第一篇：奧巴馬開學(xué)演講(中英文)

美國(guó)總統(tǒng)奧巴馬9月8日開學(xué)演講

REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT

IN A NATIONAL ADDRESS TO AMERICA'S SCHOOLCHILDREN

Wakefield High School

Arlington, Virginia Hello, everybody!Thank you.Thank you.Thank you, everybody.嗨，大家好！謝謝！謝謝大家！

All right, everybody go ahead and have a seat.How is everybody going today? How about Tim Spicer? 好的，大家請(qǐng)就座。你們今天過得怎么樣？蒂姆.斯派塞好嗎？

I am here with students at Wakefield High School in Arlington, Virginia.And we've got students tuning in from all across America, from kindergarten through 12th grade.And I am just so glad that all could join us today.And I want to thank Wakefield for being such an outstanding host.Give yourselves a big round of applause.我現(xiàn)在與弗吉尼亞州阿靈頓郡維克菲爾德高中的學(xué)生們?cè)谝黄稹Ｈ珖?guó)各地也有從幼兒園到高三的眾多學(xué)生們，通過電視關(guān)注這里。我很高興你們能共同分享這一時(shí)刻。我還有感謝維克菲爾德高中出色的組織安排，請(qǐng)為你們熱烈鼓掌。

I know that for many of you, today is the first day of school.And for those of you in kindergarten, or starting middle or high school, it's your first day in a new school, so it's understandable if you're a little nervous.我知道，對(duì)你們中的許多人來說，今天是開學(xué)的第一天。對(duì)于剛進(jìn)入幼兒園或升上初中高中的學(xué)生，今天是你們來到新學(xué)校的第一天。因此，假如你們搞到有些緊張，那也是正常的。I imagine there are some seniors out there who are feeling pretty good right now--with just one more year to go.And no matter what grade you're in, some of you are probably wishing it were still summer and you could've stayed in bed just a little bit longer this morning.我想也會(huì)有許多畢業(yè)班的學(xué)生們正自信滿滿，還有一年就畢業(yè)了。不論在哪個(gè)年級(jí)，許多人打心底里希望現(xiàn)在還是暑假。今天早上還能多睡一小會(huì)。

I know that feeling.When I was young, my family lived overseas.I lived in Indonesia for a few years.And my mother, she didn't have the money to send me where all the American kids went to school, but she thought it was important for me to keep up with an American education.我可以理解這份心情。小時(shí)候，我們家生活中海外。我在印度尼西亞住了幾年。我母親沒有錢送我上其他美國(guó)孩子上的學(xué)校。但她認(rèn)為必須讓我接受美式教育。

So she decided to teach me extra lessons herself, Monday through Friday.But because she had to go to work, the only time she could do it was at 4:30 in the morning.因此，他決定從周一到周五自己給我補(bǔ)課。不過她還要上夜班。所以只能在清晨四點(diǎn)半給我上課。

Now, as you might imagine, I wasn't too happy about getting up that early.And a lot of times, I'd fall asleep right there at the kitchen table.But whenever I'd complain, my mother would just give me one of those looks and she'd say, “This is no picnic for me either, buster.” 你們可以想象，我不太情愿那么早起床。有很多次，我趴在餐桌上就睡著了。每當(dāng)我埋怨的時(shí)候，我媽媽總會(huì)用同一副表情看著我說：“小鬼，你以為教你我就很輕松？”

So I know that some of you are still adjusting to being back at school.But I'm here today because I have something important to discuss with you.I'm here because I want to talk with you about your education and what's expected of all of you in this new school year.所有我能理解你們有些人還在適應(yīng)開學(xué)后的生活。但幾天我站在這里，是為了和你們談一些重要的事情。我要和你們談一談你們每一個(gè)人的教育，以及這個(gè)新學(xué)年對(duì)你們所有人的期望。

Now, I've given a lot of speeches about education.And I've talked about responsibility a lot.我做過許多關(guān)于教育的講話。也常常用到“責(zé)任”這個(gè)詞。

I've talked about teachers' responsibility for inspiring students and pushing you to learn.我談到過教師有責(zé)任激勵(lì)你們，督促你們學(xué)習(xí)。

I've talked about your parents' responsibility for making sure you stay on track, and you get your homework done, and don't spend every waking hour in front of the TV or with the Xbox.我談到過家長(zhǎng)有責(zé)任確保你們走正道、完成家庭作業(yè)，不要成天只會(huì)看電視或打游戲機(jī)。

I've talked a lot about your government's responsibility for setting high standards, and supporting teachers and principals, and turning around schools that aren't working, where students aren't getting the opportunities that they deserve.我也多次談到過政府有責(zé)任制定高標(biāo)準(zhǔn)協(xié)助老師和校長(zhǎng)的工作，改變?cè)谟行W(xué)校學(xué)生得不到應(yīng)有的學(xué)習(xí)機(jī)會(huì)的現(xiàn)狀。But at the end of the day, we can have the most dedicated teachers, the most supportive parents, the best schools in the world--and none of it will make a difference, none of it will matter unless all of you fulfill your responsibilities, unless you show up to those schools, unless you pay attention to those teachers, unless you listen to your parents and grandparents and other adults and put in the hard work it takes to succeed.That's what I want to focus on today: the responsibility each of you has for your education.但哪怕這一切都達(dá)到最好，哪怕我們擁有最敬業(yè)的教師，最盡力的家長(zhǎng)和全世界最好的學(xué)校，假如你們不去履行自己的責(zé)任的話，那么這一切努力都會(huì)白費(fèi)。除非你每天準(zhǔn)時(shí)去上學(xué)，除非你認(rèn)真聽老師講課，除非你把父母、長(zhǎng)輩和其他大人們的話放在心上。除非你肯付出成功所必需的努力。否則這一切都會(huì)失去意識(shí)。而這就是我今天講話的重點(diǎn)：你們每個(gè)人對(duì)自己的教育應(yīng)盡的責(zé)任。

I want to start with the responsibility you have to yourself.Every single one of you has something that you're good at.Every single one of you has something to offer.And you have a responsibility to yourself to discover what that is.That's the opportunity an education can provide.我首先要講講你們對(duì)自己應(yīng)盡的責(zé)任。你們每一個(gè)都有自己的長(zhǎng)處，你們每個(gè)人都時(shí)有用之才。你們對(duì)自己應(yīng)盡的責(zé)任時(shí)發(fā)現(xiàn)自己的才能所在。而教育能夠提供這樣的機(jī)會(huì)

Maybe you could be a great writer--maybe even good enough to write a book or articles in a newspaper--but you might not know it until you write that English paper--that English class paper that's assigned to you.或許你能寫出優(yōu)美的文字，甚至有一天能將那些文字出現(xiàn)在書籍和報(bào)刊上，但假如不再英語課上經(jīng)常練習(xí)寫作，你不會(huì)發(fā)現(xiàn)自己有這樣的才能。

Maybe you could be an innovator or an inventor--maybe even good enough to come up with the next iPhone or the new medicine or vaccine--but you might not know it until you do your project for your science class.Maybe you could be a mayor or a senator or a Supreme Court justice--but you might not know that until you join student government or the debate team.或許你能成為一名創(chuàng)新家或發(fā)明家。甚至可能設(shè)計(jì)出新一代iPhone，或研制出新型藥物與疫苗。但假如不再自然科學(xué)課堂上做上幾次試驗(yàn)，你不會(huì)發(fā)現(xiàn)自己有這樣的才能。或許你能成為一名市長(zhǎng)或參議員，或最高法院的大法官，但假如你不去加入或參加幾次辯論賽，你不會(huì)發(fā)現(xiàn)自己有這樣的才能。

And no matter what you want to do with your life, I guarantee that you'll need an education to do it.不論你的生活的志向是什么，我敢肯定你都需要相應(yīng)的教育。

You want to be a doctor, or a teacher, or a police officer? You want to be a nurse or an architect, a lawyer or a member of our military? You're going to need a good education for every single one of those careers.You cannot drop out of school and just drop into a good job.You've got to train for it and work for it and learn for it.你想當(dāng)醫(yī)生、教師或警官嗎？你想當(dāng)護(hù)士、建筑師、律師或軍人嗎？你必須接受良好的教育才能從事上述任何一種職業(yè)。你不能指望輟學(xué)后碰上個(gè)好工作。你必須接受培訓(xùn)，為之努力，為之學(xué)習(xí)。

And this isn't just important for your own life and your own future.What you make of your education will decide nothing less than the future of this country.The future of America depends on you.What you're learning in school today will determine whether we as a nation can meet our greatest challenges in the future.這并非只對(duì)你個(gè)人的人生和未來意義重大。教育給你帶來的益處將決定這個(gè)國(guó)家的未來。美國(guó)的未來取決于你們。今天你們?cè)趯W(xué)校中的學(xué)習(xí)內(nèi)容，將決定我們整個(gè)國(guó)家在未來迎接重大挑戰(zhàn)時(shí)的表現(xiàn)。

You'll need the knowledge and problem-solving skills you learn in science and math to cure diseases like cancer and AIDS, and to develop new energy technologies and protect our environment.你們需要在數(shù)理科學(xué)課程上學(xué)習(xí)知識(shí)和技能，去治療癌癥、艾滋病那樣的疾病。開發(fā)新的能源技術(shù)保護(hù)我們的環(huán)境。You'll need the insights and critical-thinking skills you gain in history and social studies to fight poverty and homelessness, crime and discrimination, and make our nation more fair and more free.You'll need the creativity and ingenuity you develop in all your classes to build new companies that will create new jobs and boost our economy.你們需要?dú)v史社會(huì)科課程上活動(dòng)觀察的能力與判斷力來抗擊貧困和解決無家可歸的問題打擊犯罪和消除歧視，讓這個(gè)國(guó)家變得更加公平和自由。你們需要在各類課程中逐漸培養(yǎng)創(chuàng)造力和智慧去創(chuàng)辦公司，制造就業(yè)機(jī)會(huì)和推動(dòng)經(jīng)濟(jì)增長(zhǎng)。We need every single one of you to develop your talents and your skills and your intellect so you can help us old folks solve our most difficult problems.If you don't do that--if you quit on school--you're not just quitting on yourself, you're quitting on your country.我們需要你們每一個(gè)人都發(fā)揮天賦、技能和才智，幫助老一輩人解決我們面臨的最棘手問題。如果你們不這樣做，入股你們輟學(xué)，你們不僅放棄了自己，也放棄了自己的國(guó)家。

Now, I know it's not always easy to do well in school.I know a lot of you have challenges in your lives right now that can make it hard to focus on your schoolwork.我當(dāng)然明白讀好書不是件容易的事，我知道你們中的許多人在生活中面臨著各種問題。很難把精力集中在專心讀書上。I get it.I know what it's like.My father left my family when I was two years old, and I was raised by a single mom who had to work and who struggled at times to pay the bills and wasn't always able to give us the things that other kids had.我明白這一點(diǎn)，我有親身感受。我父親在我兩歲時(shí)就離開了家庭，是我母親一個(gè)人將我拉扯大，母親不得不工作并時(shí) 常為支付生活費(fèi)而苦苦掙扎。但有時(shí)仍無法位我們提供其他孩子享有的東西。

There were times when I missed having a father in my life.There were times when I was lonely and I felt like I didn't fit in.有時(shí)我渴望生活中能有一位父親。有時(shí)我也會(huì)感到孤獨(dú)無助，感覺到與周圍的環(huán)境格格不入。

So I wasn't always as focused as I should have been on school, and I did some things I'm not proud of, and I got in more trouble than I should have.And my life could have easily taken a turn for the worse.我并非總是想我應(yīng)該做到的那樣專心學(xué)習(xí)，我做過許多自己覺得丟臉的事情，也惹出許多不該惹的麻煩。我的生活岌岌可危，隨時(shí)可能急轉(zhuǎn)直下。

But I was--I was lucky.I got a lot of second chances, and I had the opportunity to go to college and law school and follow my dreams.My wife, our First Lady Michelle Obama, she has a similar story.Neither of her parents had gone to college, and they didn't have a lot of money.But they worked hard, and she worked hard, so that she could go to the best schools in this country.但我很幸運(yùn)，在許多事情上都得到了重來的機(jī)會(huì)。我有幸能上大學(xué)，上法學(xué)院，追求自己的理想。我的妻子，我們的第一夫人馬歇爾.奧巴馬，也有著類似的人生故事。她的父母親都沒有讀過大學(xué)，也沒有什么財(cái)產(chǎn)，但他們都非常勤奮，她也是如此。因此她得以進(jìn)入一些美國(guó)最好的學(xué)校。

Some of you might not have those advantages.Maybe you don't have adults in your life who give you the support that you need.Maybe someone in your family has lost their job and there's not enough money to go around.Maybe you live in a neighborhood where you don't feel safe, or have friends who are pressuring you to do things you know aren't right.你們中有些人可能沒有那些有利條件。或許你們的生活中沒有能為你提供幫助的長(zhǎng)輩。或許你們家長(zhǎng)中有人失業(yè)，經(jīng)濟(jì)非常拮據(jù)。或許你住的社區(qū)不那么安全，或許你認(rèn)識(shí)一些會(huì)對(duì)你產(chǎn)生不良影響的朋友。

But at the end of the day, the circumstances of your life--what you look like, where you come from, how much money you have, what you've got going on at home--none of that is an excuse for neglecting your homework or having a bad attitude in school.That's no excuse for talking back to your teacher, or cutting class, or dropping out of school.There is no excuse for not trying.但歸根結(jié)底，你的生活狀況，你的長(zhǎng)相、出身、經(jīng)濟(jì)條件、家庭氣氛，都不是疏忽學(xué)業(yè)和態(tài)度惡劣的借口。這些不是你去跟老師頂嘴、逃課或輟學(xué)的借口。這些不是你不好好讀書的借口。

Where you are right now doesn't have to determine where you'll end up.No one's written your destiny for you, because here in America, you write your own destiny.You make your own future.你們目前的狀況并不是決定這你們的未來，沒有人為你編排好你的命運(yùn)。在美國(guó)，你的命運(yùn)由你自己書寫，你的未來你自己掌握。

That's what young people like you are doing every day, all across America.這就是像你們這樣的年輕人每天都在做的事情，全美各地都是如此。

Young people like Jazmin Perez, from Roma, Texas.Jazmin didn't speak English when she first started school.Neither of her parents had gone to college.But she worked hard, earned good grades, and got a scholarship to Brown University--is now in graduate school, studying public health, on her way to becoming Dr.Jazmin Perez.假如德克薩斯州羅馬市的賈斯敏.佩雷茲，她剛進(jìn)學(xué)校時(shí)根本不會(huì)說英語。她父母都沒有上過大學(xué)。然而，她非常勤奮，成績(jī)優(yōu)異，獲得了布朗大學(xué)的獎(jiǎng)學(xué)金。如今正攻讀公共衛(wèi)生專業(yè)的研究生。不久將成為賈斯敏.佩雷斯博士。I'm thinking about Andoni Schultz, from Los Altos, California, who's fought brain cancer since he was three.He's had to endure all sorts of treatments and surgeries, one of which affected his memory, so it took him much longer--hundreds of extra hours--to do his schoolwork.But he never fell behind.He's headed to college this fall.我還想起了加州洛斯拉圖斯市的安多妮.舒爾茲。他從三歲起就開始與腦癌病魔作斗爭(zhēng)。他熬過了一次次治療與手術(shù)。其中一項(xiàng)手術(shù)曾影響他的記憶。因此他得比常人多花幾百小時(shí)來完成學(xué)業(yè)。但他不曾落下自己的功課。這個(gè)秋天，他要開始在大學(xué)讀書了。

And then there's Shantell Steve, from my hometown of Chicago, Illinois.Even when bouncing from foster home to foster home in the toughest neighborhoods in the city, she managed to get a job at a local health care center, start a program to keep young people out of gangs, and she's on track to graduate high school with honors and go on to college.我還想起了家鄉(xiāng)伊利諾伊州芝加哥市的一名孤兒，香奈兒.史蒂夫。她曾寄養(yǎng)于多個(gè)不同的家庭，從小在治安差的地區(qū)長(zhǎng)大。但她通過努力在一家地方醫(yī)療中心找到了工作，發(fā)起了一個(gè)讓青少年遠(yuǎn)離犯罪團(tuán)伙的項(xiàng)目。她即將以優(yōu)異成績(jī)從中學(xué)畢業(yè)去大學(xué)深造。

And Jazmin, Andoni, and Shantell aren't any different from any of you.They face challenges in their lives just like you do.In some cases they've got it a lot worse off than many of you.But they refused to give up.They chose to take responsibility for their lives, for their education, and set goals for themselves.And I expect all of you to do the same.賈斯敏、安多妮和香奈兒與你們并沒有什么不同。和你們一樣，他們也在生活中遇到各種問題。在某些情況下，他們 的處境比起你們?cè)S多人更差。但他們拒絕放棄，他們決定要為自己的人生、自己的教育負(fù)起責(zé)任，給自己定下奮斗的目標(biāo)。我希望你們中每一個(gè)人都能做得到這些。

That's why today I'm calling on each of you to set your own goals for your education--and do everything you can to meet them.Your goal can be something as simple as doing all your homework, paying attention in class, or spending some time each day reading a book.Maybe you'll decide to get involved in an extracurricular activity, or volunteer in your community.因此，我今天號(hào)召你們每一個(gè)人，為自己的教育設(shè)定目標(biāo)。并盡自己的最大努力來實(shí)現(xiàn)這些目標(biāo)。你的目標(biāo)可以很簡(jiǎn)單，像是完成作業(yè)、認(rèn)真聽講或每天閱讀。或許你打算參加一些課外活動(dòng)，或是在你的社區(qū)提供志愿服務(wù)。

Maybe you'll decide to stand up for kids who are being teased or bullied because of who they are or how they look, because you believe, like I do, that all young people deserve a safe environment to study and learn.或許你決定挺身而出，保護(hù)那些因身份或長(zhǎng)相而受人戲弄或欺負(fù)的孩子，原因是你和我一樣認(rèn)為，每個(gè)孩子都應(yīng)該享有適合讀書和學(xué)習(xí)的安全環(huán)境。

Maybe you'll decide to take better care of yourself so you can be more ready to learn.And along those lines, by the way, I hope all of you are washing your hands a lot, and that you stay home from school when you don't feel well, so we can keep people from getting the flu this fall and winter.或許你決定該學(xué)著更好地照顧自己，來位將來的學(xué)習(xí)準(zhǔn)備。除此之外，順便提一下，我希望大家要勤洗手，感到身體不舒服的時(shí)候要多在家了休息。免得大家在秋冬感冒高發(fā)季節(jié)得流感。

But whatever you resolve to do, I want you to commit to it.I want you to really work at it.但無論你決定做什么，我都希望你能堅(jiān)持到底。我希望你腳踏實(shí)地去做。

I know that sometimes you get that sense from TV that you can be rich and successful without any hard work--that your ticket to success is through rapping or basketball or being a reality TV star.Chances are you're not going to be any of those things.我知道有時(shí)候你會(huì)從電視上得到這樣的印象，不需要付出多大的努力就能腰纏萬貫、功成名就。只要會(huì)唱rap、會(huì)打籃球或參加真人秀節(jié)目，就能坐享其成。但現(xiàn)實(shí)是，你幾乎沒有可能走上其中任何一條道路。

The truth is, being successful is hard.You won't love every subject that you study.You won't click with every teacher that you have.Not every homework assignment will seem completely relevant to your life right at this minute.And you won't necessarily succeed at everything the first time you try.事實(shí)上，取得成功不是輕而易舉的事情。你不可能對(duì)要讀的每一門課程都興趣盎然。你不可能和每名帶課教師都相處 順利。不是所有的家庭作業(yè)都與你眼前的生活完全相關(guān)。并不是每一件事，你都能在頭一次嘗試時(shí)獲得成功。That's okay.Some of the most successful people in the world are the ones who've had the most failures.但那沒關(guān)系，世界上最成功的人士中有一些時(shí)遭遇失敗最多的。

J.K.Rowling's--who wrote Harry Potter--her first Harry Potter book was rejected 12 times before it was finally published.Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team.He lost hundreds of games and missed thousands of shots during his career.But he once said, “I have failed over and over and over again in my life.And that's why I succeed.” J.K.羅琳，《哈利.波特》的作者，她的《哈利.波特》第一部出版前被退稿12次。邁克爾.喬丹上高中時(shí)被校隊(duì)刷了下來。在他的職業(yè)生涯里，輸了幾百場(chǎng)比賽。投失過幾千次射籃，但他曾說過：“我一生不停地失敗、失敗再失敗，這就是我成功的原因。”

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 doesn't mean you're a troublemaker, it means you need to try harder to act right.If you get a bad grade, that doesn't mean you're stupid, it just means you need to spend more time studying.他們的成功，源于他們明白不能讓失敗左右自己。而是要從中吸取經(jīng)驗(yàn)，從失敗中，你能明白下一次可以做出怎樣的改變。假如你惹了什么麻煩，那并不說明你就是那個(gè)搗蛋鬼。而意味著你需要更加努力去把它做對(duì)。假如你考了個(gè)低分，那不表示你比別人笨，而只表示你需要更多的時(shí)間學(xué)習(xí)。

No one's born being good at all things.You become good at things through hard work.You're not a varsity athlete the first time you play a new sport.You don't hit every note the first time you sing a song.沒有一個(gè)人天生擅長(zhǎng)做什么事情，只有努力才能培訓(xùn)處技能。第一次接觸新的體育項(xiàng)目時(shí)，你不可能時(shí)一位主力隊(duì)員。第一次唱一首歌曲時(shí)，你不可能唱準(zhǔn)每一個(gè)音。

You've got to practice.The same principle applies to your schoolwork.You might have to do a math problem a few times before you get it right.You might have to read something a few times before you understand it.You definitely have to do a few drafts of a paper before it's good enough to hand in.一切都是熟能生巧的。對(duì)于學(xué)業(yè)也是一樣，你或許要反復(fù)運(yùn)算才能正確解釋出一道數(shù)學(xué)題。你或許需要反復(fù)讀一段文字才能理解它的意思。你或許得把論文修改上好幾次才能符合提交的標(biāo)準(zhǔn)。

Don't be afraid to ask questions.Don't be afraid to ask for help when you need it.I do that every day.Asking for help isn't a sign of weakness, it's a sign of strength because it shows you have the courage to admit when you don't know something, and that then allows you to learn something new.不要害怕提問，不要不敢向他人求助。我每天都在這么做。求助并不是軟弱的表現(xiàn)，它是力量的標(biāo)志，因?yàn)樗砻髂阌杏職獬姓J(rèn)自己的不足。這樣做會(huì)讓你學(xué)到新的東西。

So find an adult that you trust--a parent, a grandparent or teacher, a coach or a counselor--and ask them to help you stay on track to meet your goals.請(qǐng)確定一位你信任的成年人，例如家長(zhǎng)、祖父或老師、教練或輔導(dǎo)員。請(qǐng)他們幫助你遵循既定計(jì)劃實(shí)現(xiàn)你的目標(biāo)。And even when you're struggling, even when you're discouraged, and you feel like other people have given up on you, don't ever give up on yourself, because when you give up on yourself, you give up on your country.即使當(dāng)你苦苦掙扎，即使當(dāng)你灰心喪氣，你覺得身邊的人都已近放棄了你，你永遠(yuǎn)不要放棄自己。因?yàn)楫?dāng)你放棄自己的時(shí)候，你也放棄了自己的國(guó)家。

The story of America isn't about people who quit when things got tough.It's about people who kept going, who tried harder, who loved their country too much to do anything less than their best.書寫美國(guó)歷史的不是在困難時(shí)刻退縮的人，而是堅(jiān)持不懈、加倍努力的人。他們對(duì)國(guó)家的愛促使他們?nèi)σ愿啊t's the story of students who sat where you sit 250 years ago, and went on to wage a revolution and they founded this nation.Young people.Students who sat where you sit 75 years ago who overcame a Depression and won a world war;who fought for civil rights and put a man on the moon.Students who sat where you sit 20 years ago who founded Google and Twitter and Facebook and changed the way we communicate with each other.書寫美國(guó)老師的是250年前和你們一樣的學(xué)生，他們之后用一場(chǎng)革命最終造就了這個(gè)國(guó)家。年輕人，75年前，有一群和你們一樣的學(xué)生。他們之后戰(zhàn)勝了大蕭條、贏得了二戰(zhàn)。他們?yōu)槊駲?quán)而奮斗并把宇航員送上了月球。就在20年前，有一群和你們一樣的學(xué)生們。他們后來創(chuàng)立了Google、Twitter和Facebook，改變了我們之間交流溝通的方式。

So today, I want to ask all of you, what's your contribution going to be? What problems are you going to solve? What discoveries will you make? What will a President who comes here in 20 or 50 or 100 years say about what all of you did for this country? 因此，今天我要問問你們大家。你們會(huì)做出什么樣的貢獻(xiàn)，你們將解決什么樣的難題。你們能發(fā)現(xiàn)什么樣是事物。20年、50年或是100年后，假如那是的美國(guó)總統(tǒng)也來做一次開學(xué)演講的話，他會(huì)怎樣描述你們對(duì)這個(gè)國(guó)家所做的一切。Now, your families, your teachers, and I are doing everything we can to make sure you have the education you need to answer these questions.I'm working hard to fix up your classrooms and get you the books and the equipment and the computers you need to learn.你們的家長(zhǎng)、你們的老師和我，正在竭盡全力確保你們都能得到應(yīng)有的教育。以便回答上述問題，我正在努力為你們提供更安全的教室、更多是書籍、更先進(jìn)的設(shè)施與計(jì)算機(jī)。

But you've got to do your part, too.So I expect all of you to get serious this year.I expect you to put your best effort into everything you do.I expect great things from each of you.So don't let us down.Don't let your family down or your country down.Most of all, don't let yourself down.Make us all proud.但你們也要擔(dān)負(fù)起自己的責(zé)任。因此我要求你們?cè)诮衲昴軌蛘J(rèn)真起來。我要求你們盡心去做自己著手的每一件事。我要求你們每一個(gè)人都有所成就。請(qǐng)不要讓我們失望，不要讓你們的家人或你們的國(guó)家失望。而最重要的時(shí)，不要辜負(fù)你們自己，你們要成為我們的驕傲。

Thank you very much, everybody.God bless you.God bless America.Thank you.非常感謝你們大家，愿天主保佑你們，愿天主保佑美國(guó)。謝謝你們。

第二篇：奧巴馬開學(xué)演講

我們?yōu)槭裁匆獙W(xué)習(xí)

我們?yōu)槭裁匆獙W(xué)習(xí)，這應(yīng)該是每個(gè)學(xué)生都會(huì)思考的問題吧，可能有些人已經(jīng)明確了答案，可能更大一部分人，尤其是青少年還在茫然著。日前美國(guó)總統(tǒng)奧巴馬做出了開學(xué)演講，以自己的觀點(diǎn)闡述了我們之所以要學(xué)習(xí)的原因

他認(rèn)為對(duì)于自己的教育，我們中每一個(gè)人的責(zé)任。正如中國(guó)的古話：天生我才必有用。每一個(gè)人都是有用之材，而發(fā)現(xiàn)自己的才能是什么，就是我們要對(duì)自己擔(dān)起的責(zé)任。教育給我們提供了發(fā)現(xiàn)自己才能的機(jī)會(huì)。

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

他說的很對(duì)，不管我們將來想要做什么，我們都需要相應(yīng)的教育。無論你選擇什么職業(yè)，良好的教育都必不可少，這世上不存在不學(xué)習(xí)就能拿到好工作的美夢(mèng)，任何工作，都需要汗水、訓(xùn)練與學(xué)習(xí)。

就像是我們需要在數(shù)理科學(xué)課程上學(xué)習(xí)的知識(shí)和技能，去治療癌癥、艾滋那樣的疾病，和解決我們面臨的能源問題與環(huán)境問題；我們需要在歷史社科課程上培養(yǎng)出的觀察力與判斷力，來減輕和消除無家可歸與貧困、犯罪問題和各種歧視，讓這個(gè)國(guó)家變得更加公平和自由；我們需要在各類課程中逐漸累積和發(fā)展出來的創(chuàng)新意識(shí)和思維，去創(chuàng)業(yè)和建立新的公司與企業(yè)，來制造就業(yè)機(jī)會(huì)和推動(dòng)經(jīng)濟(jì)的增長(zhǎng)。

如他所說，在那么多頑劣的人最后都通過努力獲得成功下，我們的長(zhǎng)相、出身、經(jīng)濟(jì)條件、家庭氛圍——都不是疏忽學(xué)業(yè)和態(tài)度惡劣的借口。

我們的未來，并不取決于我們現(xiàn)在的狀況有多好或多壞。沒有人為你編排好你的命運(yùn)，不論是在美國(guó)，還是中國(guó)，我們的命運(yùn)都是由自己書寫，我們的未來由自己掌握。在奧巴馬的演講中還提到了加利福尼亞州洛斯拉圖斯市的安多尼.舒爾茲（Andoni Schultz），一個(gè)從三歲起就開始與腦癌病魔做斗爭(zhēng)，熬過了一次次治療與手術(shù)的勇敢之人——因?yàn)橐淮问中g(shù)影響了他的記憶，因此他得花出比常人多幾百個(gè)小時(shí)的時(shí)間來完成學(xué)業(yè)，但他從不曾落下自己的功課。最后于這個(gè)秋天，他要開始在大學(xué)讀書了。還有賈斯敏、安多尼和香特爾與我們沒有什么不同。和我們一樣，他們也在生活中遭遇各種各樣的困難與問題，但他們拒絕放棄，他們選擇為自己的教育擔(dān)起責(zé)任、給自己定下奮斗的目標(biāo)。

同時(shí)奧巴馬還闡述有些時(shí)候，電視上播放的節(jié)目會(huì)讓我們產(chǎn)生這樣那樣的錯(cuò)覺，似乎我們可以不需要付出多大的努力就能腰纏萬貫、功成名就——有的人會(huì)認(rèn)為只要會(huì)唱rap、會(huì)打籃球或參加個(gè)什么真人秀節(jié)目就能坐享其成，但現(xiàn)實(shí)是，我們幾乎沒有可能走上其中任何一條道路。

因?yàn)椋晒κ羌y事。我們不可能對(duì)要讀的每門課程都興趣盎然，我們不可能和每名帶課教師都相處順利，我們也不可能每次都遇上看起來和現(xiàn)實(shí)生活有關(guān)的作業(yè)。而且，并不是每件事，我們都能在頭一次嘗試時(shí)獲得成功。

但那沒有關(guān)系。因?yàn)樵谶@個(gè)世界上，最最成功的人們往往也經(jīng)歷過最多的失敗。J.K.羅琳的第一本《哈利·波特》被出版商拒絕了十二次才最終出版；邁克爾·喬丹上高中時(shí)被學(xué)校的籃球隊(duì)刷了下來，在他的職業(yè)生涯里，他輸了幾百場(chǎng)比賽、投失過幾千次射籃。他們的成功，源于他們明白人不能讓失敗左右自己——而是要從中吸取經(jīng)驗(yàn)。從失敗中，你可以明白下一次自己可以做出怎樣的改變；假如你惹了什么麻煩，那并不說明你就是個(gè)搗蛋貴，而是在提醒你，在將來要對(duì)自己有更嚴(yán)格的要求；假如你考了個(gè)低分，那并不說明你就比別人笨，而是在告訴你，自己得在學(xué)習(xí)上花更多的時(shí)間。

沒有哪一個(gè)人一生出來就擅長(zhǎng)做什么事情的，只有努力才能培養(yǎng)出技能。任何人都不是在第一次接觸一項(xiàng)體育運(yùn)動(dòng)時(shí)就成為校隊(duì)的代表，任何人都不是在第一次唱一首歌時(shí)就找準(zhǔn)每一個(gè)音，一切都需要熟能生巧。對(duì)于學(xué)業(yè)也是一樣，我們或許要反復(fù)運(yùn)算才能解出一道數(shù)學(xué)題的正確答案，我們或許需要讀一段文字好幾遍才能理解它的意思，我們或許得把論文改上好幾次才能符合提交的標(biāo)準(zhǔn)。這都是很正常的。我們所要明確并相信的是我們一定可以！

第三篇：奧巴馬開學(xué)演講

2010年9月14日，奧巴馬來到位于賓州費(fèi)城的一所中學(xué)進(jìn)行了他第二次的中學(xué)演講。

他告訴學(xué)生，在政府做好本職工作，幫助學(xué)生獲得接受優(yōu)質(zhì)教育的機(jī)會(huì)的同時(shí)，學(xué)生仍然應(yīng)該努力學(xué)習(xí)，為自己的未來擔(dān)起責(zé)任。

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you!Hello!(Applause.)Thank you.Thank you.Well, hello, Philadelphia!(Applause.)And hello, Masterman.It is wonderful to see all of you.What a terrific introduction by Kelly.Give Kelly a big round of applause.(Applause.)I was saying backstage that when I was in high school, I could not have done that.(Laughter.)I would have muffed it up somehow.So we are so proud of you and everything that you’ve done.And to all the students here, I’m thrilled to be here.We’ve got a couple introductions I want to make.First of all, you’ve got the outstanding governor of Pennsylvania, Ed Rendell, in the house.(Applause.)The mayor of Philadelphia, Michael Nutter, is here.(Applause.)Congressman Chaka Fattah is here.(Applause.)Congresswoman Allyson Schwartz is here.(Applause.)Your own principal, Marge Neff, is here.(Applause.)The school superintendent, Arlene Ackerman, is here and doing a great job.(Applause.)And the Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, is here.(Applause.)

And I am here.(Applause.)And I am thrilled to be here.I am just so excited.I’ve heard such great things about what all of you are doing, both the students and the teachers and the staff here.Today is about welcoming all of you, and all of America’s students, back to school, even though I know you’ve been in school for a little bit now.And I can’t think of a better place to do it than at Masterman.(Applause.)Because you are one of the best schools in Philadelphia.You are a leader in helping students succeed in the classroom.Just last week, you were recognized by a National Blue Ribbon--as a National Blue Ribbon School because of your record of achievement.And that is a testament to everybody here –-to the students, to the parents, to the teachers, to the school leaders.It’s an example of excellence that I hope communities across America can embrace.Over the past few weeks, Michelle and I have been getting Sasha and Malia ready for school.And they’re excited about it.I’ll bet they had the same feelings that you do--you’re a little sad to see the summer go, but you’re also excited about the possibilities of a new year.The possibilities of building new friendships and strengthening old ones, of joining a school club, or trying out for a team.The possibilities of growing into a better student and a better person and making not just your family proud but making yourself proud.But I know some of you may also be a little nervous about starting a new school year.Maybe you’re making the jump from elementary to middle school, or from middle school to high school, and you’re worried about what that’s going to be like.Maybe you’re starting a new school.You’re not sure how you’ll like it, trying to figure out how you’re going to fit in.Or maybe you’re a senior, and you’re anxious about the whole college process;about where to apply and whether you can afford to go to college.And beyond all those concerns, I know a lot of you are also feeling the strain of some difficult times.You know what’s going on in the news and you also know what’s going on in some of your own families.You’ve read about the war in Afghanistan.You hear about the recession that we’ve been through.And sometimes maybe you’re seeing the worries in your parents’ faces or sense it in their voice.So a lot of you as a consequence, because we’re going through a tough time a country, are having to act a lot older than you are.You got to be strong for your family while your brother or sister is serving overseas, or you’ve got to look after younger siblings while your mom is working that second shift.Or maybe some of you who are little bit older, you’re taking on a part-time job while your dad’s out of work.And that’s a lot to handle.It’s more than you should have to handle.And it may make you wonder at times what your own future will look like, whether you’re going to be able to succeed in school, whether you should maybe set your sights a little lower, scale back your dreams.But I came to Masterman to tell all of you what I think you’re hearing from your principal and your superintendent, and from your parents and your teachers: Nobody gets to write your destiny but you.Your future is in your hands.Your life is what you make of it.And nothing--absolutely nothing--is beyond your reach, so long as you’re willing to dream big, so long as you’re willing to work hard.So long as you’re willing to stay focused on your education, there is not a single thing that any of you cannot accomplish, not a single thing.I believe that.And that last part is absolutely essential, that part about really working hard in school, because an education has never been more important than it is today.I’m sure there are going to be times in the months ahead when you’re staying up late doing your homework or cramming for a test, or you’re dragging yourself out of bed on a rainy morning and you’re thinking, oh, boy, I wish maybe it was a snow day.(Laughter.)

But let me tell you, what you’re doing is worth it.There is nothing more important than what you’re doing right now.Nothing is going to have as great an impact on your success in life as your education, how you’re doing in school.More and more, the kinds of opportunities that are open to you are going to be determined by how far you go in school.The farther you go in school, the farther you’re going to go in life.And at a time when other countries are competing with us like never before, when students around the world in Beijing, China, or Bangalore, India, are working harder than ever, and doing better than ever, your success in school is not just going to determine your success, it’s going to determine America’s success in the 21st century.So you’ve got an obligation to yourselves, and America has an obligation to you, to make sure you’re getting the best education possible.And making sure you get that kind of education is going to take all of us working hard and all of us working hand in hand.It takes all of us in government--from the governor to the mayor to the superintendent to the President--all of us doing our part to prepare our students, all of them, for success in the classroom and in college and in a career.It’s going to take an outstanding principal, like Principal Neff, and outstanding teachers like the ones you have here at Masterman--teachers who are going above and beyond the call of duty for their students.And it’s going to take parents who are committed to your education.Now, that’s what we have to do for you.That’s our responsibility.That’s our job.But you’ve got a job, too.You’ve got to show up to school on time.You’ve got to pay attention in your class.You’ve got to do your homework.You’ve got to study for exams.You’ve got to stay out of trouble.You’ve got to instill a sense of excellence in everything that you do.That kind of discipline, that kind of drive, that kind of hard work, is absolutely essential for success.And I can speak from experience here because unlike Kelly, I can’t say I always had this discipline.See, I can tell she was always disciplined.I wasn’t always disciplined.I wasn’t always the best student when I was younger.I made my share of mistakes.I still remember a conversation I had with my mother in high school.I was kind of a goof-off.And I was about the age of some of the folks here.And my grades were slipping.I hadn’t started my college applications.I was acting, as my mother put it, sort of casual about my future.I was doing good enough.I was smart enough that I could kind of get by.But I wasn’t really applying myself.And so I suspect this is a conversation that will sound familiar to some students and some parents here today.She decided to sit me down and said I had to change my attitude.My attitude was what I imagine every teenager’s attitude is when your parents have a conversation with you like that.I was like, you know, I don’t need to hear all this.I’m doing okay, I’m not flunking out.So I started to say that, and she just cut me right off.She said, you can’t just sit around waiting for luck to see you through.She said, you can get into any school you want in the country if you just put in a little bit of effort.She gave me a hard look and she said, you remember what that’s like? Effort?(Laughter.)Some of you have had that conversation.(Laughter.)And it was pretty jolting hearing my mother say that.But eventually her words had the intended effect, because I got serious about my studies.And I started to make an effort in everything that I did.And I began to see my grades and my prospects improve.And I know that if hard work could make the difference for me, then it can make a difference for all of you.And I know that there may be some people who are skeptical about that.Sometimes you may wonder if some people just aren’t better at certain things.You know, well, I’m not good at math or I’m just not really interested in my science classes.And it is true that we each have our own gifts, we each have our own talents that we have to discover and nurture.Not everybody is going to catch on in certain subjects as easily as others.But just because you’re not the best at something today doesn’t mean you can’t be tomorrow.Even if you don’t think of yourself as a math person or a science person, you can still excel in those subjects if you’re willing to make the effort.And you may find out you have talents you never dreamed of.Because one of the things I’ve discovered is excelling--whether it’s in school or in life--isn’t mainly about being smarter than everybody else.That’s not really the secret to success.It’s about working harder than everybody else.So don’t avoid new challenges--seek them out, step out of your comfort zone, don’t be afraid to ask for help.Your teachers and family are there to guide you.They want to know if you’re not catching on to something because they know that if you keep on working at it, you’re going to catch on.Don’t feel discouraged;don’t give up if you don’t succeed at something the first time.Try again, and learn from your mistakes.Don’t feel threatened if your friends are doing well;be proud of them, and see what lessons you can draw from what they’re doing right.Now, I’m sort of preaching to the choir here because I know that’s the kind of culture of excellence that you promote at Masterman.But I’m not just speaking to all of you, I’m speaking to kids all across the country.And I want them to all here that same message: That’s the kind of excellence we’ve got to promote in all of America’s schools.That’s one of the reasons why I’m announcing our second Commencement Challenge.Some of you may have heard of this.If your school is the winner, if you show us how teachers and students and parents are all working together to prepare your kids and your school for college and a career, if you show us how you’re giving back to your community and your country, then I will congratulate you in person by speaking at your commencement.Last year I was in Michigan at Kalamazoo and had just a wonderful time.Although I got to admit, their graduating class was about 700 kids and my hands were really sore at the end of it because I was shaking all of them.(Laughter.)

But the truth is, an education is about more than getting into a good college.It’s about more than getting a good job when you graduate.It’s about giving each and every one of us the chance to fulfill our promise, and to be the best version of ourselves we can be.And part of that means treating others the way we want to be treated--with kindness and respect.So that’s something else that I want to communicate to students not just here at Masterman but all across the country.Sometimes kids can be mean to other kids.Let’s face it.We don’t always treat each other with respect and kindness.That’s true for adults as well, by the way.And sometimes that’s especially true in middle school or high school, because being a teenager isn’t easy.It’s a time when you’re wrestling with a lot of things.When I was in my teens, I was wrestling with all sorts of questions about who I was.I had a white mother and a black father, and my father wasn’t around;he had left when I was two.And so there were all kinds of issues that I was dealing with.Some of you may be working through your own questions right now and coming to terms with what makes you different.And I know that figuring out all of that can be even more difficult when you’ve got bullies in a class who try to use those differences to pick on you or poke fun at you, to make you feel bad about yourself.And in some places, the problem is even more serious.There are neighborhoods in my hometown of Chicago, and there are neighborhoods right here in Philadelphia where kids are doing each other serious harm.So, what I want to say to every kid, every young person--what I want all of you--if you take away one thing from my speech, I want you to take away the notion that life is precious, and part of what makes it so wonderful is its diversity, that all of us are different.And we shouldn’t be embarrassed by the things that make us different.We should be proud of them, because it’s the thing that makes us different that makes us who we are, that makes us unique.And the strength and character of this country has always come from our ability to recognize--no matter who we are, no matter where we come from, no matter what we look like, no matter what abilities we have--to recognize ourselves in each other.I was reminded of that idea the other day when I read a letter from Tamerria Robinson.She’s a 12-year-old girl in Georgia.And she told me about how hard she works and about all the community service she does with her brother.And she wrote, “I try to achieve my dreams and help others do the same.” “That,” she said, “is how the world should work.” That’s a pretty good motto.I work hard to achieve my goals and then I try to help others to achieve their goals.And I agree with Tamerria.That’s how the world should work.But it’s only going to work that way if all of you get in good habits while you’re in school.So, yes, each of us need to work hard.We all have to take responsibilities for our own education.We need to take responsibility for our own lives.But what makes us who we are is that here, in this country, in the United States of America, we don’t just reach for our own dreams, we try to help others do the same.This is a country that gives all its daughters and all of its sons a fair chance, a chance to make the most of their lives and fulfill their God-given potential.And I’m absolutely confident that if all of our students--here at Masterman and across this country--keep doing their part, if you guys work hard and you’re focused on your education, you keep fighting for your dreams and then you help each other reach each other’s dreams, then you’re not only going to succeed this year, you’re going to succeed for the rest of your lives.And that means America will succeed in the 21st century.So my main message to all of you here today: I couldn’t be prouder of you.Keep it up.All of you I know are going to do great things in the future.And maybe some time in the 21st century, it’s going to be one of you that’s standing up here speaking to a group of kids as President of the United States.Thank you.God bless you, and God bless the United States of America.Thank you.(Applause.)

END 1:23 P.M.EDT

第四篇：奧巴馬開學(xué)演講全文

青春獻(xiàn)禮

以下是美國(guó)奧巴馬總統(tǒng)2009年9月8日在美國(guó)美國(guó)阿林頓中學(xué)開學(xué)典禮上的演講內(nèi)容，其中許多句子發(fā)人深省。謹(jǐn)以此文獻(xiàn)給所有會(huì)員及會(huì)干以及所有在校大學(xué)生。這場(chǎng)演講雖然是做給美國(guó)學(xué)生的，但對(duì)照我們自己，想想我們的責(zé)任與夢(mèng)想是什么？我們?yōu)槭裁炊鴮W(xué)習(xí)，我們可以學(xué)到什么？我們又真的學(xué)到了什么？我們又該怎樣學(xué)習(xí)？思考的時(shí)間到了，同學(xué)們，花片刻的時(shí)間仔細(xì)讀一讀這篇文章吧。空虛和寂寞不應(yīng)是青春的主旋律。誠(chéng)然，在大學(xué)，我們需要完成從無憂無慮的孩子到社會(huì)成員的角色蛻變，一夜長(zhǎng)大的痛苦是不言而喻的，但這決不是自我放逐渾渾噩噩的借口，我們長(zhǎng)大了，我們應(yīng)該并且能夠承擔(dān)起屬于自己的責(zé)任。就像奧巴馬對(duì)所有美國(guó)學(xué)子所說的“Make us all proud”.是的，我們可以做到的。最后祝各位莘莘學(xué)子身體健康，學(xué)有所成。You can do it!

We Are What We Learn

Hello, everybody!Thank you.Thank you.Thank you, everybody.All right, everybody go ahead and have a seat.How is everybody doing today? How about Tim Spicer? I am here with students at Wakefield High School in Arlington, Virginia.And we've got students tuning in from all across America, from kindergarten through 12th grade.And I am just so glad that all could join us today.And I want to thank Wakefield for being such an outstanding host.Give yourselves a big round of applause.I know that for many of you, today is the first day of school.And for those of you in kindergarten, or starting middle or high school, it's your first day in a new school, so it's understandable if you're a little nervous.I imagine there are some seniors out there who are feeling pretty good right now----with just one more year to go.And no matter what grade you're in, some of you are probably wishing it were still summer and you could've stayed in bed just a little bit longer this morning.I know that feeling.When I was young, my family lived overseas.I lived in Indonesia for a few years.And my mother, she didn't have the money to send me where all the American kids went to school, but she thought it was important for me to keep up with an American education.So she decided to teach me extra lessons herself, Monday through Friday.But because she had to go to work, the only time she could do it was at 4:30 in the morning.Now, as you might imagine, I wasn't too happy about getting up that early.And a lot of times, I'd fall asleep right there at the kitchen table.But whenever I'd complain, my mother would just give me one of those looks and she'd say, “This is no picnic for me either, buster.”

So I know that some of you are still adjusting to being back at school.But I'm here today because I have something important to discuss with you.I'm here because I want to talk with you about your education and what's expected of all of you in this new school year.Now, I've given a lot of speeches about education.And I've talked about responsibility a lot.I've talked about teachers' responsibility for inspiring students and pushing you to learn.I've talked about your parents' responsibility for making sure you stay on track, and you get your homework done, and don't spend every waking hour in front of the TV or with the Xbox.I've talked a lot about your government's responsibility for setting high standards, and supporting teachers and principals, and turning around schools that aren't working, where students aren't getting the opportunities that they deserve.But at the end of the day, we can have the most dedicated teachers, the most supportive parents, the best schools in the world--and none of it will make a difference, none of it will matter unless all of you fulfill your responsibilities, unless you show up to those schools, unless you pay attention to those teachers, unless you listen to your parents and grandparents and other adults and put in the hard work it takes to succeed.That's what I want to focus on today: the responsibility each of you has for your education.I want to start with the responsibility you have to yourself.Every single one of you has something that you're good at.Every single one of you has something to offer.And you have a responsibility to yourself to discover what that is.That's the opportunity an education can provide.Maybe you could be a great writer--maybe even good enough to write a book or articles in a newspaper--but you might not know it until you write that English paper--that English class paper that's assigned to you.Maybe you could be an innovator or an inventor--maybe even good enough to come up with the next iPhone or the new medicine or vaccine--but you might not know it until you do your project for your science class.Maybe you could be a mayor or a senator or a Supreme Court justice--but you might not know that until you join student government or the debate team.And no matter what you want to do with your life, I guarantee that you'll need an education to do it.You want to be a doctor, or a teacher, or a police officer? You want to be a nurse or an architect, a lawyer or a member of our military? You're going to need a good education for every single one of those careers.You cannot drop out of school and just drop into a good job.You've got to train for it and work for it and learn for it.And this isn't just important for your own life and your own future.What you make of your education will decide nothing less than the future of this country.The future of America depends on you.What you're learning in school today will determine whether we as a nation can meet our greatest challenges in the future.You'll need the knowledge and problem-solving skills you learn in science and math to cure diseases like cancer and AIDS, and to develop new energy technologies and protect our environment.You'll need the insights and critical-thinking skills you gain in history and social studies to fight poverty and homelessness, crime and discrimination, and make our nation more fair and more free.You'll need the creativity and ingenuity you develop in all your classes to build new companies that will create new jobs and boost our economy.We need every single one of you to develop your talents and your skills and your intellect so you can help us old folks solve our most difficult problems.If you don't do that--if you quit on school--you're not just quitting on yourself, you're quitting on your country.Now, I know it's not always easy to do well in school.I know a lot of you have challenges in your lives right now that can make it hard to focus on your schoolwork.I get it.I know what it's like.My father left my family when I was two years old, and I was raised by a single mom who had to work and who struggled at times to pay the bills and wasn't always able to give us the things that other kids had.There were times when I missed having a father in my life.There were times when I was lonely and I felt like I didn't fit in.So I wasn't always as focused as I should have been on school, and I did some things I'm not proud of, and I got in more trouble than I should have.And my life could have easily taken a turn for the worse.But I was--I was lucky.I got a lot of second chances, and I had the opportunity to go to college and law school and follow my dreams.My wife, our First Lady Michelle Obama, she has a similar story.Neither of her parents had gone to college, and they didn't have a lot of money.But they worked hard, and she worked hard, so that she could go to the best schools in this country.Some of you might not have those advantages.Maybe you don't have adults in your life who give you the support that you need.Maybe someone in your family has lost their job and there's not enough money to go around.Maybe you live in a neighborhood where you don't feel safe, or have friends who are pressuring you to do things you know aren't right.But at the end of the day, the circumstances of your life--what you look like, where you come from, how much money you have, what you've got going on at home--none of that is an excuse for neglecting your homework or having a bad attitude in school.That's no excuse for talking back to your teacher, or cutting class, or dropping out of school.There is no excuse for not trying.Where you are right now doesn't have to determine where you'll end up.No one's written your destiny for you, because here in America, you write your own destiny.You make your own future.That's what young people like you are doing every day, all across America.Young people like Jazmin Perez, from Roma, Texas.Jazmin didn't speak English when she first started school.Neither of her parents had gone to college.But she worked hard, earned good grades, and got a scholarship to Brown University--is now in graduate school, studying public health, on her way to becoming Dr.Jazmin Perez.I'm thinking about Andoni Schultz, from Los Altos, California, who's fought brain cancer since he was three.He's had to endure all sorts of treatments and surgeries, one of which affected his memory, so it took him much longer--hundreds of extra hours--to do his schoolwork.But he never fell behind.He's headed to college this fall.And then there's Shantell Steve, from my hometown of Chicago, Illinois.Even when bouncing from foster home to foster home in the toughest neighborhoods in the city, she managed to get a job at a local health care center, start a program to keep young people out of gangs, and she's on track to graduate high school with honors and go on to college.And Jazmin, Andoni, and Shantell aren't any different from any of you.They face challenges in their lives just like you do.In some cases they've got it a lot worse off than many of you.But they refused to give up.They chose to take responsibility for their lives, for their education, and set goals for themselves.And I expect all of you to do the same.That's why today I'm calling on each of you to set your own goals for your education--and do everything you can to meet them.Your goal can be something as simple as doing all your homework, paying attention in class, or spending some time each day reading a book.Maybe you'll decide to get involved in an extracurricular activity, or volunteer in your community.Maybe you'll decide to stand up for kids who are being teased or bullied because of who they are or how they look, because you believe, like I do, that all young people deserve a safe environment to study and learn.Maybe you'll decide to take better care of yourself so you can be more ready to learn.And along those lines, by the way, I hope all of you are washing your hands a lot, and that you stay home from school when you don't feel well, so we can keep people from getting the flu this fall and winter.But whatever you resolve to do, I want you to commit to it.I want you to really work at it.I know that sometimes you get that sense from TV that you can be rich and successful without any hard work--that your ticket to success is through rapping or basketball or being a reality TV star.Chances are you're not going to be any of those things.The truth is, being successful is hard.You won't love every subject that you study.You won't click with every teacher that you have.Not every homework assignment will seem completely relevant to your life right at this minute.And you won't necessarily succeed at everything the first time you try.That's okay.Some of the most successful people in the world are the ones who've had the most failures.J.K.Rowling's--who wrote Harry Potter--her first Harry Potter book was rejected 12 times before it was finally published.Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team.He lost hundreds of games and missed thousands of shots during his career.But he once said, “I have failed over and over and over again in my life.And that's why I succeed.” These people succeeded because they understood that you can't let your failures define you--you have to let your failures teach you.You have to let them show you what to do differently the next time.So if you get into trouble, that doesn't mean you're a troublemaker, it means you need to try harder to act right.If you get a bad grade, that doesn't mean you're stupid, it just means you need to spend more time studying.No one's born being good at all things.You become good at things through hard work.You're not a varsity athlete the first time you play a new sport.You don't hit every note the first time you sing a song.You've got to practice.The same principle applies to your schoolwork.You might have to do a math problem a few times before you get it right.You might have to read something a few times before you understand it.You definitely have to do a few drafts of a paper before it's good enough to hand in.Don't be afraid to ask questions.Don't be afraid to ask for help when you need it.I do that every day.Asking for help isn't a sign of weakness, it's a sign of strength because it shows you have the courage to admit when you don't know something, and that then allows you to learn something new.So find an adult that you trust--a parent, a grandparent or teacher, a coach or a counselor--and ask them to help you stay on track to meet your goals.And even when you're struggling, even when you're discouraged, and you feel like other people have given up on you, don't ever give up on yourself, because when you give up on yourself, you give up on your country.The story of America isn't about people who quit when things got tough.It's about people who kept going, who tried harder, who loved their country too much to do anything less than their best.It's the story of students who sat where you sit 250 years ago, and went on to wage a revolution and they founded this nation.Young people.Students who sat where you sit 75 years ago who overcame a Depression and won a world war;who fought for civil rights and put a man on the moon.Students who sat where you sit 20 years ago who founded Google and Twitter and Facebook and changed the way we communicate with each other.So today, I want to ask all of you, what's your contribution going to be? What problems are you going to solve? What discoveries will you make? What will a President who comes here in 20 or 50 or 100 years say about what all of you did for this country? Now, your families, your teachers, and I are doing everything we can to make sure you have the education you need to answer these questions.I'm working hard to fix up your classrooms and get you the books and the equipment and the computers you need to learn.But you've got to do your part, too.So I expect all of you to get serious this year.I expect you to put your best effort into everything you do.I expect great things from each of you.So don't let us down.Don't let your family down or your country down.Most of all, don't let yourself down.Make us all proud.Thank you very much, everybody.God bless you.God bless America.Thank you.責(zé)任與夢(mèng)想

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

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

我可以理解這份心情。小時(shí)候，我們家在印度尼西亞住過幾年，而我媽媽沒錢送我去其他美國(guó)孩子們上學(xué)的地方去讀書，因此她決定自己給我上課——時(shí)間是每周一到周五的凌晨4點(diǎn)半。

顯然，我不怎么喜歡那么早就爬起來，很多時(shí)候，我就這么在廚房的桌子前睡著了。每當(dāng)我埋怨的時(shí)候，我媽總會(huì)用同一副表情看著我說：“小鬼，你以為教你我就很輕松？”

所以，我可以理解你們中的許多人對(duì)于開學(xué)還需要時(shí)間來調(diào)整和適應(yīng)，但今天我站在這里，是為了和你們談一些重要的事情。我要和你們談一談你們每個(gè)人的教育，以及在新的學(xué)年里，你們應(yīng)當(dāng)做些什么。

我做過許多關(guān)于教育的講話，也常常用到“責(zé)任”這個(gè)詞。我談到過教師們有責(zé)任激勵(lì)和啟迪你們，督促你們學(xué)習(xí)。

我談到過家長(zhǎng)們有責(zé)任看管你們認(rèn)真學(xué)習(xí)、完成作業(yè)，不要成天只會(huì)看電視或打游戲機(jī)。

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

但哪怕這一切都達(dá)到最好，哪怕我們有最盡職的教師、最好的家長(zhǎng)、和最優(yōu)秀的學(xué)校，假如你們不去履行自己的責(zé)任的話，那么這一切努力都會(huì)白費(fèi)。——除非你每天準(zhǔn)時(shí)去上學(xué)、除非你認(rèn)真地聽老師講課、除非你把父母、長(zhǎng)輩和其他大人們說的話放在心上、除非你肯付出成功所必需的努力，否則這一切都會(huì)失去意義。

而這就是我今天講話的主題：對(duì)于自己的教育，你們中每一個(gè)人的責(zé)任。首先，我想談?wù)勀銈儗?duì)于自己有什么責(zé)任。

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

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

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

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

你們需要在數(shù)理科學(xué)課程上學(xué)習(xí)的知識(shí)和技能，去治療癌癥、艾滋那樣的疾病，和解決我們面臨的能源問題與環(huán)境問題；你們需要在歷史社科課程上培養(yǎng)出的觀察力與判斷力，來減輕和消除無家可歸與貧困、犯罪問題和各種歧視，讓這個(gè)國(guó)家變得更加公平和自由；你們需要在各類課程中逐漸累積和發(fā)展出來的創(chuàng)新意識(shí)和思維，去創(chuàng)業(yè)和建立新的公司與企業(yè)，來制造就業(yè)機(jī)會(huì)和推動(dòng)經(jīng)濟(jì)的增長(zhǎng)。

我們需要你們中的每一個(gè)人都培養(yǎng)和發(fā)展自己的天賦、技能和才智，來解決我們所面對(duì)的最困難的問題。假如你不這么做——假如你放棄學(xué)習(xí)——那么你不僅是放棄了自己，也是放棄了你的國(guó)家。

當(dāng)然，我明白，讀好書并不總是件容易的事。我知道你們中的許多人在生活中面臨著各種各樣的問題，很難把精力集中在專心讀書之上。

我知道你們的感受。我父親在我兩歲時(shí)就離開了家庭，是母親一人將我們拉扯大，有時(shí)她付不起帳單，有時(shí)我們得不到其他孩子們都有的東西，有時(shí)我會(huì)想，假如父親在該多好，有時(shí)我會(huì)感到孤獨(dú)無助，與周圍的環(huán)境格格不入。

因此我并不總是能專心學(xué)習(xí)，我做過許多自己覺得丟臉的事情，也惹出過許多不該惹的麻煩，我的生活岌岌可危，隨時(shí)可能急轉(zhuǎn)直下。

但我很幸運(yùn)。我在許多事上都得到了重來的機(jī)會(huì)，我得到了去大學(xué)讀法學(xué)院、實(shí)現(xiàn)自己夢(mèng)想的機(jī)會(huì)。我的妻子——現(xiàn)在得叫她第一夫人米歇爾?奧巴馬了——也有著相似的人生故事，她的父母都沒讀過大學(xué)，也沒有什么財(cái)產(chǎn)，但他們和她都辛勤工作，好讓她有機(jī)會(huì)去這個(gè)國(guó)家最優(yōu)秀的學(xué)校讀書。

你們中有些人可能沒有這些有利條件，或許你的生活中沒有能為你提供幫助和支持的長(zhǎng)輩，或許你的某個(gè)家長(zhǎng)沒有工作、經(jīng)濟(jì)拮據(jù)，或許你住的社區(qū)不那么安全，或許你認(rèn)識(shí)一些會(huì)對(duì)你產(chǎn)生不良影響的朋友，等等。

但歸根結(jié)底，你的生活狀況——你的長(zhǎng)相、出身、經(jīng)濟(jì)條件、家庭氛圍——都不是疏忽學(xué)業(yè) 和態(tài)度惡劣的借口，這些不是你去跟老師頂嘴、逃課、或是輟學(xué)的借口，這些不是你不好好讀書的借口。

你的未來，并不取決于你現(xiàn)在的生活有多好或多壞。沒有人為你編排好你的命運(yùn)，在美國(guó)，你的命運(yùn)由你自己書寫，你的未來由你自己掌握。

而在這片土地上的每個(gè)地方，千千萬萬和你一樣的年輕人正是這樣在書寫著自己的命運(yùn)。

例如德克薩斯州羅馬市的賈斯敏?佩雷茲（Jazmin Perez）。剛進(jìn)學(xué)校時(shí)，她根本不會(huì)說英語，她住的地方幾乎沒人上過大學(xué)，她的父母也沒有受過高等教育，但她努力學(xué)習(xí)，取得了優(yōu)異的成績(jī)，靠獎(jiǎng)學(xué)金進(jìn)入了布朗大學(xué)，如今正在攻讀公共衛(wèi)生專業(yè)的博士學(xué)位。

我還想起了加利福尼亞州洛斯拉圖斯市的安多尼?舒爾茲（Andoni Schultz），他從三歲起就開始與腦癌病魔做斗爭(zhēng)，他熬過了一次次治療與手術(shù)——其中一次影響了他的記憶，因此他得花出比常人多幾百個(gè)小時(shí)的時(shí)間來完成學(xué)業(yè)，但他從不曾落下自己的功課。這個(gè)秋天，他要開始在大學(xué)讀書了。

又比如在我的家鄉(xiāng)，伊利諾斯州芝加哥市，身為孤兒的香特爾?史蒂夫（Shantell Steve）換過多次收養(yǎng)家庭，從小在治安很差的地區(qū)長(zhǎng)大，但她努力爭(zhēng)取到了在當(dāng)?shù)乇＝≌竟ぷ鞯臋C(jī)會(huì)、發(fā)起了一個(gè)讓青少年遠(yuǎn)離犯罪團(tuán)伙的項(xiàng)目，很快，她也將以優(yōu)異的成績(jī)從中學(xué)畢業(yè)，去大學(xué)深造。

賈斯敏、安多尼和香特爾與你們并沒有什么不同。和你們一樣，他們也在生活中遭遇各種各樣的困難與問題，但他們拒絕放棄，他們選擇為自己的教育擔(dān)起責(zé)任、給自己定下奮斗的目標(biāo)。我希望你們中的每一個(gè)人，都能做得到這些。

因此，在今天，我號(hào)召你們每一個(gè)人都為自己的教育定下一個(gè)目標(biāo)——并在之后，盡自己的一切努力去實(shí)現(xiàn)它。你的目標(biāo)可以很簡(jiǎn)單，像是完成作業(yè)、認(rèn)真聽講或每天閱讀——或許你打算參加一些課外活動(dòng)，或在社區(qū)做些志愿工作；或許你決定為那些因?yàn)殚L(zhǎng)相或出身等等原因而受嘲弄或欺負(fù)的孩子做主、維護(hù)他們的權(quán)益，因?yàn)槟愫臀乙粯樱J(rèn)為每個(gè)孩子都應(yīng)該能有一個(gè)安全的學(xué)習(xí)環(huán)境；或許你認(rèn)為該學(xué)著更好的照顧自己，來為將來的學(xué)習(xí)做準(zhǔn)備……當(dāng)然，除此之外，我希望你們都多多洗手、感到身體不舒服的時(shí)候要多在家休息，免得大家在秋冬感冒高發(fā)季節(jié)都得流感。

不管你決定做什么，我都希望你能堅(jiān)持到底，希望你能真的下定決心。

我知道有些時(shí)候，電視上播放的節(jié)目會(huì)讓你產(chǎn)生這樣那樣的錯(cuò)覺，似乎你不需要付出多大的努力就能腰纏萬貫、功成名就——你會(huì)認(rèn)為只要會(huì)唱rap、會(huì)打籃球或參加個(gè)什么真人秀節(jié)目就能坐享其成，但現(xiàn)實(shí)是，你幾乎沒有可能走上其中任何一條道路。

因?yàn)椋晒κ羌y事。你不可能對(duì)要讀的每門課程都興趣盎然，你不可能和每名帶課教師都相處順利，你也不可能每次都遇上看起來和現(xiàn)實(shí)生活有關(guān)的作業(yè)。而且，并不是每件事，你都能在頭一次嘗試時(shí)獲得成功。

但那沒有關(guān)系。因?yàn)樵谶@個(gè)世界上，最最成功的人們往往也經(jīng)歷過最多的失敗。J.K.羅琳的第一本《哈利?波特》被出版商拒絕了十二次才最終出版；邁克爾?喬丹上高中時(shí)被學(xué)校的籃球隊(duì)刷了下來，在他的職業(yè)生涯里，他輸了幾百場(chǎng)比賽、投失過幾千次射籃，知道他是怎么說的嗎？“我一生不停地失敗、失敗再失敗，這就是我現(xiàn)在成功的原因。”

他們的成功，源于他們明白人不能讓失敗左右自己——而是要從中吸取經(jīng)驗(yàn)。從失敗中，你可以明白下一次自己可以做出怎樣的改變；假如你惹了什么麻煩，那并不說明你就是個(gè)搗蛋貴，而是在提醒你，在將來要對(duì)自己有更嚴(yán)格的要求；假如你考了個(gè)低分，那并不說明你就比別人笨，而是在告訴你，自己得在學(xué)習(xí)上花更多的時(shí)間。

沒有哪一個(gè)人一生出來就擅長(zhǎng)做什么事情的，只有努力才能培養(yǎng)出技能。任何人都不是在第一次接觸一項(xiàng)體育運(yùn)動(dòng)時(shí)就成為校隊(duì)的代表，任何人都不是在第一次唱一首歌時(shí)就找準(zhǔn)每一個(gè)音，一切都需要熟能生巧。對(duì)于學(xué)業(yè)也是一樣，你或許要反復(fù)運(yùn)算才能解出一道數(shù)學(xué)題的正確答案，你或許需要讀一段文字好幾遍才能理解它的意思，你或許得把論文改上好幾次才能符合提交的標(biāo)準(zhǔn)。這都是很正常的。

不要害怕提問。不要不敢向他人求助。——我每天都在這么做。求助并不是軟弱的表現(xiàn)，恰恰相反，它說明你有勇氣承認(rèn)自己的不足、并愿意去學(xué)習(xí)新的知識(shí)。所以，有不懂時(shí)，就向大人 們求助吧——找個(gè)你信得過的對(duì)象，例如父母、長(zhǎng)輩、老師、教練或輔導(dǎo)員——讓他們幫助你向目標(biāo)前進(jìn)。

你要記住，哪怕你表現(xiàn)不好、哪怕你失去信心、哪怕你覺得身邊的人都已經(jīng)放棄了你——永遠(yuǎn)不要自己放棄自己。因?yàn)楫?dāng)你放棄自己的時(shí)候，你也放棄了自己的國(guó)家。

美國(guó)不是一個(gè)人們?cè)庥隼щy就輕易放棄的國(guó)度，在這個(gè)國(guó)家，人們堅(jiān)持到底、人們加倍努力，為了他們所熱愛的國(guó)度，每一個(gè)人都盡著自己最大的努力，不會(huì)給自己留任何余地。250年前，有一群和你們一樣的學(xué)生，他們之后奮起努力、用一場(chǎng)革命最終造就了這個(gè)國(guó)家；75年前，有一群和你們一樣的學(xué)生，他們之后戰(zhàn)勝了大蕭條、贏得了二戰(zhàn)；就在20年前，和你們一樣的學(xué)生們，他們后來創(chuàng)立了Google、Twitter和Facebook，改變了我們?nèi)伺c人之間溝通的方式。

因此，今天我想要問你們，你們會(huì)做出什么樣的貢獻(xiàn)？你們將解決什么樣的難題？你們能發(fā)現(xiàn)什么樣的事物？

二十、五十或百年之后，假如那時(shí)的美國(guó)總統(tǒng)也來做一次開學(xué)演講的話，他會(huì)怎樣描述你們對(duì)這個(gè)國(guó)家所做的一切？

你們的家長(zhǎng)、你們的老師和我，每一個(gè)人都在盡最大的努力，確保你們都能得到應(yīng)有的教育來回答這些問題。例如我正在努力為你們提供更安全的教室、更多的書籍、更先進(jìn)的設(shè)施與計(jì)算機(jī)。但你們也要擔(dān)起自己的責(zé)任。因此我要求你們?cè)诮衲昴軌蛘J(rèn)真起來，我要求你們盡心地去做自己著手的每一件事，我要求你們每一個(gè)人都有所成就。請(qǐng)不要讓我們失望——不要讓你的家人、你的國(guó)家和你自己失望。你們要成為我們驕傲，我知道，你們一定可以做到。

謝謝大家，上帝保佑你們，上帝保佑美國(guó)。

Hope you enjoy this inspiring article, think what we should learn from it and take it into actions, guys!There’re still more helpful articles both for reading and learning in English study as well as for coping with college life that I want to share with you, I’ve put them on the blog space of our English Association.You can search for more information.Hard hard study, day day up!Good luck with you!

英語協(xié)會(huì)

諸葛珍

2010/12/7 7

第五篇：奧巴馬2010開學(xué)演講

各位同學(xué)好！謝謝！謝謝每一位同學(xué)！好，現(xiàn)在請(qǐng)每一位同學(xué)就座。

今天大家都過得怎么樣？（歡呼）蒂姆·斯培塞（校長(zhǎng)，演講主持人——譯注），開始吧？（歡呼）

我現(xiàn)在正和弗吉尼亞州阿靈頓市的韋克菲爾德高中的同學(xué)們?cè)谝黄稹Ｈ绹?guó)從幼兒園到高中畢業(yè)班都在收聽收看。我很高興同大家分享這一時(shí)刻。我還要特別感謝好客的東道主，韋克菲爾德高中。來，給你們自己一個(gè)歡呼。（歡呼）

我知道，對(duì)你們當(dāng)中的許多人而言，今天是開學(xué)日，你們中有一些人剛?cè)雽W(xué)或剛升學(xué)，這是上新學(xué)校的第一天，所以，假如你們感到有點(diǎn)兒緊張，那也很正常。我想那些畢業(yè)班的同學(xué)此時(shí)此刻自我感覺一定非常好——（歡呼）——因?yàn)樵儆幸荒晁麄兙凸Φ聢A滿、修成正果了。不過，我想，不管是哪個(gè)年級(jí)的，也許有的同學(xué)希望現(xiàn)在還是在過暑假，今天早晨可以在床上再賴一小會(huì)兒。

我知道這種感覺。我小時(shí)候曾家居海外，在印度尼西亞住過幾年。媽媽沒錢送我上美國(guó)孩子念書的學(xué)校。但她相信，接受美國(guó)教育對(duì)我至關(guān)重要。于是她決定星期一至五自己給我補(bǔ)課。但她又得去打工，所以只能每天凌晨 4:30 開始教我。

當(dāng)然，我也不喜歡那么早就爬起來，有好多次，我竟在飯桌上睡著了。我一撅起嘴來嘟囔，媽媽就會(huì)賞我一個(gè)臉子，說：“儍孩子，你以為我教你有多好玩？”（笑聲）

所以，我理解你們?cè)S多同學(xué)還需要時(shí)間來調(diào)整，來適應(yīng)開學(xué)。但我今天來到這里，是為了和你們討論一些重要的事情。我要和你們討論你們的教育問題，以及在新的學(xué)年里，你們都應(yīng)當(dāng)做些什么。

我做過許多次有關(guān)教育問題的講話。我特別強(qiáng)調(diào)責(zé)任。

我講過老師們有責(zé)任鼓勵(lì)和啟發(fā)你們，督促你們學(xué)習(xí)。

我講過家長(zhǎng)們有責(zé)任確保你們能在學(xué)習(xí)的狀態(tài)，按部就班，完成家庭作業(yè)，不要把很多時(shí)光都花在電視和游戲機(jī)上。

我也多次談到過政府有責(zé)任制定嚴(yán)格的教學(xué)標(biāo)準(zhǔn)，支持老師和校長(zhǎng)們的工作，扭轉(zhuǎn)某些學(xué)校工作失調(diào)、學(xué)生失學(xué)的現(xiàn)象。

但是，即使把一切做到最好，即使有最盡職的老師、鼎力支持的家長(zhǎng)和最優(yōu)越的教學(xué)設(shè)施，如果你們不恪盡自己那一份責(zé)任，一切也都會(huì)歸于徒勞——除非你們能每天按時(shí)上學(xué)、注意聽講、把師長(zhǎng)們的諄諄告誡銘記在心、付出成功所必需的努力，否則，一切都無濟(jì)于事！這就是今天我要鎖定的主題：對(duì)于你們所受的教育，你們每一個(gè)人都有責(zé)任，而且責(zé)無旁貸！

我先從你們對(duì)于自己都有什么責(zé)任講起。

你們每一個(gè)人都有自己的專長(zhǎng)。每一個(gè)人都會(huì)有所作為和貢獻(xiàn)。發(fā)現(xiàn)自己——發(fā)現(xiàn)自己的潛質(zhì)或潛能——首先就是你們自己的責(zé)任！教育給了你們發(fā)現(xiàn)自己的機(jī)會(huì)。

或許你會(huì)成為一位足以著書立說的大作家和記者，但是如果不在作文課上經(jīng)常練習(xí)寫作，你就永遠(yuǎn)不奧巴馬2010開學(xué)演講

1//4 會(huì)意識(shí)到這一點(diǎn)。或許你會(huì)成為一位革新能手或發(fā)明家，讓人們享用你開發(fā)的新一代手機(jī)，或救死扶傷的新藥和疫苗，但如果你不上理科課、搞搞項(xiàng)目，就不會(huì)發(fā)現(xiàn)自己這方面的天賦。你將來還可能是一位市長(zhǎng)、參議員或***官，但若不參加學(xué)生會(huì)工作或辯論團(tuán)隊(duì)，就很可能毫無覺察、自我埋沒，讓機(jī)遇擦肩而過。

我可以向你們保證，不管你將來想要做什么工作和現(xiàn)在生活條件怎樣，你都需要接受相應(yīng)的教育，來實(shí)現(xiàn)自己的理想。你想成為一位醫(yī)生、教師或警官？還是想成為一位護(hù)士、建筑師、律師或是軍人？無論你選擇哪一種職業(yè)，接受良好的教育都是必由之路，別無選擇。不完成學(xué)業(yè)就得不到一份稱心的工作。無論做什么，你都需要接受培訓(xùn)，都需要勤奮工作，都需要努力學(xué)習(xí)。

你們所受到的教育不僅會(huì)決定你們自己的生活和前途，更重要的是將會(huì)決定國(guó)家的未來。美國(guó)的將來依靠你們。你們今天在校學(xué)習(xí)的內(nèi)容，決定著我們國(guó)家，將來能否應(yīng)對(duì)各種重大挑戰(zhàn)。

你們需要通過理科課程的學(xué)習(xí)，獲取知識(shí)和解決問題的技能，治療癌癥和艾滋病，開發(fā)新能源技術(shù)和保護(hù)人類的生存環(huán)境。你們需要從文科學(xué)習(xí)中培養(yǎng)洞察力和批判性思維，消滅貧困、愚昧、犯罪和歧視現(xiàn)象，使我們的國(guó)家更加公平和自由。你們需要在各門課程的學(xué)習(xí)中，厚積薄發(fā)，開發(fā)自己的創(chuàng)新能力和獨(dú)門絕技，創(chuàng)業(yè)并組建公司，擴(kuò)大就業(yè)機(jī)會(huì)，振興我們的經(jīng)濟(jì)。

我們需要你們每一個(gè)人都充分開發(fā)自己的聰明才智，以幫助我們老一代人，解決我們最困難的問題。如果你不去做，如果你輟學(xué)，你的自棄，不僅是在拋棄自己，更是在拋棄你的祖國(guó)。

我也知道在校學(xué)習(xí)并非總是輕車熟道、一帆風(fēng)順。我很了解你們?cè)谏钪忻媾R著很多困難和挑戰(zhàn)，使你們難以潛心學(xué)業(yè)。

我深有體會(huì)。我兩歲時(shí)，父親離開了我們，我由單身母親撫育成人。她不得不去拼命打工、奮斗，有時(shí)連帳單都無力支付，別人家的孩子有的東西，她常常買不起給我們。在我幼小的心靈里，雖說有母愛恩深似海，卻仍然留有一大片空白和缺憾。多少次我懷念起父愛如山，多少次我深感孤獨(dú)無助，與周邊環(huán)境格格不入。

我沒有象應(yīng)當(dāng)做的那樣，在校始終全心就讀，也做過不該做的事情，招到過不應(yīng)有的麻煩。如果沒有這些彎路，我的人生道路還可以更加順暢。

但是，我畢竟很幸運(yùn)。我得到過很多第二次機(jī)會(huì)，得以重整旗鼓，后來還有機(jī)會(huì)上了大學(xué)和法學(xué)院，去追求自己的夢(mèng)想。我的夫人，我們的第一夫人米歇爾·奧巴馬，也有過類似的坎坷經(jīng)歷。她的雙親都沒進(jìn)過大學(xué)，他們也很窮。但是他們都努力工作，她也很勤奮，所以她就能到我國(guó)最高學(xué)府深造。

你們當(dāng)中有些同學(xué)可能更加困難，可能在你們的生活中，沒有成人能給出你們所需要的那些支持。你們家庭中可能會(huì)有人失業(yè)，經(jīng)濟(jì)拮據(jù)。可能你們生活在不夠安全的鄰里環(huán)境，或受到過行為不端朋友的影響。

奧巴馬2010開學(xué)演講

2//4

但無論如何，你的生活現(xiàn)狀——你的外表、出身、家境——都不是你忽視家庭作業(yè)或在校表現(xiàn)不好的借口。你們沒有頂撞老師、曠課或輟學(xué)的借口。你們沒有不努力學(xué)習(xí)的借口。

你將來的地位和前途不取決于現(xiàn)在的處境。沒有人能改寫你的命運(yùn)，只有你才會(huì)寫下你自己的歷史和命運(yùn)，因?yàn)檫@是在美國(guó)。你的將來就在你自己的把握之中。

全美國(guó)象你們一樣的年輕人，都在這樣地書寫著自己的歷史和命運(yùn)。

象德州羅馬市的加茲敏·佩雷斯，她剛上學(xué)時(shí)連英語都不會(huì)講。她的雙親也都沒進(jìn)過大學(xué)。但她刻苦學(xué)習(xí)，成績(jī)優(yōu)異，贏得了布朗大學(xué)的獎(jiǎng)學(xué)金，現(xiàn)在又進(jìn)了研究生院，主修公共衛(wèi)生，正在腳踏實(shí)地、一步一步地實(shí)現(xiàn)著自我——倍受尊敬的加茲敏·佩雷斯醫(yī)學(xué)博士。

我還在想著加州洛斯阿托的***尼·舒爾茲。他從 3 歲起就得與腦癌殊死抗?fàn)帲坏貌蝗淌苤鞣N療程和手術(shù)的煎熬，其中一項(xiàng)手術(shù)還嚴(yán)重?fù)p害了他的記憶力，以致他做功課要花去比別人多得多的時(shí)間——多花長(zhǎng)達(dá)幾百個(gè)小時(shí)。但他從不落人后。今年秋季他將升入大學(xué)。

此外還有來自伊州芝加哥的、我的小同鄉(xiāng)姍特爾·斯蒂夫。作為孤兒，她多次被輾轉(zhuǎn)更換托養(yǎng)家庭，而且社區(qū)治安不靖，但她努力爭(zhēng)取到了在當(dāng)?shù)乇＝≌竟ぷ鞯臋C(jī)會(huì)，還發(fā)起了一個(gè)讓青少年遠(yuǎn)離犯罪團(tuán)伙的公益活動(dòng)。她在校品學(xué)兼優(yōu)，即將榮升大學(xué)。

加茲敏、***尼、姍特爾，和你們沒有什么不同。他們?cè)谏忻鎸?duì)的挑戰(zhàn)就象你們所面對(duì)的一樣。他們的境遇常常比你們很多同學(xué)更糟。但是他們拒絕屈服和放棄。他們選擇了擔(dān)當(dāng)，對(duì)他們的生命負(fù)責(zé)，對(duì)他們所受的教育負(fù)責(zé)，他們還為自己設(shè)定了奮斗目標(biāo)。我期待你們也都同樣去做。

因此，今天我也要號(hào)召你們每一位同學(xué)，為自己的教育規(guī)劃設(shè)定奮斗目標(biāo)——并且盡最大努力去做好每一件事，去實(shí)現(xiàn)這些目標(biāo)。你們的目標(biāo)可以很簡(jiǎn)單，象完成家庭作業(yè)、上課注意聽講、每天花些時(shí)間讀本書。或許你們還想?yún)⒓诱n外活動(dòng)、作個(gè)社區(qū)志愿者。或許你們想保護(hù)弱小，為那些受嘲弄或挨欺負(fù)的孩子主持公道，因?yàn)槟銈円捕己臀乙粯樱J(rèn)為每個(gè)孩子都應(yīng)該有一個(gè)安全的學(xué)習(xí)環(huán)境。或許你們認(rèn)為應(yīng)當(dāng)更好地照顧自己，以便能更好地學(xué)習(xí)。這些目標(biāo)都很有意義。順便說，我也希望你們大家都多洗手，不舒服的時(shí)候就要多在家休息，預(yù)防秋冬季流感。

不管你們決定做什么，我都希望你們能負(fù)責(zé)任地、實(shí)實(shí)在在地去做。

我知道，有時(shí)候電視節(jié)目會(huì)給你們帶來一種錯(cuò)覺，似乎無需努力也能成功或致富——以為只要饒舌、打球或作個(gè)電視真人秀明星就能一步登天。但在現(xiàn)實(shí)生活中，那些神話幾乎無法復(fù)制。

事實(shí)上，成功更象是一項(xiàng)艱巨的系統(tǒng)工程。你不會(huì)對(duì)每門課程都情有獨(dú)鍾，也難以與每一位老師都合作默契，每次布置給你的家庭作業(yè)未必都能正中下懷、恰到好處。而且，并不是做每件事，你都能一步到位。所有這一切，環(huán)環(huán)相扣，都離成功太遠(yuǎn)太遠(yuǎn)。

世界上一些最成功的人往往都有過最慘痛的挫折和教訓(xùn)。《哈里·波特》的作者 J.K.羅琳的處女作奧巴馬2010開學(xué)演講

3//4 在最終出版之前，退稿竟達(dá) 12 次之多。“飛人”邁克爾·喬丹在高中球隊(duì)時(shí)就被刷掉過。在他的職業(yè)生涯中，幾百場(chǎng)比賽敗北，幾千次投籃失誤。他說過，“我屢敗屢戰(zhàn)，這就是我成功的秘訣。”

成功人士之所以成功，就是因?yàn)樗麄兌茫荒茏屖∽笥易约海惚仨氉屵@些失敗教會(huì)你，下一次應(yīng)當(dāng)怎樣改進(jìn)？所以，如果你闖了禍，并不說明你天生就是搗蛋鬼，而是表明你應(yīng)當(dāng)更嚴(yán)格地要求自己。如果沒考好，也并非是自己笨，而是意味著你得多花些時(shí)間學(xué)習(xí)才能追上來。

人非生而知之，更何談全能？只有努力才會(huì)學(xué)有專長(zhǎng)。涉足新的體育項(xiàng)目時(shí)，你絕不會(huì)一開始就駕輕就熟；啼聲初試，也不可能把歌唱得字正腔圓。都需要多練。做功課也如是。解數(shù)學(xué)題你可能得好幾次才能算出正確的答案。閱讀時(shí)可能得反反復(fù)復(fù)才能看懂它。一篇佳作在能拿得出手之前，肯定你還得再三潤(rùn)色。

勤學(xué)還要好問，不要羞于啟齒。需要時(shí)就不要怕求助于人。每天我都會(huì)不恥下問和求助于人。求助并非示弱，它恰恰是自強(qiáng)的標(biāo)志，顯示你有勇氣承認(rèn)自己的不足。虛懷若谷，自能有容乃大，讓你學(xué)到新東西，與時(shí)俱進(jìn)。所以，找一位你信得過的師長(zhǎng)——父母、祖父母、老師、教練或輔導(dǎo)員，求助于他們，使自己在通往目標(biāo)的正軌上闊步前進(jìn)。

即使是在和逆境拼搏，即使是失落彷徨、有被拋棄的感覺，你都絕不要拋棄自己。你拋棄了自己，你也就拋棄了你的祖國(guó)。

美國(guó)的歷史絕不是懦夫知難而退的敗績(jī)，而是全民銳意進(jìn)取、勇攀高峰的凱歌。美國(guó)人民是那樣地愛國(guó)，大家無不全力以赴。

美 國(guó)歷史，就是 250 年前坐在你們座位的那些學(xué)生，后來革命建國(guó)的故事。年輕人，75 年前坐在你們座位上的那些學(xué)生，后來戰(zhàn)勝了大蕭條，贏得了二戰(zhàn)。他們爭(zhēng)取過民權(quán)，還把人類送上了月球。20 年前坐在你們座位上的那些學(xué)生，后來創(chuàng)建了 Google，Twitter，F(xiàn)acebook，改變了我們相互溝通的方式。

所以，今天我也要問你們每一位同學(xué)，你們將來要貢獻(xiàn)什么？你們將要解決什么難題？你們將會(huì)有什么發(fā)明發(fā)現(xiàn)？20 年后、50 年后、100 年后，一位總統(tǒng)來到這里演講，他會(huì)怎樣評(píng)價(jià)你們?yōu)槊绹?guó)所做的一切？

為了你們能夠圓滿地回答上述問題，為了確保你們得到所需要的教育，你們的家庭、你們的老師和我，都在努力地做著每一件工作，修繕教室，準(zhǔn)備教學(xué)用的書籍、設(shè)備和計(jì)算機(jī)，等等。但是，你們也要擔(dān)負(fù)起你們的那些責(zé)任。所以，我期待著你們，要嚴(yán)肅認(rèn)真地對(duì)待新學(xué)年。我期待著你們?nèi)σ愿暗刈龊妹恳患虑椤Ｎ移诖銈兠恳晃煌瑢W(xué)的成功。請(qǐng)不要讓我們失望，不要讓你們的家庭失望，不要讓你們的國(guó)家失望。更不要讓你們自己失望。讓我們都引以為榮、無比驕傲。

多謝大家，多謝每一位同學(xué)。上帝保佑你們。上帝保佑美國(guó)。謝謝。（歡呼）

奧巴馬2010開學(xué)演講

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