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1、我们为什么要上学?奥巴马在开学第一天的演讲Hello, everybody! Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, everybody. All right, everybody go ahead and have a seat. How is everybody doing today? (Applause.) How about Tim Spicer? (Applause.) I am here with students at Wakefield High School in Arlington, Virginia. And we*ve got student
2、s tuning in from all across America, from kindergarten through 12th grade. And I am just so glad that all could join us today. And I want to thank Wakefield for being such an outstanding host. Give yourselves a big round of applause. (Applause.)大家好！谢谢你们。谢谢你们。谢谢你们大家。好，大家请就坐。你们今天都好吗？(掌 声)蒂姆?斯派塞(Tim Sp
3、icer)好吗？(掌声)我现在与弗吉尼亚州阿灵顿郡韦克菲尔德高 中的学生们在一起。美国各地从小学预备班到中学12年级的学生正在收听收看。我很高兴 大家今天都能参与。我还要感谢韦克菲尔德高中出色的组织安排。请为你们自己热烈鼓掌。 (掌声)I know that for many of you, today is the first day of school. And for those of you in kindergarten, or starting middle or high school, its your first day in a new school, so its und
4、erstandable if youre a little nervous. I imagine there are some seniors out there who are feeling pretty good right now (applause) with just one more year to go. And no matter what grade youre in, some of you are probably wishing it were still summer and you couldVe stayed in bed just a little bit l
5、onger this morning.我知道，今天是你们很多人开学的日子。对于进入小学预备班、初中或高中的学生，今 天是你们来到新学校的第一天，心里可能有点紧张，这是可以理解的。我能想象有些毕业班 学生现在感觉很不错一一(掌声)一一还有一年就毕业了。不论在哪个年级，你们有些人可 能希望暑假更长一点，今天早上还能多睡一小会儿。I know that feeling. When I was young, my family lived overseas. I lived in Indonesia for a few years. And my mother, she didnt have the
6、money to send me where all the American kids went to school, but she thought it was important for me to keep up with an American education. So she decided to teach me extra lessons herself, Monday through Friday. But because she had to go to work, the only time she could do it was at 4:30 in the mor
7、ning.我了解这种感觉。我小时候，我们家生活在海外。我在印度尼西亚住了几年。我妈妈没 有钱送我上其他美国孩子上的学校，但她认为必须让我接受美式教育。因此，她决定从周一 到周五自己给我补课。不过她还要上班，所以只能在清晨四点半给我上课Now, as you might imagine, I wasnt too happy about getting up that early. And a lot of times, rd fall asleep right there at the kitchen table. But whenever Id complain, my mother woul
8、d just give me one of those looks and shed say, “This is no picnic for me either, buster.n (Laughter.)你们可以想见，我不太情愿那么早起床。有很多次，我趴在餐桌上就睡着了。但每当我 抱怨的时候，我妈妈都会那样地看我一眼，然后说：“小子，这对我也并不轻松J (笑声)So I know that some of you are still adjusting to being back at school. But Im here today because I have something imp
9、ortant to discuss with you. Fm here because I want to talk with you about your education and whats expected of all of you in this new school year.我知道你们有些人还在适应开学后的生活。但我今天来到这里是因为有重要的事情要和 你们说。我来这里是要和你们谈谈你们的教育问题，以及在这个新学年对你们所有人的期望。Now, Pve given a lot of speeches about education. And Fve talked about res
10、ponsibility a lot.我做过很多次有关教育问题的演讲。我多次谈到过责任问题Ive talked about teachers* responsibility for inspiring students and pushing you to learn. 我谈到过教师激励学生并督促他们学习的责任。Ive talked about your parents responsibility for making sure you stay on track, and you get your homework done, and dont spend every waking hour
11、 in front of the TV or with the Xbox.我谈到过家长的责任，要确保你们走正路，完成家庭作业，不要整天坐在电视前或玩 Xbox游戏。Fve talked a lot about your governments responsibility for setting high standards, and supporting teachers and principals, and turning around schools that arent working, where students arent getting the opportunities t
12、hat they deserve.我多次谈到过政府的责任，要制定高标准，支持教师和校长的工作，彻底改善不能为学 生提供应有机会的、教育质量差的学校。But at the end of the day, we can have the most dedicated teachers, the most supportive parents, the best schools in the world and none of it will make a difference, none of it will matter unless all of you fulfill your respon
13、sibilities, unless you show up to those schools, unless you pay attention to those teachers, unless you listen to your parents and grandparents and other adults and put in the hard work it takes to succeed. Thats what I want to focus on today: the responsibility each of you has for your education.然而
14、，即使我们拥有最敬业的教师，最尽力的家长和全世界最好的学校一一如果你们大 家不履行你们的责任，不到校上课，不专心听讲，不听家长、祖父祖母和其他大人的话，不 付出取得成功所必须的勤奋努力，那么这一切都毫无用处，都无关紧要。这就是我今天讲话 的重点：你们每个人对自己的教育应尽的责任。I want to start with the responsibility you have to yourself. Every single one of you has something that youre good at. Every single one of you has something to
15、 offer. And you have a responsibility to yourself to discover what that is. Thats the opportunity an education can provide.我首先要讲讲你们对自己应尽的责任。你们每个人都有自己的长处。你们每个人都能做 出自己的贡献。你们对自己应尽的责任是发现自己的能力所在。而教育能够提供这样的机会。Maybe you could be a great writer maybe even good enough to write a book or articles in a newspap
16、er but you might not know it until you write that English paper that English class paper thats assigned to you. Maybe you could be an innovator or an inventor maybe even good enough to come up with the next iPhone or the new medicine or vaccine - but you might not know it until you do your project f
17、or your science class. Maybe you could be a mayor or a senator or a Supreme Court justice - but you might not know that until you join student government or the debate team.你或许能成为一名出色的作家一一甚至可能写书或在报纸上发表文章一一但你可能要 在完成那篇英文课的作文后才会发现自己的才华。你或许能成为一名创新者或发明家一一甚 至可能设计出新一代iPhone或研制出新型药物或疫苗一一但你可能要在完成科学课的实验 后才会发现
18、自己的才华。你或许能成为一名市长或参议员或最高法院的大法官一一但你可能 要在参加学生会的工作或辩论队后才会发现自己的才华。And no matter what you want to do with your life, I guarantee that youll need an education to do it. You want to be a doctor, or a teacher, or a police officer? You want to be a nurse or an architect, a lawyer or a member of our military?
19、Youre going to need a good education for every single one of those careers. You cannot drop out of school and just drop into a good job. Youve got to train for it and work for it and learn for it.不论你的生活志向是什么，我敢肯定你必须上学读书才能实现它。你想当医生、教师或 警官吗？你想当护土、建筑师、律师或军人吗？你必须接受良好的教育，才能从事上述任何 一种职业。你不能指望辍学后能碰上个好工作。你必须
20、接受培训，为之努力，为之学习。And this isnt just important for your own life and your own future. What you make of your education will decide nothing less than the future of this country. The future of America depends on you. What youre learning in school today will determine whether we as a nation can meet our gr
21、eatest challenges in the future.这并非只对你个人的人生和未来意义重大。可以毫不夸大地说，教育给你带来的益处将 决定这个国家的未来。美国的未来取决于你们。你们今日在校学习的知识将决定我们作为一 个国家是否能够迎接我们未来所面临的最严峻挑战。Youll need the knowledge and problem-solving skills you learn in science and math to cure diseases like cancer and AIDS, and to develop new energy technologies and p
22、rotect our environment. Youll need the insights and critical-thinking skills you gain in history and social studies to fight poverty and homelessness, crime and discrimination, and make our nation more fair and more free. Youll need the creativity and ingenuity you develop in all your classes to bui
23、ld new companies that will create new jobs and boost our economy.你们将需要利用你们通过自然科学和数学课程所学到的知识和解决问题的能力来治愈 癌症、艾滋病及其他疾病，开发新的能源技术和保护我们的环境。你们将需要利用你们在历 史学和社会学课堂上所获得的知识和独立思考能力来抗击贫困和解决无家可归问题，打击犯 罪和消除歧视，使我们的国家更公平、更自由。你们将需要利用你们在所有课堂上培养的创 造力和智慧来创办新公司，增加就业机会，振兴我们的经济。We need every single one of you to develop your
24、 talents and your skills and your intellect so you can help us old folks solve our most difficult problems. If you dont do that if you quit on school - youre not just quitting on yourself, youre quitting on your country.我们需要你们每个人发挥你们的聪明才智和技能，以便帮助老一辈人解决我们面临的最 棘手问题。如果你们不这样做，如果你们辍学，你们不仅仅是自暴自弃，也是抛弃自己的国
25、家。Now, I know its not always easy to do well in school. I know a lot of you have challenges in your lives right now that can make it hard to focus on your schoolwork.我自然知道要做到学业优秀并非总是易事。我知道你们许多人在生活中面临挑战，难以 集中精力从事学业。I get it. I know what its like. My father left my family when I was two years old, and
26、 I was raised by a single mom who had to work and who struggled at times to pay the bills and wasnt always able to give us the things that other kids had. There were times when I missed having a father in my life. There were times when I was lonely and I felt like I didnt fit in.我明白这一点。我有亲身感受。两岁时，我父
27、亲离家而去，我是由一位单亲母亲抚养 成人的，母亲不得不工作，并时常为支付生活费用而苦苦挣扎，但有时仍无法为我们提供其 他孩子享有的东西。有时，我渴望生活中能有一位父亲。有时我感到孤独，感到自己不适应 社会。So I wasnt always as focused as I should have been on school, and I did some things Im not proud of, and I got in more trouble than I should have. And my life could have easily taken a turn for the
28、 worse.我并非总是像我应该做到的那样专心学习，我也曾做过我如今不能引以为豪的一些事 情，我曾惹过不应该惹的麻烦。我的人生原本会轻易陷入更糟糕的境地。But I was I was lucky. I got a lot of second chances, and T had the opportunity to go to college and law school and follow my dreams. My wife, our First Lady Michelle Obama, she has a similar story. Neither of her parents h
29、ad gone to college, and they didnt have a lot of money. But they worked hard, and she worked hard, so that she could go to the best schools in this country.但是，我当年际遇不错。我有过许多第二次机会，我有幸能上大学，上法学院，追求自 己的理想。我的妻子，我们的第一夫人米歇尔?奥巴马，也有着类似的经历。她的父母都未 曾上过大学，家里很穷。但他们非常勤奋，她也是如此，因此她得以进入一些美国最好的 学校。Some of you might not
30、 have those advantages. Maybe you dont have adults in your life who give you the support that you need. Maybe someone in your family has lost their job and theres not enough money to go around. Maybe you live in a neighborhood where you dont feel safe, or have friends who are pressuring you to do th
31、ings you know aren*t right.你们中有一些人可能没有那些有利条件。或许你们生活中没有成年人为你们提供你们所 需要的支持。或许你们家中有人失业，经济非常拮据。或许你们生活在使你们感觉不安全的 社区，或有朋友逼迫你们去做你们知道不对的事情。But at the end of the day, the circumstances of your life what you look like, where you come from, how much money you have, what youve got going on at home - none of that
32、 is an excuse for neglecting your homework or having a bad attitude in school. Thats no excuse for talking back to your teacher, or cutting class, or dropping out of school. There is no excuse for not trying.但归根结底，你的生活状况一一你的长相、出身、经济条件、家庭氛围一一都不是疏忽 学业和态度恶劣的借口，这些不是你去跟老师顶嘴、逃课、或是辍学的借口，这些不是你不 好好读书的借口。Wher
33、e you are right now doesnt have to determine where youll end up. No ones written your destiny for you, because here in America, you write your own destiny. You make your own future.你的未来，并不取决于你现在的生活有多好或多坏。没有人为你编排好你的命运，在美 国，你的命运由你自己书写，你的未来由你自己掌握。Thats what young people like you are doing every day, al
34、l across America.而在这片土地上的每个地方，千千万万和你一样的年轻人正是这样在书写着自己的命 运。Young people like Jazmin Perez, from Roma, Texas. Jazmin didnt speak English when she first started school. Neither of her parents had gone to college. But she worked hard, earned good grades, and got a scholarship to Brown University is now i
35、n graduate school, studying public health, on her way to becoming Dr. Jazmin Perez.例如德克萨斯州罗马市的贾斯敏佩雷兹(Jazmin Perez)o刚进学校时，她根本不会说 英语，她住的地方几乎没人上过大学，她的父母也没有受过高等教育，但她努力学习，取得 了优异的成绩，靠奖学金进入了布朗大学，如今正在攻读公共卫生专业的博士学位。Fm thinking about Andoni Schultz, from Los Altos, California, who*s fought brain cancer since
36、he was three. He*s had to endure all sorts of treatments and surgeries, one of which affected his memory, so it took him much longer - hundreds of extra hours - to do his schoolwork. But he never fell behind. Hes headed to college this fall.我还想起了加利福尼亚州洛斯拉图斯市的安多尼舒尔兹(Andoni Schultz),他从三岁 起就开始与脑癌病魔做斗争，
37、他熬过了一次次治疗与手术一一其中一次影响了他的记忆，因 此他得花出比常人多几百个小时的时间来完成学业,但他从不曾落下自己的功课。这个秋天, 他要开始在大学读书了。And then theres Shantell Steve, from my hometown of Chicago, Illinois. Even when bouncing from foster home to foster home in the toughest neighborhoods in the city, she managed to get a job at a local health care center
38、, start a program to keep young people out of gangs, and shes on track to graduate high school with honors and go on to college.又比如在我的家乡，伊利诺斯州芝加哥市，身为孤儿的香特尔史蒂夫(Shantell Steve) 换过多次收养家庭，从小在治安很差的地区长大，但她努力争取到了在当地保健站工作的机 会、发起了一个让青少年远离犯罪团伙的项目，很快，她也将以优异的成绩从中学毕业，去 大学深造。And Jazmin, Andoni, and Shantell aren*
39、t any different from any of you. They face challenges in their lives just like you do. In some cases theyve got it a lot worse off than many of you. But they refused to give up. They chose to take responsibility for their lives, for their education, and set goals for themselves. And I expect all of
40、you to do the same.贾斯敏、安多尼和香特尔与你们并没有什么不同。和你们一样，他们也在生活中遭遇各 种各样的困难与问题，但他们拒绝放弃，他们选择为自己的教育担起责任、给自己定下奋斗 的目标。我希望你们中的每一个人，都能做得到这些。Thats why today Im calling on each of you to set your own goals for your education and do everything you can to meet them. Your goal can be something as simple as doing all your
41、 homework, paying attention in class, or spending some time each day reading a book. Maybe youll decide to get involved in an extracurricular activity, or volunteer in your community. Maybe youll decide to stand up for kids who are being teased or bullied because of who they are or how they look, be
42、cause you believe, like I do, that all young people deserve a safe environment to study and learn. Maybe youll decide to take better care of yourself so you can be more ready to learn. And along those line?, by the way, 1 hope all of you are washing your hands a lot, and that you stay home from scho
43、ol when you dont feel well, so we can keep people from getting the flu this fall and winter.因此，在今天，我号召你们每一个人都为自己的教育定下一个目标一一并在之后，尽自 己的一切努力去实现它。你的目标可以很简单，像是完成作业、认真听讲或每天阅读一一或 许你打算参加一些课外活动，或在社区做些志愿工作；或许你决定为那些因为长相或出身等 等原因而受嘲弄或欺负的孩子做主、维护他们的权益，因为你和我一样，认为每个孩子都应 该能有一个安全的学习环境；或许你认为该学着更好的照顾自己，来为将来的学习做准 备当然，除此之
44、外，我希望你们都多多洗手、感到身体不舒服的时候要多在家休息，免 得大家在秋冬感冒高发季节都得流感。But whatever you resolve to do, I want you to commit to it. I want you to really work at it. 不管你决定做什么，我都希望你能坚持到底，希望你能真的下定决心。I know that sometimes you get that sense from TV that you can be rich and successful without any hard work - that your ticket t
45、o success is through rapping or basketball or being a reality TV star. Chances are youre not going to be any of those things.我知道有些时候，电视上播放的节目会让你产生这样那样的错觉，似乎你不需要付出多 大的努力就能腰缠万贯、功成名就一一你会认为只要会唱rap、会打篮球或参加个什么真人 秀节目就能坐享其成，但现实是，你几乎没有可能走上其中任何一条道路。The truth i?, being successful is hard. You wont love every s
46、ubject that you study. You wont click with every teacher that you have. Not every homework assignment will seem completely relevant to your life right at this minute. And you wont necessarily succeed at everything the first time you try.因为，成功是件难事。你不可能对要读的每门课程都兴趣盎然，你不可能和每名带课教 师都相处顺利，你也不可能每次都遇上看起来和现实生
47、活有关的作业。而且，并不是每件事， 你都能在头一次尝试时获得成功。Thats okay. Some of the most successful people in the world are the ones whove had the most failures. J.K. Rowlings who wrote Harry Potter her first Harry Potter book was rejected 12 time? before it was finally published. Michael Jordan was cut from his high school b
48、asketball team. He lost hundreds of games and missed thousands of shots during his career. But he once said, nI have failed over and over and over again in my life. And that*s why I succeed/但那没有关系。因为在这个世界上，最最成功的人们往往也经历过最多的失败。J.K.罗 琳的第一本哈利波特被出版商拒绝了十二次才最终出版；迈克尔乔丹上高中时被学 校的篮球队刷了下来，在他的职业生涯里，他输了几百场比赛、投失过几
49、千次射篮，知道他 是怎么说的吗？ “我一生不停地失败、失败再失败，这就是我现在成功的原因These people succeeded because they understood that you can*t let your failures define you you have to let your failures teach you. You have to let them show you what to do differently the next time. So if you get into trouble, that doesnt mean youre a troublemaker, it means you need to try harder to act right. If you