第一篇：美国总统里根 关于“挑战者”号航天飞机悲剧的演讲
关于“挑战者”号航天飞机悲剧的演讲
罗纳尔多·里根
女士们，先生们：
我原来打算今晚发表演讲，向你们汇报政府的工作。但今天早些时候发生的事件使我改变了那些计划。今天是一个悲痛和哀悼的日子。南希和我因挑战者号航天飞船的悲剧而痛彻心肺。我们知道我的国家和人民正和我们一起经历这一痛苦——这是国家的重大损失。
十九年前，几乎就在同一天，我们在一次可怕的地面事故中行动失去了三名宇航员；但是我们从未在飞行中失去一名宇航员，我们从未发生过这样的悲剧。也许我们都忘记了飞船全体成员所抱持的勇敢精神。但是他们——挑战者号上的七人，清醒地认识到所面临的危险并超越了它们，完成了杰出的工作。
我们哀悼我们的七位英雄：迈克尔·史密斯、迪克·史柯比、朱迪·罗丝尼克、罗纳尔多·麦克奈尔、埃里森·奥尼祖卡、格雷戈里·贾维斯、克里斯特·迈克奥利弗。我们举国一致为他们的逝世而悲哀。
对七位英雄的亲人，我要说，虽然我们不能感受这一悲剧的全部冲击，但我们意识到这损失的巨大。我们深深地惦念着你们。你们深爱着的人英勇无畏，他们显示出优雅的气质和特别的精神，他们仿佛在说：“给我挑战，我将笑着迎接它！”他们渴望探索宇宙发现它的奥秘。他们热望服役，而且他们做到了——他们为我们所有的人服役。
我们成长在一个对奇迹习以为常的时代里，很难有什么事物让我们感到惊讶。然而二十五年来，美国航天计划从事的正是这奇迹般的 事业。我们已经变得如此熟悉太空的话题，变得似乎忘了我们才刚刚开始。我们一直是这一领域的开拓者——他们，“挑战者”号的宇航员们是勇敢的开拓者。
有些话，我要对那些收看了飞船升空实况转播的美国中小学学生们说。我知道这的确让人难以接受，但类似今天那样令人悲惨伤的事故的确时时发生——这是探索发现的过程中全部事实的一部分，这是抓住机会扩大人类视野时所发生的事实的一部分。未来不属于怯懦者，她属于勇敢者。“挑战者”号的宇航员们引领我们进入未来，让我们继续跟随他们。
对于我们的航天计划，我一直抱有坚定的信念和崇高的敬意。今天发生的事情一点也不能使之有任何减损。我们从不隐瞒我们的航天计划。我们从不掩盖任何事故以保持它的神秘性。我们把这一切公诸于众。这就是“自由”的处事方式，我们不会改变它——哪怕只是一分钟。
我们将继续我们的太空探索。我们会有更多的航天飞机，更多的航天机组，并且，是的，更多的平民，更多的教师飞向太空。一切都不会在此时此地停止——我们的希望我们的探索之旅正在继续。
此外，我希望能同在NASA工作的每一个男人女人，同那些为这一使命工作的人们说几句话。我要告诉他们：“你们的奉献和敬业精神深深地打动了我们，给我们留下了几十年也难以磨灭的印象。我们了解你们的痛苦，让我们共同分担这痛苦。
有一个巧合，三百九十年前的今天，伟大的探险家弗朗西斯·德 瑞克死在巴拿马海滨的一条小船上。在他生活的时代，最伟大的尚待开拓的领域便是海洋。此后一位历史学家这样评论道：“他生活在海洋上，死在海洋上，葬在海洋里。”是的，今天我们可以这样评价“挑战者”号的全体宇航员——他们的奉献与德瑞克一样，完全而且彻底。
“挑战者”号航天飞机机组全体成员以他们独特的生命形式给我们以荣耀。我们将永远铭记他们的英名。我们都还记得今天早晨我们最后一次看见他们时，他们正准备开始他们的旅程，挥手向我们告别，“挣脱地球粗暴的枷锁”去“触摸上帝的容颜。”
谢谢你们。
Ronald Reagan: The Space Shuttle “Challenger” Tragedy Address delivered 28 January 1986
Ladies and Gentlemen, I'd planned to speak to you tonight to report on the state of the Union, but the events of earlier today have led me to change those plans.Today is a day for mourning and remembering.Nancy and I are pained to the core by the tragedy of the shuttle Challenger.We know we share this pain with all of the people of our country.This is truly a national loss.Nineteen years ago, almost to the day, we lost three astronauts in a terrible accident on the ground.But, we've never lost an astronaut in flight.We've never had a tragedy like this.And perhaps we've forgotten the courage it took for the crew of the shuttle.But they, the Challenger Seven, were aware of the dangers, but overcame them and did their jobs brilliantly.We mourn seven heroes: Michael Smith, Dick Scobee, Judith Resnik, Ronald McNair, Ellison Onizuka, Gregory Jarvis, and Christa McAuliffe.We mourn their loss as a nation together.For the families of the seven, we cannot bear, as you do, the full impact of this tragedy.But we feel the loss, and we're thinking about you so very much.Your loved ones were daring and brave, and they had that special grace, that special spirit that says, “Give me a challenge, and I'll meet it with joy.” They had a hunger to explore the universe and discover its truths.They wished to serve, and they did.They served all of us.We've grown used to wonders in this century.It's hard to dazzle us.But for twenty-five years the United States space program has been doing just that.We've grown used to the idea of space, and, perhaps we forget that we've only just begun.We're still pioneers.They, the members of the Challenger crew, were pioneers.And I want to say something to the schoolchildren of America who were watching the live coverage of the shuttle's take-off.I know it's hard to understand, but sometimes painful things like this happen.It's all part of the process of exploration and discovery.It's all part of taking a chance and expanding man's horizons.The future doesn't belong to the fainthearted;it belongs to the brave.The Challenger crew was pulling us into the future, and we'll continue to follow them.I've always had great faith in and respect for our space program.And what happened today does nothing to diminish it.We don't hide our space program.We don't keep secrets and cover things up.We do it all up front and in public.That's the way freedom is, and we wouldn't change it for a minute.We'll continue our quest in space.There will be more shuttle flights and more shuttle crews and, yes, more volunteers, more civilians, more teachers in space.Nothing ends here;our hopes and our journeys continue.I want to add that I wish I could talk to every man and woman who works for NASA, or who worked on this mission and tell them: “Your dedication and professionalism have moved and impressed us for decades.And we know of your anguish.We share it.”
There's a coincidence today.On this day 390 years ago, the great explorer Sir Francis Drake died aboard ship off the coast of Panama.In his lifetime the great frontiers were the oceans, and a historian later said, “He lived by the sea, died on it, and was buried in it.” Well, today, we can say of the Challenger crew: Their dedication was, like Drake's, complete.The crew of the space shuttle Challenger honored us by the manner in which they lived their lives.We will never forget them, nor the last time we saw them, this morning, as they prepared for their journey and waved goodbye and “slipped the surly bonds of earth” to “touch the face of God.” Thank you.
第二篇：里根-挑战者号航天飞机悲剧的演讲[中英对照]
Ronald Reagan: The Space Shuttle “Challenger” Tragedy Address 罗纳德·里根：关于“挑战者号”航天飞机悲剧的演讲
Ladies and Gentlemen, I„d planned to speak to you tonight to report on the state of the Union, but the events of earlier today have led me to change those plans.Today is a day for mourning and remembering.Nancy and I are pained to the core by the tragedy of the shuttle Challenger.We know we share this pain with all of the people of our country.This is truly a national loss.女士们先生们：本来，我打算今天晚上向你们宣读国情咨文，但今天早些时候发生的事件让我改变了计划。今天是哀悼和怀念的日子。南希和我为“挑战者号”航天飞机的悲剧感到至为痛心。我们知道全体国人人同此心。这真正是全国人的损失。
Nineteen years ago, almost to the day, we lost three astronauts in a terrible accident on the ground.But, we„ve never lost an astronaut in flight.We„ve never had a tragedy like this.And perhaps we„ve forgotten the courage it took for the crew of the shuttle.But they, the Challenger Seven, were aware of the dangers, but overcame them and did their jobs brilliantly.We mourn seven heroes: Michael Smith, Dick Scobee, Judith Resnik, Ronald McNair, Ellison Onizuka, Gregory Jarvis, and Christa McAuliffe.We mourn their loss as a nation together.十九年前，几乎就在今天，在一次可怕的地面事故中，我们丧失了三名宇航员。然而我们从未在飞行中丧失过宇航员，从未经历过这样的灾难。也许我们已经忘记，航天飞机机组人员需要多么大的勇气；但是挑战者七壮士深知其中的危险，他们坚忍不拔，出色地履行了自己的职责。我们悼念七位英雄：迈克尔·史密斯、迪克·斯科比、朱迪恩·伦斯尼克、罗纳德·卖克奈尔、埃利森·奥尼祖卡、格雷戈里·贾维斯、克丽斯塔·麦考利夫。我们举国哀悼失去的英雄。
For the families of the seven, we cannot bear, as you do, the full impact of this tragedy.But we feel the loss, and we„re thinking about you so very much.Your loved ones were daring and brave, and they had that special grace, that special spirit that says, “Give me a challenge, and I„ll meet it with joy.” They had a hunger to explore the universe and discover its truths.They wished to serve, and they did.They served all of us.对于这七个人的家人，我们不能百分之百地像你们那样的感受这场灾难的打击。但是我们感受到了损失，我们认为你们一定也是这样。你们的亲人勇敢无畏，他们的特殊姿态和特殊精神告诉我们：“把挑战给我，我要满怀喜悦的去迎接。“他们渴望探索宇宙，渴望揭开宇宙的奥秘。他们希望尽职，他们做到了。他们为我们所有的人尽了职。
We„ve grown used to wonders in this century.It„s hard to dazzle us.But for twenty-five years the United States space program has been doing just that.We„ve grown used to the idea of space, and, perhaps we forget that we„ve only just begun.We„re still pioneers.They, the members of the Challenger crew, were pioneers.这个世纪，我们对奇迹已习以为常。很难有什么会使我们赞叹不已。但是美国航天计划二十五年来做的正是如此。我们对太空计划已经习以为常，也许已经忘了我们不过刚刚起步。我们仍然是开拓者。他们——挑战者号全体机组人员是开拓者。
And I want to say something to the schoolchildren of America who were watching the live coverage of the shuttle„s take-off.I know it„s hard to understand, but sometimes painful things like this happen.It„s all part of the process of exploration and discovery.It„s all part of taking a chance and expanding man„s horizons.The future doesn„t belong to the fainthearted;it belongs to the brave.The Challenger crew was pulling us into the future, and we„ll continue to follow them.我要对观看航天飞机发射直播的美国学童说几句话。我知道后者难以理解，但有时像这样令人痛苦的 1 事确实会发生。这些都是探索和发现过程的一部分。这些都是承担风险、拓展人类世界范围的一部分。未来不属于弱者，未来属于强者。挑战者号全体人员把我们推向未来，我们将继续追随他们。
I„ve always had great faith in and respect for our space program.And what happened today does nothing to diminish it.We don„t hide our space program.We don„t keep secrets and cover things up.We do it all up front and in public.That„s the way freedom is, and we wouldn„t change it for a minute.我一直对我们的航天计划充满信心，并怀抱敬意。今天发生的悲剧决不会削弱它。我们没有隐藏自己的航天计划。我们没有保密和隐瞒。我们堂堂正正地公开实施它。这正是自由的方式，我们一分钟也不会改变它。
We„ll continue our quest in space.There will be more shuttle flights and more shuttle crews and, yes, more volunteers, more civilians, more teachers in space.Nothing ends here;our hopes and our journeys continue.我们将继续探索太空。我们将有更多次航天飞行，有更多宇航员，更多志愿者，更多平民，更多教师进入太空。一切都不会到此为止。我们的希望和我们的旅程不会停步。
I want to add that I wish I could talk to every man and woman who works for NASA, or who worked on this mission and tell them: “Your dedication and professionalism have moved and impressed us for decades.And we know of your anguish.We share it.”
我还想说，但愿我能和为国家航空航天局，或者为完成此次使命而工作的每一个人谈话，告诉他们：“几十年来，你们的奉献和敬业精神令我们感动，让我们铭记在心。我们了解你们的痛苦。我们感同身受。”
There„s a coincidence today.On this day 390 years ago, the great explorer Sir Francis Drake died aboard ship off the coast of Panama.In his lifetime the great frontiers were the oceans, and a historian later said, “He lived by the sea, died on it, and was buried in it.” Well, today, we can say of the Challenger crew: Their dedication was, like Drake„s, complete.今天是一个巧合。三百九十年前的今天，伟大的探险家佛朗西斯·德雷克勋爵在巴拿马附近海面的一条船上死去。在他生活的时代，最大的疆界就是海洋。后来一位历史学家说：“他生在海边，死在海上，葬在海里。“今天我们可以这样对挑战者号乘员说：像德雷克一样，他们的奉献是毫无保留的。
The crew of the space shuttle Challenger honored us by the manner in which they lived their lives.We will never forget them, nor the last time we saw them, this morning, as they prepared for their journey and waved goodbye and “slipped the surly bonds of earth” to “touch the face of God.”
挑战者号航天飞机乘员的生命历程给我们带来荣耀，我们永远不会忘记他们，也不会忘记今天早上最后一次见到他们，那时他们正准备上路，挥手告别，“挣脱大地粗暴的束缚，去触摸上帝的脸”。Thank you.谢谢各位。
第三篇：里根“挑战者”失事演讲
世界著名演讲词---美国前总统里根在挑战者号失事当天的纪念讲话
Ladies and Gentlemen, I'd planned to speak to you tonight to report on the state of the Union, but the events of earlier today have led me to change those plans.Today is a day for mourning and remembering.Nancy and I are pained to the core by the tragedy of the shuttle Challenger.We know we share this pain with all of the people of our country.This is truly a national loss.Nineteen years ago, almost to the day, we lost three astronauts in a terrible accident on the ground.But we've never lost an astronaut in flight.We've never had a tragedy like this.And perhaps we've forgotten the courage it took for the crew of the shuttle.But they, the Challenger Seven, were aware of the dangers, but overcame them and did their jobs brilliantly.We mourn seven heroes: Michael Smith, Dick Scobee, Judith Resnik, Ronald McNair, Ellison Onizuka, Gregory Jarvis, and Christa McAuliffe.We mourn their loss as a nation together.For the families of the seven, we cannot bear, as you do, the full impact of this tragedy.But we feel the loss, and we're thinking about you so very much.Your d ones were daring and brave, and they had that special grace, that special spirit that says, “Give me a challenge, and I'll meet it with joy.” They had a hunger to explore the universe and discover its truths.They wished to serve, and they did.They served all of us.We've grown used to wonders in this century.It's hard to dazzle us.But for twenty-five years the United States space program has been doing just that.We've grown used to the idea of space, and, perhaps we forget that we've only just begun.We're still pioneers.They, the members of the Challenger crew, were pioneers.And I want to say something to the schoolchildren of America who were watching the live coverage of the shuttle's take-off.I know it's hard to understand, but sometimes painful things like this happen.It's all part of the process of exploration and discovery.It's all part of taking a chance and expanding man's horizons.The future doesn't belong to the fainthearted;it belongs to the brave.The Challenger crew was pulling us into the future, and we'll continue to follow them.I've always had great faith in and respect for our space program.And what happened today does nothing to diminish it.We don't hide our space program.We don't keep secrets and cover things up.We do it all up front and in public.That's the way freedom is, and we wouldn't change it for a minute.We'll continue our quest in space.There will be more shuttle flights and more shuttle crews and, yes, more volunteers, more civilians, more teachers in space.Nothing ends here;our hopes and our journeys continue.I want to add that I wish I could talk to every man and woman who works for NASA, or who worked on this mission and tell them: “Your dedication and professionalism have moved and impressed us for decades.And we know of your anguish.We share it.” There's a coincidence today.On this day three hundred and ninety years ago, the great explorer Sir Francis Drake died aboard ship off the coast of Panama.In his lifetime the great frontiers were the oceans, and a historian later said, “He lived by the sea, died on it, and was buried in it.” Well, today, we can say of the Challenger crew: Their dedication was, like Drake's, complete.The crew of the space shuttle Challenger honored us by the manner in which they lived their lives.We will never forget them, nor the last time we saw them, this morning, as they prepared for their journey and waved goodbye and “slipped the surly bonds of earth” to “touch the face of God.” Thank you.今天，我们聚集在一起，沉痛地哀悼我们失去的七位勇敢的公民，共同分担内心的悲痛，或许在相互间的安慰中，我们能够得到承受痛苦的力量并坚定追求理想的信念。
对家庭、朋友及我们的太空宇航员所爱着的人们来讲，国家的损失首先是他们个人的巨大损失。对那些失去亲人的父亲、母亲、丈夫和妻子们，对那些兄弟、姐妹，尤其是孩子们，在你们悲痛哀悼的日子里，所有的美国人都和你们紧紧地站在一起。
我们今天所说的远远不够表达我们内心的真实情感，言语在我们的不幸面前显得如此软弱无力：它们根本无法寄托我们对你们深深爱着的、同时也是我们所敬佩的英勇献身的人们的哀思。
英雄之所以称之为英雄，并不在于我们颂赞的语言，而在于他们始终以高度的事业心、自尊心和锲而不舍地对神奇而美妙的宇宙进行探索的责任感，去实践真正的生活以至献出生命。我们所能尽力做到的就是记住我们的七位宇航员七位“挑战者”，记住他们活着的时候给熟悉他们的人们带来的生机、爱和欢乐，给祖国带来的骄傲。
他们来自这个伟大国家的四面八方从南加利福尼亚州到华盛顿州，从俄亥俄到纽约州的莫霍克，从夏 威夷到北卡罗来纳和纽约州的布法洛。他们彼此很不相同，但他们每个人的追求和肩负的使命却又是 那样的一致。我们记得迪克·司各比，我们从升空的“挑战者”号听到的最后一句话就来自这位机长之口。在参加 太空计划之前，他曾是一名战斗机飞行员，后来成为一名高空飞行器的试验飞行员。对机长司各比来说，危险从来就是一位熟悉的伙伴。
我们记得迈克·史密斯，作为战斗机飞行员获得过的奖章戴满了胸前，其中包括海军特级飞行十字勋章和来自一个国家的敢斗银星十字勋章。
我们还记得被朋友们称为J.R.的朱蒂丝·莱恩尼科，她总是对人们微笑着，总是迫不及待地想对人民有所贡献。在工作之余，她喜欢在钢琴上弹奏几曲，从中获得美的享受。
我们也不会忘记孩提时总爱光着脚板在咖啡地和夏威夷的麦卡达美亚墓地跑来跑去的埃里森·奥尼佐卡，他早就梦想有一天去月球旅行。他告诉人们，多亏成为一名飞行员，他才能够建树他的生涯中那些令人难忘的业绩。
还有那个曾告诉人们是南加州的棉田锤炼了他坚毅性格的罗纳德·麦克耐尔。他梦想着到外层空间站去生活，在失重的太空中做试验：吹奏萨克管。啊，让(罗纳德的爱称)，我们将永远怀念你的萨克管，我们将要建成你所梦想的空间站。
我们记得格里高利·杰维斯，在那次致命的飞行中，他随身带着他的母校布法洛纽约州立大学的一面旗子。他说，这是一份小小的纪念品，纪念那些曾为他指点过未来的人们。
我们还记得凝聚了整个国家想像力的科里斯塔·麦考利芙，她用她的勇气和永不停息的探索精神激励我们。她是一位教师，不仅是她的学生们的教师，而且是全国人民的教师，她以这次太空飞行作为激励我们向未来冲击的教例，孜孜不倦地讲述给我们。
我们将永远记住他们，这些杰出的专家、科学家、冒险家，这些艺术家、教师和家庭中的男女成员们。我们将珍爱他们每个人的故事，这是诉说胜利和勇敢的故事，这是真正的美国英雄的故事。
就在灾难发生的那天，我们所有美国人都关切地守候在电视机前，彻夜不眠。在那个不幸的时刻，我们的兴奋变成了战栗。我们等待着，注视着，想弄清所发生的一切。那天夜里我收听了广播电台的采访节目。老老少少都在诉说自己的悲哀，都为我们的宇航员感到骄傲。阴霾笼罩着整个国家，我们走出家门，手拉着手，互相安慰。
你们所热爱的人们的牺牲轰动了整个国家。在痛苦中我们认识到了一个意义深远的道理：未来的道路并不平坦，整个人类前进的历史是与一切艰难险阻斗争的历史。我们又一次认识到，我们的美国是在英雄主义和崇高献身精神的基础上建立起来的，它是由像我们的七位宇航员那样的男人和女人，那些把全社会的责任作为自己责任的人，那些给予人民比人民期望和要求的更多的人，那些为人类做出贡献而从不企求些微报答的人建立起来的。
我们不禁回想起一个世纪前的开拓者们，那些带着家眷和财产去开发荒凉的美国西部的刚毅不屈的人们，他们常常面临着恶劣的条件，沿着俄勒冈小道，你们仍能看见那些倒下去的拓荒者的墓碑。但是悲痛只能使他们更加坚定开拓前进的决心。
今天的荒漠就是太空和人类知识没有达到的疆域。有时，我们会感到想达到外星球还力不从心。但我们必须重新振作起来，忍受着磨难，不断前进。我们的国家的确非常幸运，因为我们依然保持着巨大的勇气、令人信赖的声誉和刚毅不屈的品质，我们仍然有像“挑战者”号上七位宇航员那样的英雄。
迪克·司各比知道，每一次太空飞行器的发射都是一个技术上的奇迹。他说：“如果出现什么，它决不意味着太空计划的结束。”我所接触的每一位英雄的家庭成员，都特别请求我们一定要继续这项计划，这是他们失去的可爱的亲人所梦求实现的计划。我们决不会使他们失望。
今天，我们向迪克·司各比和他的伙伴们保证，他们的梦想决没有破灭，他们努力为之奋斗的理想一定会成为现实。为国家航空和宇宙航行局献身工作的人们，他们的大家庭中失去了七位成员，他们仍要继续工作去实现既安全可行又冒险、大胆的更有效的太空计划。人类将继续向太空进军，不断确立新的目标，不断取得新的成就。这正是我们纪念“挑战者”号上七位英雄的最好方式。
迪克、迈克、朱蒂丝、埃里森、罗纳德、格里高利和科里斯塔，你们的家庭及你们的国家哀悼你们的逝去。安息吧，我们永远忘不了你们。对熟悉和爱你们的人们来说，痛苦的打击是沉重的、持久的；对一个国家来说，她的七位儿女、七位好友的离去是难以弥补的损失。我们所能找到的惟一安慰是，我们在心里知道飞得那样高那样自豪的你们，现在在星际之外找到了上帝许诺以不朽生命的归宿。
第四篇：美国总统演讲稿之里根1
Ronald Reagan: First Inaugural Address
Delivered 20 January 1981
Senator Hatfield, Mr.Chief Justice, Mr.President, Vice President Bush, Vice President Mondale, Senator Baker, Speaker O'Neill, Reverend Moomaw, and my fellow citizens: To a few of us here today this is a solemn and most momentous occasion, and yet in the history of our nation it is a commonplace occurrence.The orderly transfer of authority as called for in the Constitution routinely takes place, as it has for almost two centuries, and few of us stop to think how unique we really are.In the eyes of ma in the world, this every-4-year ceremony we accept as normal is nothing less than a miracle.Mr.President, I want our fellow citizens to know how much you did to carry on this tradition.By your gracious cooperation in the transition process, you have shown a watching world that we are a united people pledged to maintaining a political system which guarantees individual liberty to a greater degree than any other, and I thank you and your people for all your help in maintaining the continuity which is the bulwark of our Republic.The business of our nation goes forward.These United States are confronted with an economic affliction of great proportions.We suffer from the longest and one of the worst sustained inflations in our national history.It distorts our economic decisions, penalizes thrift, and crushes the struggling young and the fixed-income elderly alike.It threatens to shatter the lives of millions of our people.Idle industries have cast workers into unemployment, human misery, and personal indignity.Those who do work are denied a fair return for their labor by a tax system which penalizes successful achievement and keeps us from maintaining full productivity.But great as our tax burden is, it has not kept pace with public spending.For decades we have piled deficit upon deficit, mortgaging our future and our children's future for the temporary convenience of the present.To continue this long trend is to guarantee tremendous social, cultural, political, and economic upheavals.You and I, as individuals, can, by borrowing, live beyond our means, but for only a
limited period of time.Why, then, should we think that collectively, as a nation, we're not bound by that same limitation? We must act today in order to preserve tomorrow.And let there be no misunderstanding: We are going to begin to act, beginning today.The economic ills we suffer have come upon us over several decades.They will not go away in days, weeks, or months, but they will go away.They will go away because we as Americans have the capacity now, as we've had in the past, to do whatever needs to be done to preserve this last and greatest bastion of freedom.In this present crisis, government is not the solution to our problem, government is the problem.From time to time we've been tempted to believe that society has become too complex to be managed by self-rule, that government by an elite group is superior to government for, by, and of the people.Well, if no one among us is capable of governing
himself, then who among us has the capacity to govern someone else? All of us together, in and out of government, must bear the burden.The solutions we seek must be equitable, with no one group singled out to pay a higher price.We hear much of special interest groups.Well, our concern must be for a special interest group that has been too long neglected.It knows no sectional boundaries or ethnic and racial divisions, and it crosses political party lines.It is made up of men and women who raise our food, patrol our streets, man our mines and factories, teach our children, keep our homes, and heal us when we're sick--professionals, industrialists, shopkeepers, clerks, cabbies, and truck drivers.They are, in short, ”We the people,” this breed called Americans.Well, this administration's objective will be a healthy, vigorous, growing economy that provides equal opportunities for all Americans with no barriers born of bigotry or
discrimination.Putting America back to work means putting all Americans back to work.Ending inflation means freeing all Americans from the terror of runaway living costs.All must share in the productive work of this ``new beginning,'' and all must share in the bounty of a revived economy.With the idealism and fair play which are the core of our system and our strength, we can have a strong and prosperous America, at peace with itself and the world.So, as we begin, let us take inventory.We are a nation that has a government--not the other way around.And this makes us special among the nations of the Earth.Our government has no power except that granted it by the people.It is time to check and reverse the growth of government, which shows signs of having grown beyond the consent of the governed.It is my intention to curb the size and influence of the Federal establishment and to demand recognition of the distinction between the powers granted to the Federal Government and those reserved to the States or to the people.All of us need to be
reminded that the Federal Government did not create the States;the States created the Federal Government.Now, so there will be no misunderstanding, it's not my intention to do away with
government.It is rather to make it work--work with us, not over us;to stand by our side, not ride on our back.Government can and must provide opportunity, not smother it;foster productivity, not stifle it.If we look to the answer as to why for so many years we achieved so much, prospered as no other people on Earth, it was because here in this land we unleashed the energy and individual genius of man to a greater extent than has ever been done before.Freedom and the dignity of the individual have been more available and assured here than in any other place on Earth.The price for this freedom at times has been high, but we have never been unwilling to pay that price.It is no coincidence that our present troubles parallel and are proportionate to the
intervention and intrusion in our lives that result from unnecessary and excessive growth of government.It is time for us to realize that we're too great a nation to limit ourselves to small dreams.We're not, as some would have us believe, doomed to an inevitable
decline.I do not believe in a fate that will fall on us no matter what we do.I do believe in a fate that will fall on us if we do nothing.So, with all the creative energy at our
command, let us begin an era of national renewal.Let us renew our determination, our
courage, and our strength.And let us renew our faith and our hope.We have every right to dream heroic dreams.Those who say that we're in a time when there are not heroes, they just don't know where to look.You can see heroes every day going in and out of factory gates.Others, a handful in number, produce enough food to feed all of us and then the world beyond.You meet heroes across a counter, and they're on both sides of that counter.There are entrepreneurs with faith in themselves and faith in an idea who create new jobs, new wealth and opportunity.They're individuals and families whose taxes support the government and whose voluntary gifts support church, charity, culture, art, and education.Their patriotism is quiet, but deep.Their values sustain our national life.Now, I have used the words ``they'' and ``their'' in speaking of these heroes.I could say ``you'' and ``your,'' because I'm addressing the heroes of whom I speak--you, the citizens of this blessed land.Your dreams, your hopes, your goals are going to be the dreams, the hopes, and the goals of this administration, so help me God.We shall reflect the compassion that is so much a part of your makeup.How can we love our country and not love our countrymen;and loving them, reach out a hand when they fall, heal them when they're sick, and provide opportunity to make them
self-sufficient so they will be equal in fact and not just in theory?
Can we solve the problems confronting us? Well, the answer is an unequivocal and emphatic ``yes.'' To paraphrase Winston Churchill, I did not take the oath I've just taken with the intention of presiding over the dissolution of the world's strongest economy.In the days ahead I will propose removing the roadblocks that have slowed our economy and reduced productivity.Steps will be taken aimed at restoring the balance between the various levels of government.Progress may be slow, measured in inches and feet, not miles, but we will progress.It is time to reawaken this industrial giant, to get government back within its means, and to lighten our punitive tax burden.And these will be our first priorities, and on these principles there will be no compromise.On the eve of our struggle for independence a man who might have been one of the greatest among the Founding Fathers, Dr.Joseph Warren, president of the
Massachusetts Congress, said to his fellow Americans, “Our country is in danger, but not to be despaired of....On you depend the fortunes of America.You are to decide the important questions upon which rests the happiness and the liberty of millions yet unborn.Act worthy of yourselves.”
Well, I believe we, the Americans of today, are ready to act worthy of ourselves, ready to do what must be done to ensure happiness and liberty for ourselves, our children, and our children's children.And as we renew ourselves here in our own land, we will be seen as having greater strength throughout the world.We will again be the exemplar of freedom and a beacon of hope for those who do not now have freedom.To those neighbors and allies who share our freedom, we will strengthen our historic ties and assure them of our support and firm commitment.We will match loyalty with loyalty.We will strive for mutually beneficial relations.We will not use our friendship to impose on their sovereignty, for our own sovereignty is not for sale.As for the enemies of freedom, those who are potential adversaries, they will be
reminded that peace is the highest aspiration of the American people.We will negotiate
for it, sacrifice for it;we will not surrender for it, now or ever.Our forbearance should never be misunderstood.Our reluctance for conflict should not be misjudged as a failure of will.When action is required to preserve our national
security, we will act.We will maintain sufficient strength to prevail if need be, knowing that if we do so we have the best chance of never having to use that strength.Above all, we must realize that no arsenal or no weapon in the arsenals of the world is so formidable as the will and moral courage of free men and women.It is a weapon our adversaries in today's world do not have.It is a weapon that we as Americans do have.Let that be understood by those who practice terrorism and prey upon their neighbors.I'm told that tens of thousands of prayer meetings are being held on this day, and for that I'm deeply grateful.We are a nation under God, and I believe God intended for us to be free.It would be fitting and good, I think, if on each Inaugural Day in future years it should be declared a day of prayer.This is the first time in our history that this ceremony has been held, as you've been told, on this West Front of the Capitol.Standing here, one faces a magnificent vista, opening up on this city's special beauty and history.At the end of this open mall are those shrines to the giants on whose shoulders we stand.Directly in front of me, the monument to a monumental man, George Washington, father of our country.A man of humility who came to greatness reluctantly.He led America out of revolutionary victory into infant nationhood.Off to one side, the stately memorial to Thomas Jefferson.The Declaration of Independence flames with his eloquence.And then, beyond the Reflecting Pool, the dignified columns of the Lincoln Memorial.Whoever would understand in his heart the meaning of America will find it in the life of Abraham Lincoln.Beyond those monuments to heroism is the Potomac River, and on the far shore the sloping hills of Arlington National Cemetery, with its row upon row of simple white markers bearing crosses or Stars of David.They add up to only a tiny fraction of the price that has been paid for our freedom.Each one of those markers is a monument to the kind of hero I spoke of earlier.Their lives ended in places called Belleau Wood, The Argonne, Omaha Beach, Salerno, and halfway around the world on Guadalcanal, Tarawa, Pork Chop Hill, the Chosin Reservoir, and in a hundred rice paddies and jungles of a place called Vietnam.Under one such marker lies a young man, Martin Treptow, who left his job in a small
town barbershop in 1917 to go to France with the famed Rainbow Division.There, on the western front, he was killed trying to carry a message between battalions under heavy artillery fire.We're told that on his body was found a diary.On the flyleaf under the heading, ``My Pledge,'' he had written these words: ``America must win this war.Therefore I will work, I will save, I will sacrifice, I will endure, I will fight cheerfully and do my utmost, as if the issue of the whole struggle depended on me alone.''
The crisis we are facing today does not require of us the kind of sacrifice that Martin Treptow and so many thousands of others were called upon to make.It does require, however, our best effort and our willingness to believe in ourselves and to believe in our
capacity to perform great deeds, to believe that together with God's help we can and will resolve the problems which now confront us.And after all, why shouldn't we believe that? We are Americans.God bless you, and thank you.☼注释☼:
♫ commonplace
♫ bulwark
♫ penalize
♫ upheaval
♫ boundary
♫ vigorous
壮的♫ bigotry
♫ stifle
♫ renewal
♫ compassion
♫ unequivocal
♫ compromise
♫ exemplar
♫ strive
♫ prevail
♫ formidable
难的♫ battalion
[]adj.平凡的 []n.壁垒, 防波堤 []v.处罚 []n.剧变 []n.边界, 分界线 []adj.精力旺盛的, 有力的, 健[]n.固执, 顽固[]vt.使窒息, 抑制[]n.复兴, 恢复[]n.同情,怜悯[]adj.不含糊的[]n.妥协, 折衷 []n.模范, 榜样, 标本 []v.努力, 奋斗, 力争, 斗争 []vi.获胜, 成功 []adj.强大的, 令人敬畏的, 艰[]n.军营, 军队
第五篇：美国总统演讲稿之里根2
Ronald Reagan: Address from the Brandenburg Gate(Berlin
Wall)
Delivered 12 June 1987 Thank you very much.Chancellor Kohl, Governing Mayor Diepgen, ladies and gentlemen: Twenty four years ago, President John F.Kennedy visited Berlin, speaking to the people of this city and the world at the city hall.Well, since then two other presidents have come, each in his turn, to Berlin.And today I, myself, make my second visit to your city.We come to Berlin, we American Presidents, because it's our duty to speak, in this place, of freedom.But I must confess, we're drawn here by other things as well: by the feeling of history in this city, more than 500 years older than our own nation;by the beauty of the Grunewald and the Tiergarten;most of all, by your courage and determination.Perhaps the composer, Paul Lincke, understood something about American Presidents.You see, like so many Presidents before me, I come here today because wherever I go, whatever I do: “Ich hab noch einen koffer in Berlin.“ [I still have a suitcase in Berlin.] Our gathering today is being broadcast throughout Western Europe and North America.I understand that it is being seen and heard as well in the East.To those listening throughout Eastern Europe, I extend my warmest greetings and the good will of the American people.To those listening in East Berlin, a special word: Although I cannot be with you, I address my remarks to you just as surely as to those standing here before me.For I join you, as I join your fellow countrymen in the West, in this firm, this unalterable belief: Es gibt nur ein Berlin.[There is only one Berlin.]
Behind me stands a wall that encircles the free sectors of this city, part of a vast system of barriers that divides the entire continent of Europe.From the Baltic, south, those barriers cut across Germany in a gash of barbed wire, concrete, dog runs, and guard towers.Farther south, there may be no visible, no obvious wall.But there remain armed guards and checkpoints all the same--still a restriction on the right to travel, still an instrument to impose upon ordinary men and women the will of a totalitarian state.Yet it is here in Berlin where the wall emerges most clearly;here, cutting across your city, where the news photo and the television screen have imprinted this brutal division of a continent upon the mind of the world.Standing before the Brandenburg Gate, every man is a German, separated from his fellow men.Every man is a Berliner, forced to look upon a scar.President von Weizsacker has said: ”The German question is open as long as the Brandenburg Gate is closed.“ Today I say: As long as this gate is closed, as long as this scar of a wall is permitted to stand, it is not the German question alone that remains open, but the question of freedom for all mankind.Yet I do not come here to lament.For I find in Berlin a message of hope, even in the shadow of this wall, a message of triumph.In this season of spring in 1945, the people of Berlin emerged from their air raid shelters to find devastation.Thousands of miles away, the people of the United States reached out to help.And in 1947 Secretary of State--as you've been told-George Marshall announced the creation of what would become known as the Marshall plan.Speaking precisely 40 years ago this month, he said: ”Our policy is directed not against any country or doctrine, but against hunger, poverty, desperation, and chaos.“
In the Reichstag a few moments ago, I saw a display commemorating this 40th anniversary of the Marshall plan.I was struck by the sign on a burnt-out, gutted structure that was being rebuilt.I understand that Berliners of my own generation can remember seeing signs like it dotted throughout the Western sectors of the city.The sign read simply: ”The Marshall plan is helping here to strengthen the free world.“ A strong, free world in the West, that dream became real.Japan rose from ruin to become an economic giant.Italy, France, Belgium--virtually every nation in Western Europe saw political and economic rebirth;the European Community was founded.In West Germany and here in Berlin, there took place an economic miracle, the Wirtschaftswunder.Adenauer, Erhard, Reuter, and other leaders understood the practical importance of liberty--that just as truth can flourish only when the journalist is given freedom of speech, so prosperity can come about only when the farmer and businessman enjoy economic freedom.The German leaders reduced tariffs, expanded free trade, lowered taxes.From 1950 to 1960 alone, the standard of living in West Germany and Berlin doubled.Where four decades ago there was rubble, today in West Berlin there is the greatest industrial output of any city in Germany-busy office blocks, fine homes and apartments, proud avenues, and the spreading lawns of park land.Where a city's culture seemed to have been destroyed, today there are two great universities, orchestras and an opera, countless theaters, and museums.Where there was want, today there's abundance--food, clothing, automobiles-the wonderful goods of the Ku'damm.From devastation, from utter ruin, you Berliners have, in freedom, rebuilt a city that once again ranks as one of the greatest on Earth.The Soviets may have had other plans.But, my friends, there were a few things the Soviets didn't count on Berliner herz, Berliner humor, ja, und Berliner schnauze.[Berliner heart, Berliner humor, yes, and a Berliner schnauze.] [Laughter]
In the 1950's, Khrushchev predicted: ”We will bury you.“ But in the West today, we see a free world that has achieved a level of prosperity and well-being unprecedented in all human history.In the Communist world, we see failure, technological backwardness, declining standards of health, even want of the most basic kind-too little food.Even today, the Soviet Union still cannot feed itself.After these four decades, then, there stands before the entire world one great and inescapable conclusion: Freedom leads to prosperity.Freedom replaces the ancient hatreds among the nations with comity and peace.Freedom is the victor.And now the Soviets themselves may, in a limited way, be coming to understand the importance of freedom.We hear much from Moscow about a new policy of reform and openness.Some political prisoners have been released.Certain foreign news broadcasts are no longer being jammed.Some economic enterprises have been permitted to operate with greater freedom from state control.Are these the beginnings of profound changes in the Soviet state? Or are they token gestures, intended to raise false hopes in the West, or to strengthen the Soviet system without changing it? We welcome change and openness;for we believe that freedom and security go together, that the advance of human liberty can only strengthen the cause of world peace.There is one sign the Soviets can make that would be unmistakable, that would advance dramatically the cause of freedom and peace.General Secretary Gorbachev, if you seek peace, if you seek prosperity for the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, if you seek liberalization: Come here to this gate!Mr.Gorbachev, open this gate!Mr.Gorbachev, tear down this wall!
I understand the fear of war and the pain of division that afflict this continent--and I pledge to you my country's efforts to help overcome these burdens.To be sure, we in the West must resist Soviet expansion.So we must maintain defenses of unassailable strength.Yet we seek peace;so we must strive to reduce arms on both sides.Beginning 10 years ago, the Soviets challenged the Western alliance with a grave new threat, hundreds of new and more deadly SS-20 nuclear missiles, capable of-striking every capital in Europe.The Western alliance responded by committing itself to a counter deployment unless the Soviets agreed to negotiate a better solution;namely, the elimination of such weapons on both sides.For many months, the Soviets refused to bargain in earnestness.As the alliance, in turn, prepared to go forward with its counter deployment, there were difficult days--days of protests like those during my 1982 visit to this city--and the Soviets later walked away from the table.But through it all, the alliance held firm.And I invite those who protested then--I invite those who protest today--to mark this fact: Because we remained strong, the Soviets came back to the table.And because we remained strong, today we have within reach the possibility, not merely of limiting the growth of arms, but of eliminating, for the first time, an entire class of nuclear weapons from the face of the Earth.As I speak, NATO ministers are meeting in Iceland to review the progress of our proposals for eliminating these weapons.At the talks in Geneva, we have also proposed deep cuts in strategic offensive weapons.And the Western allies have likewise made far-reaching proposals to reduce the danger of conventional war and to place a total ban on chemical weapons.While we pursue these arms reductions, I pledge to you that we will maintain the capacity to deter Soviet aggression at any level at which it might occur.And in cooperation with many of our allies, the United States is pursuing the Strategic Defense Initiative-research to base deterrence not on the threat of offensive retaliation, but on defenses that truly defend;on systems, in short, that will not target populations, but shield them.By these means we seek to increase the safety of Europe and all the world.But we must remember a crucial fact: East and West do not mistrust each other because we are armed;we are armed because we mistrust each other.And our differences are not about weapons but about liberty.When President Kennedy spoke at the City Hall those 24 years ago, freedom was encircled, Berlin was under siege.And today, despite all the pressures upon this city, Berlin stands secure in its liberty.And freedom itself is transforming the globe.In the Philippines, in South and Central America, democracy has been given a rebirth.Throughout the Pacific, free markets are working miracle after miracle of economic growth.In the industrialized nations, a technological revolution is taking place--a revolution marked by rapid, dramatic advances in computers and telecommunications.In Europe, only one nation and those it controls refuse to join the community of freedom.Yet in this age of redoubled economic growth, of information and innovation, the Soviet Union faces a choice: It must make fundamental changes, or it will become obsolete.Today thus represents a moment of hope.We in the West stand ready to cooperate with the East to promote true openness, to break down barriers that separate people, to create a safer, freer world.And surely there is no better place than Berlin, the meeting place of East and West, to make a start.Free people of Berlin: Today, as in the past, the United States stands for the strict observance and full implementation of all parts of the Four Power Agreement of 1971.Let us use this occasion, the 750th anniversary of this city, to usher in a new era, to seek a still fuller, richer life for the Berlin of the future.Together, let us maintain and develop the ties between the Federal Republic and the Western sectors of Berlin, which is permitted by the 1971 agreement.And I invite Mr.Gorbachev: Let us work to bring the Eastern and Western parts of the city closer together, so that all the inhabitants of all Berlin can enjoy the benefits that come with life in one of the great cities of the world.To open Berlin still further to all Europe, East and West, let us expand the vital air access to this city, finding ways of making commercial air service to Berlin more convenient, more comfortable, and more economical.We look to the day when West Berlin can become one of the chief aviation hubs in all central Europe.With our French and British partners, the United States is prepared to help bring international meetings to Berlin.It would be only fitting for Berlin to serve as the site of United Nations meetings, or world conferences on human rights and arms control or other issues that call for international cooperation.There is no better way to establish hope for the future than to enlighten young minds, and we would be honored to sponsor summer youth exchanges, cultural events, and other programs for young Berliners from the East.Our French and British friends, I'm certain, will do the same.And it's my hope that an authority can be found in East Berlin to sponsor visits from young people of the Western sectors.One final proposal, one close to my heart: Sport represents a source of enjoyment and ennoblement, and you many have noted that the Republic of Korea--South Korea-has offered to permit certain events of the 1988 Olympics to take place in the North.International sports competitions of all kinds could take place in both parts of this city.And what better way to demonstrate to the world the openness of this city than to offer in some future year to hold the Olympic Games here in Berlin, East and West?
In these four decades, as I have said, you Berliners have built a great city.You've done so in spite of threats--the Soviet attempts to impose the East-mark, the blockade.Today the city thrives in spite of the challenges implicit in the very presence of this wall.What keeps you here? Certainly there's a great deal to be said for your fortitude, for your defiant courage.But I believe there's something deeper, something that involves Berlin’s whole look and feel and way of life--not mere sentiment.No one could live long in Berlin without being completely disabused of illusions.Something instead, that has seen the difficulties of life in Berlin but chose to accept them, that continues to build this good and proud city in contrast to a surrounding totalitarian presence that refuses to release human energies or aspirations.Something that speaks with a powerful voice of affirmation, that says yes to this city, yes to the future, yes to freedom.In a word, I would submit that what keeps you in Berlin is love--love both profound and abiding.Perhaps this gets to the root of the matter, to the most fundamental distinction of all between East and West.The totalitarian world produces backwardness because it does such violence to the spirit, thwarting the human impulse to create, to enjoy, to worship.The totalitarian world finds even symbols of love and of worship an affront.Years ago, before the East Germans began rebuilding their churches, they erected a secular structure: the television tower at Alexander Platz.Virtually ever since, the authorities have been working to correct what they view as the tower's one major flaw, treating the glass sphere at the top with paints and chemicals of every kind.Yet even today when the Sun strikes that sphere--that sphere that towers over all Berlin--the light makes the sign of the cross.There in Berlin, like the city itself, symbols of love, symbols of worship, cannot be suppressed.As I looked out a moment ago from the Reichstag, that embodiment of German unity, I noticed words crudely spray-painted upon the wall, perhaps by a young Berliner, ”This wall will fall.Beliefs become reality." Yes, across Europe, this wall will fall.For it cannot withstand faith;it cannot withstand truth.The wall cannot withstand freedom.And I would like, before I close, to say one word.I have read, and I have been questioned since I've been here about certain demonstrations against my coming.And I would like to say just one thing, and to those who demonstrate so.I wonder if they have ever asked themselves that if they should have the kind of government they apparently seek, no one would ever be able to do what they're doing again.Thank you and God bless you all.☼注释☼:
♫ unalterable ♫ totalitarian ♫ shelter ♫ doctrine []
adj.不能变更的 adj.极权主义的 [] [] [] []
n.掩蔽处, 身避处, 庇护所 n.教条, 学说
n.管弦乐队, 乐队演奏处 ♫ orchestra ♫ unprecedented ♫ liberalization ♫ conventional ♫ retaliation ♫ implementation ♫ aviation [] adj.空前的
[] n.自由主义化, 使宽大 [] []
adj.惯例的, 常规的 n.报复, 报仇 n.执行 n.飞行, 航空 [] [] []
♫ distinction ♫ embodiment
n.区别, 差别
n.体现, 具体化, 化身
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