奧巴馬開(kāi)學(xué)日演講稿：為什么要上學(xué)（中英文）

點(diǎn)擊查看英語(yǔ)演講稿更多精彩內(nèi)容

我們?yōu)槭裁匆蠈W(xué)?

演講時(shí)間：2009年9月8日

——美國(guó)總統(tǒng)奧巴馬在弗吉尼亞州阿靈頓郡韋克菲爾德高中開(kāi)學(xué)典禮的勵(lì)志演講稿

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(qǐng)就坐。你們今天都好嗎?(掌聲)蒂姆·斯派塞(Tim Spicer)好嗎?(掌聲)我現(xiàn)在與弗吉尼亞州阿靈頓郡韋克菲爾德高中的學(xué)生們?cè)谝黄?。美?guó)各地從小學(xué)預(yù)備班到中學(xué)12年級(jí)的學(xué)生正在收聽(tīng)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(qǐng)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(kāi)學(xué)的日子。對(duì)于進(jìn)入小學(xué)預(yù)備班、初中或高中的學(xué)生，今天是你們來(lái)到新學(xué)校的第一天，心里可能有點(diǎn)緊張，這是可以理解的。我能想象有些畢業(yè)班學(xué)生現(xiàn)在感覺(jué)很不錯(cuò)——(掌聲)——還有一年就畢業(yè)了。不論在哪個(gè)年級(jí)，你們有些人可能希望暑假更長(zhǎng)一點(diǎn)，今天早上還能多睡一小會(huì)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(jué)。我小時(shí)候，我們家生活在海外。我在印度尼西亞住了幾年。我媽媽沒(méi)有錢(qián)送我上其他美國(guó)孩子上的學(xué)校，但她認(rèn)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(bǔ)課。不過(guò)她還要上班，所以只能在清晨四點(diǎn)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(jiàn)，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(dāng)我抱怨的時(shí)候，我媽媽都會(huì)那樣地看我一眼，然后說(shuō)：“小子，這對(duì)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(yīng)開(kāi)學(xué)后的生活。但我今天來(lái)到這里是因?yàn)橛兄匾氖虑橐湍銈冋f(shuō)。我來(lái)這里是要和你們談?wù)勀銈兊慕逃龁?wèn)題，以及在這個(gè)新學(xué)年對(duì)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(guò)很多次有關(guān)教育問(wèn)題的演講。我多次談到過(guò)責(zé)任問(wèn)題。

I’ve talked about teachers’ responsibility for inspiring students and pushing you to learn.

我談到過(guò)教師激勵(lì)學(xué)生并督促他們學(xué)習(xí)的責(zé)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(guò)家長(zhǎng)的責(zé)任，要確保你們走正路，完成家庭作業(yè)，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(guò)政府的責(zé)任，要制定高標(biāo)準(zhǔn)，支持教師和校長(zhǎng)的工作，徹底改善不能為學(xué)生提供應(yīng)有機(jī)會(huì)的、教育質(zhì)量差的學(xué)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(yè)的教師，最盡力的家長(zhǎng)和全世界最好的學(xué)校——如果你們大家不履行你們的責(zé)任，不到校上課，不專(zhuān)心聽(tīng)講，不聽(tīng)家長(zhǎng)、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(wú)用處，都無(wú)關(guān)緊要。這就是我今天講話的重點(diǎn)：你們每個(gè)人對(duì)自己的教育應(yīng)盡的責(zé)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(duì)自己應(yīng)盡的責(zé)任。你們每個(gè)人都有自己的長(zhǎng)處。你們每個(gè)人都能做出自己的貢獻(xiàn)。你們對(duì)自己應(yīng)盡的責(zé)任是發(fā)現(xiàn)自己的能力所在。而教育能夠提供這樣的機(jī)會(huì)。

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(xiě)書(shū)或在報(bào)紙上發(fā)表文章——但你可能要在完成那篇英文課的作文后才會(huì)發(fā)現(xiàn)自己的才華。你或許能成為一名創(chuàng)新者或發(fā)明家——甚至可能設(shè)計(jì)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(xué)課的實(shí)驗(yàn)后才會(huì)發(fā)現(xiàn)自己的才華。你或許能成為一名市長(zhǎng)或參議員或最高法院的大法官——但你可能要在參加學(xué)生會(huì)的工作或辯論隊(duì)后才會(huì)發(fā)現(xiàn)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(xué)讀書(shū)才能實(shí)現(xiàn)它。你想當(dāng)醫(yī)生、教師或警官嗎?你想當(dāng)護(hù)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(yè)。你不能指望輟學(xué)后能碰上個(gè)好工作。你必須接受培訓(xùn)，為之努力，為之學(xué)習(xí)。

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(duì)你個(gè)人的人生和未來(lái)意義重大?？梢院敛豢浯蟮卣f(shuō)，教育給你帶來(lái)的益處將決定這個(gè)國(guó)家的未來(lái)。美國(guó)的未來(lái)取決于你們。你們今日在校學(xué)習(xí)的知識(shí)將決定我們作為一個(gè)國(guó)家是否能夠迎接我們未來(lái)所面臨的最嚴(yán)峻挑戰(zhàn)。

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(guò)自然科學(xué)和數(shù)學(xué)課程所學(xué)到的知識(shí)和解決問(wèn)題的能力來(lái)治愈癌癥、艾滋病及其他疾病，開(kāi)發(fā)新的能源技術(shù)和保護(hù)我們的環(huán)境。你們將需要利用你們?cè)跉v史學(xué)和社會(huì)學(xué)課堂上所獲得的知識(shí)和獨(dú)立思考能力來(lái)抗擊貧困和解決無(wú)家可歸問(wèn)題，打擊犯罪和消除歧視，使我們的國(guó)家更公平、更自由。你們將需要利用你們?cè)谒姓n堂上培養(yǎng)的創(chuàng)造力和智慧來(lái)創(chuàng)辦新公司，增加就業(yè)機(jī)會(huì)，振興我們的經(jīng)濟(jì)。

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(gè)人發(fā)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(wèn)題。如果你們不這樣做，如果你們輟學(xué)，你們不僅僅是自暴自棄，也是拋棄自己的國(guó)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(xué)業(yè)優(yōu)秀并非總是易事。我知道你們?cè)S多人在生活中面臨挑戰(zhàn)，難以集中精力從事學(xué)業(yè)。

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(diǎn)。 我有親身感受。兩歲時(shí)，我父親離家而去，我是由一位單親母親撫養(yǎng)成人的，母親不得不工作，并時(shí)常為支付生活費(fèi)用而苦苦掙扎，但有時(shí)仍無(wú)法為我們提供其他孩子享有的東西。有時(shí)，我渴望生活中能有一位父親。有時(shí)我感到孤獨(dú)，感到自己不適應(yīng)社會(huì)。

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(yīng)該做到的那樣專(zhuān)心學(xué)習(xí)，我也曾做過(guò)我如今不能引以為豪的一些事情，我曾惹過(guò)不應(yīng)該惹的麻煩。我的人生原本會(huì)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(dāng)年際遇不錯(cuò)。我有過(guò)許多第二次機(jī)會(huì)，我有幸能上大學(xué)，上法學(xué)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(lèi)似的經(jīng)歷。她的父母都未曾上過(guò)大學(xué)，家里很窮。但他們非常勤奮 ，她也是如此，因此她得以進(jìn)入一些美國(guó)最好的學(xué)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(méi)有那些有利條件?；蛟S你們生活中沒(méi)有成年人為你們提供你們所需要的支持?；蛟S你們家中有人失業(yè)，經(jīng)濟(jì)非常拮據(jù)?；蛟S你們生活在使你們感覺(jué)不安全的社區(qū)，或有朋友逼迫你們?nèi)プ瞿銈冎啦粚?duì)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(shuō)到底，你們生活的環(huán)境、你們的膚色、你們的原籍、你們的經(jīng)濟(jì)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(méi)有理由不服從你們的老師、逃學(xué)、或輟學(xué)。沒(méi)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(lái)。沒(méi)有人決定你們的命運(yùn)，在美國(guó)，你們決定自己的命運(yùn)。你們掌握自己的未來(lái)。

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(lái)自得州羅馬城的賈茲敏•佩雷斯(Jazmin Perez)就是一個(gè)例證，她剛開(kāi)始上學(xué)時(shí)并不會(huì)說(shuō)英文。她的父母都沒(méi)有上過(guò)大學(xué)。然而，她非常勤奮，成績(jī)優(yōu)秀，獲得了布朗大學(xué)的獎(jiǎng)學(xué)金，她如今正在讀研究生，攻讀公共衛(wèi)生專(zhuān)業(yè)，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(kāi)始就一直與腦癌進(jìn)行抗?fàn)?，他不得不忍受各?lèi)治療和手術(shù)帶來(lái)的痛苦，其中一項(xiàng)手術(shù)曾影響了他的記憶，因此他花在功課上的時(shí)間比一般人長(zhǎng)得多，要多出數(shù)百個(gè)小時(shí)。然而，他從未落后。他今年秋季將邁進(jìn)大學(xué)。

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(xiāng)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(qū)生活，寄養(yǎng)于多個(gè)不同的家庭，但她最終在一家地方醫(yī)療中心找到工作，并開(kāi)始了一項(xiàng)幫助年輕人遠(yuǎn)離流氓團(tuán)伙的計(jì)劃，她即將以優(yōu)異成績(jī)從中學(xué)畢業(yè)，緊接著將上大學(xué)。

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(gè)人沒(méi)什么兩樣。跟你們一樣，他們?cè)谏钪忻媾R種種挑戰(zhàn)。在某些情況下，他們的處境比起你們?cè)S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(fù)起責(zé)任，為自己設(shè)定各項(xiàng)奮斗目標(biāo)。我期待你們大家都會(huì)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(gè)人為自己的教育設(shè)定目標(biāo)，并盡自己的最大努力來(lái)實(shí)現(xiàn)這些目標(biāo)。你的目標(biāo)可以是一件十分簡(jiǎn)單的事情，例如完成家庭作業(yè)、上課專(zhuān)心聽(tīng)講、或每天花一點(diǎn)時(shí)間讀一本書(shū)。也許你會(huì)決定要參加課外活動(dòng)或在你的社區(qū)提供志愿服務(wù)。也許你會(huì)決定挺身而出保護(hù)那些因?yàn)樯矸莼蜷L(zhǎng)相而受人戲弄或欺負(fù)的孩子，原因是你和我一樣認(rèn)為所有的年輕人都應(yīng)該享有一個(gè)適合讀書(shū)和學(xué)習(xí)的安全環(huán)境。也許你會(huì)決定更好地照料自己，以便有更充沛的精力來(lái)學(xué)習(xí)。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(shí)候要呆在家里不去上學(xué)，這樣我們能防止人們?cè)诮衲昵锒竟?jié)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(wú)論你決定做什么，我希望你保證去做。我希望你腳踏實(shí)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(shí)候你會(huì)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(fā)財(cái)致富并取得成功，唱小調(diào)、打籃球或成為真人秀明星是走向成功的途徑。但實(shí)際情況是：你可能不會(huì)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(shí)上，取得成功不是輕而易舉的事情。你不會(huì)喜歡你學(xué)習(xí)的每一門(mén)課目。你不會(huì)與你的每一位老師都很投契。不是所有的家庭作業(yè)似乎都與你眼前的生活完全有關(guān)。你第一次嘗試做每件事的時(shí)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(méi)關(guān)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(xiě)的系列小說(shuō)《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(duì)除名。在喬丹的籃球生涯中，他輸過(guò)數(shù)百場(chǎng)比賽，有成千上萬(wàn)個(gè)球沒(méi)有投中。但他曾說(shuō)過(guò)：“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?yàn)樗麄兌茫耗悴荒茏屖?lái)限制你，而必須讓失敗來(lái)開(kāi)導(dǎo)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(duì)。如果你有一門(mén)課分?jǐn)?shù)低，那不表示你比別人笨，而只表示你需要花更多的時(shí)間學(xué)習(xí)。

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(méi)有一個(gè)人天生擅長(zhǎng)做各種事情。你通過(guò)勤奮而變得擅長(zhǎng)于各種事情。第一次從事新的體育項(xiàng)目時(shí)，你不可能是一位主力隊(duì)員。第一次唱一首歌曲時(shí)，你不可能唱準(zhǔn)每個(gè)音。你必須練習(xí)。同樣的道理適用于你的學(xué)業(yè)。你可能要把一道數(shù)學(xué)題做幾次才把它做對(duì)。你可能要把一些材料閱讀幾遍才能理解。在交出一篇優(yōu)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(wèn)。不要在需要幫助時(shí)害怕請(qǐng)求別人幫助。我天天請(qǐng)求別人的幫助。請(qǐng)求幫助不是軟弱的表現(xiàn)，它是力量的標(biāo)志，因?yàn)樗砻髂阌杏職獬姓J(rèn)自己對(duì)某些事情不懂，這樣做會(huì)使你學(xué)到新的東西。因此，請(qǐng)確定一位你信任的成年人，例如家長(zhǎng)、祖父母或老師、教練或輔導(dǎo)員，請(qǐng)他們幫助你遵循既定計(jì)劃實(shí)現(xiàn)你的目標(biāo)。

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(dāng)你苦苦掙扎、灰心喪氣、感到其他人對(duì)你不抱希望時(shí)，也不要對(duì)你自己?jiǎn)适判模驗(yàn)楫?dāng)你自自棄時(shí)，你也拋棄了自己的國(guó)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(shū)寫(xiě)美國(guó)歷史的不是在困難時(shí)刻退縮的人，而是堅(jiān)持不懈、加倍努力的人，他們對(duì)國(guó)家的愛(ài)促使他們?nèi)σ愿啊?/p>

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(shū)寫(xiě)美國(guó)歷史的是250年前坐在你們的位置上的學(xué)生，他們后來(lái)進(jìn)行了獨(dú)立戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)并創(chuàng)建了這個(gè)國(guó)家。還有75年前坐在你們的位置上的年輕人和學(xué)生，他們走出了大蕭條并打贏了一場(chǎng)世界大戰(zhàn);他們?yōu)槊駲?quán)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(xué)生，他們創(chuàng)辦了谷歌(Google)、嘰喳網(wǎng) (Twitter)和臉譜網(wǎng)(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(wèn)問(wèn)你們大家，你們將做出什么貢獻(xiàn)?你們將解決什么問(wèn)題?你們將有什么發(fā)現(xiàn)?20年、50年或100年后來(lái)到這里講話的總統(tǒng)將會(huì)怎樣評(píng)價(jià)你們大家為這個(gè)國(guó)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(wèn)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(xué)習(xí)所需的課本、設(shè)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(rèn)真對(duì)待這個(gè)問(wèn)題。我希望你們盡最大努力做好每一件事。我希望你們每個(gè)人都有出色的表現(xiàn)。不要讓我們失望。不要讓你們的家人或你們的國(guó)家失望。而最重要的是，不要辜負(fù)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(guó)。謝謝你們。(掌聲)