VOA常速英语2017--特朗普宣誓就职（在线收听）

Today, in a ceremony as old as the Republic, President Donald Trump will begin his first term by taking the oath of office. For more than 200 years, this pledge has sealed the transfer of power and the wishes of Americans as expressed every four years at the ballot box. It is a hallmark of our democratic system.

今天，在一个自共和制美国的伊始就存在的仪式上，总统特朗普将宣誓就职，开启他的第一届任期。200多年来，这个就职宣誓象征着权利的移交，也标志着美国人民通过每4年一次的选举投票行为来表达的愿望。它同时也是我们民主体系的标志。

In taking this oath, the President affirms his loyalty to the U.S. Constitution. Whatever his personal feelings, party loyalty or religious convictions, he or she is bound to follow the provisions of these fundamental laws. Should a President fail in this duty, he or she, like other government officials, can be impeached and removed from office.

任何美国总统宣誓就职的行为都相当于公开声明了其忠于美国宪法。无论他/她的个人感受、所属党派亦或宗教信仰为何，他/她都必须遵守宪法这一根本大法的条文规定。倘若总统出现失职行为，那么他/她和其他政府官员一样，都要遭到弹劾和撤职。

From the beginning, the United States has been, in the words of John Adams, the second U.S. president, a "government of laws and not of men."

美国自成立之初，用约翰?亚当斯（第二任美国总统）的话来说，就是一个“法治而非人治的国家。”

By subordinating political power to the rule of law, Americans have ensured the protection of their rights and the survival of their freedom. As President George Washington said at his first inauguration, "the preservation of the sacred fire of liberty and the destiny of the republican model of government democracy are justly considered, perhaps, as deeply, and finally, staked on the experiment entrusted to the hands of the American people."

通过让政权服从于法治的方式，美国人确保了对自身权利和自由的保护。正如乔治华盛顿总统在其第一次就职宣誓中所说的那样，“我们要恰当考虑对自由这一神圣之火以及政府民主的共和制宿命的保留，其程度深浅将最终由我们委托于美国人民手中的投票来决定。

Inauguration Day is more than the swearing in of an elected leader. It is a process and a spirit. It is democracy in action.

美国总统就职日并不仅仅是某个当选领导人的宣誓而已。它更是一个过程和一种精神。他是民主的践行。