篇一：奥巴马精彩演讲
奥巴马精彩演讲：我们为什么要上学
弗吉尼亚州，阿林顿市，2009年9月8日 Wakefield High School Arlington, Virginia 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.)
嗨，大家好！你们今天过得怎么样？我现在和弗吉尼亚州阿林顿郡韦克菲尔德高中的学生们在一起，全国各地也有从幼儿园到高三的众多学生们通过电视关注这里，我很高兴你们能共同分享这一时刻。 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，对你们中的许多人来说，今天是开学的第一天，你们中的有
一些刚刚进入幼儿园或升上初高中，对你们来说，这是在新学校的第一天，因此，假如你们感到有些紧张，那也是很正常的。我想也会有许多毕业班的学生们正自信满满地准备最后一年的冲刺。不过，我想无论你有多大、在读哪个年级，许多人都打心底里希望现在还在放暑假，以及今天不用那么早起床。
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.
我可以理解这份心情。小时候，我们家在大洋彼岸——我们在印度尼西亚住过几年。我妈妈没钱送我去其他美国孩子们上学的地方去读书，因此她决定自己给我上课——时间是每周一到周五的凌晨4点半。
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.)
显然，我不怎么喜欢那么早就爬起来，很多时候，我就这么在厨房的桌子前睡着了。每当我埋怨的时候，我妈总会用同一副表情看着我说：
“小鬼，你以为教你我就很轻松？”
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.
所以，我可以理解你们中的许多人对于开学还需要时间来调整和适应，但今天我站在这里，是为了和你们谈一些重要的事情。我要和你们谈一谈你们每个人的教育，以及在新的学年里，你们应当做些什么。 Now, I’ve given a lot of speeches about education. And I’ve talked about responsibility a lot.
我做过许多关于教育的讲话，也常常用到“责任”这个词。
I’ve talked about teachers’ responsibility for inspiring students and pushing you to learn.
我谈到过教师们有责任激励和启迪你们，督促你们学习。
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.
我谈到过家长们有责任看管你们认真学习、完成作业，不要成天只会看电视或打游戏机。
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.
我也很多次谈到过政府有责任设定高标准严要求、协助老师和校长们的工作，改变在有些学校里学生得不到应有的学习机会的现状。 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.
但哪怕这一切都达到最好，哪怕我们有最尽职的教师、最好的家长、和最优秀的学校，假如你们不去履行自己的责任的话，那么这一切努力都会白费。——除非你每天准时去上学、除非你认真地听老师讲课、除非你把父母、长辈和其他大人们说的话放在心上、除非你肯付出成功所必需的努力，否则这一切都会失去意义。
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. 而这就是我今天讲话的主题：对于自己的教育，你们中每一个人的责任。首先，我想谈谈你们对于自己有什么责任。你们中的每一个人都
会有自己擅长的东西，每一个人都是有用之材，而发现自己的才能是什么，就是你们要对自己担起的责任。教育给你们提供了发现自己才能的机会。
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.
或许你能写出优美的文字——甚至有一天能让那些文字出现在书籍和报刊上——但假如不在英语课上经常练习写作，你不会发现自己有这样的天赋；或许你能成为一个发明家、创造家——甚至设计出像今天的iPhone一样流行的产品，或研制出新的药物与疫苗——但假如不在自然科学课程上做上几次实验，你不会知道自己有这样的天赋；或许你能成为一名议员或最高法院法官，但假如你不去加入什么学生会或参加几次辩论赛，你也不会发现自己的才能。
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
篇二：奥巴马关于教育的精彩演讲
Prepared Remarks of President Barack Obama
Back to School Event
美国总统巴拉克。奥巴马“回到校园”讲演稿 （一）
Arlington, Virginia
September 8, 2009
弗吉尼亚，阿灵顿
2009年9月8日
（Ruby Pei 粗浅翻译于北京）
The President: Hello everyone – how’s everybody doing today? I’m here with students at Wakefield High School in Arlington, Virginia. And we’ve got students tuning in from all across America, kindergarten through twelfth grade. I’m glad you all could join us today.
大家好！今天你们过得怎么样？我现在在弗吉尼亚阿灵顿维克菲尔德高中和同学们在一起。全美国的幼儿园到高中的同学们正在收听我的演讲。很高兴你们大家今天能够加入我们。
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, 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 longer this morning.
我知道对于很多同学来说，今天是你们上学的第一天。对第一天上幼儿园的，上初中或者高中的同学来说，你们有些紧张是可以理解的。我想象有些高年级的同学现在感觉不错，因为只有一年就可以毕业了。 无论你们正上哪个年级，有些同学也许希望现在还是夏天，这样你们今天早上就可以赖在床上多睡一会儿了。
I know that feeling. When I was young, my family lived in Indonesia for a few years, and my mother didn’t have the money to send me where all the American kids went to school. So she decided to teach me extra lessons herself, Monday through Friday – at 4:30 in the morning.
我知道这个感觉。当我小的时候，我家在印度尼西亚居住了几年。我妈妈没钱送我去所有美国小孩都可以上的学校。所以，她决定，每星期一到星期五早上4点半，她自己辅导我课程。
Now I wasn’t too happy about getting up that early. 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 say, "This is no picnic for me either, buster."
我可不愿意起得那么早。很多次，我在就厨房的那个餐桌上睡着了。但是，当我抱怨的时候，我妈妈总是用那种表情看着我说：“小家伙，这对于我来说也不是一件轻松的事啊！”
So I know 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.
所以，我明白你们有些人仍然在调整自己回到上学状态。我今天来这里是因为有一些非常重要的事情要和你们讨论。我来这里是因为我要跟你们谈谈你们的教育问题和在这个新学年里对你们所有人的期望。
Now I’ve given a lot of speeches about education. And I’ve talked a lot about responsibility. I’ve talked about your teachers’ responsibility for inspiring you, and pushing you to learn. I’ve talked about your parents’ responsibility for making sure you stay on track, and get your homework done, and don’t spend every waking hour in front of the TV or with that Xbox.
我已经就教育问题做了不少演讲，也谈了不少关于责任问题。我谈过老师的责任是激励你们，推动你们学习。我也谈过父母的责任是确保你们步入正轨，完成家庭作业，不要把每个清醒的小时花在看电视和打游戏上。
I’ve talked a lot about your government’s responsibility for setting high standards, supporting teachers and principals, and turning around schools that aren’t working where students aren’t getting the opportunities they deserve.
我也说到过政府的责任是制定高标准，协助教师，校长们把那些差学校转变成好学校，让学生得到他们应得的机会。
But at the end of the day, we can have the most dedicated teachers, the most supportive parents, and the best schools in the world – and none of it will matter unless all of you fulfill your responsibilities. Unless you show up to those schools; pay attention to those teachers; listen to your parents, grandparents and other adults; and put in the hard work it takes to succeed.
但是，到了最后，尽管我们拥有了世界上最具献身精神的教师，最支持你们的父母和最好的学校，如果你们不履行作为学生的义务，一切都是空谈。只有你们来学校上课，专心听讲，虚心接受你们的家长，祖父母和其他成年人的教诲，努力地学习，你们才可以有成功的机会。
And 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.
这是我今天要说的重点：受教育过程中你们自己的责任。我想从你们自己对自己的责任谈起。
Every single one of you has something 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.
你们每一个人都有自己擅长的方面。你们每一个人都有些东西可以贡献出来。而你们的责任是发现自己到底擅长什么。这正是教育可以提供给你们的机会。
Maybe you could be a good writer – maybe even good enough to write a book or articles in a
newspaper – but you might not know it until you write a paper for your English class. Maybe you could be an innovator or an inventor – maybe even good enough to come up with the next iPhone or a new medicine or vaccine – but you might not know it until you do a 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.
也许你可以成为一个好作家 – 也许好到可以写一本书或者在报纸上发表文章 – 但是，直到你在语文课上写了一篇好作文，你才可以发现你这个优势。 也许你可以成为一个革新家或发明家 – 也许你甚至能够发明下一代IPhone或者什么新型机器，或者新疫苗 – 但是，你如果不在科学课上好好做你的实验，你永远也发现不了你还有这样的才能。也许你将来可以成为市长，参议员或者最高法院的法官，但你只有加入学生会或者辩论会，你才可以体会到你的长处。
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 can’t drop out of school and just drop into a good job. You’ve got to work for it and train for it and learn for it.
无论你将来想做什么， 我保证你都需要受教育来实现它。 你想做一名医生，教师，还是警官？你想做一个护士，建筑师，律师，或者士兵？总之你都需要一个好的教育才可以有资格从事上述任何一个职业。 你不可能跳过学校这一关直接有个好工作。你不得不为了这个职业好好受教育，学习。
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. 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.
而且，这些不仅仅对于你的个人生活和将来非常重要，你受什么样的教育对于你的国家更加重要。今天你在学校所学到的东西，将决定我们作为一个国家是否可以迎接最大的挑战。你们将会用到在科学和数学课上用到的知识和解决问题的能力去攻克癌症和艾滋病这样的绝症，需要发现新的能源去保护我们的环境。你们将需要用你们在历史课和社会学课上学到的知识和批判性思维技巧去和贫困，无家可归，犯罪，歧视现象作斗争，去让我们的国家更加的公平和自由。你们需要利用在所有课上学到的创造性，灵活性去建立公司，创造就业机会，刺激我们的经济增长。
We need every single one of you to develop your talents, skills and intellect so you can help 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.
我们需要你们每一个同学去开发你们的才能，技巧和智慧去帮助解决我们国家最难以解决的问题。如果你不这么做而决定辍学，你不仅在放弃你自己，你也在放弃你的国家。
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.
然而，我知道在学校一直做得好并不是那么容易。我也知道很多同学在你们各自生活中面临挑战，进而让你们很难把精力集中在学校学习上。
I get it. I know what that’s like. My father left my family when I was two years old, and I was raised by a single mother who struggled at times to pay the bills and wasn’t always able to give us things the other kids had. There were times when I missed having a father in my life. There were times when I was lonely and felt like I didn’t fit in.
我明白这些。我知道那意味着什么。我父亲在我2岁的时候就离开我和妈妈了，我被单亲妈妈养大。她一直在为了付帐单和供给我们其他孩子所拥有的东西而奋斗。我有很多次很想念有父亲的生活。我有很多次感到很孤独而不能适应当时的生活。
So I wasn’t always as focused as I should have been. I did some things I’m not proud of, and got in more trouble than I should have. And my life could have easily taken a turn for the worse.
所以我不能总是把精力集中在学习上。我做了一些我不能引以为荣的事情，还惹了不少麻烦。我的生活可以很容易地变得更糟糕。
But I was fortunate. I got a lot of second chances and had the opportunity to go to college, and law school, and follow my dreams. My wife, our First Lady Michelle Obama, has a similar story. Neither of her parents had g(本文来自：WwW.xiaOCaofAnweN.Com 小草范文 网:奥巴马精彩演讲)one to college, and they didn’t have much. But they worked hard, and she worked hard, so that she could go to the best schools in this country.
但我是幸运的，我得到了不少第二次机会，上了大学，进了法学院，追逐着我的梦想。我的妻子，我们的第一夫人米歇尔。奥巴马和我情况类似。他的父母都没有上过大学，他们也没多少钱。但是他们努力工作，加之她自己也努力学习，所以她可以有机会到这个国家最好的几所学校上学。
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.
你们当中有些人也许不具备那些有利条件。也许在你的生活中没有成年人可以提供你所需的必要支持。也许你的家人有人失业了，家里业没有什么钱。也许你的社区让你感觉不安全，或者你的一些朋友会迫使你做一些你认为不对的事情。
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 – that’s no excuse for neglecting your homework or having a bad attitude. That’s no excuse for talking back to your teacher, or cutting class, or dropping out of school. That’s no excuse for not trying.
但是归根结底，你的生存状况，包括你长得什么样子，你的出身是什么，你有多少钱，你家里有什么特殊情况都不应该用来作为你忽视家庭作业和学习态度不端正的借口。你没有任何借口无礼顶撞老师，逃学或者辍学。你没有任何借口不做尝试！
Where you are right now doesn’t have to determine where you’ll end up. No one’s written your destiny for you. 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.
你现在处在什么位置并不决定你的最终命运。没人已经为你安排了命运。在美国， 你决定你自己的人生。你决定你自己的未来。这是像你们这样的美国年轻人每天正在做的事情。
篇三：奥巴马成名演讲稿——无畏的希望audacity
奥巴马成名演讲稿:无畏的希望 (英文版)
keynote address at the 2004 democratic national convention
july 27, 2004
on behalf of the great state of illinois, crossroads of a nation, land of lincoln, let me express my deep gratitude for the privilege of addressing this convention. tonight is a particular honor for me because, let’s face it, my presence on this stage is pretty unlikely. my father was a foreign student, born and raised in a small village in kenya. he grew up herding goats, went to school in a tin-roof shack. his father, my grandfather, was a cook, a domestic servant.
伟大的伊利诺伊州既是全国的交通枢纽，也是林肯的故乡，作为州代表，今天我将在大会致词，并为自己能有幸获此殊荣而倍感骄傲和自豪。今晚对我而言颇不寻常，我们得承认，我能站在这里本身就已意义非凡。我父亲是一个外国留学生，他原本生于肯尼亚的一个小村庄，并在那里长大成人。他小的时候还放过羊，上的学校简陋不堪，屋顶上仅有块铁皮来遮风挡雨。而他的父亲，也就是我的祖父，不过是个普通的厨子，还做过家佣。
but my grandfather had larger dreams for his son. through hard work and perseverance my father got a scholarship to study in a magical place:America, which stood as a beacon of freedom and opportunity to so many who had come before. while studying here, my father met my mother. she was born in a town on the other side of the world, in kansas. her father worked on oil rigs and farms through most of the depression. the day after pearl harbor he signed up for duty, joined patton’s army and marched across europe. back home, my grandmother raised their baby and went to work on a bomber assembly line. after the war, they studied on the gi bill, bought a house through fha, and moved west in search of opportunity.
但祖父对父亲抱以厚望。凭借不懈的努力和坚忍不拔的毅力，父亲荣获赴美留学的机会，而且还拿到奖学金。美国这片神奇的土地，对于很多踏上这片国土的人而言，意味着自由和机遇。还在留学期间，父亲与母亲不期而遇。母亲来自完全不同的另一个世界，她生于堪萨斯的一个小镇。大萧条时期，外祖父为谋生计，曾在石油钻井打工，还曾在农场务农。日军偷袭珍珠港后的第二天，他就自愿应征入伍，在巴顿将军麾下，转战南北，横扫欧洲。在后方的家中，外祖母含辛茹苦，抚养子女，并在轰炸机装配线上找了份活计。战后，依据士兵福利法案, 他们通过联邦住宅管理局购置了一套房子，并举家西迁，谋求更大发展。
and they, too, had big dreams for their daughter, a common dream, born of two continents. my parents shared not only an improbable love; they shared an abiding faith in the possibilities of this nation. they would give me an african name, barack, or "blessed," believing that in a tolerant america your name is no barrier to success. they imagined me going to the best schools in the land, even though they weren’t rich, because in a generous america you don’t have to be rich to achieve your potential. they are both passed away now. yet, i know that, on this night, they look down on me with pride.
他们对自己的女儿也寄予厚望，两家人虽然身在不同的非洲和美洲大陆，却有着共同的梦想。我的父母不仅不可思议地彼此相爱，而且还对这个国家有了不移的信念。他们赐予我一个非洲名字，巴拉克，意为“上天福佑”, 因为他们相信，在如此包容的国度中，这样的名字不应成为成功的羁绊。尽管他们生活并不宽裕，还是想方设法让我接受当地最好的教育，因为在这样一个富足的国度中，无论贫富贵贱，都同样有机会发展个人的潜力。现在他们都已不在人世，不过，我知道，他们的在天之灵，此时此刻正在骄傲地关注着我。
i stand here today, grateful for the diversity of my heritage, aware that my parents’ dreams live on in my precious daughters. i stand here knowing that my story is part of the larger american story, that i owe a debt to all of those who came before me, and that, in no other country on earth, is my story even possible. tonight, we gather to affirm the greatness of our nation, not because of the height of our skyscrapers, or the power of our military, or the size of our economy. our pride is based on a very simple premise, summed up in a declaration made over two hundred years ago, "we hold these truths to he self-evident, that all men are created equal. that they are endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights. that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."
今天，我站在这里，对自己身上这种特殊的血统而心怀感激，而且我知道父母的梦想将在我的宝贝女儿身上继续延续；我站在这里，深知自己的经历只是千百万美国故事中的沧海一粟，更深知自己无法忘却那些更早踏上这片土地的先人，因为若不是在美国，我的故事无论如何都不可能发生。今夜，我们聚集一堂，再次证明这个国度的伟大之处，而这一切并不在于鳞次栉比的摩天大厦，也不在于傲视群雄的军备实力，更不在于稳健雄厚的经济实力。我们的自豪与荣耀来自一个非常简单的前提，两百多年前，它在一个著名的宣言中得以高度的概括：“我们认为以下真理不言而喻，人生来平等，造物主赐与他们以下不可剥夺的权利：生命、自由和对幸福的追求。”
that is the true genius of america, a faith in the simple dreams of its people, the insistence on small miracles. that we can tuck in our children at night and know they are fed and clothed and safe from harm. that we can say what we think, write what we think, without hearing a sudden knock on the door. that we can have an idea and start our own business without paying a bribe or hiring somebody’s son. that we can participate in the political process without fear of retribution, and that our votes will he counted - or at least, most of the time.
这才是真正的美国智慧，坚信自己的国民有着朴素无华的梦想， 坚信点滴的奇迹终会出现在身边。入夜，当我们为孩子掖好小被的同时，相信他们不会为衣食所累，不会为安全担忧。我们可以畅所欲言，无需担心不速之客会不请自来。我们有灵感，有想法，可以去实现，去创业，无须行贿或雇佣某些人物的子女作为筹码和条件。我们可以参政议政，不必担心打击报复，我们的选票至关重要，至少多数情况下，都是如此。
this year, in this election, we are called to reaffirm our values and commitments, to hold them against a hard reality and see how we are measuring up, to the legacy of our forbearers, and the promise of future generations. and fellow americans - democrats, republicans, independents - i say to you tonight: we have more work to do. more to do for
the workers i met in gale□□urg, illinois, who are losing their union jobs at the maytag plant that’s moving to mexico, and now are having to compete with their own children for jobs that pay seven bucks an hour. more to do for the father i met who was losing his job and choking back tears, wondering how he would pay $4,500 a month for the drugs his son needs without the health benefits he counted on. more to do for the young woman in east st. louis, and thousands more like her, who has the grades, has the drive, has the will, but doesn’t have the money to go to college.
在今年的选举中，特别重申了我们主张的价值和肩负的责任，以此来应对当下的艰难现实：并希望了解怎样才能更好秉承前辈的遗产，实现对子孙的承诺。诸位美国国民，无论你是民主党，还是共和党，抑或是无党派人士，今晚我想对大家说的是：我们需要作的事情还有很多很多，在伊利诺伊州盖尔斯堡(gale□□urg), 由于maytag洗衣机厂要迁至墨西哥，很多工人将失去工作，而现在唯一的选择就是和自己的子女一起竞争每小时7美元的低薪工作。我曾遇到一位强忍泪水的父亲，他也因此丢掉了工作，没有了经济来源，不知怎样才能为儿子支付得起每月4500美元的高昂医药费用，本可救命的医疗保险对他而言却遥不可及，我们应该为他们做点什么；在东圣路易斯市，有这样一个年轻女孩，她品学兼优，成绩出色，却因为没有钱，无法完成学业，与大学无缘，而像她这样的孩子还有千千万万，我们应该为他们做点什么。
don’t get me wrong. the people i meet in small towns and big cities, in diners and Office parks, they don’t expect government to solve all their problems. they know they have to work hard to get ahead and they want to. go into the collar counties around chicago, and people will tell you they don’t want their tax money wasted by a welfare agency or the pentagon. go into any inner city neighborhood, and folks will tell you that government alone can’t teach kids to learn. they know that parents have to parent, that children can’t achieve unless we raise their expectations and turn off the television sets and eradicate the slander that says a black youth with a book is acting white. no, people don’t expect government to solve all their problems. but they sense, deep in their bones, that with just a change in priorities, we can make sure that every child in america has a decent shot at life, and that the doors of opportunity remain open to all. they know we can do better. and they want that choice.
请正面理解我的意思。我在城市与乡镇，在餐厅和办公楼停车场，接触过很多民众，他们并不期待由政府出面，帮他们排忧解难。而是清楚地意识到，需要通过努力工作，去面对和解决所有的问题，而这也确实是他们真实的想法和愿望。走进芝加哥周边的城镇，大家会告诉你，希望自己辛苦缴纳的税款能够物尽其用，而不是让社会保障机构或五角大楼任意支配。走进市中心的街区，大家会告诉你，让孩子好好读书不能仅仅依靠政府的力量，父母也要尽职尽责，培养下一代，不让孩子整天沉溺于电视，对于黑人而言，更要和白人一样，让子女有接受教育的权利，而不是相反。人们并不是依赖政府来解决所有问题，但他们真诚地认为，只要政府把工作的重点有所调整，就可以使得每个孩子都能奋发图强，积极向上，让机遇大门向每个人敞开。他们深知，我们有能力做得更好，他们同样希望如此。
in this election, we offer that choice. our party has chosen a man to lead us who embodies the best this country has to offer. that man is john kerry. john kerry understands the ideals
of community, faith, and sacrifice, because they’ve defined his life. from his heroic service in vietnam to his years as prosecutor and lieutenant governor, through two decades in the united states senate, he has devoted himself to this country. again and again, we’ve seen him make tough choices when easier ones were available. his values and his record affirm what is best in us.
在本次选举中，我们做出了这样的选择。民主党已选出一国之中品行最为高尚的人作为我们的领袖，带领大家实现这样的选择。他就是约翰凯利, 他深刻地领悟了社区、信念和献身精神这些崇高的理想，因为这些铸就了他生命的全部。他曾在越南英勇作战，回国后出任过检察官和副州长，在美国参议院度过了20个春秋，把全部精力都投入到国家社稷大业之中。多少次，他面对艰难抉择，知难而上，不畏艰险，他的阅历和品行为我们树立了榜样。
john kerry believes in an america where hard work is rewarded. so instead of offering tax breaks to companies shipping jobs overseas, he’ll offer them to companies creating jobs here at home. john kerry believes in an america where all americans can afford the same health coverage our politicians in washington have for themselves. john kerry believes in energy independence, so we aren’t held hostage to the profits of oil companies or the sabotage of foreign oil fields. john kerry believes in the constitutional freedoms that have made our country the envy of the world, and he will never sacrifice our basic liberties nor use faith as a wedge to divide us. and john kerry believes that in a dangerous world, war must be an option, but it should never he the first option.
约翰凯利坚信，在美国，付出就会有回报，因此，对于那些在本土创造就业机会的公司，他会在税收上给与优惠，而将工作机会输送到海外的公司则不会享受到如此待遇。他坚信，美国应该实现标准的医疗保险，对普通百姓和华盛顿的政治家都一视同仁。他坚信能源自主的重要性，因此我们不会再因石油公司对利润的追求，或对国外油田的破坏而遭致威胁。他坚信美国应该成为世人艳羡的国度，因为国民的自由受到宪法的保护。他永远都不会让大家的基本自由受到影响，更不会以信仰为借口，来制造分裂。他还坚信当今世界的确存在危险因素，战争在所难免，但战争永远不会成为解决争端的首选。
a while back, i met a young man named shamus at the vfw hall in east moline, illinois. he was a good-looking kid, six-two or six-three, clear-eyed, with an easy smile. he told me he’d joined the marines and was heading to iraq the following week. as i listened to him explain why he’d enlisted, his absolute faith in our country and its leaders, his devotion. to duty and service, i thought this young man was all any of us might hope for in a child. but then i asked myself: are we serving shamus as well as he was serving us? i thought of more than 900 service men and women, sons and daughters, hu□□ands and wives, friends and neighbors, who will not be returning to their hometowns. i thought of families i had met who were struggling to get by without a loved one’s full income, or whose loved ones had returned with a limb missing or with nerves shattered, but who still lacked long-term health benefits because they were reservists. when we send our young men and women into harm’s way, we have a solemn obligation not to fudge the numbers or shade the truth about why they’re going, to care for their families while they’re gone, to tend to the soldiers upon their return, and to never ever go to war without enough troops to win the war, secure the peace, and earn the respect of the world.
前不久，在伊利诺伊州东莫林市的外战老兵俱乐部里，我偶遇一个年轻人，他叫沙莫斯，身高足有 2米，相貌英俊，目光清澈，笑容可掬。他说自己加入了海军陆战队, 一周后就将进驻伊拉克。当我听他讲述入伍的原因时，他讲到了对我们国家和领导人的绝对信赖，对军队的无上忠诚以及自身强烈的责任感，这让我感受到他身上具备的优良品质正是我们对子女的所有期待。然而，当我扪心自问：我们为他所做的一切，是否能与他的付出相当呢? 我想到这次战争中已有900多名军人战死沙场，他们也有自己的家人和邻友，也许已是为人父母，还有年迈的双亲，却再也无法回到这些关爱他们的人身边。我想到自己遇到的那些家庭，他们或是要应对亲人阵亡，收入锐减所来的经济窘境，或是要面对肢体残缺的家人复原归来，甚至精神崩溃，却因其预备役军人的身份而无法享受长期的健康补贴，生活变得举步维艰。当这些可爱的年轻人舍身踏上征程，我们责无旁贷地要确认做出出兵决定的所有数据和理由确凿无误；我们责无旁贷地要替他们照顾好家人，而当他们荣归故里时，要关照他们的生活；当决定要介入战争、保卫和平和赢得世界的尊重之时，我们责无旁贷地要派驻足够数量的军队，以确保战士能凯旋而归。
now let me be clear. we have real enemies in the world. these enemies must be found. they must be pursued and they must be defeated. john kerry knows this. and just as lieutenant kerry did not hesitate to risk his life to protect the men who served with him in vietnam, president kerry will not hesitate one moment to use our military might to keep america safe and secure. john kerry believes in america. and he knows it’s not enough for just some of us to prosper. for alongside our famous individualism, there’s another ingredient in the american saga.
请允许我阐明下述观点：在世界上，确实有人与我们为敌，我们必须找到他们，并予以坚决打击，获取胜利。约翰凯利深知这一点，正如身为上尉的他在越南战场上出生入死，保护自己的下属一样，若他身为总统，也同样会义无反顾地运用军队的力量确保国家的安全。他对美国充满信心，而且深知仅有部分公民实现生活的富足还远远不够，而这要仰仗与我们闻名于世的个人主义相伴的另一种元素，正是因为它们，美国史册才熠熠生辉。
a belief that we are connected as one people. if there’s a child on the south side of chicago who can’t read, that matters to me, even if it’s not my child. if there’s a senior citizen somewhere who can’t pay for her prescription and has to choose between medicine and the rent, that makes my life poorer, even if it’s not my grandmother. if there’s an arab american family being rounded up without benefit of an attorney or due process, that threatens my civil liberties. it’s that fundamental belief - i am my brother’s keeper, i am my sister’s keeper - that makes this country work. it’s what allows us to pursue our individual dreams, yet still come together as a single american family. "e pluribus unum." out of many, one.
这就是我们作为一个民族荣辱与共的信仰。假如，芝加哥南部的一个孩子无法读书识字，即便他与我非亲非故，我也会心怀忐忑。如果有位老人因无法支付高昂的医疗费用，不得不在治病和租房之间痛苦抉择，即便她与我素未谋面，我也会如坐针毡，。假如，一个阿拉伯裔的美国家庭未经律师辩护，或诉讼程序就遭受不公正待遇，同样会让我寝食难安。正是这个基本信仰让这个国家发展到今天：我们都是一家人，我们都是兄弟姐妹。只有这样我们才能