這世上的一切都借希望而完成，農(nóng)夫不會(huì)剝下一粒玉米，如果他不曾希望它長成種粒;單身漢不會(huì)娶妻，如果他不曾希望有孩子;商人也不會(huì)去工作，如果他不曾希望因此而有收益，今天學(xué)習(xí)啦小編給大家分享一些勵(lì)志英語經(jīng)典演講，希望對(duì)大家有所幫助。

　　勵(lì)志英語經(jīng)典演講一：奧巴馬—夢(mèng)想與責(zé)任

　　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?。美國各地從小學(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。我小時(shí)候，我們家生活在海外。我在印度尼西亞住了幾年。我媽媽沒有錢送我上其他美國孩子上的學(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，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：“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)開學(xué)后的生活。但我今天來到這里是因?yàn)橛兄匾氖虑橐湍銈冋f。我來這里是要和你們談?wù)勀銈兊慕逃龁栴}，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.

　　我做過很多次有關(guān)教育問題的演講。我多次談到過責(zé)任問題。

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

　　我談到過教師激勵(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.

　　我談到過家長的責(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.

　　我多次談到過政府的責(zé)任，要制定高標(biāo)準(zhǔn)，支持教師和校長的工作，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，不專心聽講，不聽家長、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，那么這一切都毫無用處，都無關(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——甚至可能寫書或在報(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)人的人生和未來意義重大?？梢院敛豢浯蟮卣f，教育給你帶來的益處將決定這個(gè)國家的未來。美國的未來取決于你們。你們今日在校學(xué)習(xí)的知識(shí)將決定我們作為一個(gè)國家是否能夠迎接我們未來所面臨的最嚴(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自然科學(xué)和數(shù)學(xué)課程所學(xué)到的知識(shí)和解決問題的能力來治愈癌癥、艾滋病及其他疾病，開發(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)立思考能力來抗擊貧困和解決無家可歸問題，打擊犯罪和消除歧視，使我們的國家更公平、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)該做到的那樣專心學(xué)習(xí)，我也曾做過我如今不能引以為豪的一些事情，我曾惹過不應(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，也有著類似的經(jīng)歷。她的父母都未曾上過大學(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有那些有利條件?；蛟S你們生活中沒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。你們沒有理由不服從你們的老師、逃學(xué)、或輟學(xué)。沒有理由不付出努力。

　　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。沒有人決定你們的命運(yùn)，在美國，你們決定自己的命運(yùn)。你們掌握自己的未來。

　　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，她剛開始上學(xué)時(shí)并不會(huì)說英文。她的父母都沒有上過大學(xué)。然而，她非常勤奮，成績優(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)，他從三歲開始就一直與腦癌進(jìn)行抗?fàn)帲坏貌蝗淌芨黝愔委熀褪中g(shù)帶來的痛苦，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實(shí)現(xiàn)這些目標(biāo)。你的目標(biāo)可以是一件十分簡單的事情，例如完成家庭作業(yè)、上課專心聽講、或每天花一點(diǎn)時(shí)間讀一本書。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)所寫的系列小說《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，他輸過數(shù)百場比賽，有成千上萬個(gè)球沒有投中。但他曾說過：“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?！?/p>

　　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硐拗颇?，而必須讓失敗來開導(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.

　　沒有一個(gè)人天生擅長做各種事情。你通過勤奮而變得擅長于各種事情。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。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、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)你自己喪失信心，因?yàn)楫?dāng)你自暴自棄時(shí)，你也拋棄了自己的國家。

　　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.

　　書寫美國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)國家的愛促使他們?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.

　　書寫美國歷史的是250年前坐在你們的位置上的學(xué)生，他們后來進(jìn)行了獨(dú)立戰(zhàn)爭并創(chuàng)建了這個(gè)國家。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，我要問問你們大家，你們將做出什么貢獻(xiàn)?你們將解決什么問題?你們將有什么發(fā)現(xiàn)?20年、50年或100年后來到這里講話的總統(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。謝謝你們。(掌聲)

　　勵(lì)志英語經(jīng)典演講二：富蘭克林·羅斯福—我們唯一害怕的是害怕本身

　　The only thing we have to fear is fear itself — nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror, which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.

　　我們唯一害怕的 是害怕本身——這種難以名狀、失去理智和毫無道理的恐懼，把人轉(zhuǎn)退為進(jìn)所需的種種努力化為泡影。

　　President Hoover, Mister Chief Justice, my friends:

　　胡佛總統(tǒng)，首席法官先生，朋友們：

　　This is a day of national consecration, and I am certain that on this day, my fellow Americans expect that on my induction in the Presidency I will address them with a candor and a decision which the present situation of our people impels. This is preeminently the time to speak the truth, the whole truth, frankly and boldly. Nor need we shrink from honestly facing the conditions facing our country today. This great nation will endure as it has endured, will revive and will prosper. So first of all, let me express my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself-nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror, which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance. In every dark hour of our national life, a leadership of frankness and vigor has met with that understanding and support of the people themselves, which is essential to victory. And I am convinced that you will again give that support to leadership in these critical days.

　　今天，對(duì)我們的國家來說，是一個(gè)神圣的日子。我肯定，同胞們都期待我在就任總統(tǒng)時(shí)，會(huì)像我國目前形勢(shì)所要求的那樣，坦率而果斷地向他們講話。現(xiàn)在正是坦白、勇敢地說出實(shí)話，說出全部實(shí)話的最好時(shí)刻。我們不必畏首畏尾，不老老實(shí)實(shí)面對(duì)我國今天的情況。這個(gè)偉大的國家會(huì)一如既往地堅(jiān)持下去，它會(huì)復(fù)興和繁榮起來。因此，讓我首先表明我的堅(jiān)定信念：我們唯一不得不害怕的就是害怕本身--一種莫名其妙、喪失理智的、毫無根據(jù)的恐懼，它把人轉(zhuǎn)退為進(jìn)所需的種種努力化為泡影。凡在我國生活陰云密布的時(shí)刻，坦率而有活力的領(lǐng)導(dǎo)都得到過人民的理解和支持，從而為勝利準(zhǔn)備了必不可少的條件。我相信，在目前危急時(shí)刻，大家會(huì)再次給予同樣的支持。

　　In such a spirit on my part and on yours, we face our common difficulties. They concern, thank God, only material things. Values have shrunken to fantastic levels; taxes have risen, our ability to pay has fallen; government of all kinds is faced by serious curtailment of income; the means of exchange are frozen in the currents of trade; the withered leaves of industrial enterprise lie on every side; farmers find no markets for their produce, and the savings of many years and thousands of families are gone.

　　我和你們都要以這種精神，來面對(duì)我們共同的困難。感謝上帝，這些困難只是物質(zhì)方面的。價(jià)值難以想象地貶縮了;課稅增加了;我們的支付能力下降了;各級(jí)政府面臨著嚴(yán)重的收入短缺;交換手段在貿(mào)易過程中遭到了凍結(jié);工業(yè)企業(yè)枯萎的落葉到處可見;農(nóng)場主的產(chǎn)品找不到銷路;千家萬戶多年的積蓄付之東流。

　　More important, a host of unemployed citizens face the grim problem of existence, and an equal and great number toil with little return. Only a foolish optimist can deny the dark realities of the moment.

　　更重要的是，大批失業(yè)公民正面臨嚴(yán)峻的生存問題，還有大批公民正以艱辛的勞動(dòng)換取微薄的報(bào)酬。只有愚蠢的樂天派會(huì)否認(rèn)當(dāng)前這些陰暗的現(xiàn)實(shí)。

　　And yet, our distress comes from no failure of substance, we are stricken by no plague of locusts. Compared with the perils which our forefathers conquered, because they believed and were not afraid, we have so much to be thankful for. Nature surrounds us with her bounty, and human efforts have multiplied it. Plenty is at our doorstep, but a generous use of it languishes in the very sight of the supply. Primarily, this is because the rulers of the exchange of mankind’s goods have failed, through their own stubbornness and their own incompetence, have admitted their failure and have abdicated. Practices of the unscrupulous money changers stand indicted in the court of public opinion, rejected by the hearts and minds of men.

　　但是，我們的苦惱決不是因?yàn)槿狈ξ镔Y。我們沒有遭到什么蝗蟲的災(zāi)害。我們的先輩曾以信念和無畏一次次轉(zhuǎn)危為安，比起他們經(jīng)歷過的險(xiǎn)阻，我們?nèi)源罂筛械叫牢?。大自然仍在給予我們恩惠，人類的努力已使之倍增。富足的情景近在咫尺，但就在我們見到這種　情景的時(shí)候，寬裕的生活卻悄然離去。這主要是因?yàn)橹髟兹祟愇镔Y交換的統(tǒng)治者們失敗了，他們固執(zhí)己見而又無能為力，因而已經(jīng)認(rèn)定失敗了，并撒手不管了。貪得無厭的貨幣兌換商的種種行徑。將受到輿論法庭的起訴，將受到人類心靈理智的唾棄。

　　True, they have tried, but their efforts have been cast in the patten of an outworn tradition. Faced by a failure of credit, they have proposed only the lending of more money. Stripped of the lure of profit by which they induce our people to follow their false leadership, they have resorted to exhortation, pleading tearfully for restored confidence. They only know the rules of a generation of self-seekers. They have no vision, and when there is no vision, the people perish.

　　是的，他們是努力過，然而他們用的是一種完全過時(shí)的方法。面對(duì)信貸的失敗，他們只是提議借出更多的錢。沒有了當(dāng)誘餌引誘　人民追隨他們的錯(cuò)誤領(lǐng)導(dǎo)的金錢，他們只得求助于講道，含淚祈求人民重新給予他們信心。他們只知自我追求者們的處世規(guī)則。他們沒有眼光，而沒有眼光的人是要滅亡的。

　　Yes, the money changers have fled from their high seats in the temple of our civilization. We may now restore that temple to the ancient truths. A measure of that restoration lies in the extent to which we apply social value, more noble than mere monetary profits.

　　如今，貨幣兌換商已從我們文明廟宇的高處落荒而逃。我們要以千古不變的真理來重建這座廟宇。衡量這重建的尺度是我們體現(xiàn)比金錢利益更高尚的社會(huì)價(jià)值的程度。

　　Happiness lies not in the mere possession of money, it lies in the joy of achievement, in the thrill of creative efforts, the joy and moral stimulation of work no longer must be forgotten in the mad chase of evanescent profits.These dark days, my friends, will be worth all they cost us, if they teach us that our true destiny is not to be ministered on to, but to minister to ourselves, to our fellow men.

　　幸福并不在于單純地占有金錢;幸福還在于取得成就后的喜悅，在于創(chuàng)造努力時(shí)的激情。務(wù)必不能再忘記勞動(dòng)帶來的喜悅和激勵(lì)，而去瘋狂地追逐那轉(zhuǎn)瞬即逝的利潤。如果這些暗淡的時(shí)日能使我們認(rèn)識(shí)到，我們真正的天命不是要?jiǎng)e人侍奉，而是為自己和同胞們服務(wù)，那么，我們付出的代價(jià)就完全是值得的。

　　Recognition of the falsity of material wealth as the standard of success goes hand in hand with the abandonment of a false belief that public office and high political position are to be valued only by the standards of pride of place and personal profits, and there must be an end to our conduct in banking and in business, which too often has given to a sacred trust the likeness of callous and selfish wrong-doing. Small wonder that confidence languishes, for it thrives only on honesty, on honor, on the sacredness of our obligation, on faithful protection and on unselfish performance. Without them it cannot live.

　　認(rèn)識(shí)到把物質(zhì)財(cái)富當(dāng)作成功的標(biāo)準(zhǔn)是錯(cuò)誤的，我們就會(huì)拋棄以地位尊嚴(yán)和個(gè)人收益為唯一標(biāo)準(zhǔn)，來衡量公職和高級(jí)政治地位的錯(cuò)誤信念;我們必須制止銀行界和企業(yè)界的一種行為，它常常使神圣的委托混同于無情和自私的不正當(dāng)行為。難怪信心在減弱，信心，只有靠誠實(shí)、信譽(yù)、忠心維護(hù)和無私履行職責(zé)。而沒有這些，就不可能有信心。

　　Restoration calls, however, not for changes in ethics alone. This nation is asking for action, and action now.

　　但是，復(fù)興不僅僅只要改變倫理觀念。這個(gè)國家要求行動(dòng)起來，現(xiàn)在就行動(dòng)起來。

　　Our greatest primary task is to put people to work. This is no unsolvable problem if we take it wisely and courageously. It can be accomplished in part by direct recruiting by the government itself, treating the task as we would treat the emergency of a war, but at the same time, through this employment, accomplishing greatly needed projects to stimulate and reorganize the use

　　of our great natural resources.

　　我們最大、最基本的任務(wù)是讓人民投入工作。只要我信行之以智慧和勇氣，這個(gè)問題就可以解決。這可以部分由政府直接征募完成，就象對(duì)待臨戰(zhàn)的緊要關(guān)頭一樣，但同時(shí)，在有了人手的情況下，我們還急需能刺激并重組巨大自然資源的工程。

　　Hand in hand with that, we must frankly recognize the overbalance of population in our industrial centers and by engaging on a national scale in a redistribution in an effort to provide better use of the land for those best fitted for the land.

　　我們齊心協(xié)力，但必須坦白地承認(rèn)工業(yè)中心的人口失衡，我們必須在全國范圍內(nèi)重新分配，使土地在最適合的人手中發(fā)表揮更大作用。

　　Yes the task can be helped by definite efforts to raise the value of the agricultural product and with this the power to purchase the output of our cities. It can be helped by preventing realistically, the tragedy of the growing losses through fore closures of our small homes and our farms. It can be helped by insistence that the federal, the state, and the local government act forthwith on the demands that their costs be drastically reduce. It can be helped by the unifying of relief activities which today are often scattered, uneconomical, unequal. It can be helped by national planning for, and supervision of all forms of transportation, and of communications, and other utilities that have a definitely public character. There are many ways in which it can be helped, but it can never be helped by merely talking about it. We must act, we must act quickly.

　　明確地為提高農(nóng)產(chǎn)品價(jià)值并以此購買城市產(chǎn)品所做的努力，會(huì)有助于任務(wù)的完成。避免許多小家庭業(yè)、農(nóng)場業(yè)被取消贖取抵押品的權(quán)利的悲劇也有助于任務(wù)的完成。聯(lián)邦、州、各地政府立即行動(dòng)回應(yīng)要求降價(jià)的呼聲，有助于任務(wù)的完成。將現(xiàn)在常常是分散不經(jīng)濟(jì)、不平等的救濟(jì)活動(dòng)統(tǒng)一起來有助于任務(wù)的完成。對(duì)所有公共交通運(yùn)輸，通訊及其他涉及公眾生活的設(shè)施作全國性的計(jì)劃及監(jiān)督有助于任務(wù)的完成。許多事情都有助于任務(wù)完成，但這些決不包括空談。我們必須行動(dòng)，立即行動(dòng)。

　　And finally, in our progress toward a resumption of work, we require two safeguards against the return of the evils of the old order; there must be a strict supervision of all banking and credits and investments; there must be an end to speculation with other people’s money; and there must be provisions for an adequate but sound currency.

　　最后，為了重新開始工作，我們需要兩手防御，來抗御舊秩序惡魔卷土從來;一定要有嚴(yán)格監(jiān)督銀行業(yè)、信貸及投資的機(jī)制：一定要杜絕投機(jī);一定要有充足而健康的貨幣供應(yīng)。

　　These, my friends, are the lines of attack. I shall presently urge upon a new Congress in special session, detailed measures for their fulfillment, and I shall seek the immediate assistance of the 48 states.

　　以上這些，朋友們，就是施政方針。我要在特別會(huì)議上敦促新國會(huì)給予詳細(xì)實(shí)施方案，并且，我要向18個(gè)州請(qǐng)求立即的援助。

　　Through this program of action, we address ourselves to putting our own national house in order, and making income balance outflow. Our international trade relations, though vastly important, are in point of time and necessity secondary to the establishment of a sound national economy. I favor as a practical policy the putting of first things first. I shall spare no effort to restore world trade by international economic readjustment, but the emergency at home cannot wait on that accomplishment.

　　通過行動(dòng)，我們將予以我們自己一個(gè)有秩序的國家大廈，使收入大于支出。我們的國際貿(mào)易，雖然很重要，但現(xiàn)在在時(shí)間和必要性上，次于對(duì)本國健康經(jīng)濟(jì)的建立。我建議，作為可行的策略、首要事務(wù)先行。雖然我將不遺余力通過國際經(jīng)濟(jì)重新協(xié)調(diào)所來恢復(fù)國際貿(mào)易，但我認(rèn)為國內(nèi)的緊急情況無法等待這重新協(xié)調(diào)的完成。

　　The basic thought that guides these specific means of national recovery is not narrowly nationalistic. It is the insistence, as a first consideration upon the inter-dependence of the various elements in all parts of the United States of America – a recognition of the old and the permanently important manifestation of the American spirit of the pioneer. It is the way to recovery, it is the immediate way, it is the strongest assurance that recovery will endure.

　　指導(dǎo)這一特別的全國性復(fù)蘇的基本思想并非狹隘的國家主義。我首先考慮的是堅(jiān)持美國這一整體中各部分的相互依賴性--這是對(duì)美國式的開拓精神的古老而永恒的證明的體現(xiàn)。這才是復(fù)蘇之路，是即時(shí)之路，是保證復(fù)蘇功效持久之路。

　　In the field of world policy, I would dedicate this nation to the policy of the good neighbor. The neighbor who resolutely respects himself, and because he does so, respects the rights of others. The neighbor who respects his obligation, and respects the sanctity of his agreement, in and with, a world of neighbor.

　　在國際政策方面，我將使美國采取睦鄰友好的政策。做一個(gè)決心自重，因此而尊重鄰國的國家。做一個(gè)履行義務(wù)，尊重與他國協(xié)約的國家。

　　If I read the temper of our people correctly, we now realize what we have never realized before, our inter-dependence on each other, that we cannot merely take, but we must give as well. That if we are to go forward, we must move as a trained and loyal army, willing to sacrifice for the good of a common discipline, because without such discipline, no progress can be made, no leadership becomes effective. We are all ready and willing to submit our lives and our property to such discipline because it makes possible a leadership which aims at the larger good. This, I propose to offer, we are going to larger purposes, bind upon us, bind upon us all, as a sacred obligation with a unity of duty, hitherto evoked only in times of armed strife.

　　如果我對(duì)人民的心情的了解正確的話，我想我們已認(rèn)識(shí)到了我們從未認(rèn)識(shí)的問題，我們是互相依存的，我們不可以只索取，我們還必須奉獻(xiàn)。我們前進(jìn)時(shí)，必須象一支訓(xùn)練有素的忠誠的軍隊(duì)，愿意為共同的原則而獻(xiàn)身，因?yàn)?，沒有這些原則，就無法取得進(jìn)步，領(lǐng)導(dǎo)就不可能得力。我們都已做好準(zhǔn)備，并愿意為此原則獻(xiàn)出生命和財(cái)產(chǎn)，因?yàn)檫@將使志在建設(shè)更美好社會(huì)的領(lǐng)導(dǎo)成為可能。我倡議，為了更偉大的目標(biāo)，我們所有的人，以一致的職責(zé)緊緊團(tuán)結(jié)起來。這是神圣的義務(wù)，非戰(zhàn)亂，不停止。

　　With this pledge taken, I assume unhesitatingly, the leadership of this great army of our people dedicated to a disciplined attack upon our common problems. Action in this image, action to this end, is feasible under the form of government which we have inherited from my ancestors. Our constitution is so simple, so practical, that it is possible always, to meet extraordinary needs, by changes in emphasis and arrangements without loss of a central form, that is why our constitutional system has proved itself the most superbly enduring political mechanism the modern world has ever seen. It has met every stress of vast expansion of territory, of foreign wars, of bitter internal strife, of world relations.

　　有了這樣的誓言，我將毫不猶豫地承擔(dān)領(lǐng)導(dǎo)偉大人民大軍的任務(wù)，致力于對(duì)我們普遍問題的強(qiáng)攻。這樣的行動(dòng)，這樣的目標(biāo)，在我們從祖先手中接過的政府中是可行的。我們的憲法如此簡單，實(shí)在。它隨時(shí)可以應(yīng)付特殊情況，只需對(duì)重點(diǎn)和安排加以修改而不喪失中心思想，正因?yàn)槿绱耍覀兊膽椃w制已自證為是最有適應(yīng)性的政治體制。它已應(yīng)付過巨大的國土擴(kuò)張、外戰(zhàn)、內(nèi)亂及國際關(guān)系所帶來的壓力。

　　And it is to be hoped that the normal balance of executive and legislative authority will be fully equal, fully adequate to meet the unprecedented task before us. But it may be that an unprecedented demand and need for undelay ction may call for temporary departure from that normal balance of public procedure.

　　而我們還希望行使法律的人士做到充分的平等，能充分地?fù)?dān)負(fù)前所未有的任務(wù)。但現(xiàn)在前所未有的對(duì)緊急行動(dòng)的需要要求國民暫時(shí)丟棄平常生活節(jié)奏，緊迫起來。

　　We face the arduous days that lie before us in the warm courage of national unity, in the clearest consciousness of seeking all and precious moral values, with the clean satisfaction that comes from the stern performance of duty by old and young alike, we aim at the assurance of a rounded, a permanent national life.

　　讓我們正視面前的嚴(yán)峻歲月，懷著舉國一致給我們帶來的熱情和勇氣，懷著尋求傳統(tǒng)的、珍貴的道德觀念的明確意識(shí)，懷著老老少少都能通過克盡職守而得到的問心無愧的滿足。我們的目標(biāo)是要保證國民生活的圓滿和長治久安。

　　We do not distrust the future of essential democracy. The people of the United States have not failed. In their need, they have registered a mandate that they want direct, vigorous action. They have asked for discipline, and direction under leadership, they have made me the present instrument of their wishes. In the spirit of the gift, I take it.

　　我們并不懷疑基本民主制度的未來。合眾國人民并沒有失敗。他們?cè)诶щy中表達(dá)了自己的委托，即要求采取直接而有力的行動(dòng)。他們要求有領(lǐng)導(dǎo)的紀(jì)律和方向。他們現(xiàn)在選擇了我作為實(shí)現(xiàn)他們的愿望的工具。我接受這份厚贈(zèng)。

　　In this dedication, in this dedication of a nation, we humbly ask the blessings of God, may He protect each and every one of us, may He guide me in the days to come.

　　在此舉國奉獻(xiàn)之際，我們謙卑地請(qǐng)求上帝賜福。愿上帝保信我們大家和每一個(gè)人，愿上帝在未來的日子里指引我。

　　勵(lì)志英語經(jīng)典演講三：約翰·肯尼迪—我們選擇登月

　　President pitzer Mr. Vice President, Governor, Congressman Thomas, Senator Wiley, and Congressman Miller, Mr. Webb, Mr. Bell, scientists, distinguished guests, and ladies and gentlemen:

　　Pitzer校長，副校長，州長，Thomas眾議員，參議員，Miller眾議員，Webb先生，Bell先生，科學(xué)家們，尊貴的來賓，女士們先生們：

　　I appreciate your president having made me an honorary visiting professor, and I will assure you that my first lecture will be very brief.

　　我非常感謝你們的校長授予我名譽(yù)客座教授的頭銜，我向你們保證，我的第一個(gè)演講將會(huì)很簡潔。

　　I am delighted to be here and I'm particularly delighted to be here on this occasion.

　　我很高興來到這里，特別是在這個(gè)時(shí)候來到這里。

　　We meet at a college noted for knowledge, in a city noted for progress, in a state noted for strength, and we stand in need of all three, for we meet in an hour of change and challenge, in a decade of hope and fear, in an age of both knowledge and ignorance. The greater our knowledge increases, the greater our ignorance unfolds.

　　我們?cè)谶@個(gè)以知識(shí)而聞名的大學(xué)中相會(huì)，在這個(gè)以進(jìn)步而文明的城市相會(huì)，在這個(gè)以實(shí)力而聞名的州相會(huì)。并且我們需要它們?nèi)咳?，因?yàn)槲覀兲幱谝粋€(gè)變化與挑戰(zhàn)的時(shí)期、希望與失望的10年、知識(shí)與無知并存的時(shí)代。我們獲得的知識(shí)越多，我們的顯露出的無知也就越多。

　　Despite the striking fact that most of the scientists that the world has ever known are alive and working today, despite the fact that this Nation's own scientific manpower is doubling every 12 years in a rate of growth more than three times that of our population as a whole, despite that, the vast stretches of the unknown and the unanswered and the unfinished still far outstrip our collective comprehension.

　　盡管存在一個(gè)驚人的事實(shí)，世界上絕大多數(shù)科學(xué)家都在努力奮斗;盡管我國的科研力量以每12年翻一番的速率增長，超過了人口增長速率的3倍;盡管這樣，未知、未回答和未完成任務(wù)的漫漫長路，仍然遠(yuǎn)遠(yuǎn)超出了我們所有人的理解力。

　　No man can fully grasp how far and how fast we have come, but condense, if you will, the 50,000 years of man's recorded history in a time span of but a half-century. Stated in these terms, we know very little about the first 40 years, except at the end of them advanced man had learned to use the skins of animals to cover them. Then about 10 years ago, under this standard, man emerged from his caves to construct other kinds of shelter. Only five years ago man learned to write and use a cart with wheels. Christianity began less than two years ago. The printing press came this year, and then less than two months ago, during this whole 50-year span of human history, the steam engine provided a new source of power. Newton explored the meaning of gravity. Last month electric lights and telephones and automobiles and airplanes became available. Only last week did we develop penicillin and television and nuclear power, and now if America's new spacecraft succeeds in reaching Venus, we will have literally reached the stars before midnight tonight.

　　沒有人知道我們能走多遠(yuǎn)，能走多快。但是，如果你愿意，把人類有史以來的5萬年濃縮成半個(gè)世紀(jì)的時(shí)間跨度。在這個(gè)時(shí)間跨度下，我們對(duì)于開始的40年至之甚少，除了知道在這40年的最后出現(xiàn)了學(xué)會(huì)用獸皮遮體的人類。在這個(gè)標(biāo)準(zhǔn)下，大約數(shù)年前，人類從洞穴中走出，建造新的家園。僅僅在5年前人類才學(xué)會(huì)了寫字和使用有輪子的車輛。____誕生于不到2年之前。印刷出版今年才出現(xiàn)。在人類歷史的整個(gè)50年跨度中，在最近不到兩個(gè)月的時(shí)間之前，蒸汽機(jī)為我們提供了新的動(dòng)力。牛頓發(fā)現(xiàn)了引力的意義，上個(gè)月出現(xiàn)了電燈、電話、汽車和飛機(jī)。僅僅在上周我們才發(fā)明了青霉素、電視與核動(dòng)力。如果現(xiàn)在美國新的飛船能夠成功抵達(dá)金星，那么我們可以真正算得上在今天午夜抵達(dá)別的星球了。

　　This is a breathtaking pace, and such a pace cannot help but create new ills as it dispels old, new ignorance, new problems, new dangers. Surely the opening vistas of space promise high costs and hardships, as well as high reward.

　　這是激動(dòng)人心的一步。但是這樣的一步在驅(qū)散舊的痛苦、無知和問題的同時(shí)，不能不創(chuàng)造新的痛苦、新的無知和新的問題。毫無疑問，航天事業(yè)的回報(bào)高，花費(fèi)和風(fēng)險(xiǎn)也高。

　　So it is not surprising that some would have us stay where we are a little longer to rest, to wait. But this city of Houston, this state of Texas, this country of the United States was not built by those who waited and rested and wished to look behind them. This country was conquered by those who moved forward--and so will space.

　　因此，不難理解有些人要我們?cè)谠刂共讲磺?，繼續(xù)等待。但是休斯敦市、德克薩斯州，美利堅(jiān)合眾國并不是由那些止步不前的人建立的。這個(gè)國家是由不斷前進(jìn)的人征服的，航天事業(yè)也是這樣。

　　William Bradford, speaking in 1630 of the founding of the Plymouth Bay Colony, said that all great and honorable actions are accompanied with great difficulties, and both must be enterprised and overcome with answerable courage.

　　William Bradford在1630年普利茅斯灣殖民地建立儀式上說，所有偉大而光榮的舉動(dòng)都伴隨著巨大的困難，而兩者都應(yīng)該被有責(zé)任感的勇氣所克服。

　　If this capsule history of our progress teaches us anything, it is that man, in his quest for knowledge and progress, is determined and cannot be deterred. The exploration of space will go ahead, whether we join in it or not, and it is one of the great adventures of all time, and no nation which expects to be the leader of other nations can expect to stay behind in this race for space.

　　如果說這個(gè)人類進(jìn)步的濃縮歷史教育了我們什么，那么就是，在尋求知識(shí)和進(jìn)步的過程中的人類是堅(jiān)定而不能被阻止的。空間探索將會(huì)繼續(xù)，不論我們是否加入它。無論在什么時(shí)候，它都是一項(xiàng)重大的冒險(xiǎn)，沒有任何一個(gè)期望成為世界領(lǐng)袖的國家希望在這場空間競賽中停步。

　　Those who came before us made certain that this country rode the first waves of the industrial revolution, the first waves of modern invention, and the first wave of nuclear power, and this generation does not intend to founder in the backwash of the coming age of space. We mean to be a part of it--we mean to lead it. For the eyes of the world now look into space, to the moon and to the planets beyond, and we have vowed that we shall not see it governed by a hostile flag of conquest, but by a banner of freedom and peace. We have vowed that we shall not see space filled with weapons of mass destruction, but with instruments of knowledge and understanding.

　　我們的前輩讓這個(gè)國家掀起了工業(yè)革命的第一波浪潮、現(xiàn)代發(fā)明的第一波浪潮、核動(dòng)力的第一波浪潮。而我們這一代并不希望在即將到來的太空時(shí)代的浪潮中倒下。我們要參與其中——我們要領(lǐng)導(dǎo)潮流。為了全世界注視太空、月球和其他行星的人們，我們發(fā)誓我們不會(huì)看到太空代表敵意的旗幟，而應(yīng)該是代表自由與和平的旗幟。我們發(fā)誓我們不會(huì)看到太空充滿了大規(guī)模殺傷性武器，而應(yīng)該是充滿獲取知識(shí)的工具。

　　Yet the vows of this Nation can only be fulfilled if we in this Nation are first, and, therefore, we intend to be first. In short, our leadership in science and industry, our hopes for peace and security, our obligations to ourselves as well as others, all require us to make this effort, to solve these mysteries, to solve them for the good of all men, and to become the world's leading space-faring nation.

　　然而，我國的承諾只有在我國領(lǐng)先——因?yàn)槲覀兿胍I(lǐng)先——的情況下才能得以履行。簡而言之，我們?cè)诳茖W(xué)和工業(yè)上的領(lǐng)導(dǎo)地位，我們對(duì)于和平和安全的渴望，我們對(duì)于自身和他人的責(zé)任，所有這一切要求我們做出努力，為了全人類的利益解決這些謎團(tuán)，成為世界領(lǐng)先的航天國家。

　　We set sail on this new sea because there is new knowledge to be gained, and new rights to be won, and they must be won and used for the progress of all people. For space science, like nuclear science and all technology, has no conscience of its own. Whether it will become a force for good or ill depends on man, and only if the United States occupies a position of pre-eminence can we help decide whether this new ocean will be a sea of peace or a new terrifying theater of war. I do not say that we should or will go unprotected against the hostile misuse of space any more than we go unprotected against the hostile use of land or sea, but I do say that space can be explored and mastered without feeding the fires of war, without repeating the mistakes that man has made in extending his writ around this globe of ours.

　　我們踏上新的航程，為了獲取新的知識(shí)，為了贏得新的權(quán)利，獲取并運(yùn)用權(quán)利，應(yīng)該是為了全人類的進(jìn)步。空間科學(xué)，正如核科學(xué)以及其他技術(shù)，本身沒有道德可言。它成為善或者惡的力量，取決于人類。并且只有當(dāng)美利堅(jiān)合眾國取得一個(gè)卓越的地位，才能幫助決定這片新的領(lǐng)域和平還是成為戰(zhàn)爭的威脅。我不認(rèn)為我們應(yīng)該或者必須對(duì)敵人濫用太空比對(duì)敵人濫用陸地和海洋更加無動(dòng)于衷，但是我確實(shí)認(rèn)為，太空能夠在非戰(zhàn)爭的目的下開發(fā)和利用、再不重復(fù)人類曾經(jīng)犯過的錯(cuò)誤的情況下開發(fā)和利用。

　　There is no strife, no prejudice, no national conflict in outer space as yet. Its hazards are hostile to us all. Its conquest deserves the best of all mankind, and its opportunity for peaceful cooperation many never come again. But why, some say, the moon? Why choose this as our goal? And they may well ask why climb the highest mountain? Why, 35 years ago, fly the Atlantic? Why does Rice play Texas?

　　在太空上還沒有競爭、偏見和國家沖突。太空的危險(xiǎn)是面對(duì)我們所有人的。太空值得全人類盡最大的努力去征服，而且和平合作的機(jī)會(huì)可能不會(huì)重來。但是，有些人問，為什么是月球?為什么選擇登月作為我們的目標(biāo)?他們也許會(huì)問為什么我們要登上最高的山。35年前，為什么要飛越大西洋?為什么賴斯大學(xué)要與德克薩斯大學(xué)比賽?

　　We choose to go to the moon. We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win, and the others, too.

　　我們決定登月(掌聲)，我們決定在這個(gè)十年間登月，并且做其他的事(掌聲)，不是因?yàn)樗鼈兒唵?，而是因?yàn)樗鼈兝щy，因?yàn)檫@個(gè)目標(biāo)將有益于組織和分配我們的優(yōu)勢(shì)能力和技能，因?yàn)檫@個(gè)挑戰(zhàn)是我們樂于接受的，因?yàn)檫@個(gè)挑戰(zhàn)是我們不愿推遲的，因?yàn)檫@個(gè)挑戰(zhàn)是我們打算贏得的，其他的挑戰(zhàn)也是一樣。

　　It is for these reasons that I regard the decision last year to shift our efforts in space from low to high gear as among the most important decisions that will be made during my incumbency in the office of the Presidency.

　　正是因?yàn)檫@些理由，我把去年關(guān)于提升航天計(jì)劃的決定作為我在本屆總統(tǒng)任期內(nèi)最重要的決定之一。

　　In the last 24 hours we have seen facilities now being created for the greatest and most complex exploration in man's history. We have felt the ground shake and the air shattered by the testing of a Saturn C-1 booster rocket, many times as powerful as the Atlas which launched John Glenn, generating power equivalent to 10,000 automobiles with their accelerators on the floor. We have seen the site where five F-1 rocket engines, each one as powerful as all eight engines of the Saturn combined, will be clustered together to make the advanced Saturn missile, assembled in a new building to be built at Cape Canaveral as tall as a 48 story structure, as wide as a city block, and as long as two lengths of this field.

　　在過去的24小時(shí)里，我們看到一些設(shè)施已經(jīng)為人類歷史上最復(fù)雜的探險(xiǎn)而建立起來。我們感受到了土星C-1助推火箭試驗(yàn)產(chǎn)生的震動(dòng)和沖擊波，它比把John Glenn送入太空的大力神火箭還要強(qiáng)大好幾倍，產(chǎn)生相當(dāng)于10萬輛汽車的功率。我們看到了5個(gè)F-1火箭發(fā)動(dòng)機(jī)，每一個(gè)都相當(dāng)于8個(gè)土星火箭發(fā)動(dòng)機(jī)的功率，它們將會(huì)用于更先進(jìn)的土星火箭，在卡納維拉爾角即將興建的48層大樓中組裝起來，這幢建筑寬一個(gè)街區(qū)，長度超過我們這個(gè)體育場的兩倍。

　　Within these last 19 months at least 45 satellites have circled the earth. Some 40 of them were made in the United States of America and they were far more sophisticated and supplied far more knowledge to the people of the world than those of the Soviet Union.

　　在過去的19個(gè)月中至少有45顆衛(wèi)星進(jìn)入了太空，其中大約40顆標(biāo)著“美國制造”的標(biāo)記，它們比蘇聯(lián)的衛(wèi)星更加精密，更能為世界人民提供更多的知識(shí)。

　　The Mariner spacecraft now on its way to Venus is the most intricate instrument in the history of space science. The accuracy of that shot is comparable to firing a missile from Cape Canaveral and dropping it in this stadium between the 40-yard lines.

　　正在飛向金星的水手號(hào)飛船是空間科學(xué)史上最復(fù)雜的裝置。其精確程度比得上在卡納維拉爾角發(fā)射的一枚火箭擊中這個(gè)體育場的40碼線之間。

　　Transit satellites are helping our ships at sea to steer a safer course. Tiros satellites have given us unprecedented warnings of hurricanes and storms, and will do the same for forest fires and icebergs.

　　海事衛(wèi)星讓海上的船只航行更安全，氣象衛(wèi)星給我們對(duì)于颶風(fēng)和風(fēng)暴空前的警告，它同樣也能用于森林火災(zāi)和冰山的預(yù)警。

　　We have had our failures, but so have others, even if they do not admit them. And they may be less public.

　　我們經(jīng)歷過失敗，但是別人也經(jīng)歷過，即使他們不承認(rèn)失敗。因此它們可能不為人所知。

　　To be sure, we are behind, and will be behind for some time in manned flight. But we do not intend to stay behind, and in this decade, we shall make up and move ahead.

　　很顯然，我們落后了，并且在載人航天方面繼續(xù)落后一段時(shí)間。但是我們并不打算一直落后，在這個(gè)十年間我們將會(huì)迎頭趕上。

　　The growth of our science and education will be enriched by new knowledge of our universe and environment, by new techniques of learning and mapping and observation, by new tools and computers for industry, medicine, the home as well as the school. Technical institutions, such as Rice, will reap the harvest of these gains.

　　我們獲得的關(guān)于宇宙和環(huán)境的新知識(shí)，新的學(xué)習(xí)、繪圖和觀測技術(shù)，用于工業(yè)、醫(yī)學(xué)和家庭的新工具和計(jì)算機(jī)，所有這些都將促進(jìn)科學(xué)和教育的發(fā)展。像賴斯大學(xué)這樣的技術(shù)院校將會(huì)因此而得益。

　　And finally, the space effort itself, while still in its infancy, has already created a great number of new companies, and tens of thousands of new jobs. Space and related industries are generating new demands in investment and skilled personnel, and this city and this state, and this region, will share greatly in this growth. What was once the furthest outpost on the old frontier of the West will be the furthest outpost on the new frontier of science and space. Houston, your city of Houston, with its Manned Spacecraft Center, will become the heart of a large scientific and engineering community. During the next 5 years the National Aeronautics and Space Administration expects to double the number of scientists and engineers in this area, to increase its outlays for salaries and expenses to million a year; to invest some 0 million in plant and laboratory facilities; and to direct or contract for new space efforts over class="main">