第一篇：《夢想與責任：奧巴馬開學演講》中英文對照演講稿

夢想與責任：奧巴馬開學演講

Hello, everybody!Thank you.Thank you.Thank you, everybody.All right, everybody go ahead and have a seat.How is everybody doing today?(Applause.)How about Tim Spicer?(Applause.)I am here with students at Wakefield High School in Arlington, Virginia.And we’ve got students tuning in from all across America, from kindergarten through 12th grade.And I am just so glad that all could join us today.And I want to thank Wakefield for being such an outstanding host.Give yourselves a big round of applause.(Applause.)

大家好！謝謝你們。謝謝你們。謝謝你們大家。好，大家請就坐。你們今天都好嗎？（掌聲）蒂姆·斯派塞（Tim Spicer）好嗎？（掌聲）我現在與弗吉尼亞州阿靈頓郡韋克菲爾德高中的學生們在一起。美國各地從小學預備班到中學12年級的學生正在收聽收看。我很高興大家今天都能參與。我還要感謝韋克菲爾德高中出色的組織安排。請為你們自己熱烈鼓掌。（掌聲）

I know that for many of you, today is the first day of school.And for those of you in kindergarten, or starting middle or high school, it’s your first day in a new school, so it’s understandable if you’re a little nervous.I imagine there are some seniors out there who are feeling pretty good right now--(applause)--with just one more year to go.And no matter what grade you’re in, some of you are probably wishing it were still summer and you could’ve stayed in bed just a little bit longer this morning.我知道，今天是你們很多人開學的日子。對于進入小學預備班、初中或高中的學生，今天是你們來到新學校的第一天，心里可能有點緊張，這是可以理解的。我能想象有些畢業班學生現在感覺很不錯——（掌聲）——還有一年就畢業了。不論在哪個年級，你們有些人可能希望暑假更長一點，今天早上還能多睡一小會兒。

I know that feeling.When I was young, my family lived overseas.I lived in Indonesia for a few years.And my mother, she didn’t have the money to send me where all the American kids went to school, but she thought it was important for me to keep up with an American education.So she decided to teach me extra lessons herself, Monday through Friday.But because she had to go to work, the only time she could do it was at 4:30 in the morning.我了解這種感覺。我小時候，我們家生活在海外。我在印度尼西亞住了幾年。我媽媽沒有錢送我上其他美國孩子上的學校，但她認為必須讓我接受美式教育。因此，她決定從周一到周五自己給我補課。不過她還要上班，所以只能在清晨四點半給我上課。

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.”(Laughter.)

你們可以想見，我不太情愿那么早起床。有很多次，我趴在餐桌上就睡著了。但每當我抱怨的時候，我媽媽都會那樣地看我一眼，然后說：“小子，這對我也并不輕松。”（笑聲）

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.我知道你們有些人還在適應開學后的生活。但我今天來到這里是因為有重要的事情要和你們說。我來這里是要和你們談談你們的教育問題，以及在這個新學年對你們所有人的期望。

Now, I’ve given a lot of speeches about education.And I’ve talked about responsibility a lot.我做過很多次有關教育問題的演講。我多次談到過責任問題。

I’ve talked about teachers’ responsibility for inspiring students and pushing you to learn.我談到過教師激勵學生并督促他們學習的責任。

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.我談到過家長的責任，要確保你們走正路，完成家庭作業，不要整天坐在電視前或玩Xbox游戲。

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.我多次談到過政府的責任，要制定高標準，支持教師和校長的工作，徹底改善不能為學生提供應有機會的、教育質量差的學校。

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 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.然而，即使我們擁有最敬業的教師，最盡力的家長和全世界最好的學校——如果你們大家不履行你們的責任，不到校上課，不專心聽講，不聽家長、祖父祖母和其他大人的話，不付出取得成功所必須的勤奮努力，那么這一切都毫無用處，都無關緊要。這就是我今天講話的重點：你們每個人對自己的教育應盡的責任。

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自己應盡的責任。你們每個人都有自己的長處。你們每個人都能做出自己的貢獻。你們對自己應盡的責任是發現自己的能力所在。而教育能夠提供這樣的機會。

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.你或許能成為一名出色的作家——甚至可能寫書或在報紙上發表文章——但你可能要在完成那篇英文課的作文后才會發現自己的才華。你或許能成為一名創新者或發明家——甚至可能設計出新一代iPhone或研制出新型藥物或疫苗——但你可能要在完成科學課的實驗后才會發現自己的才華。你或許能成為一名市長或參議員或最高法院的大法官——但你可能要在參加學生會的工作或辯論隊后才會發現自己的才華。

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.不論你的生活志向是什么，我敢肯定你必須上學讀書才能實現它。你想當醫生、教師或警官嗎？你想當護士、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。你不能指望輟學后能碰上個好工作。你必須接受培訓，為之努力，為之學習。

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.這并非只對你個人的人生和未來意義重大。可以毫不夸大地說，教育給你帶來的益處將決定這個國家的未來。美國的未來取決于你們。你們今日在校學習的知識將決定我們作為一個國家是否能夠迎接我們未來所面臨的最嚴峻挑戰。

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.你們將需要利用你們通過自然科學和數學課程所學到的知識和解決問題的能力來治愈癌癥、艾滋病及其他疾病，開發新的能源技術和保護我們的環境。你們將需要利用你們在歷史學和社會學課堂上所獲得的知識和獨立思考能力來抗擊貧困和解決無家可歸問題，打擊犯罪和消除歧視，使我們的國家更公平、更自由。你們將需要利用你們在所有課堂上培養的創造力和智慧來創辦新公司，增加就業機會，振興我們的經濟。

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.我們需要你們每個人發揮你們的聰明才智和技能，以便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，如果你們輟學，你們不僅僅是自暴自棄，也是拋棄自己的國家。

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.我自然知道要做到學業優秀并非總是易事。我知道你們許多人在生活中面臨挑戰，難以集中精力從事學業。

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.我明白這一點。我有親身感受。兩歲時，我父親離家而去，我是由一位單親母親撫養成人的，母親不得不工作，并時常為支付生活費用而苦苦掙扎，但有時仍無法為我們提供其他孩子享有的東西。有時，我渴望生活中能有一位父親。有時我感到孤獨，感到自己不適應社會。

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.我并非總是像我應該做到的那樣專心學習，我也曾做過我如今不能引以為豪的一些事情，我曾惹過不應該惹的麻煩。我的人生原本會輕易陷入更糟糕的境地。

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.但是，我當年際遇不錯。我有過許多第二次機會，我有幸能上大學，上法學院，追求自己的理想。我的妻子，我們的第一夫人米歇爾?奧巴馬，也有著類似的經歷。她的父母都未曾上過大學，家里很窮。但他們非常勤奮，她也是如此，因此她得以進入一些美國最好的學校。

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.你們中有一些人可能沒有那些有利條件。或許你們生活中沒有成年人為你們提供你們所需要的支持。或許你們家中有人失業，經濟非常拮據。或許你們生活在使你們感覺不安全的社區，或有朋友逼迫你們去做你們知道不對的事情。

But at the end of the day, the circumstances of your life--what you look like, where you come from, how much money you have, what you’ve got going on at home--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.然而說到底，你們生活的環境、你們的膚色、你們的原籍、你們的經濟收入、你們家中的境況等等，這一切都不能成為你們不用功或不努力的理由。你們沒有理由不服從你們的老師、逃學、或輟學。沒有理由不付出努力。

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決定著你們的未來。沒有人決定你們的命運，在美國，你們決定自己的命運。你們掌握自己的未來。

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.來自得州羅馬城的賈茲敏 佩雷斯（Jazmin Perez）就是一個例證，她剛開始上學時并不會說英文。她的父母都沒有上過大學。然而，她非常勤奮，成績優秀，獲得了布朗大學的獎學金，她如今正在讀研究生，攻讀公共衛生專業，不久將成為賈茲敏 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.我想起了加州洛斯阿爾托斯城的安多尼 舒爾茨（Andoni Schultz），他從三歲開始就一直與腦癌進行抗爭，他不得不忍受各類治療和手術帶來的痛苦，其中一項手術曾影響了他的記憶，因此他花在功課上的時間比一般人長得多，要多出數百個小時。然而，他從未落后。他今年秋季將邁進大學。

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.我還想起家鄉伊利諾伊州芝加哥市的尚特爾 史蒂夫（Shantell Steve）。她曾在芝加哥最困難的社區生活，寄養于多個不同的家庭，但她最終在一家地方醫療中心找到工作，并開始了一項幫助年輕人遠離流氓團伙的計劃，她即將以優異成績從中學畢業，緊接著將上大學。

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.賈茲敏、安多尼和尚特爾與你們中間的每個人沒什么兩樣。跟你們一樣，他們在生活中面臨種種挑戰。在某些情況下，他們的處境比起你們許多人更差。但他們拒絕放棄。他們決定要為自己的一生、自己的教育負起責任，為自己設定各項奮斗目標。我期待你們大家都會這樣做。

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.因此，我今天呼吁你們每一個人為自己的教育設定目標，并盡自己的最大努力來實現這些目標。你的目標可以是一件十分簡單的事情，例如完成家庭作業、上課專心聽講、或每天花一點時間讀一本書。也許你會決定要參加課外活動或在你的社區提供志愿服務。也許你會決定挺身而出保護那些因為身份或長相而受人戲弄或欺負的孩子，原因是你和我一樣認為所有的年輕人都應該享有一個適合讀書和學習的安全環境。也許你會決定更好地照料自己，以便有更充沛的精力來學習。順便提一下，除了這些事情外，我希望大家要勤洗手，身體感到不舒服的時候要呆在家里不去上學，這樣我們能防止人們在今年秋冬季節染上流感。

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，我希望你保證去做。我希望你腳踏實地地去做。

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.我知道有時候你會從電視上得到這樣的印象：你不用做任何艱苦的工作就能發財致富并取得成功，唱小調、打籃球或成為真人秀明星是走向成功的途徑。但實際情況是：你可能不會成為其中的一員。

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.事實上，取得成功不是輕而易舉的事情。你不會喜歡你學習的每一門課目。你不會與你的每一位老師都很投契。不是所有的家庭作業似乎都與你眼前的生活完全有關。你第一次嘗試做每件事的時候，不一定成功。

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.”

這些都沒關系。世界上最成功的人士中有一些是遭遇失敗最多的人。作者J.K.羅琳（J.K.Rowling）所寫的系列小說《哈利 波特》（Harry Potter）第一部在獲得出版之前被退稿12次。邁克爾?喬丹（Michael Jordan）曾被他的高中籃球隊除名。在喬丹的籃球生涯中，他輸過數百場比賽，有成千上萬個球沒有投中。但他曾說過：“在我的一生中，我失敗了一次又一次、一次又一次。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.這些人士獲得成功，因為他們懂得：你不能讓失敗來限制你，而必須讓失敗來開導你。你必須讓失敗向你展示下次如何以不同的方式去做這件事情。因此，如果你遇到麻煩，那并不表示你是麻煩的制造者，而意味著你需要更加努力去把它做對。如果你有一門課分數低，那不表示你比別人笨，而只表示你需要花更多的時間學習。

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.沒有一個人天生擅長做各種事情。你通過勤奮而變得擅長于各種事情。第一次從事新的體育項目時，你不可能是一位主力隊員。第一次唱一首歌曲時，你不可能唱準每個音。你必須練習。同樣的道理適用于你的學業。你可能要把一道數學題做幾次才把它做對。你可能要把一些材料閱讀幾遍才能理解。在交出一篇優美的作文之前，你肯定需要打幾遍草稿。

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.不要害怕提問。不要在需要幫助時害怕請求別人幫助。我天天請求別人的幫助。請求幫助不是軟弱的表現，它是力量的標志，因為它表明你有勇氣承認自己對某些事情不懂，這樣做會使你學到新的東西。因此，請確定一位你信任的成年人，例如家長、祖父母或老師、教練或輔導員，請他們幫助你遵循既定計劃實現你的目標。

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.即使當你苦苦掙扎、灰心喪氣、感到其他人對你不抱希望時，也不要對你自己喪失信心，因為當你自暴自棄時，你也拋棄了自己的國家。

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.書寫美國歷史的不是在困難時刻退縮的人，而是堅持不懈、加倍努力的人，他們對國家的愛促使他們全力以赴。

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.書寫美國歷史的是250年前坐在你們的位置上的學生，他們后來進行了獨立戰爭并創建了這個國家。還有75年前坐在你們的位置上的年輕人和學生，他們走出了大蕭條并打贏了一場世界大戰；他們為民權而奮斗并把宇航員送上了月球。至于20年前坐在你們的位置上的學生，他們創辦了谷歌（Google）、嘰喳網（Twitter）和臉譜網（Facebook），改變了我們交流溝通的方式。

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?

而今天，我要問問你們大家，你們將做出什么貢獻？你們將解決什么問題？你們將有什么發現？20年、50年或100年后來到這里講話的總統將會怎樣評價你們大家為這個國家所做的一切？

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.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.你們的家人、你們的老師和我正在竭盡全力保證你們接受必要的教育，以便回答上述問題。我正在努力工作，以便你們的教室得到修繕，你們能夠得到學習所需的課本、設備和電腦。但你們也必須盡自己的努力。因此，我希望你們大家從今年起認真對待這個問題。我希望你們盡最大努力做好每一件事。我希望你們每個人都有出色的表現。不要讓我們失望。不要讓你們的家人或你們的國家失望。而最重要的是，不要辜負你們自己，而要讓我們都能[為你們]感到驕傲。

Thank you very much, everybody.God bless you.God bless America.Thank you.(Applause.)

非常感謝你們大家。愿主保佑你們。愿主保佑美國。謝謝你們。（掌聲）

第二篇：奧巴馬開學演講稿(中英文對照)

早晨偶然在報紙上看到了9月8日美國開學日的時候,奧巴馬總統給全國從幼兒園到高中生做的一個開學演講,非常感動.想把這個東西與大家分享一下，于是上網找到了中英文全文兩個版本.我對照了一下,翻譯得基本上做到了信、達、雅。奧巴馬總統講演的風格很口語化,講道理深入淺出,很有感染力.論壇里的朋友相信有很多都是已經為人父母了,我的孩子上周也進入小學一年級,踏上了漫長的求學之路.如何教育孩子,激勵孩子,可能是每個家長最頭痛的問題.我建議你親自給你的孩子讀一下這篇講演,跟他(她)討論一下,讓孩子理解一下他(她)身上所承擔的對自己,對國家的責任.發這個貼之前,躊躇再三,畢竟講教育的主題跟股市大家談的主旨有些不合,但我覺得從投資角度而言,教育上面花費的時間、精力，金錢的投資,不管是投向自己,還是孩子,都是我們一生中所能做出的最好的,永遠都不會后悔的投資選擇之一．畢竟，一個更好的未來，一個更強大的國家，一個更美，更和諧的世界愿景都要依靠我們的孩子們去實現．

弗吉尼亞州，阿林頓市，2009年9月8日

嗨，大家好！你們今天過得怎么樣？我現在和弗吉尼亞州阿林頓郡韋克菲爾德高中的學生們在一起，全國各地也有從幼兒園到高三的眾多學生們通過電視關注這里，我很高興你們能共同分享這一時刻。

我知道，對你們中的許多人來說，今天是開學的第一天，你們中的有一些剛剛進入幼兒園或升上初高中，對你們來說，這是在新學校的第一天，因此，假如你們感到有些緊張，那也是很正常的。我想也會有許多畢業班的學生們正自信滿滿地準備最后一年的沖刺。不過，我想無論你有多大、在讀哪個年級，許多人都打心底里希望現在還在放暑假，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孩子們上學的地方去讀書，因此她決定自己給我上課——時間是每周一到周五的凌晨4點半。

顯然，我不怎么喜歡那么早就爬起來，很多時候，我就這么在廚房的桌子前睡著了。每當我埋怨的時候，我媽總會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于開學還需要時間來調整和適應，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人的教育，以及在新的學年里，你們應當做些什么。

我做過許多關于教育的講話，也常常用到“責任”這個詞。

我談到過教師們有責任激勵和啟迪你們，督促你們學習。

我談到過家長們有責任看管你們認真學習、完成作業，不要成天只會看電視或打游戲機。

我也很多次談到過政府有責任設定高標準嚴要求、協助老師和校長們的工作，改變在有些學校里學生得不到應有的學習機會的現狀。

但哪怕這一切都達到最好，哪怕我們有最盡職的教師、最好的家長、和最優秀的學校，假如你們不去履行自己的責任的話，那么這一切努力都會白費。——除非你每天準時去上學、除非你認真地聽老師講課、除非你把父母、長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，否則這一切都會失去意義。

而這就是我今天講話的主題：對于自己的教育，你們中每一個人的責任。首先，我想談談你們對于自己有什么責任。

你們中的每一個人都會有自己擅長的東西，每一個人都是有用之材，而發現自己的才能是什么，就是你們要對自己擔起的責任。教育給你們提供了發現自己才能的機會。

或許你能寫出優美的文字——甚至有一天能讓那些文字出現在書籍和報刊上——但假如不在英語課上經常練習寫作，你不會發現自己有這樣的天賦；或許你能成為一個發明家、創造家——甚至設計出像今天的iPhone一樣流行的產品，或研制出新的藥物與疫苗——但假如不在自然科學課程上做上幾次實驗，你不會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生會或參加幾次辯論賽，你也不會發現自己的才能。

而且，我可以向你保證，不管你將來想要做什么，你都需要相應的教育。——你想當名醫生、當名教師或當名警官？你想成為護士、成為建筑設計師、律師或軍人？無論你選擇哪一種職業，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，任何工作，都需要你的汗水、訓練與學習。

不僅僅對于你們個人的未來有重要意義，你們的教育如何也會對這個國家、乃至世界的未來產生重要影響。今天你們在學校中學習的內容，將會決定我們整個國家在未來迎接重大挑戰時的表現。

你們需要在數理科學課程上學習的知識和技能，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境問題；你們需要在歷史社科課程上培養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，讓這個國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展出來的創新意識和思維，去創業和建立新的公司與企業，來制造就業機會和推動經濟的增長。

我們需要你們中的每一個人都培養和發展自己的天賦、技能和才智，來解決我們所面對的最困難的問題。假如你不這么做——假如你放棄學習——那么你不僅是放棄了自己，也是放棄了你的國家。

當然，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。我父親在我兩歲時就離開了家庭，是母親一人將我們拉扯大，有時她付不起帳單，有時我們得不到其他孩子們都有的東西，有時我會想，假如父親在該多好，有時我會感到孤獨無助，與周圍的環境格格不入。

因此我并不總是能專心學習，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，隨時可能急轉直下。

但我很幸運。我在許多事上都得到了重來的機會，我得到了去大學讀法學院、實現自己夢想的機會。我的妻子——現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，也沒有什么財產，但他們和她都辛勤工作，好讓她有機會去這個國家最優秀的學校讀書。

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輩，或許你的某個家長沒有工作、經濟拮據，或許你住的社區不那么安全，或許你認識一些會對你產生不良影響的朋友，等等。

但歸根結底，你的生活狀況——你的長相、出身、經濟條件、家庭氛圍——都不是疏忽學業和態度惡劣的借口，這些不是你去跟老師頂嘴、逃課、或是輟學的借口，這些不是你不好好讀書的借口。

你的未來，并不取決于你現在的生活有多好或多壞。沒有人為你編排好你的命運，在美國，你的命運由你自己書寫，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。

例如德克薩斯州羅馬市的賈斯敏?佩雷茲（Jazmin Perez）。剛進學校時，她根本不會說英語，她住的地方幾乎沒人上過大學，她的父母也沒有受過高等教育，但她努力學習，取得了優異的成績，靠獎學金進入了布朗大學，如今正在攻讀公共衛生專業的博士學位。

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，他熬過了一次次治療與手術——其中一次影響了他的記憶，因此他得花出比常人多幾百個小時的時間來完成學業，但他從不曾落下自己的功課。這個秋天，他要開始在大學讀書了。

又比如在我的家鄉，伊利諾斯州芝加哥市，身為孤兒的香特爾?史蒂夫（Shantell Steve）換過多次收養家庭，從小在治安很差的地區長大，但她努力爭取到了在當地保健站工作的機會、發起了一個讓青少年遠離犯罪團伙的項目，很快，她也將以優異的成績從中學畢業，去大學深造。

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起責任、給自己定下奮斗的目標。我希望你們中的每一個人，都能做得到這些。

因此，在今天，我號召你們每一個人都為自己的教育定下一個目標——并在之后，盡自己的一切努力去實現它。你的目標可以很簡單，像是完成作業、認真聽講或每天閱讀——或許你打算參加一些課外活動，或在社區做些志愿工作；或許你決定為那些因為長相或出身等等原因而受嘲弄或欺負的孩子做主、維護他們的權益，因為你和我一樣，認為每個孩子都應該能有一個安全的學習環境；或許你認為該學著更好的照顧自己，來為將來的學習做準備……當然，除此之外，我希望你們都多多洗手、感到身體不舒服的時候要多在家休息，免得大家在秋冬感冒高發季節都得流感。

不管你決定做什么，我都希望你能堅持到底，希望你能真的下定決心。

我知道有些時候，電視上播放的節目會讓你產生這樣那樣的錯覺，似乎你不需要付出多大的努力就能腰纏萬貫、功成名就——你會認為只要會唱rap、會打籃球或參加個什么真人秀節目就能坐享其成，但現實是，你幾乎沒有可能走上其中任何一條道路。

因為，成功是件難事。你不可能對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實生活有關的作業。而且，并不是每件事，你都能在頭一次嘗試時獲得成功。

但那沒有關系。因為在這個世界上，最最成功的人們往往也經歷過最多的失敗。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?喬丹上高中時被學校的籃球隊刷了下來，在他的職業生涯里，他輸了幾百場比賽、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——而是要從中吸取經驗。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搗蛋貴，而是在提醒你，在將來要對自己有更嚴格的要求；假如你考了個低分，那并不說明你就比別人笨，而是在告訴你，自己得在學習上花更多的時間。

沒有哪一個人一生出來就擅長做什么事情的，只有努力才能培養出技能。任何人都不是在第一次接觸一項體育運動時就成為校隊的代表，任何人都不是在第一次唱一首歌時就找準每一個音，一切都需要熟能生巧。對于學業也是一樣，你或許要反復運算才能解出一道數學題的正確答案，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準。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，恰恰相反，它說明你有勇氣承認自己的不足、并愿意去學習新的知識。所以，有不懂時，就向大人們求助吧——找個你信得過的對象，例如父母、長輩、老師、教練或輔導員——讓他們幫助你向目標前進。

你要記住，哪怕你表現不好、哪怕你失去信心、哪怕你覺得身邊的人都已經放棄了你——永遠不要自己放棄自己。因為當你放棄自己的時候，你也放棄了自己的國家。

美國不是一個人們遭遇困難就輕易放棄的國度，在這個國家，人們堅持到底、人們加倍努力，為了他們所熱愛的國度，每一個人都盡著自己最大的努力，不會給自己留任何余地。

250年前，有一群和你們一樣的學生，他們之后奮起努力、用一場革命最終造就了這個國家；75年前，有一群和你們一樣的學生，他們之后戰勝了大蕭條、贏得了二戰；就在20年前，和你們一樣的學生們，他們后來創立了Google、Twitter和Facebook，改變了我們人與人之間溝通的方式。

因此，今天我想要問你們，你們會做出什么樣的貢獻？你們將解決什么樣的難題？你們能發現什么樣的事物？

二十、五十或百年之后，假如那時的美國總統也來做一次開學演講的話，他會怎樣描述你們對這個國家所做的一切？

你們的家長、你們的老師和我，每一個人都在盡最大的努力，確保你們都能得到應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、更先進的設施與計算機。但你們也要擔起自己的責任。因此我要求你們在今年能夠認真起來，我要求你們盡心地去做自己著手的每一件事，我要求你們每一個人都有所成就。請不要讓我們失望——不要讓你的家人、你的國家和你自己失望。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。

本文來自學習網(www.tmdps.cnic for me either, buster.“(Laughter.)

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.(Applause.)

第三篇：奧巴馬就職演講 中英文演講稿(中英文對照)

My fellow citizens:

我的同胞們：

I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors.I thank President Bush for his service to our nation, as well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this transition.今天我站在這里，看到眼前面臨的重大任務，深感卑微。我感謝你們對我的信任，也知道先輩們為了這個國家所作的犧牲。我要感謝布什總統為國家做出的貢獻，以及感謝他在兩屆政府過渡期間給與的慷慨協作。

Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath.The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace.Yet, every so often the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms.At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because We the People have remained faithful to the ideals of our forbearers, and true to our founding documents.迄今為止，已經有44個美國總統宣誓就職。總統的宣誓有時面對的是國家的和平繁榮，但通常面臨的是烏云密布的緊張形勢。在緊張的形勢中，支持美國前進的不僅僅是領導人的能力和遠見，也在于美國人民對國家先驅者理想的信仰，以及對美國立國文件的忠誠。

So it has been.So it must be with this generation of Americans.前輩們如此，我們這一代美國人也要如此。

That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood.Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred.Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age.Homes have been lost;jobs shed;businesses shuttered.Our healthcare is too costly;our schools fail too many;and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.現在我們都深知，我們身處危機之中。我們的國家在戰斗，對手是影響深遠的暴力和憎恨；國家的經濟也受到嚴重的削弱，原因雖有一些人的貪婪和不負責任，但更為重要的是我們作為一個整體在一些重大問題上決策失誤，同時也未能做好應對新時代的準備。我們的人民正在失去家園，失去工作，很多企業倒閉。社會的醫療過于昂貴、學校教育讓許多人失望，而且每天都會有新的證據顯示，我們利用能源的方式助長了我們的敵對勢力，同時也威脅著我們的星球。

These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics.Less measurable but no less profound is a sapping of confidence across our landthey will be met.今天我要說，我們的確面臨著很多嚴峻的挑戰，而且在短期內不大可能輕易解決。但是我們要相信，我們一定會度過難關。

On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.今天，我們在這里齊聚一堂，因為我們戰勝恐懼選擇了希望，摒棄了沖突和矛盾而選擇了團結。

On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics.今天，我們宣布要為無謂的摩擦、不實的承諾和指責畫上句號，我們要打破牽制美國政治發展的若干陳舊教條。

We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things.The

time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit;to choose our better history;to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.美國仍是一個年輕的國家，借用《圣經》的話說，放棄幼稚的時代已經到來了。重拾堅韌精神的時代已經到來，我們要為歷史作出更好的選擇，我們要秉承歷史賦予的寶貴權利，秉承那種代代相傳的高貴理念：上帝賦予我們每個人以平等和自由，以及每個人盡全力去追求幸福的機會。

In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given.It must be earned.Our journey has never been one of short-cuts or settling for less.It has not been the path for the faint-heartedsome celebrated but more often men and women obscure in their labour, who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom.在重申我們國家偉大之處的同時，我們深知偉大從來不是上天賜予的，偉大需要努力贏得。（我們的民族一路走來），這旅途之中從未有過捷徑或者妥協，這旅途也不適合膽怯之人、或者愛安逸勝過愛工作之人、或者單單追求名利之人。這條路是勇于承擔風險者之路，是實干家、創造者之路。這其中有一些人名留青史，但是更多的人卻在默默無聞地工作著。正是這些人帶領我們走過了漫長崎嶇的旅行，帶領我們走向富強和自由。

For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled across oceans in search of a new life.For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the west;endured the lash of the whip and plowed the hard earth.For us, they fought and died, in places like Concord and Gettysburg;Normandy and Khe Sahn.為了我們，先輩們帶著微薄的細軟，橫渡大洋，尋找新生活；為了我們，先輩們忍辱負重，用血汗澆鑄工廠；為了我們，先輩們在荒蕪的西部大地辛勤耕作，定居他鄉；為了我們，先輩們奔赴（獨立戰爭中的）康科德城和葛底斯堡、（二戰中的）諾曼底、（越戰中的）Khe Sahn，他們征戰、死去。

Time and again these men and women struggled and sacrificed and worked till their hands were raw so that we might live a better life.They saw America as bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions;greater than all the differences of birth or wealth or faction.一次又一次，我們的先輩們戰斗著、犧牲著、操勞著，只為了我們可以生活得更好。在他們看來，美國的強盛與偉大超越了個人雄心，也超越了個人的出身、貧富和派別差異。

This is the journey we continue today.We remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on Earth.Our workers are no less productive than when this crisis began.Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were last week or last month or last year.Our capacity remains undiminished.But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisionsnot only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth.We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together.We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology's wonders to raise healthcare's quality and lower its cost.We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories.And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age.All this we can do.And all this we will do.我目之所及，都有工作有待完成。國家的經濟情況要求我們采取大膽且快速的行動，我們的確是要行動，不僅是要創造就業，更要為（下一輪經濟）增長打下新的基礎。我們將造橋鋪路，為企業鋪設電網和數字線路，將我們聯系在一起。我們將回歸科學，運用科技的奇跡提高醫療質量，降低醫療費用。我們將利用風能、太陽能和土壤驅動車輛，為工廠提供能源。我們將改革中小學以及大專院校，以適應新時代的要求。這一切，我們都能做到，而且我們都將會做到。

Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitionsthat the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply.The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it worksto spend wisely, reform bad habits and do our business in the light of dayand that a nation cannot prosper long when it favours only the prosperous.The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our gross domestic product, but on the reach f;on our ability to extend opportunity to every willing hearteven greater cooperation and understanding between nations.We will begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people, and forge a hard-earned peace in Afghanistan.With old friends and former foes, we will work tirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat, and roll back the specter of a warming planet.We will not apologise for our way of life, nor will we waver in its defence, and for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken;you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you.我們繼承了這些遺產。在這些原則的再次領導下，我們有能力應對新的威脅，我們需要付出更多的努力、進行國家間更廣泛的合作以及增進國家間的理解。首先，我們將以負責任的態度，將伊拉克交還給伊拉克人民，同時鞏固阿富汗來之不易的和平。對于老朋友和老對手，我們將繼續努力，不遺余力，削弱核威脅，遏制全球變暖的幽靈。我們不會為我們的生活方式感到報歉，我們會不動搖地捍衛我們的生活方式。對于那些企圖通過恐怖主義或屠殺無辜平民達成目標的人，我們要對他們說：我們的信仰更加堅定，不可動搖，你們不可能拖垮我們，我們定將戰勝你們。

For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness.We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindusknow that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy.To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history;but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.對于穆斯林世界，我們將基于共同的利益和信仰，尋找更好的合作之路。對于那些在世界各個地方挑起沖突或一味批評西方不良影響的領導者：你的人民評判你的依據是你建立了什么，而不是破壞了什么。對于那些依靠腐敗和欺騙并壓制異議而追求權利的人們：你們站在了人類歷史的對立面。如果你們能張開緊握的拳頭，我們也將伸出友誼之手。

To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow;to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds.And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative

plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to suffering outside our borders;nor can we consume the world's resources without regard to effect.For the world has changed, and we must change with it.對于那些貧窮的人們，我們保證和你們一起建設繁茂的農場和干凈的水源，滋養那些饑寒交迫的身體和心靈。對于那些與我們一樣相對富裕的國家，我們不能再對外界的苦難漠不關心，更不能繼續大肆索取世界的資源。世界必須改變，我們都必須改變。

奧巴馬就職演講稿（中英文對照）

奧巴馬在林肯紀念堂的演講（雙語）

【視頻】奧巴馬就職演講（中日英）

【熱點視頻】奧巴馬就職演說-我們凝聚力量重塑美國(中英對照)

奧巴馬獲勝演講全文法語版

布什2009告別演說（中英雙語對照演講稿）

As we consider the road that unfolds before us, we remember with humble gratitude those brave Americans who, at this very hour, patrol far-off deserts and distant mountains.They have something to tell us today, just as the fallen heroes who lie in Arlington whisper through the ages.We honour them not only because they are guardians of our liberty, but because they embody the spirit of service;a willingness to find meaning in something greater than themselves.And yet, at this momentit is precisely this spirit that must inhabit us all.當我們審視前方的道路時，我們會感激那些跨越千山萬水來到這里的人們。今天，他們有話對我們說，也是安息在阿林頓國家公墓里的先烈們時刻提醒我們的。我們尊敬他們不僅因為是他們捍衛了我們的自由，更因為他們正是奉獻精神的化身；他們致力于尋找遠高于自身的生命真諦。而此時，在這個特殊的時代，我們更需讓這種精神長存。

For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies.It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break, the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours.It is the firefighter's courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent's willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate.因為無論美國政府能做多少，必須做多少，美國國家的立國之本最終還是美國人的決心和信念。于防洪堤壩決堤之時收留陌生受難者的善意，于在經濟不景氣的時候寧愿減少自己工時也不肯看著朋友失業的無私，正是他們支撐我們走過黑暗的時刻。消防隊員沖入滿是濃煙的樓梯搶救生命的勇氣，父母養育孩子的堅持，正是這些決定了我們的命運。

Our challenges may be new.The instruments with which we meet them may be new.But those values upon which our success dependsthese things are old.These things are true.They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history.What is demanded then is a return to these truths.What is required of us now is a new era of responsibilitythe knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny.我們自信源于對上帝的信仰，上帝號召我們要掌握自己的命運。

This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed-why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent mall, and why a man whose father less than sixty years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.這就是我們自由和信仰的意義，這也是為何不同種族、不同信仰、不同性別和年齡的人可以同聚一堂在此歡慶的原因，也是我今天能站在這里莊嚴宣誓的原因，而在50多年前我的父親甚至都不能成為地方餐館的服務生。

So let us mark this day with remembrance, of who we are and how far we have traveled.In the year of America's birth, in the coldest of months, a small band of patriots huddled by dying campfires on the shores of an icy river.The capital was abandoned.The enemy was advancing.The snow was stained with blood.At a moment when the outcome of our revolution was most in doubt, the father of our nation ordered these words be read to the people:

所以，讓我們銘記自己的身份，鐫刻自己的足跡。在美國誕生的時代，那最寒冷的歲月里，一群勇敢的愛國人士圍著篝火在冰封的河邊取暖。首都被占領，敵人在挺進，冬天的雪被鮮血染成了紅色。在美國大革命最受質疑的時刻，我們的國父們這樣說：

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

“我們要讓未來的世界知道……在深冬的嚴寒里，唯有希望和勇氣才能讓我們存活……面對共同的危險時，我們的城市和國家要勇敢地上前去面對。”

America.In the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words.With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come.Let it be said by our children's children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter;and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God's grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations.今天的美國也在嚴峻的寒冬中面對共同的挑戰，讓我們記住國父們不朽的語言。帶著希望和勇氣，讓我們再一次勇敢地面對寒流，迎接可能會發生的風暴。我們要讓我們的子孫后代記住，在面臨挑戰的時候，我們沒有屈服，我們沒有逃避也沒有猶豫，我們腳踏實地、心懷信仰，秉承了寶貴的自由權利并將其安全地交到了下一代的手中。考試大收集整理

第四篇：奧巴馬開學演講(中英文)

美國總統奧巴馬9月8日開學演講

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.我現在與弗吉尼亞州阿靈頓郡維克菲爾德高中的學生們在一起。全國各地也有從幼兒園到高三的眾多學生們，通過電視關注這里。我很高興你們能共同分享這一時刻。我還有感謝維克菲爾德高中出色的組織安排，請為你們熱烈鼓掌。

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，對你們中的許多人來說，今天是開學的第一天。對于剛進入幼兒園或升上初中高中的學生，今天是你們來到新學校的第一天。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.我想也會有許多畢業班的學生們正自信滿滿，還有一年就畢業了。不論在哪個年級，許多人打心底里希望現在還是暑假。今天早上還能多睡一小會。

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孩子上的學校。但她認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課。不過她還要上夜班。所以只能在清晨四點半給我上課。

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。每當我埋怨的時候，我媽媽總會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開學后的生活。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人的教育，以及這個新學年對你們所有人的期望。

Now, I've given a lot of speeches about education.And I've talked about responsibility a lot.我做過許多關于教育的講話。也常常用到“責任”這個詞。

I've talked about teachers' responsibility for inspiring students and pushing you to learn.我談到過教師有責任激勵你們，督促你們學習。

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.我談到過家長有責任確保你們走正道、完成家庭作業，不要成天只會看電視或打游戲機。

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任制定高標準協助老師和校長的工作，改變在有些學校學生得不到應有的學習機會的現狀。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.但哪怕這一切都達到最好，哪怕我們擁有最敬業的教師，最盡力的家長和全世界最好的學校，假如你們不去履行自己的責任的話，那么這一切努力都會白費。除非你每天準時去上學，除非你認真聽老師講課，除非你把父母、長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。否則這一切都會失去意識。而這就是我今天講話的重點：你們每個人對自己的教育應盡的責任。

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自己應盡的責任。你們每一個都有自己的長處，你們每個人都時有用之才。你們對自己應盡的責任時發現自己的才能所在。而教育能夠提供這樣的機會

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.或許你能寫出優美的文字，甚至有一天能將那些文字出現在書籍和報刊上，但假如不再英語課上經常練習寫作，你不會發現自己有這樣的才能。

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新家或發明家。甚至可能設計出新一代iPhone，或研制出新型藥物與疫苗。但假如不再自然科學課堂上做上幾次試驗，你不會發現自己有這樣的才能。或許你能成為一名市長或參議員，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，你不會發現自己有這樣的才能。

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.你想當醫生、教師或警官嗎？你想當護士、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。你不能指望輟學后碰上個好工作。你必須接受培訓，為之努力，為之學習。

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.這并非只對你個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國家的未來。美國的未來取決于你們。今天你們在學校中的學習內容，將決定我們整個國家在未來迎接重大挑戰時的表現。

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.你們需要在數理科學課程上學習知識和技能，去治療癌癥、艾滋病那樣的疾病。開發新的能源技術保護我們的環境。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.你們需要歷史社會科課程上活動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，讓這個國家變得更加公平和自由。你們需要在各類課程中逐漸培養創造力和智慧去創辦公司，制造就業機會和推動經濟增長。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人都發揮天賦、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，你們不僅放棄了自己，也放棄了自己的國家。

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，我有親身感受。我父親在我兩歲時就離開了家庭，是我母親一個人將我拉扯大，母親不得不工作并時 常為支付生活費而苦苦掙扎。但有時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.有時我渴望生活中能有一位父親。有時我也會感到孤獨無助，感覺到與周圍的環境格格不入。

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.我并非總是想我應該做到的那樣專心學習，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，隨時可能急轉直下。

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，在許多事情上都得到了重來的機會。我有幸能上大學，上法學院，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，也沒有什么財產，但他們都非常勤奮，她也是如此。因此她得以進入一些美國最好的學校。

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輩。或許你們家長中有人失業，經濟非常拮據。或許你住的社區不那么安全，或許你認識一些會對你產生不良影響的朋友。

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.但歸根結底，你的生活狀況，你的長相、出身、經濟條件、家庭氣氛，都不是疏忽學業和態度惡劣的借口。這些不是你去跟老師頂嘴、逃課或輟學的借口。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。在美國，你的命運由你自己書寫，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，她剛進學校時根本不會說英語。她父母都沒有上過大學。然而，她非常勤奮，成績優異，獲得了布朗大學的獎學金。如今正攻讀公共衛生專業的研究生。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。他熬過了一次次治療與手術。其中一項手術曾影響他的記憶。因此他得比常人多花幾百小時來完成學業。但他不曾落下自己的功課。這個秋天，他要開始在大學讀書了。

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.我還想起了家鄉伊利諾伊州芝加哥市的一名孤兒，香奈兒.史蒂夫。她曾寄養于多個不同的家庭，從小在治安差的地區長大。但她通過努力在一家地方醫療中心找到了工作，發起了一個讓青少年遠離犯罪團伙的項目。她即將以優異成績從中學畢業去大學深造。

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 的處境比起你們許多人更差。但他們拒絕放棄，他們決定要為自己的人生、自己的教育負起責任，給自己定下奮斗的目標。我希望你們中每一個人都能做得到這些。

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，我今天號召你們每一個人，為自己的教育設定目標。并盡自己的最大努力來實現這些目標。你的目標可以很簡單，像是完成作業、認真聽講或每天閱讀。或許你打算參加一些課外活動，或是在你的社區提供志愿服務。

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，保護那些因身份或長相而受人戲弄或欺負的孩子，原因是你和我一樣認為，每個孩子都應該享有適合讀書和學習的安全環境。

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.或許你決定該學著更好地照顧自己，來位將來的學習準備。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候要多在家了休息。免得大家在秋冬感冒高發季節得流感。

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，我都希望你能堅持到底。我希望你腳踏實地去做。

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.我知道有時候你會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。只要會唱rap、會打籃球或參加真人秀節目，就能坐享其成。但現實是，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.事實上，取得成功不是輕而易舉的事情。你不可能對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都與你眼前的生活完全相關。并不是每一件事，你都能在頭一次嘗試時獲得成功。That's okay.Some of the most successful people in the world are the ones who've had the most failures.但那沒關系，世界上最成功的人士中有一些時遭遇失敗最多的。

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.喬丹上高中時被校隊刷了下來。在他的職業生涯里，輸了幾百場比賽。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。而是要從中吸取經驗，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搗蛋鬼。而意味著你需要更加努力去把它做對。假如你考了個低分，那不表示你比別人笨，而只表示你需要更多的時間學習。

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.沒有一個人天生擅長做什么事情，只有努力才能培訓處技能。第一次接觸新的體育項目時，你不可能時一位主力隊員。第一次唱一首歌曲時，你不可能唱準每一個音。

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。對于學業也是一樣，你或許要反復運算才能正確解釋出一道數學題。你或許需要反復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準。

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，它是力量的標志，因為它表明你有勇氣承認自己的不足。這樣做會讓你學到新的東西。

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.請確定一位你信任的成年人，例如家長、祖父或老師、教練或輔導員。請他們幫助你遵循既定計劃實現你的目標。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.即使當你苦苦掙扎，即使當你灰心喪氣，你覺得身邊的人都已近放棄了你，你永遠不要放棄自己。因為當你放棄自己的時候，你也放棄了自己的國家。

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.書寫美國歷史的不是在困難時刻退縮的人，而是堅持不懈、加倍努力的人。他們對國家的愛促使他們全力以赴。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.書寫美國老師的是250年前和你們一樣的學生，他們之后用一場革命最終造就了這個國家。年輕人，75年前，有一群和你們一樣的學生。他們之后戰勝了大蕭條、贏得了二戰。他們為民權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生們。他們后來創立了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。你們會做出什么樣的貢獻，你們將解決什么樣的難題。你們能發現什么樣是事物。20年、50年或是100年后，假如那是的美國總統也來做一次開學演講的話，他會怎樣描述你們對這個國家所做的一切。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、你們的老師和我，正在竭盡全力確保你們都能得到應有的教育。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、更先進的設施與計算機。

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.但你們也要擔負起自己的責任。因此我要求你們在今年能夠認真起來。我要求你們盡心去做自己著手的每一件事。我要求你們每一個人都有所成就。請不要讓我們失望，不要讓你們的家人或你們的國家失望。而最重要的時，不要辜負你們自己，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。謝謝你們。

第五篇：美國總統奧巴馬開學演講中英文對照

美國總統奧巴馬9月8日開學演講

英文全文

For Immediate Release September 8, 2009

REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT

IN A NATIONAL ADDRESS TO AMERICA'S SCHOOLCHILDREN

Wakefield High School

Arlington, Virginia

THE PRESIDENT: Hello, everybody!Thank you.Thank you.Thank you, everybody.All right, everybody go ahead and have a seat.How is everybody doing today?(Applause.)How about Tim Spicer?(Applause.)I am here with students at Wakefield High School in Arlington, Virginia.And we've got students tuning in from all across America, from kindergarten through 12th grade.And I am just so glad that all could join us today.And I want to thank Wakefield for being such an outstanding host.Give yourselves a big round of applause.(Applause.)

I know that for many of you, today is the first day of school.And for those of you in kindergarten, or starting middle or high school, it's your first day in a new school, so it's understandable if you're a little nervous.I imagine there are some seniors out there who are feeling pretty good right now--(applause)--with just one more year to go.And no matter what grade you're in, some of you are probably wishing it were still summer and you could've stayed in bed just a little bit longer this morning.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.”(Laughter.)

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.(Applause.)

END

12:22 P.M.EDT

《我們為什么要上學》

奧巴馬

弗吉尼亞州，阿林頓市，2009年9月8日

嗨，大家好！你們今天過得怎么樣？我現在和弗吉尼亞州阿林頓郡韋克菲爾德高中的學 生們在一起，全國各地也有從幼兒園到高三的眾多學生們通過電視關注這里，我很高興你們 能共同分享這一時刻。

我知道對于你們中的許多人而言，今天是新學期的開始，尤其是初入園、初入校的新 生，更是你們在新環境中的第一天，難免會有些小小緊張。還可以想象有些即將面臨畢業的 高年級生，現在的感覺一定不錯。當然不管你是幾年級，有些同學可能還希望現在繼續處在 暑假中，可以睡懶覺。

能理解這種想法。當我還是個孩子的時候，在印度尼西亞住了幾年。我的母親沒錢送我去當地都是美國孩子上的學校，但她認為讓我緊跟美國教育是很重要的，于是由她自己教我。從星期一到星期五，但是因為她必須工作，能教我的時間也就只能是在凌晨4點半。

你們可以想象，早起不是件樂意的事。很多時候，在餐桌邊，我就睡著了。但是每當我抱怨 時，母親就只是給我一本書，然后說：“伙計，我也沒空去野餐。”

有些人仍在調整心態以適應新的學習生活，之所以我今天在這里，是有些非常重要的話想要 告訴你們，有關教育和對新學期的期望。

迄今為止，我作過很多有關教育的演講，也多次提到了社會責任性。我提到過教師的責任是鼓勵學生和促進他們學習。

父母的責任是確保你做你該做的事，完成你的作業，而不是把所有空閑時間都用來看電視或玩xbox。

政府的責任是建立好標準，支持教師和校長的工作，扶持那些較弱的學校，讓失學的孩子得到他們應有的。

但是退一萬步講，除非你們完成了你們的責任，除非你們關注那些學校，除非你們注意到那 些老師，除非你們聽從父母，祖輩或是那些通過努力獲得成功的長輩，否則即使我們擁有世 界上最杰出的師資，最有支持力的家長，最好的學校，一切都不會有所不同。這就是我今天的講話核心，你們每個人對教育的責任。

我想從你們每個人對自己的責任講起。每個人都有擅長的事情，每個人都能貢獻些什么。所以你有責任發現自己的長處是什么，而學習就提供了這樣一個發揮的機會。

也許你會是一個作家——能寫書和在報紙上發表文章——但是如果你不完成英語課上布置 給你的英語論文，你又怎么發現自己的才能？也許你會是一個發明家——可以設計出下一代 iphone或是新藥甚至是疫苗——但是如果你不完成自然課上的作業，你又怎能知道自己的潛 能？也許你會成為市長，參議員或者最高法院大法官——但是如果你不參加學生會或辯論隊，你又怎么了解自己的長處？

不管你將走上怎樣的道路，我敢保證你都需要接受教育。你想成為醫生，教師或是警察？護 士，建筑師，律師還是軍人？這任何一個職業都需要受過良好教育的才能夠勝任，你不可能 中途退學然后找到一份好工作，你必須得到相關培訓和相關教育。

學習并不僅僅對你的生活和將來是重要的，它對整個國家的未來也是至關重要的，因為美國 的未來就在你們身上。你們今天在學校所學關系到我們國家將來是否會遇到極大的挑戰。

你們需要利用在自然課和數學課上學到的知識和解決問題的能力去攻克癌癥和艾滋病；需要在歷史課和社會學上學到的洞察力和決斷力去對抗貧窮、饑寒、犯罪和歧視，使國家更公平和自由；需要在所有課程里學到的創造力去開辦公司解決就業問題和發展經濟。

我們需要你們當中的每一個人都去發展自己的天分，技能和智慧，這樣你們才能幫我們這群 老家伙們解決大難題。如果你們不那樣做，如果你退學了，那你就不僅僅是你個人的事，還 牽涉到你的國家。

我知道，要學得好，并不容易，很多人現在還有一些困難以致無法全身心地投入到學習上去。

我明白那樣的處境。我父親在我兩歲的時候就離開了我們，母親一人撫養我，還得拼命工作 付賬單，因此不能總是給我其他孩子有的東西。那也是我最想有個父親的日子，那段時間里，我感到孤獨和離群。因此，我無法集中注意力學習，我做了一些不太好的事情，而且陷入了一些不必要的麻煩。那時的生活很容易就會變得更糟。

但是，我很幸運，得到了修正的機會。進入了大學的法學院，并一步一步實現我的夢想。我 的妻子，第一夫人米歇爾.奧巴馬，她也有類似的經歷。她的父母都沒上過大學，而且也不 富有。但是他們工作努力，而她勤奮學習，因此她能進入這個國家最好的大學。

也許有些人并沒有這樣的條件。也許你的生活中并沒有給予你所需支持的長輩，也許因為家 人失業了而沒有足夠的錢來生活，也許你住在一個不能給你安全感的地方，或是你有一些朋 友，唆使你去做些不該做的事情。

但歸根結底，你生活的環境，你的樣子，你從哪里來，你有多少錢，你的家庭怎么樣，這些 都不能成為你不做功課和不好好上學的借口。與老師吵架，逃課，退學都是沒有借口可言的。

不去嘗試也是說不過去的。

你現在的處境并不能決定你將來也是這樣。沒人能決定你的命運，因為在美國，你要自己譜 寫自己的命運，你的將來由你自己創造。

你的未來，并不取決于你現在的生活有多好或多壞。沒有人為你編排好你的命運，在美國，你的命運由你自己書寫，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。例如德克薩斯州羅馬市的賈斯敏·佩雷茲（Jazmin Perez）。剛進學校時，她根本不會說英語，她住的地方幾乎沒人上過大學，她的父母也沒有受過高等教育，但她努力學習，取得了優異的成績，靠獎學金進入了布朗大學，如今正在攻讀公共衛生專業的博士學位。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，他熬過了一次次治療與手術——其中一次影響了他的記憶，因此他得花出比常人多幾百個小時的時間來完成學業，但他從不曾落下自己的功課。這個秋天，他要開始在大學讀書了。又比如在我的家鄉，伊利諾斯州芝加哥市，身為孤兒的香特爾·史蒂夫（Shantell Steve）換過多次收養家庭，從小在治安很差的地區長大，但她努力爭取到了在當地保健站工作的機會、發起了一個讓青少年遠離犯罪團伙的項目，很快，她也將以優異的成績從中學畢業，去大學深造。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起責任、給自己定下奮斗的目標。我希望你們中的每一個人，都能做得到這些。因此，在今天，我號召你們每一個人都為自己的教育定下一個目標——并在之后，盡自己的一切努力去實現它。

這就是我今天為什么要號召大家確定一個學習目標的原因，去做每一件讓你更接近目標的事 情。你的目標可以很簡單，比如做完所有的功課，專心聽講，或者每天多花些時間來看書。也許你決定參加課外活動，或是參加社區的志愿者。也許你想保護那些因為外表或身份而遭 到他人譏笑和欺負的小孩子，因為你和我一樣相信，所有的孩子都有權利得到一個安全的學習環境。也許你想更好地照顧自己，這樣才能為學習做更充分的準備。

當然，除此之外，我希望你們都多多洗手、感到身體不舒服的時候要多在家休息，免得大家在秋冬感冒高發季節都得流感。不管你決定做什么，我都希望你能堅持到底，希望你能真的下定決心。

我知道有些時候你們會從電視里得到這樣的信息，即使不努力也可以變得有錢和成功，比如成為歌手，籃球明星或是電視名人。但更大的可能性是，這幾種，你一樣也成不了。

事實是，成功是非常艱難的事。你不可能喜歡所有的課程，你不可能和所有的老師合拍，不是所有的作業看起來都和你現在的生活息息相關，而且你不可能，也不必要在第一次嘗試時，就獲得成功。

這些都沒什么。一些最成功的人同時也是失敗次數最多的人。

J.K.Rowling, 哈利波特的作者，她的第一本哈利波特在正式出版之前就被拒了12次。而邁克爾喬丹被從高中籃球隊踢了出去，因此他錯過了他職業生涯中的上百場比賽和幾千個投籃。但他曾經說過：“我的成功源自于我一次又一次的失敗。”

這些人之所以成功，是因為他們明白，你不能被失敗打倒，你必須從失敗中學習，如何在下 一次做出改變。

因此如果你陷入困境，那并不意味著你是倒霉蛋，那只說明你要加倍努力來走向成功。如果你成績不好，那并不代表你很笨，只說明你需要花更多的時間在學習上。

沒有人生來就是天才，只有熟能生巧。你不會在接觸一項新運動時就進校隊，你也不會在第 一次唱歌時一點不走音，因此你需要練習。這個道理同樣適用于學習。你也許要做好幾遍才 能答對一道數學題，你也許要讀好幾遍才能讀懂一篇文章，你一定要打好幾遍草稿才能完成 一篇可以上交的論文。

不要害怕問問題，不要害怕在你需要的時候請求幫助，像我每天都在請求他人幫忙。求助于人不是弱者的象征，恰恰相反是強者的特質，因為這說明你有勇氣承認你在某方面的無知，而這能幫助你學到新知識。所以找一個你信任的人，父母，祖父母，老師，教練或是咨詢師，讓他們幫助你達到你的目標。

當你掙扎，當你怯懦，甚至當你覺得大家都放棄你的時候，你千萬不要放棄你自己，因為當你放棄你自己的時候，你也就放棄了你的國家。

美國夢跟那些遇到困難就放棄的人無關，只記載著那些勇往直前，努力奮斗，為了國家拼盡全力做每件事的人們。

在250年前和你們坐在同樣地方的學生，引領了革命并建立了這個國家；在75 年前和你們坐在同樣地方的學生，克服了經濟蕭條并贏得了世界大戰，還登上了月球； 在20年前和你們坐在同樣地方的學生，成立了google，twitter和facebook，改變了我們的交流方式。

因此，今天我想問問你們所有人，將來你們會有怎樣的貢獻？你們會解決什么樣的問題？你們會有什么新發現？20，50或100年后，從你們當中走出的總統會怎樣評述你們對這國 家所做的一切？

現在，你們的老師，你們的家庭，還有我都在竭盡所能去為了確保你們能夠受到所需的教育 而去面對這些問題，解決這些問題。政府努力為你們提供學習所需的教室，書本，設備和電 腦，但是你們也要完成你們的學業。因此我希望所有的人能在這一年認真起來，花最大的努 力做好自己的事，每個人都有進步。不要讓我們失望，不要讓你的家庭失望，不要讓國家失 望。更重要的，是不要讓自己失望，讓我們都為你感到驕傲。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。