讀點好英文:A Letter to My Daughters　寫給女兒們的信

A Letter to My Daughters　寫給女兒們的信

·Barack Obama·

Dear Malia and Sasha，

I know that you've both had a lot of fun these last two years on the campaign trail, going to picnics and parades and state fairs, eating all sorts of junk food your mother and I probably shouldn't have let you have. But I also know that it hasn't always been easy for you and Mom, and that as excited as you both are about that new puppy, it doesn't make up for all the time we've been apart.I know how much I’ve missed these past two years, and today I want to tell you a little more about why I decided to take our family on this journey.

When I was a young man, I thought life was all about me-about how I'd make my way in the world, become successful, and get the things I want. But then the two of you came into my world with all your curiosity and mischief and those smiles that never fail to fill my heart and light up my day.And suddenly, all my big plans for myself didn't seem so important anymore.I soon found that the greatest joy in my life was the joy I saw in yours.And I realized that my own life wouldn't count for much unless I was able to ensure that you had every opportunity for happiness and fulfillment in yours.In the end, girls, that's why I ran for President：because of what I want for you and for every child in this nation.

I want all our children to go to schools worthy of their potentiaI-schools that challenge them, inspire them, and instill in them a sense of wonder about the world around them. I want them to have the chance to go to college-even if their parents aren't rich.And I want them to get good jobs-jobs that pay well and give them benefits like health care, jobs that let them spend time with their own kids and retire with dignity.

I want us to push the boundaries of discovery so that you'll live to see new technologies and inventions that improve our lives and make our planet cleaner and safer. And I want us to push our own human boundaries to reach beyond the divides of race and region, gender and religion that keep us from seeing the best in each other.

Sometimes we have to send our young men and women into war and other dangerous situations to protect our country-but when we do, I want to make sure that it is only for a very good reason, that we try our best to settle our differences with others peacefully, and that we do everything possible to keep our servicemen and women safe. And I want every child to understand that the bIessings these brave Americans fight for are not free-that with the great privilege of being a citizen of this nation comes great responsibility.

That was the lesson your grandmother tried to teach me when I was your age, reading me the opening lines of the Declaration of Independence and telling me about the men and women who marched for equaIity because they believed those words put to paper two centuries ago should mean something.

She helped me understand that America is great not because it is perfect but because it can always be made better, and that the unfinished work of perfecting our union falls to each of us. It's a charge we pass on to our children, coming closer with each new generation to what we know America should be.

I hope both of you will take up that work, righting the wrongs that you see and working to give others the chances you've had. Not just because you have an obIigation to give something back to this country that has given our family so much-although you do have that obligation.But because you have an obligation to yourself.Because it is only when you hitch your wagon to something larger than yourself that you will realize your true potential.

These are the things I want for you-to grow up in a world with no limits on your dreams and no achievements beyond your reach, and to grow into compassionate, committed women who will help build that world. And I want every child to have the same chances to learn and dream and grow and thrive as you girls have.That's why I've taken our family on this great adventure.

I am so proud of both of you. I love you more than you can ever know.And I am grateful every day for your patience, poise, grace, and humor as we prepare to start our new life together in the White House.

Love, Dad

巴拉克·奧巴馬

親愛的瑪莉亞和莎夏：

我知道這兩年你們倆隨我一路競選都有過不少樂子，野餐，游行，參與國家盛事，吃了各種我和你們的媽媽或許不該讓你們吃的垃圾食物。然而我也知道，你們倆和你媽的日子有時候并不是那么愜意。新來的小狗雖然令你們興奮，卻無法彌補我們不在一起的時光。我明白這兩年我錯過的太多了，今天我要再跟你們說說為什么我決定帶領我們?nèi)易呱线@條路。

在我年輕的時候，我認為生活就該圍著我轉(zhuǎn)：我如何在這世上闖出一條道，建功立業(yè)，得到我想要的。后來，你們倆帶著種種好奇、淘氣和微笑進入了我的世界，你們總能填滿我的心，照亮我的生活。突然，我為自己譜寫的偉大計劃顯得不再那么重要了。我很快便發(fā)現(xiàn)，我在你們生命中看到的快樂，也是我自己生命中最大的快樂。而我同時也意識到，如果我不能確保你們此生能夠擁有追求幸福和實現(xiàn)自我的一切機會，我自己的生命也就沒有多大價值了?？偠灾?，我的女兒們，這就是我競選總統(tǒng)的原因：我要讓你們倆和這個國家的每一個孩子，都能擁有我想給你們的東西。

我要讓所有孩子都在能夠發(fā)掘他們潛能的學校就讀；這些學校足以挑戰(zhàn)他們，激勵他們，并灌輸給他們對這個世界的好奇心。我要讓他們都有機會上大學——哪怕他們的父母并不富有。而且，我要讓他們都能找到好的工作——薪酬高還附帶健康保險的工作，讓他們有時間陪孩子，并且能過上有尊嚴的退休生活。

我想鼓勵大家向已發(fā)現(xiàn)的極限挑戰(zhàn)，讓你們在有生之年能夠看到改善我們生活、使這個行星更干凈更安全的高科技和新發(fā)明。我也想讓大家向自己的人際界限挑戰(zhàn)，跨越使我們看不到對方長處的種族、地域、性別和宗教的藩籬。

有時候為了保護我們的國家，我們不得不把青年男女派到戰(zhàn)場或其他危險的地方——然而當我們這么做的時候，我會確保師出有名，并盡全力以和平的方式化解與他人的爭執(zhí)，還要想盡一切辦法保障男女官兵的安全。我想讓每個孩子都明白，這些勇敢的美國人在戰(zhàn)場上捍衛(wèi)而來的福祉不是平白得到的——在享有作為這個國家的公民的偉大特權(quán)之時，重責大任也隨之而來。

這正是我在你們這么大時，你們的祖母教給我的。她把《獨立宣言》開頭幾行念給我聽，告訴我有一些男女為了爭取平等而游行抗議，因為他們認為兩個世紀前白紙黑字寫下來的這些句子，不應該只是空話。

她讓我了解到，美國之所以偉大，不是因為它完美，而是因為我們可以不斷地讓它變得更好，而讓它變得更好的這個使命，就落在了我們每個人的身上。這是我們代代相傳的使命，每經(jīng)過一代人的努力，美國就更接近我們理想的樣子。

我希望你們倆都愿意接下這個任務，看到不對的事要想辦法改正，努力幫助別人獲得你們有過的機會。這并非只因國家給了我們一家人這么多，你們就當有所回饋——當然，你們有義務回報社會，而是因為你們對自己也有這個義務。因為，唯有讓自己依附在比自身更強大的人、事、物上，你才會明白自己真正的潛能有多大。

這些是我想要讓你們得到的東西——在一個夢想不受限制、無事不能成就的世界中長大，長成具有慈悲心且堅信能夠打造那樣一個理想世界的女性。我要每個孩子都有和你們一樣的機會，去學習、夢想、成長和發(fā)展。這就是我?guī)ьI我們一家展開這個偉大冒險的原因。

我深以你們?yōu)闃s，你們永遠不會明白我有多愛你們。在我們準備在白宮開始新生活之際，我沒有一天不為你們的忍耐、沉穩(wěn)、明理和幽默而心存感激。

愛你們的老爸

Practising&Exercise　實戰(zhàn)提升篇

核心單詞

parade[p?'reid]n./v.行進；游行

excited[ik'saitid]adj.興奮的；激動的

curiosity[,kju?ri'?siti]n.好奇心；奇物

potentiaI[p?'ten?（?）l]adj.潛在的；可能的 n.潛力

dangerous['deind??r?s]adj.危險的；不安全的

bIessing['blesi?]n.（上帝的）賜福；祝福

equaIity[i（：）'kw?liti]n.相等；平等

obIigation[,?bli'gei??n]n.義務；責任

實用句型

And I reaIized that my own Iife wouIdn't count for much unIess I was abIe to ensure that you had every opportunity for happiness and fuIfiIIment in yours.

而我同時也意識到，如果我不能確保你們此生能夠擁有追求幸福和實現(xiàn)自我的一切機會，我自己的生命也就沒有多大價值了。

①that在這里引導賓語從句。

②count for 值，計。類似的表達還有count on依靠，指望；count in把……算入。

翻譯練習

1.太陽照亮了天空和大地。（light up）

2.你必須把時間和地點弄清楚。（make sure）

3.他是什么時候開始踢足球的？（take up）