奥巴马每周电视讲话：美国总统奥巴马告别演讲(1)

Four more years! ... I can't do that. Four more years! ...

连任！……我不能这样。连任！……

This is where I learned that change only happens when ordinary people get involved and they get engaged,

就是在这里我明白了只有普通人参与其中、热情投入，变革才会真正发生。

and they come together to demand it.

他们会聚集起来，要求变革。

After eight years as your President, I still believe that.

八年总统生涯之后，我依然相信这一点。

And it's not just my belief.

这不仅仅是我的信仰。

It's the beating heart of our American idea -- our bold experiment in self-government.

人民自治的大胆试验，这本来就是我们美国梦想一直跳动的脉搏。

It's the conviction that we are all created equal,

这是我们的信念，我们相信人人生而平等，

endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable rights, among them life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

造物者赋予我们不可剥夺的权利，包括生命权、自由权和追求幸福的权利。

It's the insistence¹ that these rights, while self-evident, have never been self-executing;

我们坚持这些不言自明的权利不会自行生效；

that We, the People, through the instrument of our democracy, can form a more perfect union.

我们坚信，我们美国人民通过运用民主，可以组建完美的联盟。

What a radical² idea.

多么先进的理念啊。

A great gift that our Founders³ gave to us:

我们的国父给予我们最伟大的馈赠：

The freedom to chase our individual dreams through our sweat and toil⁴ and imagination,

用汗水、辛劳和想象追逐个人梦想的自由，

and the imperative⁵ to strive together, as well, to achieve a common good, a greater good.

以及共同奋斗、实现更伟大共同利益的责任。

For 240 years, our nation's call to citizenship⁶ has given work and purpose to each new generation.

240年以来，我们国家对公民使命的召唤使得每一代人都有每一代人的工作和目标。

1 insistence   

n.坚持；强调；坚决主张

参考例句：

• They were united in their insistence that she should go to college.他们一致坚持她应上大学。
• His insistence upon strict obedience is correct.他坚持绝对服从是对的。

2 radical   

n.激进份子，原子团，根号；adj.根本的，激进的，彻底的

参考例句：

• The patient got a radical cure in the hospital.病人在医院得到了根治。
• She is radical in her demands.她的要求十分偏激。

3 founders   

n.创始人( founder的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• He was one of the founders of the university's medical faculty. 他是该大学医学院的创建人之一。 来自辞典例句
• The founders of our religion made this a cornerstone of morality. 我们宗教的创始人把这看作是道德的基石。 来自辞典例句

4 toil   

vi.辛劳工作，艰难地行动；n.苦工，难事

参考例句：

• The wealth comes from the toil of the masses.财富来自大众的辛勤劳动。
• Every single grain is the result of toil.每一粒粮食都来之不易。

5 imperative   

n.命令，需要；规则；祈使语气；adj.强制的；紧急的

参考例句：

• He always speaks in an imperative tone of voice.他老是用命令的口吻讲话。
• The events of the past few days make it imperative for her to act.过去这几天发生的事迫使她不得不立即行动。

6 citizenship   

n.市民权，公民权，国民的义务(身份)

参考例句：

• He was born in Sweden,but he doesn't have Swedish citizenship.他在瑞典出生，但没有瑞典公民身分。
• Ten years later,she chose to take Australian citizenship.十年后，她选择了澳大利亚国籍。