(xué)讀法學(xué)院、實(shí)現(xiàn)自己夢(mèng)想的機(jī)會(huì)。我的妻子——現(xiàn)在得叫她第一夫人米歇爾·奧巴馬了——也有著相似的人生故事，她的父母都沒(méi)讀過(guò)大學(xué)，也沒(méi)有什么財(cái)產(chǎn)，但他們和她都辛勤工作，好讓她[本_文_來(lái)_源_于_我_的_學(xué)_習(xí)_網(wǎng)

http://004km.cnic for me either, buster.“(Laughter.)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.Now, I've given a lot of speeches about education.And I've talked about responsibility a lot.I've talked about teachers' responsibility for inspiring students and pushing you to learn.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.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.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.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.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.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.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.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.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.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.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.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.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.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.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.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.That's what young people like you are doing every day, all across America.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.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.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.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.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.But whatever you resolve to do, I want you to commit to it.I want you to really work at it.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.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.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." 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.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.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.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.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.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.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? 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.Thank you very much, everybody.God bless you.God bless America.Thank you.(Applause.)END

12:22 P.M.EDT

第三篇：美國(guó)總統(tǒng)奧巴馬開(kāi)學(xué)演講英文原稿

美國(guó)總統(tǒng)奧巴馬開(kāi)學(xué)演講英文原稿

整理：微薄哥哥 004km.cnic for me either, buster.“(Laughter.)

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.Now, I've given a lot of speeches about education.And I've talked about responsibility a lot.I've talked about teachers' responsibility for inspiring students and pushing you to learn.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.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.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.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.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.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.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.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.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.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.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.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.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.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.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.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.That's what young people like you are doing every day, all across America.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.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.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.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.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.But whatever you resolve to do, I want you to commit to it.I want you to really work at it.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.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.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."

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.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.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.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.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.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.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?

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.Thank you very much, everybody.God bless you.God bless America.Thank you.(Applause.)

第四篇：美國(guó)總統(tǒng)奧巴馬開(kāi)學(xué)演講

美國(guó)總統(tǒng)奧巴馬開(kāi)學(xué)演講

About responsibility Now, I've given a lot of speeches about education.And I've talked about responsibility a lot.I've talked about teachers' responsibility for inspiring students and pushing you to learn.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.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.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.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.About necessity of education 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.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.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.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.About being successful

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.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.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.”

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.Never give up

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.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.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.

第五篇：美國(guó)總統(tǒng)奧巴馬開(kāi)學(xué)演講西方修辭學(xué)淺析

美國(guó)總統(tǒng)奧巴馬開(kāi)學(xué)演講西方修辭學(xué)淺析

李榮義

（福建農(nóng)林大學(xué)蜂學(xué)學(xué)院2009級(jí) 學(xué)號(hào)：090723067）

【摘要】肯尼斯·伯克認(rèn)為任何語(yǔ)篇都包含著人類動(dòng)機(jī)。人類的行為是在動(dòng)機(jī)驅(qū)使下發(fā)生的。語(yǔ)言作為人類的一種行為，可以成為動(dòng)機(jī)的載體。西方修辭學(xué)的發(fā)展史表明，演講是修辭的最早來(lái)源，兩者關(guān)系密切。古典修辭學(xué)理論認(rèn)為，修辭學(xué)就是研究演說(shuō)的技巧。修辭和演講密不可分，演講是一門勸說(shuō)的藝術(shù)。演講者要得到勸說(shuō)目的就需要應(yīng)用各種修辭表達(dá)技巧。而通過(guò)對(duì)語(yǔ)言的研究，可以發(fā)現(xiàn)其中隱藏的動(dòng)機(jī)。本文試圖通過(guò)奧巴馬總統(tǒng)的開(kāi)學(xué)演講，淺析其中西方修辭的應(yīng)用，討論修辭應(yīng)用對(duì)勸說(shuō)效果的影響。

【關(guān)鍵詞】奧巴馬 演講 受眾 修辭

一、戲劇五要素分析

肯尼斯·伯克的戲劇五位一體理論作為發(fā)現(xiàn)動(dòng)機(jī)工具，其中的五個(gè)因素：行動(dòng)、場(chǎng)景、執(zhí)事者、工具、和目的。伯克是這樣闡述的：任何有關(guān)動(dòng)機(jī)的完整闡述都應(yīng)該回答這樣五個(gè)問(wèn)題：發(fā)生了什么(行動(dòng))，在什么時(shí)候或哪里發(fā)生的(場(chǎng)景)，行動(dòng)實(shí)施者是誰(shuí)(執(zhí)事者)，怎么發(fā)生的(工具)，以及為什么(目的)。在本文研究材料中五要素表現(xiàn)為：美國(guó)剛上任總統(tǒng)奧巴馬（執(zhí)事者）在和弗吉尼亞州阿靈頓市的韋克菲爾德高中（場(chǎng)景），通過(guò)麥克風(fēng)以對(duì)現(xiàn)場(chǎng)聽(tīng)眾，以及電臺(tái)及電視臺(tái)的轉(zhuǎn)播（工具）面對(duì)全美國(guó)學(xué)生及教育者，學(xué)生家長(zhǎng)等演講（行動(dòng)），強(qiáng)調(diào)學(xué)習(xí)的重要性并希望通過(guò)演講使學(xué)生重視并認(rèn)真學(xué)習(xí)（目的）。這五個(gè)要素不是孤立存在的，它們可以以不同的方式組合。按照伯克的觀點(diǎn)，戲劇五要素的不同組合可形成十對(duì)關(guān)系比場(chǎng)景-行為、場(chǎng)景-執(zhí)行者、場(chǎng)景-工具、場(chǎng)景-目的、行為-目的、行為-執(zhí)行者、行為-工具、執(zhí)行者-目的、執(zhí)行者-工具、工具-目的，顛倒每-對(duì)關(guān)系比的順序可創(chuàng)設(shè)另外十對(duì)關(guān)系比。演講是由演講者的動(dòng)機(jī)驅(qū)使而發(fā)生的行為，動(dòng)機(jī)會(huì)決定五個(gè)元素在其中的排列組合。因此，了解動(dòng)機(jī)可以對(duì)演講的理解起到幫助作用。相比競(jìng)選就職等政治色彩演說(shuō)，開(kāi)學(xué)演講的動(dòng)機(jī)只需要博得受眾的認(rèn)同并實(shí)踐，而受眾的認(rèn)同及付諸行動(dòng)并不需要放棄一放選擇另一平行的選擇，如投選票。開(kāi)學(xué)演講中，沒(méi)有競(jìng)爭(zhēng)對(duì)手，演講動(dòng)機(jī)即說(shuō)服受眾承認(rèn)學(xué)習(xí)的重要性并采取行動(dòng)以正確的態(tài)度認(rèn)真學(xué)習(xí)。因此演講動(dòng)機(jī)并不需要頂著另一方同等競(jìng)爭(zhēng)備選項(xiàng)的挑戰(zhàn)。

二、開(kāi)學(xué)演講受眾分析

修辭的首要問(wèn)題便是對(duì)受眾的把握。受眾應(yīng)該成為整個(gè)修辭過(guò)程的中心。演講者必須對(duì)受眾有清晰的認(rèn)識(shí)，了解受眾心理，及時(shí)調(diào)整演講內(nèi)容、選定語(yǔ)法結(jié)構(gòu)、框定

詞匯范圍、列舉恰當(dāng)例子幫助修辭目的的成功。從演講開(kāi)頭，我們可以發(fā)現(xiàn)奧巴馬對(duì)受眾已經(jīng)有了清晰的認(rèn)識(shí)：幼兒園到12年級(jí)的學(xué)生。并且?jiàn)W巴馬有對(duì)受眾進(jìn)行分層：剛?cè)雽W(xué)新生、畢業(yè)班、以及剛完成新生向老生轉(zhuǎn)變的學(xué)生這三層次。鑒于受眾受教育程度跨度較大，奧巴馬演講所用詞匯，運(yùn)用的語(yǔ)法都比較簡(jiǎn)單。一般而言，激勵(lì)學(xué)生認(rèn)真學(xué)習(xí)本是教育者的工作。而奧巴馬作為美國(guó)新上任的總統(tǒng)，在開(kāi)學(xué)第一天的演講看來(lái)有些“不務(wù)正業(yè)”。挖掘潛在的受眾，我們發(fā)現(xiàn)還有教育工作者以及學(xué)生家長(zhǎng)。當(dāng)然也不排除政界對(duì)立的黨派人士。演講中，奧巴馬一再使用“I’ve”的現(xiàn)在完成時(shí)語(yǔ)態(tài)，強(qiáng)調(diào)了自己對(duì)教育的重視，在口頭上“兌現(xiàn)”了其競(jìng)選演講許下的承諾。而作為剛上任的總統(tǒng)，我們其實(shí)清楚地知道：教師配備及待遇及教育設(shè)施投入等現(xiàn)狀其實(shí)是以往的領(lǐng)導(dǎo)班子努力的成果。演講中，多次用到“I’ve”的排比形式，潛意識(shí)里形成受眾對(duì)他工作的認(rèn)同，盜用了前人的功勞，為其總統(tǒng)工作的肯定鋪下基石，穩(wěn)定并提高公眾對(duì)自己的支持率。據(jù)此分析，奧巴馬的開(kāi)學(xué)演講在激勵(lì)學(xué)生的目的的背后，或多或少帶有政治動(dòng)機(jī)。

三、博克新修辭學(xué)認(rèn)同說(shuō)分析

根據(jù)伯克的定義，修辭指“人們運(yùn)用語(yǔ)言表明態(tài)度或誘導(dǎo)他人完成某種行為”：它以語(yǔ)言的基本功能為基礎(chǔ)，其關(guān)鍵在于“認(rèn)同”，即個(gè)體與某個(gè)特性或人之間的共同本質(zhì)。在伯克看來(lái)，人類作為生物學(xué)上獨(dú)立的個(gè)體生存在世界上，為了克服隔離感，始終在通過(guò)交際追求認(rèn)同。伯克認(rèn)為，“說(shuō)服是認(rèn)同的結(jié)果”。想要說(shuō)服受眾，執(zhí)事者必須在其他方面上和受眾達(dá)成共識(shí)，以謀取受眾心理上接受演說(shuō)者的基礎(chǔ)繼而進(jìn)行修辭，從而達(dá)到說(shuō)服的目的。認(rèn)同論分為：同情認(rèn)同、對(duì)立認(rèn)同、誤同。

演講一開(kāi)始，奧巴馬便抓住受眾心理，并通自己的童年來(lái)表達(dá)自己對(duì)學(xué)生心理的理解：對(duì)假日的不舍，對(duì)懶床的共性，對(duì)開(kāi)學(xué)的壓力等。以“過(guò)來(lái)人”的身份表示自己完全理解，因?yàn)樾r(shí)候“我（奧巴馬）”也是這樣的。這就很自然地迎合了受眾心理，與說(shuō)教的風(fēng)格立即區(qū)別開(kāi)，取得受眾的認(rèn)同使其有興趣聽(tīng)下去。

同時(shí)，奧巴馬總統(tǒng)的身份本身也在此也起到修辭作用：誤同。通過(guò)同情認(rèn)同，總統(tǒng)的身份形成一種誤同，即：只要你們現(xiàn)在肯努力，也會(huì)和我（奧巴馬）一樣有無(wú)限可能，比如成為總統(tǒng)。此后結(jié)合各種例子，演講中誤同的大量運(yùn)用起到很好的修辭效果。誤同在廣告中最常見(jiàn)，以明星的身材，容貌結(jié)合其知名度使受眾誤以為只要用同一產(chǎn)品，誘使受眾誤以為只要使用一樣的產(chǎn)品，通過(guò)同樣的努力，就可以和他們一樣優(yōu)秀出眾。跳出演講，眾所周知成功案例畢竟是少數(shù)，努力過(guò)后，成功也往往需要機(jī)會(huì)的垂青，也因各人品行修養(yǎng)取向以及人生觀價(jià)值觀左右。也就是說(shuō)，成功除了努力，也靠各人造化，機(jī)遇和運(yùn)氣早就不同人生。但是，在演講中誤同法運(yùn)用得當(dāng)，可以起到很好的修辭效果，讓受眾備受激勵(lì)而接受演講者的觀點(diǎn)，從而使演講者的動(dòng)機(jī)得以實(shí)現(xiàn)。

我們可以發(fā)現(xiàn)，在該演講中，幾乎沒(méi)有運(yùn)用到對(duì)立認(rèn)同。這也是開(kāi)學(xué)演講相對(duì)于競(jìng)選等政治演講的特點(diǎn)。開(kāi)學(xué)演講不需要受眾在接受演講者的觀點(diǎn)的同時(shí)，拋棄另一平行選項(xiàng)。所以，這是一種沒(méi)有競(jìng)爭(zhēng)的修辭行為。

四、語(yǔ)言細(xì)節(jié)分析

“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.” “If you don't do that--if you quit on school--you're not just quitting on yourself, you're quitting on your country.”“because here in America, you write your own destiny.You make your own future.”演講者用了一系列的放大夸張法，將放棄學(xué)業(yè)放大成對(duì)國(guó)家的拋棄，將國(guó)家的前途降臨到?jīng)]一位受眾身上。這使受眾倍受激勵(lì)而自覺(jué)放棄反駁同時(shí)也失去反駁的余地。受眾被賦予光榮的身份，將認(rèn)真學(xué)習(xí)修辭成為熱愛(ài)國(guó)家的不二選擇。同時(shí)，之后又用到“because when you give up on yourself, you give up on your country.”再次運(yùn)用這一修辭，將演說(shuō)者的觀點(diǎn)深入受眾內(nèi)心，修辭動(dòng)機(jī)得以突出。而這一動(dòng)機(jī)也迎合了奧巴馬競(jìng)選時(shí)候的格調(diào)：“I can”以及“Change”等在經(jīng)濟(jì)不景氣背景下對(duì)直接受眾，潛在受眾的激勵(lì)，延續(xù)競(jìng)選時(shí)的口號(hào)，使其政治手段更加深入人心。

相比于辯論，歸謬法這一修辭手段也沒(méi)有應(yīng)用到該演講中。但是以上夸大事實(shí)放大影響提出對(duì)未來(lái)生活的無(wú)限展望，本人認(rèn)為與歸謬法的效果有些類似。根據(jù)本人對(duì)西方修辭的理解，我認(rèn)為那是一種“泛歸謬法”的應(yīng)用，道理是一樣的。謬法是人們常用的一種論證方法。它是充分條件假言推理否定式在論證中的應(yīng)用。人們?cè)谶\(yùn)用歸謬法反駁某一判斷(或稱為觀點(diǎn))時(shí)，先假定被反駁判斷為真，并以它作為充分條件假言推理大前提的前件，然后經(jīng)過(guò)合理的引申、推導(dǎo)得出一個(gè)虛假或荒謬的后件，最后根據(jù)充分條件假言推理“否定后件就要否定前件”的規(guī)則，達(dá)到對(duì)被反駁判斷的否定。而放大夸張的修辭則往相反方向，其動(dòng)機(jī)恰恰與駁倒對(duì)方觀點(diǎn)相左，通過(guò)夸大修辭讓受眾接受同一觀點(diǎn)。因此，本人對(duì)修辭中的歸謬法認(rèn)識(shí)：歸謬法在辯論中較常使用，不適用于開(kāi)學(xué)演講這種激勵(lì)型演講。

此外，開(kāi)學(xué)演講中運(yùn)用排比重復(fù)形式，推進(jìn)形式，結(jié)合訴諸情感，人格和邏輯與聽(tīng)眾達(dá)成同一。通過(guò)分析受眾、同情認(rèn)同、引入主題、強(qiáng)調(diào)背景，轉(zhuǎn)入正題、反復(fù)誤同后結(jié)合而邏輯分析、正面價(jià)值觀先入為主、細(xì)節(jié)關(guān)心生活（勤洗手）、推進(jìn)總結(jié)，從而將演講內(nèi)容歸納如下：

A：發(fā)現(xiàn)自己的長(zhǎng)處，發(fā)現(xiàn)自己真正感興趣的東西。每一個(gè)人都是有用之才，你們的職責(zé)就是發(fā)現(xiàn)自己的才能所在！

B：每一個(gè)孩子都應(yīng)該擁有讀書和學(xué)習(xí)的機(jī)會(huì)。

C：永遠(yuǎn)不要放棄自己！盡管長(zhǎng)相，家庭，智力任何外在的因素的不如意等緣故，都不要當(dāng)作放棄疏忽學(xué)業(yè)和態(tài)度惡劣借口。

D：?jiǎn)枂?wèn)自己，在未來(lái)的社會(huì)中。你將會(huì)有什么心新的發(fā)現(xiàn)？你將會(huì)解決什么問(wèn)題？你將會(huì)做出什么樣的貢獻(xiàn)？

E：在成功的路上，就是不斷失敗不斷失敗中，走向成功。

F：不要害怕求助，他是力量的象征。因?yàn)槟阌杏職獬姓J(rèn)自己的不足，能使你得到進(jìn)步！

五、結(jié)語(yǔ)

奧巴馬成功就職總統(tǒng)是修辭學(xué)的成功，然而生活無(wú)處不修辭。本文從政治性較不突出的開(kāi)學(xué)演講進(jìn)行淺析，得到不一樣的認(rèn)識(shí)。同時(shí)，西方修辭的簡(jiǎn)單入門學(xué)習(xí)也為自己演講稿的撰寫得到一些啟發(fā)。西方修辭學(xué)相比中國(guó)零散不成體系的修辭，彰顯其強(qiáng)大的力量，吸引著我。國(guó)內(nèi)對(duì)西方修辭學(xué)的研究較薄弱，本人認(rèn)為應(yīng)該適時(shí)加強(qiáng)對(duì)西方修辭學(xué)的研究，幫助我們?cè)趯?duì)外政治或商務(wù)談判中少吃虧。同時(shí)，通過(guò)本人感悟，認(rèn)為西方修辭學(xué)可以很好地結(jié)合營(yíng)銷理論用于實(shí)踐，指導(dǎo)商家業(yè)務(wù)推廣。因?yàn)樾揶o的本質(zhì)就是知道我們?nèi)绾握f(shuō)話，以及對(duì)什么樣的人，說(shuō)什么樣的話（依據(jù)受眾特點(diǎn)），更好地達(dá)到說(shuō)服或者取得受眾的認(rèn)同。此外，鑒于修辭本質(zhì)是應(yīng)用語(yǔ)言，我們“實(shí)踐出真知”的同時(shí)，應(yīng)該注意修辭學(xué)應(yīng)用中的道德問(wèn)題，即“好人良言”，合理使用并維護(hù)西方修辭學(xué)的地位和名聲。

參考文獻(xiàn)：

【1】黃堅(jiān) 借鑒西方修辭理論，改進(jìn)對(duì)臺(tái)傳播 福建福州350002

【2】劉亞猛：《西方修辭學(xué)史》，外研社2008年版