1、奥巴马对美国中小学生的新学期致辞 原文链接：http:/www.kouyi.org/field/edu/782.html 2009 年 9 月 8 日，奥巴马总统在弗吉尼亚州阿灵顿郡（Arlington, Virginia）韦克菲尔德高 中（Wakefield High School）对全美中小学生发表讲话，强调上学读书的重要性，激励学生 努力学习。以下是讲话全文： Remarks by the President in a National Address to Americas Schoolchildren Wakefield High School, Arlington, Virgini
2、a September 8, 2009 美国总统奥巴马对全美中小学生的讲话 弗吉尼亚州阿灵顿郡韦克菲尔德高中 2009 年 9 月 8 日 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 Sch
3、ool in Arlington, Virginia. And weve 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！谢谢
4、你们。谢谢你们。谢谢你们大家。好，大家请就坐。你们今天都好吗？（掌 声）蒂姆斯派塞（Tim Spicer）好吗？（掌声）我现在与弗吉尼亚州阿灵顿郡韦克菲尔德 高中的学生们在一起。美国各地从小学预备班到中学 12 年级的学生正在收听收看。我很高 兴大家今天都能参与。我还要感谢韦克菲尔德高中出色的组织安排。请为你们自己热烈鼓 掌。 （掌声） I know that for many of you, today is the first day of school. And for those of you in kindergarten, or starting middle or high sc
5、hool, its your first day in a new school, so its understandable if youre a little nervous. I imagine there are some seniors out there who are feeling pretty good right now - (applause) - with just one more year to go. And no matter what grade youre in, some of you are probably wishing it were still
6、summer and you couldve stayed in bed just a little bit longer this morning. 我知道，今天是你们很多人开学的日子。对于进入小学预备班、初中或高中的学生，今天 是你们来到新学校的第一天，心里可能有点紧张，这是可以理解的。我能想象有些毕业班 学生现在感觉很不错（掌声）还有一年就毕业了。不论在哪个年级，你们有些人 可能希望暑假更长一点，今天早上还能多睡一小会儿。 I know that feeling. When I was young, my family lived overseas. I lived in Indones
7、ia for a few years. And my mother, she didnt 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
8、, the only time she could do it was at 4:30 in the morning. 我了解这种感觉。我小时候，我们家生活在海外。我在印度尼西亚住了几年。我妈妈没有 钱送我上其他美国孩子上的学校，但她认为必须让我接受美式教育。因此，她决定从周一 到周五自己给我补课。不过她还要上班，所以只能在清晨四点半给我上课。 Now, as you might imagine, I wasnt too happy about getting up that early. And a lot of times, Id fall asleep right there at th
9、e kitchen table. But whenever Id complain, my mother would just give me one of those looks and shed say, “This is no picnic for me either, buster.” (Laughter.) 你们可以想见，我不太情愿那么早起床。有很多次，我趴在餐桌上就睡着了。但每当我抱 怨的时候，我妈妈都会那样地看我一眼，然后说：“小子，这对我也并不轻松。 ”（笑声） So I know that some of you are still adjusting to being ba
10、ck at school. But Im here today because I have something important to discuss with you. Im here because I want to talk with you about your education and whats expected of all of you in this new school year. 我知道你们有些人还在适应开学后的生活。但我今天来到这里是因为有重要的事情要和你 们说。我来这里是要和你们谈谈你们的教育问题，以及在这个新学年对你们所有人的期望。 Now, Ive giv
11、en a lot of speeches about education. And Ive talked about responsibility a lot. 我做过很多次有关教育问题的演讲。我多次谈到过责任问题。 Ive talked about teachers responsibility for inspiring students and pushing you to learn. 我谈到过教师激励学生并督促他们学习的责任。 Ive talked about your parents responsibility for making sure you stay on track,
12、 and you get your homework done, and dont spend every waking hour in front of the TV or with the Xbox. 我谈到过家长的责任，要确保你们走正路，完成家庭作业，不要整天坐在电视前或玩 Xbox 游戏。 Ive talked a lot about your governments responsibility for setting high standards, and supporting teachers and principals, and turning around schools
13、that arent working, where students arent getting the opportunities that they deserve. 我多次谈到过政府的责任，要制定高标准，支持教师和校长的工作，彻底改善不能为学生 提供应有机会的、教育质量差的学校。 But at the end of the day, we can have the most dedicated teachers, the most supportive parents, the best schools in the world - and none of it will make a
14、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. Thats what I want to
15、focus on today: the responsibility each of you has for your education. 然而，即使我们拥有最敬业的教师，最尽力的家长和全世界最好的学校如果你们大家 不履行你们的责任，不到校上课，不专心听讲，不听家长、祖父祖母和其他大人的话，不 付出取得成功所必须的勤奋努力，那么这一切都毫无用处，都无关紧要。这就是我今天讲 话的重点：你们每个人对自己的教育应尽的责任。 I want to start with the responsibility you have to yourself. Every single one of you ha
16、s something that youre good at. Every single one of you has something to offer. And you have a responsibility to yourself to discover what that is. Thats the opportunity an education can provide. 我首先要讲讲你们对自己应尽的责任。你们每个人都有自己的长处。你们每个人都能做出 自己的贡献。你们对自己应尽的责任是发现自己的能力所在。而教育能够提供这样的机会。 Maybe you could be a gr
17、eat 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 thats assigned to you. Maybe you could be an innovator or an inventor - maybe even good enough to come up with the next iPhone or t
18、he 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. 你或许能成为一名出色的作家甚至可能写书或在报纸上发表文章但你可能要在完 成那篇英文课的作
19、文后才会发现自己的才华。你或许能成为一名创新者或发明家甚至 可能设计出新一代 iPhone 或研制出新型药物或疫苗 但你可能要在完成科学课的实验后 才会发现自己的才华。你或许能成为一名市长或参议员或最高法院的大法官但你可能 要在参加学生会的工作或辩论队后才会发现自己的才华。 And no matter what you want to do with your life, I guarantee that youll need an education to do it. You want to be a doctor, or a teacher, or a police officer? Y
20、ou want to be a nurse or an architect, a lawyer or a member of our military? Youre going to need a good education for every single one of those careers. You cannot drop out of school and just drop into a good job. Youve got to train for it and work for it and learn for it. 不论你的生活志向是什么，我敢肯定你必须上学读书才能实
21、现它。你想当医生、教师或警 官吗？你想当护士、建筑师、律师或军人吗？你必须接受良好的教育，才能从事上述任何 一种职业。你不能指望辍学后能碰上个好工作。你必须接受培训，为之努力，为之学习。 And this isnt just important for your own life and your own future. What you make of your education will decide nothing less than the future of this country. The future of America depends on you. What youre
22、 learning in school today will determine whether we as a nation can meet our greatest challenges in the future. 这并非只对你个人的人生和未来意义重大。可以毫不夸大地说，教育给你带来的益处将决 定这个国家的未来。美国的未来取决于你们。你们今日在校学习的知识将决定我们作为一 个国家是否能够迎接我们未来所面临的最严峻挑战。 Youll need the knowledge and problem-solving skills you learn in science and math to
23、 cure diseases like cancer and AIDS, and to develop new energy technologies and protect our environment. Youll need the insights and critical-thinking skills you gain in history and social studies to fight poverty and homelessness, crime and discrimination, and make our nation more fair and more fre
24、e. Youll need the creativity and ingenuity you develop in all your classes to build new companies that will create new jobs and boost our economy. 你们将需要利用你们通过自然科学和数学课程所学到的知识和解决问题的能力来治愈癌症、 艾滋病及其他疾病，开发新的能源技术和保护我们的环境。你们将需要利用你们在历史学 和社会学课堂上所获得的知识和独立思考能力来抗击贫困和解决无家可归问题，打击犯罪 和消除歧视，使我们的国家更公平、更自由。你们将需要利用你们在所有
25、课堂上培养的创 造力和智慧来创办新公司，增加就业机会，振兴我们的经济。 We need every single one of you to develop your talents and your skills and your intellect so you can help us old folks solve our most difficult problems. If you dont do that - if you quit on school - youre not just quitting on yourself, youre quitting on your cou
26、ntry. 我们需要你们每个人发挥你们的聪明才智和技能，以便帮助老一辈人解决我们面临的最棘 手问题。如果你们不这样做，如果你们辍学，你们不仅仅是自暴自弃，也是抛弃自己的国 家。 Now, I know its not always easy to do well in school. I know a lot of you have challenges in your lives right now that can make it hard to focus on your schoolwork. 我自然知道要做到学业优秀并非总是易事。我知道你们许多人在生活中面临挑战，难以集 中精力从事学
27、业。 I get it. I know what its 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 wasnt always able to give us the things that other kids had. There were times when I missed having a father in my lif
28、e. There were times when I was lonely and I felt like I didnt fit in. 我明白这一点。 我有亲身感受。两岁时，我父亲离家而去，我是由一位单亲母亲抚养成人 的，母亲不得不工作，并时常为支付生活费用而苦苦挣扎，但有时仍无法为我们提供其他 孩子享有的东西。有时，我渴望生活中能有一位父亲。有时我感到孤独，感到自己不适应 社会。 So I wasnt always as focused as I should have been on school, and I did some things Im not proud of, and
29、I got in more trouble than I should have. And my life could have easily taken a turn for the worse. 我并非总是像我应该做到的那样专心学习，我也曾做过我如今不能引以为豪的一些事情， 我曾惹过不应该惹的麻烦。我的人生原本会轻易陷入更糟糕的境地。 But I was - I was lucky. I got a lot of second chances, and I had the opportunity to go to college and law school and follow my d
30、reams. My wife, our First Lady Michelle Obama, she has a similar story. Neither of her parents had gone to college, and they didnt have a lot of money. But they worked hard, and she worked hard, so that she could go to the best schools in this country. 但是，我当年际遇不错。我有过许多第二次机会，我有幸能上大学，上法学院，追求自己 的理想。我的妻
31、子，我们的第一夫人米歇尔奥巴马，也有着类似的经历。她的父母都未曾 上过大学，家里很穷。但他们非常勤奋 ，她也是如此，因此她得以进入一些美国最好的学 校。 Some of you might not have those advantages. Maybe you dont have adults in your life who give you the support that you need. Maybe someone in your family has lost their job and theres not enough money to go around. Maybe yo
32、u live in a neighborhood where you dont feel safe, or have friends who are pressuring you to do things you know arent right. 你们中有一些人可能没有那些有利条件。或许你们生活中没有成年人为你们提供你们所需 要的支持。或许你们家中有人失业，经济非常拮据。或许你们生活在使你们感觉不安全的 社区，或有朋友逼迫你们去做你们知道不对的事情。 But at the end of the day, the circumstances of your life - what you lo
33、ok like, where you come from, how much money you have, what youve got going on at home - none of that is an excuse for neglecting your homework or having a bad attitude in school. Thats no excuse for talking back to your teacher, or cutting class, or dropping out of school. There is no excuse for no
34、t trying. 然而说到底，你们生活的环境、你们的肤色、你们的原籍、你们的经济收入、你们家中的 境况等等，这一切都不能成为你们不用功或不努力的理由。你们没有理由不服从你们的老 师、逃学、或辍学。没有理由不付出努力。 Where you are right now doesnt have to determine where youll end up. No ones written your destiny for you, because here in America, you write your own destiny. You make your own future. 你们目前
35、的状况并不决定着你们的未来。没有人决定你们的命运，在美国，你们决定自己 的命运。你们掌握自己的未来。 Thats what young people like you are doing every day, all across America. 这就是像你们这样的年轻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 didnt speak English when she first started school. Neither of her parents had gone to c
36、ollege. 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. 来自得州罗马城的贾兹敏佩雷斯（Jazmin Perez）就是一个例证，她刚开始上学时并不会 说英文。她的父母都没有上过大学。然而，她非常勤奋，成绩优秀，获得了布朗大学的奖 学金，她如今正在读研究生，攻读公共卫生专业，不久将成为贾兹
37、敏佩雷斯博士。 Im thinking about Andoni Schultz, from Los Altos, California, whos fought brain cancer since he was three. Hes 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
38、 behind. Hes headed to college this fall. 我想起了加州洛斯阿尔托斯城的安多尼舒尔茨（Andoni Schultz） ，他从三岁开始就一直与 脑癌进行抗争，他不得不忍受各类治疗和手术带来的痛苦，其中一项手术曾影响了他的记 忆，因此他花在功课上的时间比一般人长得多，要多出数百个小时。然而，他从未落后。 他今年秋季将迈进大学。 And then theres Shantell Steve, from my hometown of Chicago, Illinois. Even when bouncing from foster home to foster
39、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 shes on track to graduate high school with honors and go on to college. 我还想起家乡伊利诺伊州芝加哥市的尚特尔史蒂夫（Shantell Steve） 。她曾在芝加哥最困 难的社区生活，寄养于多个不同的家庭，但她
40、最终在一家地方医疗中心找到工作，并开始 了一项帮助年轻人远离流氓团伙的计划，她即将以优异成绩从中学毕业，紧接着将上大学。 And Jazmin, Andoni, and Shantell arent any different from any of you. They face challenges in their lives just like you do. In some cases theyve got it a lot worse off than many of you. But they refused to give up. They chose to take respo
41、nsibility for their lives, for their education, and set goals for themselves. And I expect all of you to do the same. 贾兹敏、安多尼和尚特尔与你们中间的每个人没什么两样。跟你们一样，他们在生活中面 临种种挑战。在某些情况下，他们的处境比起你们许多人更差。但他们拒绝放弃。他们决 定要为自己的一生、自己的教育负起责任，为自己设定各项奋斗目标。我期待你们大家都 会这样做。 Thats why today Im calling on each of you to set your ow
42、n 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 youll decide to get involved in an extracurricular activity, or volunteer in your comm
43、unity. Maybe youll 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 youll decide to take better care of yourself so you can be more ready to
44、 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 dont feel well, so we can keep people from getting the flu this fall and winter. 因此，我今天呼吁你们每一个人为自己的教育设定目标，并尽自己的最大努力来实现这些 目标。你的目标可以是一件十分简单的事情，例如完成家庭作业、上课专心听讲、或每天 花一点时
45、间读一本书。也许你会决定要参加课外活动或在你的社区提供志愿服务。也许你 会决定挺身而出保护那些因为身份或长相而受人戏弄或欺负的孩子，原因是你和我一样认 为所有的年轻人都应该享有一个适合读书和学习的安全环境。也许你会决定更好地照料自 己，以便有更充沛的精力来学习。顺便提一下，除了这些事情外，我希望大家要勤洗手， 身体感到不舒服的时候要呆在家里不去上学，这样我们能防止人们在今年秋冬季节染上流 感。 But whatever you resolve to do, I want you to commit to it. I want you to really work at it. 但无论你决定做什
46、么，我希望你保证去做。我希望你脚踏实地地去做。 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 youre not going to be any of those things. 我知道有时候你会从电视上得到这样的印象：你不用
47、做任何艰苦的工作就能发财致富并取 得成功，唱小调、打篮球或成为真人秀明星是走向成功的途径。但实际情况是：你可能不 会成为其中的一员。 The truth is, being successful is hard. You wont love every subject that you study. You wont click with every teacher that you have. Not every homework assignment will seem completely relevant to your life right at this minute. And y
48、ou wont necessarily succeed at everything the first time you try. 事实上，取得成功不是轻而易举的事情。你不会喜欢你学习的每一门课目。你不会与你的 每一位老师都很投契。不是所有的家庭作业似乎都与你眼前的生活完全有关。你第一次尝 试做每件事的时候，不一定成功。 Thats okay. Some of the most successful people in the world are the ones whove had the most failures. J.K. Rowlings - who wrote Harry Pott
49、er - 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 thats why I succeed.” 这些都没关系。世界上最成功的人士中有一些是遭遇失败最多的人。作者 JK罗琳（J.K. Rowling）所写的系列小说 哈利波特 （Harry Potter）第一部在获得出版之前被退稿 12 次。迈克尔乔丹（Michael Jordan）曾被他的高中篮球队除名。在乔丹的篮球生涯中，他 输过
