《跟奥巴马学英语》试读：《跟奥巴马学英语》第一部分

    DECLARATION OF CANDIDACY     February 10, 2007 | Springfield, Illinois     Let me begin by saying thanks to all of you who’ve traveled, from far and wide, to brave the cold today.     We all made this journey for a reason. It’s humbling, but in my heart I know you didn’t come here just for me; you came here because you believe in what this country can be. In the face of war, you believe there can be peace. In the face of despair, you believe there can be hope. In the face of a politics that’s shut you out, that’s told you to settle, that’s divided us for too long, you believe we can be one people, reaching for what’s possible, building that more perfect union.     That’s the journey we’re on today. But let me tell you how I came to be here. As most of you know, I am not a native of this great state. I moved to Illinois over two decades ago. I was a young man then, just a year out of college; I knew no one in Chicago, was without money or family connections. But a group of churches had offered me a job as a community organizer for $13,000 a year. And I accepted the job, sight unseen, motivated then by a single, simple,     candidacy[?k?nd?d?s?]n.候选人的资格(或身份)。例:The Democratic Party gave its wholehearted support to his presidential candidacy.民主党全力支持他成为总统候选人。     Illinois伊利诺伊州,首府为 Springfield斯普林菲尔德。伊利诺伊州州名源自曾在此居住的伊利尼维克(Illiniwek)印第安人部落,Illinois是法国殖民者根据此部落名称变形得来。由于美国前总统林肯的政治生涯始于1834年当选伊利诺伊州议员,因此,伊利诺伊州也被称为“林肯之地”。     far and wide 到处,四面八方。far and near 也可表示同样的意思。例:They searched far and wide for the missing child.他们到处寻找失踪的孩子。People came from far and near to hear the famous violinist.人们从四面八方赶来听这位着名小提琴家的演奏。     brave [brev] v.以无畏的精神忍受或面对。brave the cold 冒着严寒;brave dangers 冒着危险。     humble [?h?mbl?] 原意为“卑微”。这里“It’s humbling.”是奥巴马一种谦虚的说法,也是美国领导人在发表就职演说等重要演讲的时候常用的表达方式,表达的意思是“我很荣幸、我很感激、我感到自己很微不足道”。例:I’m honored and humbled to stand here.我很荣幸能够站在这里。     shut sb/sth out (of sth) 排除,将某人/某物关在外面。例:The government wants to shut the refugees out. 政府不愿意接收难民。     settle 原意为定居、安定,这里引申为安于现状。     reach for 原意为伸出(手)以触到、抓到或拿到某物,此处引申为“实现”。。例:He reached for his gun.他伸手去拿枪。     native [?net?v] n.本地人,当地人。例:He speaks English so well, that he''s often taken for a native.他的英语说的那样好,常被人误认为英国人。     this great state指伊利诺伊州;state[steit]n.州;United States of America 美利坚合众国。例:The combination of the 50 states forms the United States of America .五十个州结为一体组成了美利坚合众国。     family connections 亲属,亲戚。     sight unseen 原意为事先未经检查,此处引申为“毫不犹豫地接受了这份工作”。例:You should never buy a car sight unseen.买汽车时,事先未经检查可千万不要买。     motivate [?mot??vet] v.激励。     powerful idea-that I might play a small part in building a better America.     My work took me to some of Chicago’s poorest neighborhoods. I joined with pastors and laypeople to deal with communities that had been ravaged by plant closings. I saw that the problems people faced weren’t simply local in nature- that the decision to close a steel mill was made by distant executives; that the lack of textbooks and computers in schools could be traced to the skewed priorities of politicians a thousand miles away; and that when a child turns to violence, there’s a hole in his heart no government alone can fill.     It was in these neighborhoods that I received the best education I ever had, and where I learned the true meaning of my Christian faith.     After three years of this work, I went to law school, because I wanted to understand how the law should work for those in need. I became a civil rights lawyer and taught constitutional law, and after a time, I came to understand that our cherished rights of liberty and equality depend on the active participation of an awakened electorate. It was with these ideas in mind that I arrived in this capital city as a State Senator.     pastor[''p?st?]n. 牧师。     laypeople n. 教友,未担任神职的一般信徒。     ravage [?r?v?d?] v.毁坏,破坏,掠夺,蹂躏。     plant 工厂,多用于美式英语,指从事工业或制造业生产的工厂。例: power plant发电厂; chemical plant 化工厂。     mill 工厂,含义较为狭窄,限用于某些原材料的加工。例:steel mill钢厂;paper mill造纸厂。     be traced (back) to…… 追溯到……。 例:Her fear of water can be traced back to a childhood accident.她很怕水,起因可追溯到儿时的一次事故。     skew [skju]原意为歪、斜、偏。这里引申为“(政客的施政)不当。”     priority [pra???r?t?] n.优先权,重点,重点考虑的事。     the lack of……a thousand miles away学校缺少课本和计算机可以追溯到千里之外政客们的施政不当。     turn to sb/sth 向某人/某物寻求帮助。例:She has nobody she can turn to.她求助无门。The more depressed he got, the more his turned to drink.他情绪越是低落越是借酒消愁。     Christian faith基督教信仰。世界三大宗教:基督教Christianism、伊斯兰教Islam、佛教Buddhism。     law school指哈佛大学法学院。哈佛大学 (Harvard University) 是美国历史最悠久的一流学府之一,坐落于马萨诸塞州剑桥,为美国培养出了众多的政治家、科学家、企业家、作家和学者。     civil rights公民权利,民权。     constitutional law宪法。     cherish [?t??r??] v.珍爱,珍视。例:One of our cherished privileges is the right of free speech.言论自由是我们所珍视的权利之一。     electorate全体选民。     capital city此处指伊利诺伊州首府斯普林菲尔德市。     State Senator州参议员。美国国会U.S. Congress 由参议院The Senate和众议院The House of Representatives组成。参议员 Senator;众议员Representative。     converge [k?n?v?d?] v.聚集;会于一点。     It was here, in Springfield, where I saw all that is America converge-farmers and teachers, businessmen and laborers, all of them with a story to tell, all of them seeking a seat at the table, all of them clamoring to be heard. I made lasting friendships here-friends that I see in the audience today.     It was here we learned to disagree without being disagreeable- that it’s possible to compromise so long as you know those principles that can never be compromised; and that so long as we’re willing to listen to each other, we can assume the best in people instead of the worst.     That’s why we were able to reform a death penalty system that was broken. That’s why we were able to give health insurance to children in need. That’s why we made the tax system more fair and just for working families, and that’s why we passed ethics reforms that the cynics said could never, ever be passed.     It was here, in Springfield, where north, south, east, and west come together that I was reminded of the essential decency of the American people-where I came to believe that through this decency, we can build a more hopeful America.     And that is why, in the shadow of the Old State Capitol, where Lincoln once called on a divided house to stand together, where common hopes and common dreams still live, I stand before you today to announce my candidacy for President of the United States.     I recognize there is a certain presumptuousness-a certain audacity-to this     converge [k?n?v?d?] v.聚集;会于一点。     clamor [?kl?m?] v.喧嚷,大声要求。     lasting [?l?st??] adj.永恒的,持久的。例:a lasting friendship 永恒的友谊。     audience [??d??ns] n.听众,观众,读者。     disagreeable [?d?s??gri?bl?] adj.不愉快的,不友善的,令人不快的。     compromise [?kɑmpr??ma?z] v.妥协,折衷。     so long as只要。例:so long as we’re willing to listen to each other只要我们愿意倾听对方的意见。     death penalty死刑。     health insurance健康保险。     ethics [????ks] n.伦理学,道德规范。     cynic [?s?n?k] n.愤世嫉俗者。     decency [?disn?s?] n.正统,正派。     Old State Capitol州议会大楼。     call on 此处意为号召,呼吁。还可意为:拜访;要求,请求。例:He often calls on me.他常来拜访我。He called on his friends to help him.他向朋友求助。     presumptuousness [pr??z?mpt?u?sn?s] n.自以为是。     announcement. I know I haven’t spent a lot of time learning the ways of Washington. But I’ve been there long enough to know that the ways of Washington must change.     The genius of our founders is that they designed a system of government that can be changed. And we should take heart, because we’ve changed this country before. In the face of tyranny, a band of patriots brought an empire to its knees. In the face of secession, we unified a nation and set the captives free. In the face of Depression, we put people back to work and lifted millions out of poverty. We welcomed immigrants to our shores, we opened railroads to the west, we landed a man on the moon, and we heard a King’s call to let justice roll down like water, and righteousness like a mighty stream.     Each and every time, a new generation has risen up and done what’s needed to be done. Today we are called once more-and it is time for our generation to answer that call.     For that is our unyielding faith-that in the face of impossible odds, people who love their country can change it.     That’s what Abraham Lincoln understood. He had his doubts. He had his defeats. He had his     audacity[??d?s?t?] n.大胆,狂妄。     genius [?d?inj?s] n.天才。     take heart振作起来,树立信心。例:I''m afraid he''s about to give up. I wish we could do something to make him take heart.我担心他会灰心丧气,但愿我们能作些努力使他振作起来。     tyranny [?t?r?n?] n.专制,暴政。in the face of tyranny 面对暴政。     patriot [?petr??t] n.爱国者。a band of patriots一批爱国者。     bring to one''s knees 迫使某人屈服。例:Nothing could bring us to our knees. 什么也不能使我们屈服。     secession [s??s???n] n.分裂,退出,分离。例:The secession of some southern states from the U.S.A. in the 1860s led to a civil war.十九世纪六十年代美国南部一些州退出联邦导致了一场内战。     set free释放,使获得自由。captive原意为战俘,俘虏,此处指黑人奴隶。     Depression指the Great Depression大萧条(1929-1933)。     land [l?nd] v.(使)登岸、(使)着陆。     King指Martin Luter King 马丁·路得·金,美国着名的黑人民权领袖,组织了美国历史上影响深远的“自由进军”运动并发表着名演说《我有一个梦想》(I Have a Dream)。     roll down 滚下。例:The stone rolled down the hill.石头滚下了山。She could not help her tears of gratitude rolling down her face.她不禁流下了感激的泪水。     righteousness 正义。     let justice roll down like water, and righteousness like a mighty stream让公平似水奔流、正义如泉喷涌。     each and every time 每一次。     answer the call相应号召。     unyielding faith不屈的信念。     odds [ɑds] n.可能性,机会。例:The odds are that he will fail his examination.他很可能通不过这次考试。     setbacks. But through his will and his words, he moved a nation and helped free a people. It is because of the millions who rallied to his cause that we are no longer divided, North and South, slave and free. It is because men and women of every race, from every walk of life, continued to march for freedom long after Lincoln was laid to rest, that today we have the chance to face the challenges of this millennium together, as one people- as Americans.     All of us know what those challenges are today-a war with no end, a dependence on oil that threatens our future, schools where too many children aren’t learning, and families struggling paycheck to paycheck despite working as hard as they can. We know the challenges. We’ve heard them. We’ve talked about them for years.     What’s stopped us from meeting these challenges is not the absence of sound policies and sensible plans. What’s stopped us is the failure of leadership, the smallness of our politics-the ease with which we’re distracted by the petty and trivial, our chronic avoidance of tough decisions, our preference for scoring cheap political points instead of rolling up our sleeves and building a working consensus to tackle big problems.     For the last six years we’ve been told that our mounting debts don’t matter, we’ve been told that the anxiety Americans feel about rising health care costs and stagnant wages are an     setback [?s?t?b?k] n.挫折。     will意志。Where there is a will, there is a way.有志者,事竟成。     cause 事业。例:Sports cause itself is a social public welfare cause.体育事业本身就是一项社会性的公益事业。     every walk of life各行各业。     be laid to rest下葬,安葬。     millennium [m??l?n??m] n.千禧年,一千年。     paycheck [?pe?t??k] n.工资。     sound adj.正确的。     sensible adj.合情理的,切合实际的。     petty [?p?t?] adj.不重要的。     trivial [?tr?v??l] adj.琐碎的,不重要的。     chronic [?krɑn?k] adj.长期的,慢性的。     tough decision 艰难的决定。     preference for 对……的偏爱。例:She has a preference for blue.她特别喜欢蓝色.     score [skor] v.得分。     roll up one''s sleeves 挽起袖子。     consensus [k?n?s?ns?s] n.一致,共识。例:Can we reach a consensus on this issue?我们能在这个问题上达成一致吗?     tackle the problem解决问题。     mount [maunt] v.增加,上升。例:mounting tension不断加剧的紧张状况。     anxiety [???za??t?] n. 焦虑,不安。     stagnant [?st?gn?nt] adj.停滞的。     illusion, we’ve been told that climate change is a hoax, and that tough talk and an ill-conceived war can replace diplomacy, and strategy, and foresight. And when all else fails, when Katrina happens, or the death toll in Iraq mounts, we’ve been told that our crises are somebody else’s fault. We’re distracted from our real failures and told to blame the other party, or gay people, or immigrants.     And as people have looked away in disillusionment and frustration, we know what’s filled the void. The cynics, and the lobbyists, and the special interests who’ve turned our government into a game only they can afford to play. They write the checks and you get stuck with the bills, they get the access while you get to write a letter, they think they own this government, but we’re here today to take it back. The time for that politics is over. It’s time to turn the page.     We’ve made some progress already. I was proud to help lead the fight in Congress that led to the most sweeping ethics reform since Watergate.     stagnant [?st?gn?nt] adj.停滞的。     illusion [??lju??n] n.错觉。     hoax [hoks] n.恶作剧。     tough talk 强硬的言辞。     ill-conceived 考虑欠周的。     foresight 深谋远虑,先见之明。     Katrina卡特里娜飓风。     death toll死亡人数。     distract [d??str?kt] v.使(人)分心,分散(注意力)。例:Don''t distract my attention.不要分散我的注意力。     gay people 同性恋,尤指男同性恋。lesbian 女同性恋。     look away 不再看(某人或某物),把目光移向别处。例:She looked away from the tragic scene. 她掉过头去,不忍看那一幕惨象。     disillusionment [?d?s??lu??nm?nt] n.幻灭。     frustration [?fr?s?tre??n] n.挫败,挫折。     void [v??d] n.空白。     lobbyist [?lɑb??st] n.说客,游说议员者。     get stuck with无法摆脱。例:I’m stuck with my sister for the whole day.我一整天都让妹妹给缠住了。     turn the page 翻页,翻开新的一页。     be proud of/to 自豪。     Congress(美国)国会。美国国会US Congress由参议院Senate和众议院House of Representatives组成。     sweeping [?swip??] adj.意义深远的;全面的。     Watergate水门事件。美国历史上最不光彩的政治丑闻之一。在1972年的总统大选中,为了取得民主党内部竞选策略的情报,美国共和党尼克松 <http://baike.baidu.com/view/21648.htm>竞选班子成员闯入位于华盛顿水门大厦的民主党全国总部,在安装窃听器并偷拍有关文件时当场被捕。后来,尼克松总统宣布辞职,成为美国历史上首位辞职的总统。水门事件后,每当国家领导人遭遇执政危机或执政丑闻,便通常会被国际新闻界冠之以“门”(gate)的名     But Washington has a long way to go. And it won’t be easy. That’s why we’ll have to set priorities. We’ll have to make hard choices. And although government will play a crucial role in bringing about the changes we need, more money and programs alone will not get us where we need to go. Each of us, in our own lives, will have to accept responsibility-for instilling an ethic of achievement in our children, for adapting to a more competitive economy, for strengthening our communities, and sharing some measure of sacrifice. So let us begin. Let us begin this hard work together. Let us transform this nation.     Let us be the generation that reshapes our economy to compete in the digital age. Let’s set high standards for our schools and give them the resources they need to succeed. Let’s recruit a new army of teachers and give them better pay and more support in exchange for more accountability. Let’s make college more affordable, and let’s invest in scientific research, and let’s lay down broadband lines through the heart of inner cities and rural towns all across America.     And as our economy changes, let’s be the generation that ensures our nation’s workers are sharing in our prosperity. Let’s protect the hard-earned benefits their companies have promised. Let’s make it possible for hardworking Americans to save for retirement. And let’s allow our unions and their organizers to lift up this country’s middle class again.     Let’s be the generation that ends poverty in America. Every single person willing to work should be able to get job training that leads to a job, and earn a living wage that can pay the bills, and afford child care so their kids have a safe place to go when they work. Let’s do this.     Let’s be the generation that finally tackles our health care crisis. We can control costs by     称,如“伊朗门”、“拉链门 <http://baike.baidu.com/view/1044089.htm>”、“虐囚门 <http://baike.baidu.com/view/2196250.htm>”等。     instill [?n?st?l] v.逐渐使人获得(某种可取的品质),逐步灌输。例:instill a sense of responsibility 逐步培养责任感。     ethic [????k] n.道德规范,伦理。     adapt to 适应。例:The new students are very slow to adapt to the rules.新生对于那些规定适应得很慢。     sacrifice [?s?kr??fa?s] n.牺牲。     recruit [r??krut] v.招聘,招募。     accountability [??kaunt??b?l?t?] n.有责任,有义务。     prosperity [prɑs?p?r?t?] n.繁荣。     hard-earned [?hɑrd??nd] adj.辛苦得到的。     middle class 中产阶级。另外美国社会中还存在着upper class(上层社会)和lower class(下层社会)。     tackle [?t?kl?] v.解决,处理,应对。例:tackle the problem解决问题。     focusing on prevention, by providing better treatment to the chronically ill, and using technology to cut the bureaucracy. Let’s be the generation that says right here, right now, that we will have universal health care in America by the end of the next President’s first term.     Let’s be the generation that finally frees America from the tyranny of oil. We can harness homegrown, alternative fuels like ethanol and spur the production of more fuel-efficient cars. We can set up a system for capping greenhouse gases. We can turn this crisis of global warming into a moment of opportunity for innovation, and job creation, and an incentive for businesses that will serve as a model for the world. Let’s be the generation that makes future generations proud of what we did here.     Most of all, let’s be the generation that never forgets what happened on that September day and confront the terrorists with everything we’ve got. Politics doesn’t have to divide us on this anymore-we can work together to keep our country safe. I’ve worked with Republican Senator Dick Lugar to pass a law that will secure and destroy some of the world’s deadliest, unguarded weapons. We can work together to track terrorists down with a stronger military, we can tighten the net around their finances, and we can improve our intelligence capabilities. But let us also understand that ultimate victory against our enemies will come only by rebuilding our     chronically ill 慢性病。     bureaucracy [bju?rɑkr?s?] n.官僚机构,官僚主义。     universal [?jun??v?sl?] adj.普遍的,广泛的。     presidential term 总统任期。     harness [?hɑrn?s] v.利用。例:We can harness the power of the wind to make electricity.我们可以利用风力发电。     alternative fuels替代燃料。     ethanol [?????nol] n.乙醇,酒精。     spur [sp?] v.鼓励,激励。     cap v.覆盖,笼罩。此处引申为控制。     greenhouse gas 温室气体。     innovation [??n??ve??n] n.创新,革新。     incentive [?n?s?nt?v] n.刺激,动机。     confront [k?n?fr?nt] v.面对,对抗;遭遇。例:A soldier often has to confront danger.士兵常常要身临险境。He will never confront you.他永远都不会同你对抗的。     deadly [?d?dl?] adj.致命的。例:Cancer is a deadly disease.癌症是一种致命的疾病。     track down 追捕到,追查出。例:All citizens should help the police in tracking the criminals down.所有市民都应该帮助警察追捕罪犯。     intelligence [?n?t?l?d??ns] n.情报,信息。Central Intelligence Agency(CIA)中央情报局。     ultimate [??lt?m?t] adj.最终的。ultimate victory最终的胜利。