奥巴马第二次就职演讲(英文版)

第一篇：奥巴马第二次就职演讲(英文版)

MR.OBAMA: Vice President Biden, Mr.Chief Justice, Members of the United States Congress, distinguished guests, and fellow citizens: Each time we gather to inaugurate a president, we bear witness to the enduring strength of our Constitution.We affirm the promise of our democracy.We recall that what binds this nation together is not the colors of our skin or the tenets of our faith or the origins of our names.What makes us exceptional – what makes us American – is our allegiance to an idea, articulated in a declaration made more than two centuries ago: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.”

Today we continue a never-ending journey, to bridge the meaning of those words with the realities of our time.For history tells us that while these truths may be self-evident, they have never been self-executing;that while freedom is a gift from God, it must be secured by His people here on Earth.The patriots of 1776 did not fight to replace the tyranny of a king with the privileges of a few or the rule of a mob.They gave to us a Republic, a government of, and by, and for the people, entrusting each generation to keep safe our founding creed.For more than two hundred years, we have.Through blood drawn by lash and blood drawn by sword, we learned that no union founded on the principles of liberty and equality could survive half-slave and half-free.We made ourselves anew, and vowed to move forward together.Together, we determined that a modern economy requires railroads and highways to speed travel and commerce;schools and colleges to train our workers。

Together, we discovered that a free market only thrives when there are rules to ensure competition and fair play.Together, we resolved that a great nation must care for the vulnerable, and protect its people from life’s worst hazards and misfortune.Through it all, we have never relinquished our skepticism of central authority, nor have we succumbed to the fiction that all society’s ills can be cured through government alone.Our celebration of initiative and enterprise;our insistence on hard work and personal responsibility, these are constants in our character.But we have always understood that when times change, so must we;that fidelity to our founding principles requires new responses to new challenges;that preserving our individual freedoms ultimately requires collective action.For the American people can no more meet the demands of today’s world by acting alone than American soldiers could have met the forces of fascism or communism with muskets and militias.No single person can train all the math and science teachers we’ll need to equip our children for the future, or build the roads and networks and research labs that will bring new jobs and businesses to our shores.Now, more than ever, we must do these things together, as one nation, and one people.This generation of Americans has been tested by crises that steeled our resolve and proved our resilience.A decade of war is now ending.An economic recovery has begun.America’s possibilities are limitless, for we possess all the qualities that this world without boundaries demands: youth and drive;diversity and openness;an endless capacity for risk and a gift for reinvention.My fellow Americans, we are made for this moment, and we will seize it – so long as we seize it together.For we, the people, understand that our country cannot succeed when a shrinking few do very well and a growing many barely make it.We believe that America’s prosperity must rest upon the broad shoulders of a rising middle class.We know that America thrives when every person can find independence and pride in their work;when the wages of honest labor liberate families from the brink of hardship.We are true to our creed when a little girl born into the bleakest poverty knows that she has the same chance to succeed as anybody else, because she is an American, she is free, and she is equal, not just in the eyes of God but also in our own.We understand that outworn programs are inadequate to the needs of our time.We must harness new ideas and technology to remake our government, revamp our tax code, reform our schools, and empower our citizens with the skills they need to work harder, learn more, and reach higher.But while the means will change, our purpose endures: a nation that rewards the effort and determination of every single American.That is what this moment requires.That is what will give real meaning to our creed.We, the people, still believe that every citizen deserves a basic measure of security and dignity.We must make the hard choices to reduce the cost of health care and the size of our deficit.But we reject the belief that America must choose between caring for the generation that built this country and investing in the generation that will build its future.For we remember the lessons of our past, when twilight years were spent in poverty, and parents of a child with a disability had nowhere to turn.We do not believe that in this country, freedom is reserved for the lucky, or happiness for the few.We recognize that no matter how responsibly we live our lives, any one of us, at any time, may face a job loss, or a sudden illness, or a home swept away in a terrible storm.The commitments we make to each other – through Medicare, and Medicaid, and Social Security – these things do not sap our initiative;they strengthen us.They do not make us a nation of takers;they free us to take the risks that make this country great.We, the people, still believe that our obligations as Americans are not just to ourselves, but to all posterity.We will respond to the threat of climate change, knowing that the failure to do so would betray our children and future generations.Some may still deny the overwhelming judgment of science, but none can avoid the devastating impact of raging fires, and crippling drought, and more powerful storms.The path towards sustainable energy sources will be long and sometimes difficult.But America cannot resist this transition;we must lead it.We cannot cede to other nations the technology that will power new jobs and new industries – we must claim its promise.That is how we will maintain our economic vitality and our national treasure – our forests and waterways;our croplands and snowcapped peaks.That is how we will preserve our planet, commanded to our care by God.That’s what will lend meaning to the creed our fathers once declared.We, the people, still believe that enduring security and lasting peace do not require perpetual war.Our brave men and women in uniform, tempered by the flames of battle, are unmatched in skill and courage.Our citizens, seared by the memory of those we have lost, know too well the price that is paid for liberty.The knowledge of their sacrifice will keep us forever vigilant against those who would do us harm.But we are also heirs to those who won the peace and not just the war, who turned sworn enemies into the surest of friends, and we must carry those lessons into this time as well.We will defend our people and uphold our values through strength of arms and rule of law.We will show the courage to try and resolve our differences with other nations peacefully – not because we are naïve about the dangers we face, but because engagement can more durably lift suspicion and fear.America will remain the anchor of strong alliances in every corner of the globe;and we will renew those institutions that extend our capacity to manage crisis abroad, for no one has a greater stake in a peaceful world than its most powerful nation.We will support democracy from Asia to Africa;from the Americas to the Middle East, because our interests and our conscience compel us to act on behalf of those who long for freedom.And we must be a source of hope to the poor, the sick, the marginalized, the victims of prejudice – not out of mere charity, but because peace in our time requires the constant advance of those principles that our common creed describes: tolerance and opportunity;human dignity and justice.We, the people, declare today that the most evident of truths – that all of us are created equal – is the star that guides us still;just as it guided our forebears through Seneca Falls, and Selma, and Stonewall;just as it guided all those men and women, sung and unsung, who left footprints along this great Mall, to hear a preacher say that we cannot walk alone;to hear a King proclaim that our individual freedom is inextricably bound to the freedom of every soul on Earth.It is now our generation’s task to carry on what those pioneers began.For our journey is not complete until our wives, our mothers, and daughters can earn a living equal to their efforts.Our journey is not complete until our gay brothers and sisters are treated like anyone else under the law – for if we are truly created equal, then surely the love we commit to one another must be equal as well.Our journey is not complete until no citizen is forced to wait for hours to exercise the right to vote.Our journey is not complete until we find a better way to welcome the striving, hopeful immigrants who still see America as a land of opportunity;until bright young students and engineers are enlisted in our workforce rather than expelled from our country.Our journey is not complete until all our children, from the streets of Detroit to the hills of Appalachia to the quiet lanes of Newtown, know that they are cared for, and cherished, and always safe from harm.That is our generation’s task – to make these words, these rights, these values – of Life, and Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness – real for every American.Being true to our founding documents does not require us to agree on every contour of life;it does not mean we will all define liberty in exactly the same way, or follow the same precise path to happiness.Progress does not compel us to settle centuries-long debates about the role of government for all time – but it does require us to act in our time.For now decisions are upon us, and we cannot afford delay.We cannot mistake absolutism for principle, or substitute spectacle for politics, or treat name-calling as reasoned debate.We must act, knowing that our work will be imperfect.We must act, knowing that today’s victories will be only partial, and that it will be up to those who stand here in four years, and forty years, and four hundred years hence to advance the timeless spirit once conferred to us in a spare Philadelphia hall.My fellow Americans, the oath I have sworn before you today, like the one recited by others who serve in this Capitol, was an oath to God and country, not party or faction – and we must faithfully execute that pledge during the duration of our service.But the words I spoke today are not so different from the oath that is taken each time a soldier signs up for duty, or an immigrant realizes her dream.My oath is not so different from the pledge we all make to the flag that waves above and that fills our hearts with pride.They are the words of citizens, and they represent our greatest hope.You and I, as citizens, have the power to set this country’s course.You and I, as citizens, have the obligation to shape the debates of our time – not only with the votes we cast, but with the voices we lift in defense of our most ancient values and enduring ideals.Let each of us now embrace, with solemn duty and awesome joy, what is our lasting birthright.With common effort and common purpose, with passion and dedication, let us answer the call of history, and carry into an uncertain future that precious light of freedom.Thank you, God Bless you, and may He forever bless these United States of America.

第二篇：奥巴马就职演讲

美国历届总统就职演说之---第44任总统Barack Obama的就职演讲稿

Inaugural Address of Barack Obama My fellow citizens: I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors.I thank President Bush for his service to our nation, as well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this transition.Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath.The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace.Yet, every so often the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms.At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because We the People have remained faithful to the ideals of our forbearers, and true to our founding documents.So it has been.So it must be with this generation of Americans.That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood.Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred.Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age.Homes have been lost;jobs shed;businesses shuttered.Our health care is too costly;our schools fail too many;and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics.Less measurable but no less profound is a sapping of confidence across our land—a nagging fear that America’s decline is inevitable, that the next generation must lower its sights.Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real.They are serious and they are many.They will not be met easily or in a short span of time.But know this, America—they will be met.On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn-out dogmas that for far too long have strangled our politics.We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things.The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit;to choose our better history;to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given.It must be earned.Our journey has never been one of shortcuts or settling for less.It has not been the path for the faint-hearted—for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame.Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things—some celebrated but more often men and women obscure in their labor, who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom.For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled across oceans in search of a new life.For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West;endured the lash of the whip and plowed the hard earth.For us, they fought and died, in places like Concord and Gettysburg;Normandy and Khe Sahn.Time and again these men and women struggled and sacrificed and worked till their hands were raw so that we might live a better life.They saw America as bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions;greater than all the differences of birth or wealth or faction.This is the journey we continue today.We remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on Earth.Our workers are no less productive than when this crisis began.Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were last week or last month or last year.Our capacity remains undiminished.But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions—that time has surely passed.Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.For everywhere we look, there is work to be done.The state of our economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act—not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth.We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together.We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology’s wonders to raise health care’s quality and lower its cost.We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories.And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age.All this we can do.All this we will do.Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions—who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans.Their memories are short.For they have forgotten what this country has already done;what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose, and necessity to courage.17 What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them—that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply.The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works—whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified.Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward.Where the answer is no, programs will end.And those of us who manage the public’s dollars will be held to account—to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day—because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government.Nor is the question before us whether the market is a force for good or ill.Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched, but this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control—the nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous.The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our Gross Domestic Product, but on the reach of our prosperity;on the ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart—not out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good.As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals.Our Founding Fathers, faced with perils that we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations.Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience’s sake.And so to all the other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman, and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and we are ready to lead once more.Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with the sturdy alliances and enduring convictions.They understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please.Instead, they knew that our power grows through its prudent use;our security emanates from the justness of our cause, the force of our example, the tempering qualities of humility and restraint.We are the keepers of this legacy.Guided by these principles once more, we can meet those new threats that demand even greater effort—even greater cooperation and understanding between nations.We will begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people, and forge a hard-earned peace in Afghanistan.With old friends and former foes, we will work tirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat, and roll back the specter of a warming planet.We will not apologize for our way of life, nor will we waver in its defense, and for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken;you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you.For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness.We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus—and non-believers.We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth;and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass;that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve;that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself;and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace.To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect.To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society’s ills on the West—know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy.To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history;but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow;to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds.And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to the suffering outside our borders;nor can we consume the world’s resources without regard to effect.For the world has changed, and we must change with it.As we consider the road that unfolds before us, we remember with humble gratitude those brave Americans who, at this very hour, patrol far-off deserts and distant mountains.They have something to tell us, just as the fallen heroes who lie in Arlington whisper through the ages.We honor them not only because they are the guardians of our liberty, but because they embody the spirit of service;a willingness to find meaning in something greater than themselves.And yet, at this moment—a moment that will define a generation—it is precisely this spirit that must inhabit us all.For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies.It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break, the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours.It is the firefighter’s courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent’s willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate.Our challenges may be new.The instruments with which we meet them may be new.But those values upon which our success depends—honesty and hard work, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism—these things are old.These things are true.They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history.What is demanded then is a return to these truths.What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility—a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task.This is the price and the promise of citizenship.This is the source of our confidence—the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny.This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed—why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent mall, and why a man whose father less than sixty years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.So let us mark this day with remembrance, of who we are and how far we have traveled.In the year of America’s birth, in the coldest of months, a small band of patriots huddled by dying campfires on the shores of an icy river.The capital was abandoned.The enemy was advancing.The snow was stained with blood.At a moment when the outcome of our revolution was most in doubt, the father of our nation ordered these words be read to the people:

“Let it be told to the future world … that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive … that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet … it.”

America!In the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words.With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come.Let it be said by our children’s children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter;and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God’s grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations.Thank you.God bless you.And God bless the United States of America.巴拉克·侯赛因·奥巴马，1961年8月4日生于美国夏威夷，父亲巴拉克·侯赛因·奥巴马一世是来自肯尼亚的黑人，穆斯林。母亲是堪萨斯州的白人。是左撇子，这是美国总统史自40届以来的第四位左撇子总统。

奥巴马祖籍肯尼亚，是美国历史上第一位具有黑人血统的总统。当然，美国社会对黑人和其他有色人种的种族歧视，至今仍然存在，解决种族歧视依然任重道远。事实上，奥巴马并没有像很多美国黑人奴隶的后裔一样在很多城市的贫民窟长大。他小时候是由他的白人祖父母抚养，他的童年中有很长时间是在印度尼西亚度过的。因此他的思维方式和美国白人或亚洲人比较接近。他本人从来也没有在公开场合，承认自己是黑人，或者是非洲裔美国人，只承认自己是混血。

1983年毕业于哥伦比亚大学，1985年到芝加哥参加社会工作。1991年毕业于哈佛大学的法学院，是第一个担任哈佛法学评论主编的所谓的 非洲裔美国人，并在此期间获得了全国范围的认可。1992年和米歇尔·拉沃恩·奥巴马结婚，并生了二个女儿玛丽亚 ·安· 奥巴马（Malia Ann Obama）, 娜塔莎· 奥巴马（Natasha Obama）。1996年，奥巴马从芝加哥当选为伊利诺伊州国会参议员并在之后的3年中连任；2000年，在竞选美国众议院议员席位失败后，奥巴马将主要精力投入到伊利诺伊州的参议工作中。

2004年7月，美国民主党召开全国代表大会，奥巴马被指定在第二天做“基调演讲”。（所谓“基调演讲”，就是民主党人阐述本党的纲领和政策宣言，通常由本党极有前途的政治新星来发表，1988年做“基调演讲”的人就是时任阿肯色州州长的克林顿。）奥巴马不负众望，他亲自撰写演讲稿，并发表了题为“无畏的希望”（The Audacity ofHope）慷慨激昂的演讲。在演说中他提出消除党派分歧和种族分歧、实现“一个美国”的梦想。该演讲后，奥巴马成为全美知名的政界人物。同年11月，奥巴马顺利的以高达70%的选票当选联邦参议员。

2007年2月10日，奥巴马在伊利诺伊州斯普林菲尔德市正式宣布参加2008年美国总统大选，并提出了重点在“完结伊拉克战争以及实施全民医疗保险制度”的竞选纲领。2008年1月4日，在俄亥俄州民主党初选大会上，奥巴马赢得了38%的支持率，领先于知名度高于自己的约翰·爱德华兹以及希拉里·克林顿，在民主党诸位候选人中领跑。2008年6月3日，奥巴马票数领先于希拉里·克林顿，被定为民主党总统候选人；同年8月23日，在民主党全国代表大会上奥巴马被正式提名，从而成为了美国历史上首个非洲裔总统大选候选人。

2008年11月5日，奥巴马击败共和党候选人约翰·麦凯恩，正式当选为美国第四十四任总统。

2009年10月9日，据英国广播公司报道，诺贝尔奖评审会称，美国总统奥巴马因“为增强国际外交及各国人民间的合作做出非同寻常的努力”而被授予2009诺贝尔和平奖。

第三篇：奥巴马就职演讲

You know，there are those who were saying that North Carolina would be a game-changer in this election.But today，what North Carolina decided is that the only game that needs changing is the one in Washington.D.C.I want to start by congratulating Senator Clinton on what appears to be her victory in the state of Indiana.And I want to thank all the people--I want to thank all the wonderful people of Indiana who worked so hard on our behalf.The people in Indiana could not be finer.They worked tirelessly,and I will always be grateful to them.I want to thank,of course, the people of North Carolina for giving us a victory in a big state，a swing state，in a state where we will compete to win if I am the Democratic nominee for President of the United States.You know,when this campaign began，Washington didn't give us much of a chance.But because you came out in the bitter cold，and knocked on doors，and enlisted your friends and neighbors in this cause； because you stood up to the cynics，and the doubters，and the naysayers when we were up and when we were down； because you still believe that this is our moment and our time to change America,tonight we stand less than two hundred delegates away from securing the Democratic nomination for President of the United States.More importantly，because of you，we have seen that it s possible to overcome the politics of division and distraction； that it's possible to overcome the same, old negative attacks that are always about scoring points and never about solving our problems.We've seen that the American people aren t looking for more spin.They're looking for honest answers about the challenges we face.That s what you ve accomplished in this campaign，and that's how together we intend to change this country.This has been one of the longest，most closely fought contests in history.And that s partly because we have such a formidable opponent in Senator Hillary Clinton.Tonight，many of the pundits have suggested that this party is inalterably divided, that Senator Clinton's supporters will not support me，and that my supporters will not support her.Well I'm here tonight to tell you that I don't believe it.Yes，there have been bruised feelings on both sides.Yes，each side desperately wants their candidate to win.But ultimately，this race is not about Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama or John McCain.This election is about you the American people.It's about whether we will have a president and a party that can lead us toward a brighter future.This primary season may not be over，but when it is，we will have to remember who we are as Democrats,that we are the party of Jefferson and Jackson； of Roosevelt and Kennedy； and that we are at our best when we lead with principle； when we lead with conviction； when we summon an entire nation around a common purpose a higher purpose.This fall，we intend to march forward as one Democratic Party，united by a common vision for this country.Because we all agree that at this defining moment in history, a moment when we re facing two wars，an economy in turmoil，a planet in peril,a dream that feels like it's slipping away for too many Americans, we can t afford to give John McCain the chance to serve out George Bush's third term.We need change in America.And that's why we'll be nuited in November.The woman I met in Indiana who had just lost her job，lost her pension，lost her insurance, when the plant where she worked at her entire life closed down, she can t afford four more years of tax breaks for corporations like the one that shipped her job overseas.She needs us to give tax breaks to companies that create good jobs here in America.She can t afford four more years of tax breaks for CEOs like the one who walked away from her company with a multimillion-dollar bonus.She needs middle-class tax relief of the sort I've proposed,relief that will help her pay the skyrocketing price of groceries，and gas，and college tuition.That's why I'm running for President.The college student I met in Iowa who works the night shift after a full day of class ,still can't pay the medical bills for a sister who s ill, she can t afford four more years of a health care plan that only takes care of the healthy and the wealthy, that allows insurance companies to discriminate and deny coverage to those Americans who need it most.She needs us to stand up to those insurance companies and pass a plan that lowers every family s premiums and gives every uninsured American the same kind of coverage that Members of Congress give themselves.That s why I m running for President.The mother in Wisconsin who gave me a bracelet inscribed with the name of the son she lost in Iraq, the families who pray for their loved ones to come home； the heroes on their third and fourth and fifth tour of duty they can t afford four more years of a war that should ve never been authorized and never been waged.They can t afford four more years of our veterans returning to broken-down barracks and substandard care.And they don't want to see homeless veterans on the streets,they don't want to see veterans waiting years to get disability payments or having to travel for hours and miles just to get treatment.They need us to end the war that isn t making us safer.They need us to treat them with the care and respect they deserve.That s why I m running for President.The man I met in Pennsylvania who lost his job but can t even afford the gas to drive around and look for a new one, he can t afford four more years of an energy policy written by the oil companies and for the oil companies； a policy that s not only keeping gas at record prices，but funding both sides of the war on terror and destroying our planet.He doesn t need four more years of Washington policies that sound good，but don t solve the problem.He needs us to take a permanent holiday from our oil addiction by making the automakers raise their fuel standards，corporations pay for their pollution，and oil companies invest their record profits in a clean energy future.That s the change we need.And that s why I m running for President.The people that I've met in small towns and big cities across this country understand that government can t solve all our problems ,and we don t expect it to.We believe in hard work.We believe in personal responsibility and self-reliance.But we also believe that we have a larger responsibility to one another as Americans, that America is a place, that America is the place where you can make it if you try,that no matter how much money you start with or where you come from or who your parents are，opportunity is yours if you re willing to reach for it and work for it.It s the idea that, while there are few guarantees in life，you should be able to count on a job that pays the bills； health care for when you need it； a pension for when you retire； an education for your children that will allow them to fulfill their God-given potential.That s the America we believe in.That s the America we know.This is the country that gave my grandfather a chance to go to college on the GI Bill when he came home from World War II； a country that gave him and my grandmother the chance to buy their first home with a loan from the FHA.This is the country that made it possible for my mother, a single parent who had to go on food stamps at one point, to send my sister and me to the best schools in the country on scholarships.This is the country that allowed my father-in-law,a shift worker, a city worker at a water filtration plant in Chicago, to provide for his wife and two children on a single salary.Now this is a man who was diagnosed at age thirty with multiple sclerosis, who relied on a walker to get himself to work, and yet，every day he went，and he labored，and he sent my wife and her brother to one of the best colleges in the nation.And when he talked ahout his job,he expressed that it was important not just because it gave him a paycheck，but because it described his dignity,his self-worth,his self-respect.It was an America that didn t just reward wealth，but it rewarded work and the workers who created it.That's the America I love.That's the America you love.That's the America that we're fighting for in this election.Somewhere along the line，between all the bickering and the influence-peddling and the game-playing of the last few decades，Washington and Wall Street have lost touch with these core values,these American values.And while I honor John McCain's service to his country，his ideas for America are out of touch with these core values.His plans for the future,of continuing a war that has not made us safer,of continuing George Bush's economic policies that he claims have made great progress,these are nothing more than the failed policies of the past.And his plan to win in November appears to come from the very same playbook that his side has used time after time in election after election.Yes，we know what's coming.I'm not naive.We ve seen it already,the same names and labels they always pin on everyone who doesn t agree with all their ideas,the same efforts to distract us from the issues that affect our lives, by pouncing on every gaffe and association and fake controversy ,in the hopes that the media will play along.The attempts to play on our fears and exploit our differences ,to turn us against each other for pure political gain, to slice and dice this country into Red States and Blue States； blue collar and white collar； white, black, brown,young,old,rich,poor

This is the race we expect,no matter whether it's myself or Senator Clinton who is the nominee.The question then is not what kind of campaign they ll run，it s what kind of campaign we will run.It s what we will do to make this year different.I didn t get into race thinking that I could avoid this kind of politics，but I am running for President because this is the time to end it.We will end it this time not because I'm perfect.I think we know at this phase of the campaign that I am not.We will end it not by duplicating the same tactics and the same strategies as the other side，because that will lead us down the same path of polarization and of gridlock.We will end it by telling the

truth forcefully，repeatedly，confidently and by trusting that the American people will embrace the need for change ,even if it's coming from an imperfect messenger ,because that s how we ve always changed this country, not from the top down，but from the bottom up； when you, the American people ,decide that the stakes are too high and the challenges are too great.The other side can label and name-call all they want，but I trust the American people to recognize that it s not surrender to end the war in Iraq so that we can rebuild our military and go after al Qaeda's leaders.I trust the American people to understand that it s not weakness，but wisdom to talk not just to our friends，but our enemies, like Roosevelt did，and Kennedy did，and Truman did.I trust the American people to realize that, while we don t need big government，we do need a government that stands up for families who are being tricked out of their homes by Wall Street predators, a government that stands up for the middle class by giving them a tax break, a government that ensures that no American will ever lose their life savings just because their child gets sick.Security and opportunity, compassion and prosperity aren t liberal values.They're not conservative values.They re American values,and that's what we're fighting for in this election.Most of all，I trust the American people's desire to no longer be defined by our differences, because no matter where I ve been in this country, whether it was the corn fields of Iowa or the textile mills of the Carolinas, the streets of San Antonio or the foothills of Georgia, I ve found that, while we may have different stories，we hold common hopes.We may not look the same or come from the same place，but we want to move in the same direction towards a better future for our children and our grandchildren.That s why I'm in this race.I love this country too much to see it divided and distracted at this moment in history.I believe in our ability to perfect this nation, because it s the only reason

I'm standing here today.And I know the promise of America, because I have lived it.Michelle has lived it.You have lived it.It is the light of opportunity that led my father across an ocean.It is the founding ideals that the flag draped over my father's coffin stand for.It is life and liberty and the pursuit of happiness.It s the simple truth I learned all those years ago when I worked in the shadow of all those shuttered steel mills on the south side of Chicago ,that, in this country，justice can be won against the greatest odds； hope can find its way back from the darkest of corners.And when we are told that we cannot bring about the change that we seek，we answer with one voice: Yes, we can.So,North Carolina and America, don t ever forget that this election is not about me or any candidate.Don t ever forget that this campaign is about you.It's about your hopes，it's about your dreams，il's about your struggles，it's about your aspirations,it's about securing your portion of the American Dream.Don t ever forget that we have a choice in this country, that we can choose not to be divided； that we can choose not to be afraid, that we can still choose this moment to finally come together and solve the problems we ve talked about all those other years in all those other elections.This time can be different than all the rest.This time we can face down those who say our road is too long, that our climb is too steep, that we can no longer achieve the change that we seek.This is our time to answer the call that so many generations of Americans have answered before, by insisting that, by hard work and by sacrifice，the American dream will endure.Thank you，and may God Bless the United States of America.

第四篇：奥巴马就职演讲

原文地址：奥巴马总统就职演说中英文对照全文作者：乔磊

巴拉克·奥巴马(Barack Obama)于2009年1月20日宣誓就职美国第44任总统。以下是奥巴马总统就职演说的中英文对照全文，中文由美国国务院国际信息局(IIP)根据演说记录稿翻译。

My fellow citizens: I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors.I thank President Bush for his service to our nation, as well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this transition.同胞们：

我今天站在这里，深感面前使命的重大，深谢你们赋予的信任，并铭记我们前辈所付的代价。我感谢布什总统对国家的贡献以及他在整个过渡阶段给予的大度合作。

Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath.The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace.Yet, every so often the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms.At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because we the people have remained faithful to the ideals of our forebears, and true to our founding documents.至此，有四十四个美国人发出总统誓言。这些字词曾在蒸蒸日上的繁荣时期和宁静安详的和平年代诵读。但是间或，它们也响彻在阴云密布、风暴降临的时刻。美国能够历经这些时刻而勇往直前，不仅因为当政者具有才干或远见，而且也因为“我们人民”始终坚信我们先辈的理想，对我们的建国理念忠贞不渝。So it has been.So it must be with this generation of Americans.这是过来之路。这是这一代美国的必由之路。

That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood.Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred.Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age.Homes have been lost;jobs shed;businesses shuttered.Our health care is too costly;our schools fail too many;and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.我们处于危机之中，这一点已得到充分认识。我国在进行战争，打击分布广泛的暴力和仇恨势力。我们的经济严重衰弱，部分归咎于一些人的贪婪不轨，同时也因为我们作为一个整体，未能痛下决心，让国家作好面对新时代的准备。如今，住房不再，就业减少，商业破产。医疗保健费用过度昂贵；学校质量没有保障；而每一天都在不断显示，我们使用能源的方式在助长敌人的威风，威胁我们的星球。

These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics.Less measurable but no less profound is a sapping of confidence across our land — a nagging fear that America's decline is inevitable, and that the next generation must lower its sights.这些是危机的迹象，数据统计将予以证明。不易于衡量然而同样严重的是全国各地受动摇的信心——一种挥之不去的恐惧感，认为美国将不可避免地走下坡路，下一代人不得不放低眼光。

Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real.They are serious and they are many.They will not be met easily or in a short span of time.But know this, America — they will be met.今天，我告诉大家，我们面临的挑战真实存在，并且严重而多重。它们不可能在一个短时间内被轻易征服。但是，美国，请记住这句话——它们将被征服。On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.我们今天聚集在这里是因为我们选择希望而不是恐惧，选择齐心协力而不是冲突对立。

On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics.我们今天在这里宣告，让斤斤计较与虚假承诺就此结束，让窒息我国政治为时太久的相互指责和陈词滥调就此完结。

We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things.The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit;to choose our better history;to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.我们仍是一个年轻的国家，但用圣经的话说，现在是抛弃幼稚的时侯了。现在应是我们让永恒的精神发扬光大的时侯，应是选择创造更佳历史业绩的时侯，应是将代代相传的宝贵财富、崇高理想向前发展的时侯：上帝赋予所有人平等、所有人自由和所有人充分追求幸福的机会。

In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given.It must be earned.Our journey has never been one of shortcuts or settling for less.It has not been the path for the faint-hearted — for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame.Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things — some celebrated but more often men and women obscure in their labor, who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom.在重申我们国家伟大精神的同时，我们懂得，伟大从非天生，而是必须赢得。我们的历程从来不是走捷径或退而求其次的历程。它不是弱者的道路——它不属于好逸恶劳或只图名利享受的人；这条路属于冒险者，实干家，创造者——有些人享有盛名，但大多数是默默无闻耕耘劳作的男女志士，是他们带我们走向通往繁荣和自由的漫长崎岖之路。

For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled across oceans in search of a new life.为了我们，他们打点起贫寒的行装上路，远涉重洋，追求新生活。

For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West;endured the lash of the whip and plowed the hard earth.为了我们，他们在血汗工厂劳作，在西部原野拓荒，忍着鞭笞之痛在坚硬的土地上耕耘。

For us, they fought and died, in places like Concord and Gettysburg;Normandy and Khe Sanh.为了我们，他们奔赴疆场，英勇捐躯，长眠于康科德、葛底斯堡、诺曼底和溪山。Time and again these men and women struggled and sacrificed and worked till their hands were raw so that we might live a better life.They saw America as bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions;greater than all the differences of birth or wealth or faction.为了我们能够过上更好的生活，他们前赴后继，历尽艰辛，全力奉献，不辞劳苦，直至双手结起层层老茧。他们看到的美国超越了我们每一个人的雄心壮志，也超越了所有种族、财富或派系的差异。

This is the journey we continue today.We remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on Earth.Our workers are no less productive than when this crisis began.Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were last week or last month or last year.Our capacity remains undiminished.But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions — that time has surely passed.Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.今天，作为后来者，我们踏上了这一未竟的旅程。我们依然是地球上最繁荣、最强大的国家。我们的劳动者的创造力并没有因为眼前的这场危机而减弱。我们的头脑依然像以往那样善于发明创新。我们的产品与服务仍旧像上星期、上个月或去年一样受人欢迎。我们的能力丝毫无损。但是，维持现状、保护狭隘的利益集团、推迟困难的抉择的时代无疑已成为过去。从今天起，我们必须振作起来，扫除我们身上的尘土，重新开启再造美国的事业。

For everywhere we look, there is work to be done.The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act — not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth.We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together.We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology's wonders to raise health care's quality and lower its cost.We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories.And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age.All this we can do.All this we will do.无论我们把目光投向何处，都有工作在等待着我们。经济形势要求我们果敢而迅速地行动，我们将不辱使命——不仅要创造新的就业机会，而且要打下新的增长基础。我们将建造道路和桥梁，架设电网，铺设承载我们的商务和把我们紧密相连的电子通讯网络。我们将恢复尊重科学的传统，利用高新技术的超常潜力提高医疗保健质量并降低成本。我们将利用太阳能、风力和地热为车辆和工厂提供能源。我们将改造我们的中小学和高等院校，以应对新时代的挑战。这一切我们都能做到。这一切我们必将做到。

Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions — who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans.Their memories are short.For they have forgotten what this country has already done;what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose, and necessity to courage.现在，有人怀疑我们的雄心壮志——他们说我们的体制不能承受太多的宏伟规划。他们的记忆是短暂的，因为他们忘记了这个国家已经取得的成就，忘记了一旦共同的目标插上理想的翅膀、现实的要求鼓起勇气的风帆，自由的人民就会爆发出无穷的创造力。

What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them — that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply.The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works — whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified.Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward.Where the answer is no, programs will end.Those of us who manage the public's dollars will be held to account — to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day — because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government.那些冷眼旁观的人没有认识到他们脚下的大地已经移动——那些长期以来空耗我们的精力的陈腐政治观点已经过时。我们今天提出的问题不是我们的政府太大还是太小，而是它是否行之有效——它是否能够帮助人们找到报酬合理的就业机会，是否能够为他们提供费用适度的医疗保健服务，是否能够确保他们在退休后不失尊严。如果回答是肯定的，我们就要向前推进。如果回答是否定的，计划和项目必须终止。作为公共资金的管理者，我们必须承担责任——明智地使用资金，抛弃坏习惯，在阳光下履行职责——因为只有这样我们才能恢复人民对政府的至关重要的信任。

Nor is the question before us whether the market is a force for good or ill.Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched, but this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control — and that a nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous.The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our gross domestic product, but on the reach of our prosperity;on our ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart — not out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good.我们提出的问题也不在于市场力量是替天行道还是为虎作伥。市场在生成财富和传播自由方面具有无与伦比的力量，但这场危机提醒我们：没有严格的监督，市场就会失控——如果一个国家仅仅施惠于富裕者，其富裕便不能持久。我们的经济成功从来不是仅仅依赖国内总产值的规模，而是还依赖繁荣的普及，即为每一位愿意致富的人提供机会的能力——不是通过施舍——因为这才是最可靠的共同富裕之路。As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals.Our founding fathers...our found fathers, faced with perils we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations.Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience's sake.And so to all the other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman, and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and that we are ready to lead once more.至于我们的共同防御，我们决不接受安全与理念不可两全的荒谬论点。建国先贤面对我们难以想见的险恶局面，起草了一部保障法治和人权的宪章，一部子孙后代以自己的鲜血使之更加完美的宪章。今天，这些理念仍然照耀着世界，我们不会为一时之利而弃之。因此，对于今天正在观看此情此景的其他各国人民和政府──从最繁华的首都到我父亲出生的小村庄──我们希望他们了解：凡追求和平与尊严的国家以及每一位男人、妇女和儿童，美国是你们的朋友。我们已经做好准备，再一次走在前面。

Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with sturdy alliances and enduring convictions.They understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please.Instead, they knew that our power grows through its prudent use;our security emanates from the justness of our cause, the force of our example, the tempering qualities of humility and restraint.回顾过去，几代人在战胜法西斯主义和共产主义时依靠的不仅仅是导弹和坦克，更是牢固的联盟和不渝的信念。他们懂得单凭实力无法保护我们的安全，实力也并不赋予我们随心所欲的权利。相反，他们知道审慎使用实力会使我们更强大；我们的安全源于事业的正义性、典范的感召力、以及谦卑和克制的平衡作用。We are the keepers of this legacy.Guided by these principles once more, we can meet those new threats that demand even greater effort — even greater cooperation and understanding between nations.We will begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people, and forge a hard-earned peace in Afghanistan.With old friends and former foes, we will work tirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat, and roll back the specter of a warming planet.We will not apologize for our way of life, nor will we waver in its defense, and for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken;you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you.我们是这一传统的继承者。我们只要从新以这些原则为指导，就能应对那些新威胁，为此必须付出更大的努力──推动国家间更多的合作与理解。我们将开始以负责任的方式把伊拉克移交给伊拉克人民，并在阿富汗巩固来之不易的和平。我们将与多年的朋友和昔日的对手一道不懈地努力，减轻核威胁，扭转全球变暖的厄运。我们不会在价值观念上退缩，也不会动摇捍卫它的决心，对于那些妄图以煽动恐怖和屠杀无辜的手段达到其目的的人，我们现在就告诉你们，我们的意志更加顽强、坚不可摧；你们无法拖垮我们，我们必将战胜你们。

For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness.We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus — and non-believers.We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth;and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass;that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve;that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself;and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace.因为我们知道，我们百衲而成的传统是一种优势，而不是劣势。我们是一个由基督教徒和穆斯林、犹太教徒和印度教徒、以及无宗教信仰者组成的国家。我们受惠于地球上四面八方每一种语言和文化的影响。由于我们饮过南北战争和种族隔离的苦水，走出了那个黑暗时代并变得更加坚强和团结，我们不能不相信昔日的仇恨终有一天会成为过去；部族之间的界线很快会消失；随着世界变得越来越小，我们共同的人性将得到彰显；美国必须为迎来一个和平的新纪元发挥自己的作用。

To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect.To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society's ills on the West — know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy.To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history;but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.面对穆斯林世界，我们寻求一条新的前进道路，以共同利益和相互尊重为基础。对于世界上那些妄图制造矛盾、将自己社会的弊端归罪于西方的领导人，我们奉劝你们：你们的人民将以你们的建设成就而不是你们的毁灭能力来评判你们。对于那些依靠腐败、欺骗、压制不同意见等手段固守权势的人，我们提醒你们：你们站在了历史错误的一边；但只要你们放弃压迫，我们将伸手相助。

To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow;to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds.And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to the suffering outside our borders;nor can we consume the world's resources without regard to effect.For the world has changed, and we must change with it.对于贫困国家的人民，我们保证同你们并肩努力，为你们的农田带来丰收，让清洁的用水取之不竭；使饥饿的身体得以饱食，使饥渴的心灵受到滋润。对于那些象我们一样比较富裕的国家，我们要说我们再不能对他人的苦难无动于衷，也再不能肆意消耗世界的资源。世界已经改变，我们必须与时俱进。

As we consider the road that unfolds before us, we remember with humble gratitude those brave Americans who, at this very hour, patrol far-off deserts and distant mountains.They have something to tell us, just as the fallen heroes who lie in Arlington whisper through the ages.We honor them not only because they are guardians of our liberty, but because they embody the spirit of service;a willingness to find meaning in something greater than themselves.And yet, at this moment — a moment that will define a generation — it is precisely this spirit that must inhabit us all.在思索我们面前的道路时，我们怀着崇敬的心情感谢此刻正在偏远的沙漠和山区巡逻的英勇无畏的美国人。他们向我们述说着什么，正如在阿灵顿公墓长眠的阵亡英雄在漫漫岁月中低浅的吟诵。我们崇敬他们，不仅因为他们捍卫着我们的自由，而且因为他们代表着献身精神，体现了超越个人，寻求远大理想的意愿。然而，在这个时刻，这个具有划时代意义的时刻，我们大家必须具备的正是这种精神。

For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies.It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break, the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours.It is the firefighter's courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent's willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate.虽然政府能有许多作为也必须有许多作为，但最终离不开美国人民的信仰和决心，这便是我国的立国之本。正是因为人们在大堤崩裂时接纳陌生人的关爱之情，正是因为工人们宁愿减少自己的工时而不愿看到朋友失去工作的无私精神，才使我们度过了最暗淡的时光。正是因为消防队员们有勇气冲进浓烟滚滚的楼道，也正是因为做父母的希望培养一个孩子，我们才能决定最后的命运。

Our challenges may be new.The instruments with which we meet them may be new.But those values upon which our success depends — hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism — these things are old.These things are true.They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history.What is demanded then is a return to these truths.What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility — a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task.我们面临的挑战可能前所未闻。我们迎接挑战的方式也可能前所未有。然而，我们赖以成功的价值观──诚实和勤奋、勇气和公平、宽容心和探索精神、忠诚和爱国──均由来以久。这些价值观都是千真万确的。这些价值观是我国整个历史过程中一股无声的进步力量。现在需要的便是重归这些真理。我们现在需要做的是开创负责任的新时代──每一位美国人都需要认识到我们对自己、对国家、对全世界都承担着义务。对于这些义务，我们并非勉强接受，而是心甘情愿主动承担，同时坚信我们为艰巨的使命付出一切，没有任何事可以如此满足我们的道义感，也没有任何事能如此体现我们的特性。

This is the price and the promise of citizenship.这就是公民的义务和承诺。

This is the source of our confidence — the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny.这就是我们自信的来源──认识到上帝呼唤我们在前途不明的情况下掌握自己的命运。

This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed — why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent Mall, and why a man whose father less than sixty years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.这就是我们的自由和我们坚守的信条具有的意义──说明了为什么各种族、各类信仰的男女老少能在这个雄伟的大草坪上欢聚一堂，也说明了为什么今天有人能站在这里进行最庄严的宣誓，但他的父亲在不到60年前还不能在当地餐馆受到接待。

So let us mark this day with remembrance, of who we are and how far we have traveled.In the year of America's birth, in the coldest of months, a small band of patriots huddled by dying campfires on the shores of an icy river.The capital was abandoned.The enemy was advancing.The snow was stained with blood.At a moment when the outcome of our revolution was most in doubt, the father of our nation ordered these words be read to the people: “Let it be told to the future world...that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive...that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet(it).” 为此，让我们记住这一天，记住我们是什么样的人，记住我们已经走过了多长的路。在美利坚诞生的年月，在那些最寒冷的日子里，为数不多的爱国者聚集在一条冰河的岸边，身旁的篝火即将熄灭。首都已经撤防。敌人正在进军。雪地沾满了斑斑血迹。在我们的革命何去何从，结局最难以估计的时刻，我国的开国元勋决定向人民宣读以下这段话：

“让我们昭告未来的世界......在这个酷寒的冬季，万物一片萧苏，只有希望和美德坚忍不拔的时候......这个城市和这个国家，受到共同危难的召唤，挺身而出，奋起迎战。” America, in the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words.With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come.Let it be said by our children's children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter;and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God's grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations.美利坚，在我们面临共同危难之际，在我们遇到艰难险阻的冬日，让我们牢记这些永恒的话语。心怀希望和美德，让我们再一次迎着寒风中流击水，不论什么风暴来袭，必将坚不可摧。今后，让我们的后代子孙如此评说：我们在遇到考验的时候没有半途而废，没有退缩不前，也没有丝毫动摇；让我们全神贯注于前方的目标，感谢上帝对我们的恩典，继承自由这个宝贵的传统，世代相传，永志不忘。Thank you.God bless you.And God bless the United States of America.谢谢。上帝保佑你们。天佑美国。

第五篇：奥巴马就职演讲

First Inaugural Address

by Barack Obama

Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real.They are serious and they are many.They will not be met easily or in a short span of time.But know this, America—they will be met.今天，我告诉大家，我们面临的挑战真实存在，并且严重而且多种多样。它们不可能在一个短时间内被轻易征服。但是，美国，请记住这句话——它们将被征服。

1.span [spæn] n.一段时间

On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.我们今天聚集在这里是因为我们选择希望而不是恐惧，选择齐心协力而不是冲突对立。

2.discord ['dɪskɔrd] n.冲突

On this day, we come to proclaiman end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminationsand worn out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics.我们今天在这里宣告，让斤斤计较与虚假承诺就此结束，让窒息我国政治为时太久的相互指责和陈词滥调就此完结。

3.proclaim [prə'klem] v.宣告，宣布4.pettya.心胸狭窄的5.grievance ['grivəns] n.不满，抱怨（grievevt.使悲伤，使苦恼）

6.recrimination n.反责7.worn outa.陈腐的8.dogman.教条

9.strangle ['stræŋgl] vt.使窒息

We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come toset aside childish things.The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit；to choose our better history；to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation：the God-given promise that all are equal,all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.我们仍是一个年轻的国家，但用《圣经》的话说，现在是抛弃幼稚的时候了。现在应是我们让永恒的精神发扬光大的时候，应是选择创造更佳历史伟绩的时候，应是将代代相传的宝贵财富、崇高理想向前发展的时候：上帝赋予所有人平等、所有人自由和所有人充分追求幸福的机会。

10.Scripturen.《圣经》11.set aside不顾，放弃

12.reaffirm v.重申，再肯定（affirmv.确认）

13.the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.上帝赋予所有人平等、所有人自由和所有人充分追求幸福的机会。

这句话来源于美国《独立宣言》，原文是：We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.我们认为这些真理是不言而喻的：人人生而平等，他们都从他们的“造物主”那儿被赋予了某些不可转让的权利，其中包括生命权、自由权和追求幸福的权利。

In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given.It must be earned.Our journey has never been one of short-cuts or settling for less.It has not been the path for the faint-hearted for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame.Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things—some celebrated but more often men and women obscure in their labor, who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom.在重申我们国家之伟大精神的同时，我们懂得，伟大从非天生，而是必须去赢得。我们的历程从来不是走捷径或是退而求其次。它不是弱者的道路，它不属于好逸恶劳或只图名利享受的人；这条路属于冒险者、实干家、创造者——有些人享有盛名，但大多数是默默无闻地耕耘劳作的男女志士，是他们带我们走向通往繁荣和自由的漫长崎岖之路。

14.givenn.给出物（givenprep.如果有，假如，考虑到）15.short-cutn.捷径

16.faint-hearteda.胆怯的17.fame [fem] n.名声，名望（famousa.著名的）

18.obscure [əb'skjur] vt.使变暗，使不明显19.rugged a.崎岖的For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled across oceans in search of a new life.为了我们，他们打点起贫寒的行装上路，远涉重洋，追求新的生活。

20.pack up打包21.worldly ['wɝldlɪ] a.世间的（worldn.世界）

For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West, endured the whip and plowed the hard earth.为了我们，他们在血汗工厂劳作，在西部原野拓荒，忍着鞭笞之痛在坚硬的土地上耕耘。

22.toilv.（喻）辛苦从事23.sweatshop n.血汗工厂（工作条件恶劣而工资低的工厂）

24.lash n.鞭打，抽打25.plow [plau] v.犁，耕

For us, they fought and died, in places likeConcord and Gettysburg；Normandy and Khe Sanh.为了我们，他们奔赴疆场，英勇捐躯，长眠于康科德、葛底斯堡、诺曼底和溪山。

26.Concord and Gettysburg；Normandy and Khe Sanh

列克星敦和康科德战役（Battles of Lexington and Concord），发生在1775年4月19日的马萨诸塞州米德尔塞克斯县，是美国独立战争中发生的第一场军事冲突，标志着英国与其北美十三个殖民地正式爆发了战争。

链接：

盖茨堡之役(Gettysburg)，1863年7月1日，十五万名士兵各自为了理想中的民主政治在美国盖兹堡打响了战役，有三分之一的人倒下了，这场战役成为美国南北战争的转折点。诺曼底登陆（Normandy Invasion）是第二次世界大战中的著名战役。1944年6月6日凌晨，美英盟军登陆部队在海空军的掩护下，横渡英吉利海峡，在法国西北部的诺曼底登陆，为第二战场向纵深发展奠定了基础。

溪山战役（Battle of Khe Sanh），发生在1968年1月到4月间的越南战争。在此战役中，越南人民军部队猛烈围攻了美国海军第3两栖作战部队和越南共和国陆军驻守的溪生基地。而美军则在优势空中火力的支援下坚守基地。最终越南人民军在激战77天后结束了对溪山的围攻。

Time and again these men and women struggled and sacrificed and worked till their hands were raw so that we might live a better life.They saw America as bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions, greater than all the differences of birth or wealth or faction.为了我们能够过上更好的生活，他们前赴后继，历尽艰辛，全力奉献，不辞劳苦，直至双手结起层层老茧。他们看到的美国超越了我们每一个人的雄心壮志，也超越了所有种族、财富或派系的差异。

27.time and again反复，多次

e.g.I've told you time and again—make sure you look before you cross the road.我跟你说过多少次了，要三思而后行（过马路前一定要左右看一下）。

28.rawa.皮肤某处擦掉皮而疼痛的；生的；自然状态的29.factionn.派系；小集团；内讧

This is the journey we continue today.We remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on Earth.Our workers are no less productive than when this crisis began.Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were last week or last month or last year.Our capacity remains undiminished.But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions—that time has surely passed.Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.今天，作为后来者，我们踏上了这一未尽的旅程。我们依然是世界上最繁荣、最强大的国家。我们的劳动者的创造力并没有因为眼前的这场危机而减弱。我们的头脑依然像以往那样善于发明创新。我们的产品与服务仍旧像上星期、上个月或去年一样受人欢迎。我们的能力丝毫无损。但是，安于现状、保护狭隘的一己之私、推迟困难的抉择的时代无疑已成为过去。从今天起，我们必须振作起来，扫除我们身上的尘土，重新开启再造美国的事业。

30.undiminisheda.不减的，未衰的（diminishv.减少，变小）31.patn.轻拍

32.put off推迟；劝阻

e.g.Don't put off till tomorrow what can be done today.今天事今日毕。

33.pick oneself up跌倒后爬起

e.g.The small girl slipped and fell, but quickly picked herself up.小女孩滑了一跤,但很快就爬了起来。

34.dust off除去……的灰尘；重新使用

e.g.She was dusting off the furniture.她正在掸去家具上的灰尘。