Obama takes oath, calls for unity, engagement

 　　WASHINGTON, Jan. 21 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Barack Obama on Monday took oath for his second term in a public inauguration¹ ceremony at the Capitol grounds, reaffirming America's founding principles in a call for unity² and a vow³ for more engagement in foreign affairs.

　　Obama made the calls in his inaugural⁴ address. He said the founding values of America have never been "self-executing", calling on the country to "bridge the meaning of those words with the realities of our time."In a call for unity, Obama said: "Now, more than ever, we must do these things together, as one nation, and one people."BALANCED APPROACHThe president, emboldened⁵ by his success in the presidential election last year, in which he roundly beat Republican challenger Mitt⁶ Romney, emphasized a balanced approach in his second term.

　　He promised to tackle public debt and federal deficit⁷ in a balanced way, and strengthen the social security network. He vowed⁸ to "harness new ideas and technology to remake our government, revamp our tax code, reform our schools.""We reject the belief that America must choose between caring for the generation that built this country and investing in the generation that will build its future," said Obama.

　　In reference to immigration reform and gun control, two main tasks in his second term, the president said he will strive to " find a better way to welcome the striving, hopeful immigrants who still see America as a land of opportunity," as well as ensuring children are "cared for, and cherished, and always safe from harm. ""A decade of war is now ending. An economic recovery has begun, " Obama said. "We have always understood that when times change, so must we."Obama also mentioned gay rights for the first time in an inaugural address, and devoted⁹ an important portion of his speech to climate change.

　　Mapping out his foreign policy for the next four years, Obama said: "We, the people, still believe that enduring security and lasting¹⁰ peace do not require perpetual war...We will show the courage to try and resolve our differences with other nations peacefully, not because we are naive¹¹ about the dangers we face, but because engagement can more durably¹² lift suspicion and fear."He also assured allies that the United States will "remain the anchor of strong alliances in every corner of the globe," while promising¹³ the country "will respond to the threat of climate change, knowing that the failure to do so would betray our children and future generations."

1 inauguration   

n.开幕、就职典礼

参考例句：

• The inauguration of a President of the United States takes place on January 20.美国总统的就职典礼于一月二十日举行。
• Three celebrated tenors sang at the president's inauguration.3位著名的男高音歌手在总统就职仪式上演唱。

2 unity   

n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调

参考例句：

• When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结，并非一团和气。
• We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前，我们必须加强团结。

3 vow   

n.誓(言)，誓约；v.起誓，立誓

参考例句：

• My parents are under a vow to go to church every Sunday.我父母许愿，每星期日都去做礼拜。
• I am under a vow to drink no wine.我已立誓戒酒。

4 inaugural   

adj.就职的；n.就职典礼

参考例句：

• We listened to the President's inaugural speech on the radio yesterday.昨天我们通过无线电听了总统的就职演说。
• Professor Pearson gave the inaugural lecture in the new lecture theatre.皮尔逊教授在新的阶梯讲堂发表了启用演说。

5 emboldened   

v.鼓励，使有胆量( embolden的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Emboldened by the wine, he went over to introduce himself to her. 他借酒壮胆，走上前去向她作自我介绍。
• His success emboldened him to expand his business. 他有了成就因而激发他进一步扩展业务。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 mitt   

n.棒球手套，拳击手套，无指手套；vt.铐住，握手

参考例句：

• I gave him a baseball mitt for his birthday.为祝贺他的生日，我送给他一只棒球手套。
• Tom squeezed a mitt and a glove into the bag.汤姆把棒球手套和手套都塞进袋子里。

7 deficit   

n.亏空，亏损；赤字，逆差

参考例句：

• The directors have reported a deficit of 2.5 million dollars.董事们报告赤字为250万美元。
• We have a great deficit this year.我们今年有很大亏损。

8 vowed   

起誓，发誓（vow的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• He vowed quite solemnly that he would carry out his promise. 他非常庄严地发誓要实现他的诺言。
• I vowed to do more of the cooking myself. 我发誓自己要多动手做饭。

9 devoted   

adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的

参考例句：

• He devoted his life to the educational cause of the motherland.他为祖国的教育事业贡献了一生。
• We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。

10 lasting   

adj.永久的，永恒的；vbl.持续，维持

参考例句：

• The lasting war debased the value of the dollar.持久的战争使美元贬值。
• We hope for a lasting settlement of all these troubles.我们希望这些纠纷能获得永久的解决。

11 naive   

adj.幼稚的，轻信的；天真的

参考例句：

• It's naive of you to believe he'll do what he says.相信他会言行一致，你未免太单纯了。
• Don't be naive.The matter is not so simple.你别傻乎乎的。事情没有那么简单。

12 durably   

adv.经久地，坚牢地

参考例句：

• Note Inner Tube material is copper, radiates quickly and durably. 备注：进气管为钢管设计，耐用、散热快。 来自互联网
• Normal ratings (pressures, temperatures, time setting, etc.)shall be durably marked. 译：正常极限。压力。温度。时间。将执久标示。 来自互联网

13 promising   

adj.有希望的，有前途的

参考例句：

• The results of the experiments are very promising.实验的结果充满了希望。
• We're trying to bring along one or two promising young swimmers.我们正设法培养出一两名有前途的年轻游泳选手。