【看新聞學英語】歐巴馬就職演說精選(上)

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作者:David Lee

【演說關鍵字】

1. humbled: adj. 使謙卑

2. grateful : adj. 感激的

3. bestow: v. 賦予

4. sacrifice: n. 犧牲

5. ancestor: n. 祖先

6. unity: n. 團結

7. conflict: n. 衝突

8. discord: n. 不和諧

【演說精選】

My fellow citizens:

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.

我的公民同胞們:

今天我站在這裏,為眼前的重責大任感到謙卑,對各位的信任心懷感激,對先賢的犧牲銘記在心。

On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.

在這一天,我們聚在一起,因為我們選擇希望而非恐懼,有意義的團結而非紛爭和不合。

9. militant: n. 好戰份子

10. proclaim: v. 宣示

11. petty: adj. 不重要的

12. grievance: n. 怨尤

13. recrimination: n. 反控

14. worn out: adj. 老舊的

15. dogma: n. 教條

16. strangle: v. 扭曲

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.

在這一天,我們來此宣示,那些無用的抱怨和虛偽的承諾已終結,那些扭曲我們政治已久的相互指控和陳舊教條已終結。

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.

前人不斷的奮鬥與犧牲,直到雙手皮開肉綻,我們才能享有比較好的生活。他們將美國視為大於所有個人企圖心總和的整體,超越出身、財富或小圈圈的差異。

17. bold: adj. 大膽的

18. swift: adj. 快速的

19. bind: v. 綁

For everywhere we look, there is work to be done. The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act – not 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.

我們無論朝何處望去,都有工作必須完成。經濟情勢需要大膽、迅速的行動,我們將有所行動,不光是創造新工作,更要奠定成長的新基礎。我們將造橋鋪路,為企業興建電力網格與數位線路,將我們聯繫在一起。

20. strained: adj. 緊繃的

21. wield: v. 運用

22. wonder: n. 奇跡

23. harness: v.利用

We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology’s wonders to raise health care’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.

我們將讓科學回歸合適的用途,運用科技的奇跡來提高醫療品質並降低費用。我們將利用太陽能、風力和土壤作為汽車的燃料和工廠的能源。我們將讓中小學及大專院校轉型,因應新時代的需要。這些我們可以作到。我們也將會作到。

24. generate: v. 產生

25. unmatched: adj. 無可匹敵的

26. remind: v. 提醒

27. spin: v. 旋轉

28. out of control: phr. 失控

29. prosper: v. 繁榮

30. favour: v. 偏愛

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 favours only the prosperous.

我們眼前的問題也不是說市場的力量是善或惡。市場創造財富和增加自由的力量無與倫比,但是這場危機提醒我們沒有監督時,市場發展將失控,當市場只偏愛有錢人時,國家無法永續繁榮。

31. Gross Domestic Product: 國內生產毛額

32. charity: n. 慈善

33. common good: n. 共同利益

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.

我們經濟成功的依據,不只是國內生產毛額的規模,還有繁榮可及的範圍,以及我們將機會拓展給每個願意打拚的人,不是因為施捨,而是因為這就是達到我們共同利益最穩健的途徑。

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