09 Change with the World and Remake America C与时俱进，重塑美国C
Barack Obama
巴拉克·侯赛因·奥巴马，美国第44任总统
What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them-that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply. The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works-whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified.Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward.Where the answer is no, programs will end.And those of us who manage the public's dollars will be held to account-to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day-because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government.
那些冷眼旁观的人没有认识到他们脚下的大地已经移动——那些长期以来空耗我们精力的陈腐政治观点已经过时。我们今天提出的问题不在于我们的政府大小，而是它是否行之有效——它是否能够帮助人们找到报酬合理的就业机会，是否能够为他们提供费用适度的医疗保健服务，是否能够确保他们在退休后不失尊严。如果回答是肯定的，我们就要向前推进。如果回答是否定的，计划和项目必须终止。作为公共资金的管理者，我们必须承担责任——明智地使用资金，抛弃陋习，在阳光下履行职责——因为只有这样我们才能重建人民对政府至关重要的信任。
Nor is the question before us whether the market is a force for good or ill. Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched, but this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control-and that a nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous.The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our gross domestic product, but on the reach of our prosperity；on our ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart-not out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good.
我们提出的问题也不在于市场力量是替天行道还是为虎作伥。市场在生成财富和传播自由方面具有无与伦比的力量，但这场危机提醒我们：没有严格的监督，市场就会失控——如果一个国家仅仅施惠于富裕者，其富裕便不能持久。我们的经济成功从来不是仅仅依赖国内总产值的规模，而是依赖繁荣的普及，即为每一位希望致富的人提供机会的能力——我们这样做并非出自恻隐之心，而是因为这是我们实现共同利益的必由之路。
As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our Founding Fathers, faced with perils we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations.Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience's sake.And so to all other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born：Know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and that we are ready to lead once more.
至于我们的共同防御，我们决不接受安全与理想不可两全的荒谬论点。建国先贤面对我们难以想见的险恶局面，起草了一部保障法治和人权的宪章，一部子孙后代用鲜血扩展充实的宪章。今天，这些理念仍然照耀着世界，我们不会为一时之利而弃之。因此，对于今天正在观看此情此景的其他各国人民和政府——从最繁华的首都到我父亲出生的小村庄——我们希望他们了解：凡是追求和平与尊严的国家以及每一位男人、妇女和儿童，美国是你们的朋友。我们已经做好准备，再一次引领大家。
cynic[ˈsɪnɪk]n.愤世嫉俗者；悲观者；犬儒主义者；好挖苦的人adj.犬儒学派的；好讥讽的
例 I’m too much of a cynic to believe that he’ll keep his promise.
我太愤世嫉俗了，不能相信他会遵守诺言。
stale[steɪl]adj.不新鲜的；陈腐的；厌倦的v.变得不新鲜；腐坏；（动物）撒尿
例 His hunger makes his stale bread go down.
饥饿使他把这不新鲜的面包吞了下去。
consume[kənˈsjuːm]v.消耗；吃喝；毁灭
例 His old car consumed much gasoline.
他的旧汽车耗油很多。
vital[ˈvaɪtl]adj.至关重要的；有活力的；生死攸关的
例 The government saw the introduction of new technology as vital.
政府认为引进新技术至关重要。
spin[spɪn]v.（使）旋转；疾驰；纺织；结网；眩晕n.纺织；旋转；眩晕；疾驰
例 My sister can spin on her toes like a dancer.
我妹妹能像舞者一样踮着脚尖旋转。
prosper[ˈprɒspə（r）]v.繁盛；成功；兴旺
例 We are bound to prosper beyond other countries.
我们肯定要比其他国家更兴旺繁荣。
peril[ˈperəl]n.危险；冒险v.冒险
例 These birds are able to survive the perils of the Arctic winter.
这些鸟能在北极寒冷的冬天里生存。
scarcely[ˈskeəsli]adv.几乎不；简直不；刚刚；决不
例 He spoke scarcely a word of English.
他几乎连一个英文单词都不会说。
expedience[ɪkˈspɪdɪəns]n.便利；权宜之计；私利
例 The expedience of war opened the doors to American drug traffic and Mafia domination.
战争的私利就是给美军的毒品交易和黑手党打开大门。
dignity[ˈdɪgnəti]n.尊严；高贵；端庄
例 He would do nothing beneath his dignity.
他决不愿意干任何有损自身尊严的事。
①What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them……
这个句子中有一个结构“fail to do……”，表示“做某事失败了”。
例 Those who have tried to do sth.but fail are much stronger than those who have tried nothing but succeed.
那些尝试去做某事却失败的人，比那些什么也不尝试做却成功的人不知要好上多少。
②The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our gross domestic product……
这个句子中有一个结构“depend on”，表示“依靠”，相当于depend upon和rely on/upon。
例 My wife and daughter depend on me for their living.
我妻子女儿靠我生活。
③……and we will not give them up for expedience’s sake.
这个句子中有一个结构“for one’s sake”，表示“为……起见，为了……的利益”。
例 He tried to assure me that he wouldn’t lie just for one dollar’s sake.
他向我保证他不会为了一美元而讲假话。
1.Life is like a game of cards.The hand you are dealt is determinism；the way you play it is free will.
人生宛如一场牌局，拿到什么牌，那是命中注定，但如何出牌，却操之在己。
2.All that I am, or hope to be, I owe to my angel mother.
我的一切，以及我渴望成为的那个人，都拜我仁慈的母亲之赐。
3.You must have long-range goals to keep you from being frustrated by short-term failures.
你必须要有远期目标，以让你在短期失败时不致感到受挫。
4.The quality of a leader is reflected in the standards they set for themselves.
一个领导者的本质，反映在他们为自己定立的标准。
5.Just as people behave to me, so do I behave to them.When I see that a person despises me and treats me with contempt, I can be as proud as any peacock.
别人怎样对待我，我也可以怎样对待他们，如果有人瞧不起我或轻蔑地对待我，我也可以让自己骄傲得像孔雀一样。
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