发音：美式发音 语速：140词/分钟 使用方法：精听+跟读
美国大选早已结束,奥巴马也已经走马上任,但大选期间出现的奥巴马现象却丝毫没有减弱的痕迹:美国社会出现了一批以“奥巴马”为词头的新名词,如“O一代”;他掀起了各种狂潮,年轻人因为他而开始关注政治。而“跟奥巴马学英语”亦是他所引发的另一股狂潮。他在许多场合的演讲成了各国英语学习爱好者争相模仿的绝佳原声素材,明星总统一时间变身最有魅力的英语教师。台上的他总是那么地充满激情与活力,但又不乏稳重,他的话语掷地有声,总能得到群众的共鸣与回应。
本文摘自中信出版社出版的《跟奥巴马学英语》一书。该书选取了奥巴马的9篇演讲,并附有简要的背景介绍。奥巴马演讲的话题涉及了美国当今社会的方方面面,有很强的时效性,这也为读者们在学习语言的同时提供了一个了解美国社会的渠道。
小编Tips: 这里的选段选自奥巴马2007年2月10日在伊利诺伊州首府斯普林菲尔德所发表的竞选宣言,他的声音富有磁性,充满激情,咬字清晰,很适合跟读模仿。在跟读的同时,还请读者们细细体会奥巴马如何与观众们打成一片的奥妙,你会发现他用得最多的不是“I”,而是“WE”。
Let me begin by saying thanks to all of you who’ve traveled, from far and wide, to bravethe cold today.
首先,请允许我对今天冒着严寒、远道而来的朋友们表示感谢。
We all made this journey for a reason. It’s humbling to see a crowd like this, but in my heart I know you didn’t just come here for me; you came here because you believe in what this country can be. In the face of war, you believe there can be peace. In the face of despair, you believe there can be hope. In the face of a politics that shut you out, that’s told you to settle, that’s divided us for too long, you believe that we can be one people, reaching out for what’s possible, building that more perfect union.
我们此行都为了一个目的。我感谢大家的热诚,在我心里,我知道你们并非仅仅为我而来,你们此行的原因更在于你们相信这个国家的未来。面对战争,你们相信和平将至。面对绝望,你们相信希望尚存。政治将你们拒之门外,让你们安于现状,长期彼此分隔,但你们相信我们作为一个民族,能够实现可能实现的一切,打造一个更加完美的联邦。
That’s the journey we’re on today. But let me tell you how I came to be here. As most of you know, I am not a native of this great state. I moved to 1)Illinois over two decades ago. I was a young man then, just a year out of college; I knew no one in Chicago when I arrived; I was without money or family connections. But a group of churches had offered me a job as a community organizer for a 2)grand sum of $13,000 a year. And I accepted the job, sight unseen, motivated then by a single, simple, powerful idea—that I might play a small part in building a better America.
这就是今天我们此行的目的。我告诉你们我是如何来到这里的。你们中的大多数人都知道,我并不是伟大的伊利诺伊州土生土长的公民,我是在20多年前搬到这里的。那时的我还是个年轻人,刚从大学毕业一年;在芝加哥,我身无分文,举目无亲。但有几个教堂为我提供了一份社区组织者的工作,年薪1.3万美元。我毫不犹豫地接受了这份工作,因为我一直被一个简单且有力的想法激励着——我可以为建设一个更加美好的美国尽一份绵薄之力。 
My work took me to some of Chicago’s poorest neighborhoods. I joined with pastors and 3)laypeople to deal with communities that had been 4)ravaged by plant closings. I saw that the problems people faced weren’t simply local in nature—that the decisions to close a steel millwas made by distant executives; that the lack of textbooks and computers in a school could be traced to 5)skewed priorities of politicians a thousand miles away; and then when a child turns toviolence, I came to realize that there’s a hole in that boy’s heart that no government alone can fill.
这份工作使我有机会走访了芝加哥一些最贫困的社区。我和牧师及普通信徒一起,帮助那些因工厂倒闭而备受蹂躏的社区。我发现人们所遇到的不仅仅是地区性的问题——关闭钢厂的决定是远方的行政官员作出的;学校缺少课本和计算机可以追溯到千里之外政客们的施政不当;当一个孩子有暴力倾向时,我认为他心灵的创伤单靠政府永远无法弥补。
It was in these neighborhoods that I received the best education that I ever had, and where I learned the meaning of my Christian faith.
正是在这些社区里,我受到了有生以来最好的教育,也懂得了基督教信仰的真谛。
After three years of this work, I went to law school, because I wanted to understand how the law should work for those in need. I became a civil rights lawyer and taught constitutional law, and after a time, I came to understand that our cherished rights of liberty and equality depend on the active participation of an awakened 6)electorate. It was with these ideas in mind that I arrived in this capital city as a State Senator .
我在这个职位上一待就是三年,之后我去了(哈佛)法学院学习,因为我想弄明白法律是如何为那些需要帮助的人提供服务的。我成了一名民权事务律师,并教授宪法课程。之后不久,我逐渐意识到我们所珍惜的自由与平等的权利依赖于全体选民的觉醒和积极参与。怀着这些想法,我来到了州首府,成为了一名州参议员。
It was here, in Springfield, where I saw all that is America converge—farmers and teachers, businessmen and laborers, all of them with a story to tell, all of them seeking a seat at the table, all of them 7)clamoring to be heard. I made lasting friendships here—friends that I see in the audience here today.
正是在这里——斯普林菲尔德市,我眼见了美国所融汇的一切——农民和教师,商人和公司职员——所有人都有着各自的故事,所有人都希望获得一席之地,所有人都强烈期望自己的发言能够受到重视。我在这里获得了永恒的友谊———我看到许多朋友也在今天的听众当中。
It was here where we learned to disagree without being disagreeable—that it’s possible to compromise so long as you know those principles that can never be compromised; and that so long as we’re willing to listen to each other, we can assume the best in people instead of the worst.
正是在这里,我们学会了用和颜悦色的方式去对待意见不一,在坚持原则的情况下,达成共识;只要我们愿意倾听对方的意见,我们就能以人性的真善美而非假恶丑与人进行交往。
It’s why we were able to reform a death penalty system that was broken. That’s why we were able to give health insurance to children in need. That’s why we made the tax system, right here in Springfield, more fair and just for working families, and that’s why we passed ethics reforms that the cynics said could never, ever be passed.
这是为什么我们能够改革千疮百孔的死刑体制,为贫困儿童提供健康保险,并使得斯普林菲尔德市的税收体制更为公平和公正,以有益于工薪阶层家庭的原因。这也是为什么我们通过了被那些愤世嫉俗者宣称永远不能通过的道德改革法案的原因。
It was here, in Springfield, where north, south, east, and west come together that I was reminded of the essential decency of the American people—where I came to believe that through this decency, we can build a more hopeful America.
正是在这里,在斯普林菲尔德市,来自四面八方的人们汇集于此,让我忆起了美国人民的行为准则——我逐渐相信通过这种准则,我们能够建设一个更加充满希望的美国。
And that is why, in the shadow of the Old State Capitol, where Lincoln once called on a house divided to stand together, where common hopes and common dreams still live, I stand before you today to announce my candidacy for President of the United States of America.
缘此,在古老的国会大厦下面,在林肯总统曾经呼吁分裂的议会团结一致的地方,在共同的希望和梦想仍然鲜活的地方,我今天站在你们面前宣布我将竞选美国总统。
I recognize that there is a certain 8)presumptuousness in this…a certain 9)audacity to this announcement. I know that I haven’t spent a lot of time learning the ways of Washington. But I’ve been there long enough to know that the ways of Washington must change.
我承认这一声明有一点自以为是——甚至有些狂妄。我知道我并未花费很多时间来研究华盛顿的施政方略,但我在那儿待的时间已经足够让我认识到华盛顿的施政方略必须要变革。
The genius of our founders is that they designed a system of government that can be changed. And we should take heart, because we’ve changed this country before. In the face of 10)tyranny, a band of patriots brought an empire to its knees. In the face of secession, we unified a nation and set the captives free. In the face of depression, we put people back to work and lifted millions out of poverty. We welcomed immigrants to our shores, we opened railroads to the west, we landed a man on the moon, and we heard a King’s call to let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream. We have done this before.
我们奠基者们的天才之处在于他们设计了可变革的政体。我们应树立信心,因为我们曾对这个国家进行过变革。面对暴政,一大批爱国志士曾迫使一个帝国屈膝。面对分裂,我们团结整个国家,解放了黑奴。面对大萧条,我们让劳动者重回工作岗位,并使数百万人民脱离了贫困。我们欢迎外来移民,我们将铁路延伸至西部,我们将宇航员送上月球,我们还听到了马丁·路德·金的号召,让公平似水奔流、正义如泉喷涌。我们已经做过如此多的变革。
Each and every time, a new generation has risen up and done what’s needed to be done. Today we are called once more—and it is time for our generation to answer that call.
每一次,新一代的美国人都会勇敢地承担并完成需要完成的工作。今天,我们再一次受到了感召——此时正是我们这一代作出回应的时刻。
I know there are those who don’t believe we can do all these things. I understand the 11)skepticism. After all, every four years, candidates from both parties make similar promises, and I expect this year will be no different. All of us running for President will travel around the country offering ten-point plans and making grand speeches; all of us will 12)trumpet those qualities we believe make us uniquely qualified to lead this country. But too many times, after the election is over, and the 13)confetti is swept away, all those promises fade from memory, and the 14)lobbyists and the special interests move in, and people turn away, disappointed as before, left to struggle on their own.
我知道有些人不相信我们可以完成所有这些事情,我理解他们所持的怀疑态度。毕竟,每四年,两个政党的总统候选人都会作出类似的承诺,我想今年也不会例外。所有参加竞选总统的人都会去全国各地走访,提出详细的计划,并发表气势恢弘的演说;我们所有人将大力宣传那些自己所具备的特质,证明自己足以胜任领导这个国家。但是多少次,当选举结束时,五彩纸屑被清理一空后,所有的这些承诺便随之被淡忘,而游说者和特殊利益集团则开始活动,人们一如既往地转身、失望,离开这里,继续为了生存而苦苦挣扎。
That’s why this campaign can’t only be about me. It must be about us—it must be about what we can do together. This campaign must be the occasion, the vehicle, of your hopes, and your dreams. It will take your time, your energy, and your advice—to push us forward when we’re doing right, and to let us know when we’re not. This campaign has to be about reclaiming the meaning of citizenship, restoring our sense of common purpose, and realizing that few obstacles can withstand the power of millions of voices calling for change.
因此,这场竞选不仅仅关乎我个人,它关乎我们大家——关乎我们共同努力所完成的事情。这场竞选应成为你们实现希望与梦想的平台与途径。这需要你们贡献时间、精力和建议——当我们做得正确时,推动我们继续前进;当我们犯错时,让我们知晓错误之处。本次竞选应恢复公民的意义,恢复我们对共同目标的认同,并让我们认识到没有什么艰难险阻可以抵挡千百万人民要求变革之声的力量。