选择希望，未来就在我们手中

Inaugural Address
奥巴马就职演说：
选择希望，未来就在我们手中

Barack Obama／巴拉克·奥巴马

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. I thank President Bush for his service to our nation, as well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this transition.

Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath. The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace. Yet, every so often the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms. At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because We the People have remained faithful to the ideals of our forbearers, and true to our founding documents.

So it has been. So it must be with this generation of Americans.

That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age. Homes have been lost; jobs shed; businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly; our schools fail too many; and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.

These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics. Less measurable but no less profound is a sapping of confidence across our land—a nagging fear that America's decline is inevitable, and that the next generation must lower its sights.

Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America—they will be met.

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

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.

We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.

In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of short-cuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the faint-hearted—for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things—some celebrated but more often men and women obscure in their labor, who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom.

For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled across oceans in search of a new life. For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West; endured the lash of the whip and plowed the hard earth. For us, they fought and died, in places like Concord and Gettysburg; Normandy and Khe Sanh.

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.

This is the journey we continue today. We remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on Earth. Our workers are no less productive than when this crisis began. Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were last week or last month or last year. Our capacity remains undiminished. But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions—that time has surely passed. Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.

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. 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.

Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions—who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. Their memories are short. For they have forgotten what this country has already done; what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose, and necessity to courage.

What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them—that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply. The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works—whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end. And those of us who manage the public's dollars will be held to account—to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day—because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government.

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 favors only the prosperous. 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.

As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our Founding Fathers, faced with perils we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience's sake. And so to all other people and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman, and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and that we are ready to lead once more.

Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism not just with missiles and tanks, but with sturdy alliances and enduring convictions. They understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please. Instead, they knew that our power grows through its prudent use; our security emanates from the justness of our cause, the force of our example, the tempering qualities of humility and restraint.

We are the keepers of this legacy. Guided by these principles once more, we can meet those new threats that demand even greater effort—even greater cooperation and understanding between nations. We will begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people, and forge a hard-earned peace in Afghanistan. With old friends and former foes, we will work tirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat, and roll back the specter of a warming planet. We will not apologize for our way of life, nor will we waver in its defense, and for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you.

For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus—and non-believers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth; and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace...

As we consider the road that unfolds before us, we remember with humble gratitude those brave Americans who, at this very hour, patrol far-off deserts and distant mountains. They have something to tell us today, just as the fallen heroes who lie in Arlington whisper through the ages. We honor them not only because they are guardians of our liberty, but because they embody the spirit of service; a willingness to find meaning in something greater than themselves. And yet, at this moment—a moment that will define a generation—it is precisely this spirit that must inhabit us all.

For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies. It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break, the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours. It is the firefighter's courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent's willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate.

Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we meet them may be new. But those values upon which our success depends—hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism—these things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility—a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task.

This is the price and the promise of citizenship.

This is the source of our confidence—the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny.

This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed—why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent mall, and why a man whose father less than sixty years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.

So let us mark this day with remembrance, of who we are and how far we have traveled. In the year of America's birth, in the coldest of months, a small band of patriots huddled by dying campfires on the shores of an icy river. The capital was abandoned. The enemy was advancing. The snow was stained with blood. At a moment when the outcome of our revolution was most in doubt, the father of our nation ordered these words be read to the people:

"Let it be told to the future world...that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive...that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet [it]."

America. In the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words. With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come. Let it be said by our children's children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God's grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations.

同胞们：

今天我站在这里，面对眼前的诸多困难，深感重任在肩。我感谢你们对我的信任，并铭记先辈们为了这个国家所做的献身。我感谢布什总统为国家做出的贡献，感谢他在两届政府过渡期间给予的慷慨与合作。

迄今为止，已经有44个美国总统宣誓就职。总统宣誓有时面对的是国家的和平繁荣，但通常面临的是乌云密布的紧张形势。在紧张的形势中，支持美国前进的不仅仅是领导人的能力和远见卓识，更是因为美国人民始终坚信国家先驱者的理想，并对我们的建国理念忠贞不渝。

前辈们如此，我们这一代美国人也必须如此。

现在我们都深知，我们身处危机之中。我们的国家在战斗，我们面对的敌人是分布广泛的暴力和仇恨势力；我们的经济也受到严重的削弱，原因虽有一些人的贪婪和不负责任，但更为重要的是我们作为一个集体在一些重大问题上决策失误，同时也未能做好应对新时代的准备。一些人失去了家园，一些人失去了工作，很多企业纷纷倒闭。社会的医疗保险费用过度昂贵、学校教育让许多人失望，而且每天的情况都在不断显示，我们使用能源的方式助长了敌人的威风，同时也威胁着我们星球的安全。

统计数据证实，我们已身陷危机。危机难以测量，但更难以测量的是其对美国人信心的动摇——现在一种认为美国衰落不可避免，我们的下一代不得不降低对美国的期望的说法正在吞噬着人们的自信。

听我说，这些威胁并非子虚乌有，它们不仅迫在眉睫而且多乱如麻。要想一挥而就解决这些问题绝非易事。我们要相信，我们一定会渡过难关。

今天，我们在这里齐聚一堂，因为我们选择希望而不是恐惧，选择齐心协力而不是冲突对立。

今天，我们宣布要为无谓的摩擦、不实的承诺和指责画上句号，我们要打破牵制美国政治发展的若干陈旧教条。

美国仍是一个年轻的国家，借用《圣经》的话说，“放弃幼稚的时代已经到来了。”重拾坚韧精神的时代已经到来，我们要为历史做出更好的选择，我们要秉承历史赋予的宝贵权利，秉承那种代代相传的高贵理念：上帝赋予我们每个人以平等和自由，以及每个人尽全力去追求幸福的机会。

在重申我们国家伟大精神的同时，我们深知伟大从来不是上天赐予的，伟大需要靠努力赢取。我们的历程从来不是走捷径或退而求其次的历程。它不是弱者的道路——它不属于好逸恶劳或只图名利享受的人；这条路属于冒险者、实干家，创造者——有些人享有盛名，但大多数是默默无闻耕耘劳作的男女志士，是他们带我们走向通往繁荣和自由的漫长崎岖之路。

为了我们，先辈们打点起贫寒的行装上路，远涉重洋，寻找新生活；为了我们，先辈们忍辱负重，用血汗浇铸工厂；为了我们，先辈们在荒芜的西部原野辛勤耕作，定居他乡；为了我们，先辈们奔赴疆场，英勇捐躯，长眠于康科德城、葛底斯堡、（第二次世界大战中的）诺曼底和（越战中的）溪山。

一次又一次，我们的先辈们战斗着、牺牲着、操劳着，只为了我们可以生活得更好。他们看到的美国超越了我们每一个人的雄心壮志，也超越了所有种族、财富或派系的差异。

今天我们继续先辈们未尽的旅程。美国依然是地球上最繁荣、最强大的国家。同危机初露端倪之时相比，美国人民的生产力依然旺盛；与上周、上个月或者去年相比，我们的头脑依然富于创造力，我们的商品和服务依然很有市场，我们的实力不曾削弱。但是，可以肯定的是，维持现状的时代、保护狭隘利益的时代以及对艰难抉择犹豫不决的时代已经过去了。从今天开始，我们必须振作起来，拍拍身上的泥土，重新开启再造美国的事业。

无论我们把目光投向何处，都有工作在等待着我们。经济状况要求我们采取大胆且快速的行动，我们即将行动起来，不仅是要创造就业，更要为（下一轮经济）增长打下新的基础。我们将造桥铺路，为企业铺设电网和数字线路，将我们联系在一起。我们将回归科学，运用科技的奇迹提高医疗保险的质量，降低医疗成本。我们将利用风能、太阳能和地能驱动车辆，为工厂提供能源。我们将改革中小学以及大专院校，以适应新时代的要求。这一切，我们都能够做到，而且我们都将会做到。

现在，有人怀疑我们的雄心壮志，他们认为我们的体制承载不了太多的宏伟计划。他们太健忘了。他们已经忘了这个国家过去所取得的成就；他们已经忘了当创造力与共同目标以及必要的勇气结合起来时，自由的人民就会爆发出无穷的创造力。

这些怀疑论者的错误在于，他们没有意识到政治现实已经发生了变化，长期以来耗掉我们太多精力的陈腐政治观点已经过时。今天，我们的问题不在于政府的大小，而在于政府能否有效运转，政府能否帮助家庭成员找到薪水合适的工作、提供给他们可以负担得起的医疗保障并让他们体面地退休。哪个方案能给予肯定的答案，我们就推进哪个方案。哪个方案的答案是否定的，我们就选择终止。而掌管纳税人税金的人应当承担起责任，合理支出，摒弃陋习，磊落做事，这样才能重塑人民与政府的信任纽带。

我们面临的问题也不是市场好坏的问题。市场创造财富、拓展自由的能力无可匹敌，但是这场危机提醒我们，没有严格的监管，市场很可能就会失控——如果一个国家仅仅施惠于富裕者，其富裕便不能持久。国家经济的成败不仅仅取决于国内生产总值的大小，而且取决于繁荣的覆盖面，取决于我们是否有能力让每一位愿意致富的人都有机会走向富裕。我们这样做不是慈善，而是因为这是确保实现共同利益的途径。

就共同防御而言，我们绝不接受安全与理念不可两全的荒谬论点。当年，我们的先辈们面对我们几乎无法想象的危险，起草了确保法治和人权的宪章。一代代人民的鲜血夯实了这一宪章。今天，这些理念依然照耀着世界，我们不会为一时之利而弃之。因此我想对正在观看这一仪式的其他国家的人民和政府说，不论他们现在各国伟大的首府还是在如同我父亲出生地一般的小村落，我想让他们知道：对于每个追求和平与尊严的国家和个人而言，美国是你们的朋友，我们愿意再次领导大家踏上追寻之旅。

回想起先辈们从容地面对法西斯主义的时候，他们不仅依靠手中的导弹和坦克，他们还依靠稳固的联盟和坚定的信仰。他们深知单凭自己的力量我们无法保护自己，他们也深知我们强大并不足以使我们有权利为所欲为。他们明白，正是因为谨慎使用实力，我们才日益强大；我们的安全通过我们正义的事业、榜样的力量以及谦卑和克制的品质得以保障。

我们继承了这些遗产。在这些原则的再次指引下，我们有能力应对新的威胁，我们需要付出更多的努力、进行国家间更广泛的合作以及增进国家间的理解。首先，我们将以负责任的态度，将伊拉克交还给伊拉克人民，同时巩固阿富汗来之不易的和平。对于老朋友和老对手，我们将继续努力，不遗余力，削弱核威胁，遏制全球变暖的幽灵。我们不会在价值观念上退缩，也不会动摇捍卫它的决心。对于那些企图通过恐怖主义或屠杀无辜平民达成目标的人，我们要对他们说：我们的信仰更加坚定，不可动摇，你们不可能拖垮我们，我们定将战胜你们。

因为我们知道，我们的多元化遗产是一个优势，而不是劣势。我们是一个由基督教徒和穆斯林、犹太教徒和印度教徒，以及无宗教信仰者组成的国家。我们民族的成长受到许多语言和文化的影响，我们吸取了这个星球上任何一个角落的有益成分。正是因为我们民族曾亲尝过内战和种族隔离的苦酒，并且在经历了这些黑色的篇章之后变得更加强大更加团结，因此我们才确信一切仇恨终有一天都会成为过去，种族的划分不久就会消失，而且随着世界变得越来越小，我们共同的人性将得到彰显。在迎接新的和平时代到来的过程中，美国需要发挥自己的作用。

思索前方的路，我们无时无刻不在铭记那些远征沙漠和偏远山区的英勇美国战士，并对他们充满感激之情，他们和那些安息在阿灵顿国家公墓之下的战争英雄们一样，给予我们启示。

我们向他们致敬，不仅因为他们是自由的守护者，更因为他们体现了为国服务的精神，他们愿意在比自身更伟大的事业中发现人生的意义。此时此刻，在这个要塑造一代人的时刻，我们需要的正是这样一种精神。

虽然政府能有许多作为也必须有许多作为，但最终离不开美国人民的信仰和决心，这才是我们的立国之本。于防洪堤坝决堤之时收留陌生受难者的善意，于经济不景气的时候宁愿减少自己工时也不肯看着朋友失业的无私，正是这些，支撑着我们走过黑暗的时刻。消防队员冲入满是浓烟的楼梯抢救生命的勇气，父母养育孩子的坚持，正是这些决定了我们的命运。

我们面临的挑战可能前所未闻，我们应对挑战的措施也可能前所未有，但那些长期以来指导我们成功的价值观——勤奋、诚实、勇气、公平竞争、包容以及对世界保持好奇心，还有对国家的忠诚和爱国主义——却是历久弥新。这些价值观都是千真万确的。他们是创造美国历史的无声力量。我们现在需要的就是回归这些古老的价值观。我们需要一个新的负责任的时代，一个觉醒的时代，每个国人都应意识到：我们对自己、对国家和世界负有责任。对于这些责任，我们并非勉强接受，而是心甘情愿主动承担。我们应该坚定这一认识，即没有什么比全身心投入一项艰巨的工作更能锻炼我们的性格，更能获得精神上的满足。

这是公民应尽的义务，应做出的承诺。

这就是我们自信的来源，上帝号召我们要掌握自己的命运。

这就是我们自由和信仰的意义，这也是为何不同种族、不同信仰、不同性别和年龄的人可以同聚一堂在此欢庆的原因，也是我今天能站在这里庄严宣誓的原因，而在50多年前我的父亲甚至都不能成为地方餐馆的服务生。

所以，让我们铭记自己的身份，镌刻自己的足迹。在美国诞生的时代，那最寒冷的岁月里，一群勇敢的爱国人士围着篝火在冰封的河边取暖。首都被占领，敌人在挺进，冬天的雪被鲜血染成了红色。在美国大革命最受质疑的时刻，我们的国父们这样说：“我们要让未来的世界知道……在深冬的严寒里，唯有希望和勇气才能让我们存活……面对共同的危险时，我们的城市和国家要勇敢地上前去面对。”

今天的美国也在严峻的寒冬中面对共同的挑战，让我们记住国父们不朽的话语。带着希望和勇气，让我们再一次勇敢地面对寒流，迎接可能会发生的风暴。我们要让我们的子孙后代记住，在面临挑战的时候，我们没有屈服，我们没有逃避也没有丝毫动摇，我们脚踏实地、心怀信仰，我们将自由一代一代，薪火相传！

实战提升
Practising & Exercise

导读

2009年1月20日第56届（第44任）美国总统奥巴马发表了就职演说。奥巴马说，美国仍然是个年轻的国家，且这个时代受到了挑战，我们必须凝聚力量，重新塑造美国。但他并没有涉及有关经济刺激计划的更多细节。

单词注解

humble [ˈhʌmbl] adj.谦逊的；卑微的

grateful [ˈgreitful] adj.感激的，感谢的

segregation [ˌsegriˈgeiʃən] n.隔离

embody [imˈbɔdi] v.象征，具体表现

诵读名句

Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath. The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace.

Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions - who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans.

America. In the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words.