米歇尔中英文演讲

弗吉尼亚州，阿林顿市，2009年9月8日嗨，大家好！你们今天过得怎么样？我现在和弗吉尼亚州阿林顿郡韦克菲尔德高中的学生们在一起，全国各地也有从幼儿园到高三的众多学生们通过电视关注这里，我很高兴你们能共同分享这一时刻。我知道，对你们中的许多人来说，今天是开学的第一天，你们中的有一些刚刚进入幼儿园或升上初高中，对你们来说，这是在新学校的第一天，因此，假如你们感到有些紧张，那也是很正常的。我想也会有许多毕业班的学生们正自信满满地准备最后一年的冲刺。不过，我想无论你有多大、在读哪个年级，许多人都打心底里希望现在还在放暑假，以及今天不用那么早起床。我可以理解这份心情。小时候，我们家在印度尼西亚住过几年，而我妈妈没钱送我去其他美国孩子们上学的地方去读书，因此她决定自己给我上课——时间是每周一到周五的凌晨4点半。显然，我不怎么喜欢那么早就爬起来，很多时候，我就这么在厨房的桌子前睡着了。每当我埋怨的时候，我妈总会用同一副表情看着我说：“小鬼，你以为教你我就很轻松？”所以，我可以理解你们中的许多人对于开学还需要时间来调整和适应，但今天我站在这里，是为了和你们谈一些重要的事情。我要和你们谈一谈你们每个人的教育，以及在新的学年里，你们应当做些什么。我做过许多关于教育的讲话，也常常用到“责任”这个词。我谈到过教师们有责任激励和启迪你们，督促你们学习。我谈到过家长们有责任看管你们认真学习、完成作业，不要成天只会看电视或打游戏机。我也很多次谈到过政府有责任设定高标准严要求、协助老师和校长们的工作，改变在有些学校里学生得不到应有的学习机会的现状。但哪怕这一切都达到最好，哪怕我们有最尽职的教师、最好的家长、和最优秀的学校，假如你们不去履行自己的责任的话，那么这一切努力都会白费。——除非你每天准时去上学、除非你认真地听老师讲课、除非你把父母、长辈和其他大人们说的话放在心上、除非你肯付出成功所必需的努力，否则这一切都会失去意义。而这就是我今天讲话的主题：对于自己的教育，你们中每一个人的责任。首先，我想谈谈你们对于自己有什么责任。你们中的每一个人都会有自己擅长的东西，每一个人都是有用之材，而发现自己的才能是什么，就是你们要对自己担起的责任。教育给你们提供了发现自己才能的机会。或许你能写出优美的文字——甚至有一天能让那些文字出现在书籍和报刊上——但假如不在英语课上经常练习写作，你不会发现自己有这样的天赋；或许你能成为一个发明家、创造家——甚至设计出像今天的iPhone一样流行的产品，或研制出新的药物与疫苗——但假如不在自然科学课程上做上几次实验，你不会知道自己有这样的天赋；或许你能成为一名议员或最高法院法官，但假如你不去加入什么学生会或参加几次辩论赛，你也不会发现自己的才能。而且，我可以向你保证，不管你将来想要做什么，你都需要相应的教育。——你想当名医生、当名教师或当名警官？你想成为护士、成为建筑设计师、律师或军人？无论你选择哪一种职业，良好的教育都必不可少，这世上不存在不把书念完就能拿到好工作的美梦，任何工作，都需要你的汗水、训练与学习。不仅仅对于你们个人的未来有重要意义，你们的教育如何也会对这个国家、乃至世界的未来产生重要影响。今天你们在学校中学习的内容，将会决定我们整个国家在未来迎接重大挑战时的表现。你们需要在数理科学课程上学习的知识和技能，去治疗癌症、艾滋那样的疾病，和解决我们面临的能源问题与环境问题；你们需要在历史社科课程上培养出的观察力与判断力，来减轻和消除无家可归与贫困、犯罪问题和各种歧视，让这个国家变得更加公平和自由；你们需要在各类课程中逐渐累积和发展出来的创新意识和思维，去创业和建立新的公司与企业，来制造就业机会和推动经济的增长。我们需要你们中的每一个人都培养和发展自己的天赋、技能和才智，来解决我们所面对的最困难的问题。假如你不这么做——假如你放弃学习——那么你不仅是放弃了自己，也是放弃了你的国家。当然，我明白，读好书并不总是件容易的事。我知道你们中的许多人在生活中面临着各种各样的问题，很难把精力集中在专心读书之上。我知道你们的感受。我父亲在我两岁时就离开了家庭，是母亲一人将我们拉扯大，有时她付不起帐单，有时我们得不到其他孩子们都有的东西，有时我会想，假如父亲在该多好，有时我会感到孤独无助，与周围的环境格格不入。因此我并不总是能专心学习，我做过许多自己觉得丢脸的事情，也惹出过许多不该惹的麻烦，我的生活岌岌可危，随时可能急转直下。但我很幸运。我在许多事上都得到了重来的机会，我得到了去大学读法学院、实现自己梦想的机会。我的妻子——现在得叫她第一夫人米歇尔·奥巴马了——也有着相似的人生故事，她的父母都没读过大学，也没有什么财产，但他们和她都辛勤工作，好让她[本_文_来_源_于_我_的_学_习_网 ]有机会去这个国家最优秀的学校读书。你们中有些人可能没有这些有利条件，或许你的生活中没有能为你提供帮助和支持的长辈，或许你的某个家长没有工作、经济拮据，或许你住的社区不那么安全，或许你认识一些会对你产生不良影响的朋友，等等。但归根结底，你的生活状况——你的长相、出身、经济条件、家庭氛围——都不是疏忽学业和态度恶劣的借口，这些不是你去跟老师顶嘴、逃课、或是辍学的借口，这些不是你不好好读书的借口。你的未来，并不取决于你现在的生活有多好或多坏。没有人为你编排好你的命运，在美国，你的命运由你自己书写，你的未来由你自己掌握。而在这片土地上的每个地方，千千万万和你一样的年轻人正是这样在书写着自己的命运。例如德克萨斯州罗马市的贾斯敏·佩雷兹（Jazmin Perez）。刚进学校时，她根本不会说英语，她住的地方几乎没人上过大学，她的父母也没有受过高等教育，但她努力学习，取得了优异的成绩，靠奖学金进入了布朗大学，如今正在攻读公共卫生专业的博士学位。我还想起了加利福尼亚州洛斯拉图斯市的安多尼·舒尔兹（Andoni Schultz），他从三岁起就开始与脑癌病魔做斗争，他熬过了一次次治疗与手术——其中一次影响了他的记忆，因此他得花出比常人多几百个小时的时间来完成学业，但他从不曾落下自己的功课。这个秋天，他要开始在大学读书了。又比如在我的家乡，伊利诺斯州芝加哥市，身为孤儿的香特尔·史蒂夫（Shantell Steve）换过多次收养家庭，从小在治安很差的地区长大，但她努力争取到了在当地保健站工作的机会、发起了一个让青少年远离犯罪团伙的项目，很快，她也将以优异的成绩从中学毕业，去大学深造。贾斯敏、安多尼和香特尔与你们并没有什么不同。和你们一样，他们也在生活中遭遇各种各样的困难与问题，但他们拒绝放弃，他们选择为自己的教育担起责任、给自己定下奋斗的目标。我希望你们中的每一个人，都能做得到这些。因此，在今天，我号召你们每一个人都为自己的教育定下一个目标——并在之后，尽自己的一切努力去实现它。你的目标可以很简单，像是完成作业、认真听讲或每天阅读——或许你打算参加一些课外活动，或在社区做些志愿工作；或许你决定为那些因为长相或出身等等原因而受嘲弄或欺负的孩子做主、维护他们的权益，因为你和我一样，认为每个孩子都应该能有一个安全的学习环境；或许你认为该学着更好的照顾自己，来为将来的学习做准备……当然，除此之外，我希望你们都多多洗手、感到身体不舒服的时候要多在家休息，免得大家在秋冬感冒高发季节都得流感。不管你决定做什么，我都希望你能坚持到底，希望你能真的下定决心。我知道有些时候，电视上播放的节目会让你产生这样那样的错觉，似乎你不需要付出多大的努力就能腰缠万贯、功成名就——你会认为只要会唱rap、会打篮球或参加个什么真人秀节目就能坐享其成，但现实是，你几乎没有可能走上其中任何一条道路。因为，成功是件难事。你不可能对要读的每门课程都兴趣盎然，你不可能和每名带课教师都相处顺利，你也不可能每次都遇上看起来和现实生活有关的作业。而且，并不是每件事，你都能在头一次尝试时获得成功。但那没有关系。因为在这个世界上，最最成功的人们往往也经历过最多的失败。J.K.罗琳的第一本《哈利·波特》被出版商拒绝了十二次才最终出版；迈克尔·乔丹上高中时被学校的篮球队刷了下来，在他的职业生涯里，他输了几百场比赛、投失过几千次射篮，知道他是怎么说的吗？“我一生不停地失败、失败再失败，这就是我现在成功的原因。”他们的成功，源于他们明白人不能让失败左右自己——而是要从中吸取经验。从失败中，你可以明白下一次自己可以做出怎样的改变；假如你惹了什么麻烦，那并不说明你就是个捣蛋贵，而是在提醒你，在将来要对自己有更严格的要求；假如你考了个低分，那并不说明你就比别人笨，而是在告诉你，自己得在学习上花更多的时间。没有哪一个人一生出来就擅长做什么事情的，只有努力才能培养出技能。任何人都不是在第一次接触一项体育运动时就成为校队的代表，任何人都不是在第一次唱一首歌时就找准每一个音，一切都需要熟能生巧。对于学业也是一样，你或许要反复运算才能解出一道数学题的正确答案，你或许需要读一段文字好几遍才能理解它的意思，你或许得把论文改上好几次才能符合提交的标准。这都是很正常的。不要害怕提问。不要不敢向他人求助。——我每天都在这么做。求助并不是软弱的表现，恰恰相反，它说明你有勇气承认自己的不足、并愿意去学习新的知识。所以，有不懂时，就向大人们求助吧——找个你信得过的对象，例如父母、长辈、老师、教练或辅导员——让他们帮助你向目标前进。你要记住，哪怕你表现不好、哪怕你失去信心、哪怕你觉得身边的人都已经放弃了你——永远不要自己放弃自己。因为当你放弃自己的时候，你也放弃了自己的国家。美国不是一个人们遭遇困难就轻易放弃的国度，在这个国家，人们坚持到底、人们加倍努力，为了他们所热爱的国度，每一个人都尽着自己最大的努力，不会给自己留任何余地。250年前，有一群和你们一样的学生，他们之后奋起努力、用一场革命最终造就了这个国家；75年前，有一群和你们一样的学生，他们之后战胜了大萧条、赢得了二战；就在20年前，和你们一样的学生们，他们后来创立了Google、Twitter和Facebook，改变了我们人与人之间沟通的方式。因此，今天我想要问你们，你们会做出什么样的贡献？你们将解决什么样的难题？你们能发现什么样的事物？二十、五十或百年之后，假如那时的美国总统也来做一次开学演讲的话，他会怎样描述你们对这个国家所做的一切？你们的家长、你们的老师和我，每一个人都在尽最大的努力，确保你们都能得到应有的教育来回答这些问题。例如我正在努力为你们提供更安全的教室、更多的书籍、更先进的设施与计算机。但你们也要担起自己的责任。因此我要求你们在今年能够认真起来，我要求你们尽心地去做自己着手的每一件事，我要求你们每一个人都有所成就。请不要让我们失望——不要让你的家人、你的国家和你自己失望。你们要成为我们骄傲，我知道，你们一定可以做到。谢谢大家，上帝保佑你们，上帝保佑美国。

hao. It is truly a pleasure to be here at the Number Seven School. Thank you so much for your warm welcome.Now, before I get started, on behalf of myself and my husband, I want to say that our hearts go out to all those with loved ones on Malaysia Airlines Flight 370. As I said this past weekend when I spoke at Peking University, we are very much keeping all of them in our thoughts and our prayers at this tremendously difficult time.So now, let me start by thanking your Principal, Principal Liu, and your classmate, Ju Chao, for that wonderful introduction. Your English, Ju Chao, is excellent, and you should be very proud. Thank you so much. (Applause.) And I want to thank all of the students here today, both those of you here in person and those of you joining remotely from across the region. I’m thrilled to be visiting your wonderful school.Now, in preparation for this visit, before I left the U.S. I visited the Yu Ying School. It’s a public school near the White House in Washington, D.C., and all of the students at this school study Chinese. And I met with the sixth-grade class, kids who are 11 and 12 years old. They had recently taken a trip here to China, and they were bursting with excitement. They were eager to tell me about everything about what they had seen.But they admitted that before their trip, they had all kinds of misconceptions about China. They thought they would see palaces and temples everywhere they went, but instead they found massive cities filled with skyscrapers. They weren’t sure that they’d like the food here in China, but they actually loved it, and they learned how to use chopsticks. And in the end, one of the students told me –- and this is his quote -- he said, “Coming home was really exciting, but was at the same time sad.”Now, meeting these students reminded me that when we live so far away from each other, it’s easy to develop all kinds of misconceptions and stereotypes. It’s easy to focus on our differences –- how we speak different languages and eat different foods and observe different traditions. But as I travel the world, and I meet young people from so many countries, I’m always struck by how much more we have in common. And that’s been particularly true during my visit here in China.You see, the truth is that I grew up like many of you. My mom, my dad, my brother and I, we lived in a tiny apartment in Chicago, which is one of the largest cities in America. My father worked at the local water plant. And we didn’t have much money, but our little home was bursting with love. Every evening, my family would laugh and share stories over dinner. We’d play card games and have fun for hours. And on summer nights, I remember, when our apartment got too hot, we’d all sleep outside on our back porch.Family meant everything to us, including our extended family. My grandparents lived nearby, and my elderly great aunt and uncle lived in the apartment downstairs from us. And when their health started to decline my parents stepped in, helping my uncle shave and dress each morning, dashing downstairs in the middle of the night to check on my aunt.So in my family, like in so many of your families, we took care of each other. And while we certainly weren’t rich, my parents had big dreams for me and my brother. They had only a high school education themselves, but they were determined to send us both to universities.So they poured all of their love and all of their hope into us, and they worked hard. They saved every penny. And I know that wasn’t easy for them, especially for my father. You see, my father had a serious illness called multiple sclerosis. And as he got sicker, it got harder for him to walk, and it took him longer to get dressed in the morning.But no matter how tired he felt, no matter how much pain he was in, my father hardly ever missed a day of work, because he was determined to give me and my brother a better life. And every day, like so many of you, I felt the weight of my parents’ sacrifices on my shoulders. Every day, I wanted to make them proud.So while most American kids attend public schools near their homes, when it was time for me to attend high school, I took an exam and got into a special public high school where I could get a better education. But the school was very far from my home, so I had to get up early every morning and ride a bus for an hour, sometimes an hour and a half if the weather was bad. And every afternoon, I’d ride that same bus back home and then immediately start my homework, often studying late into the night -- and sometimes I would wake up at 4:30 or 5:00 in the morning to study even more.And it wasn’t easy. But whenever I got tired or discouraged, I would just think about how hard my parents were working for me. And I would remember something my mother always told me –- she said: “A good education is something that no one can take away from you.”And when it was time for me to apply to university, I had many options, because in America, there are many kinds of universities. There are four-year universities. There are two-year community colleges which are less expensive. There are universities where you take classes at night while working during the day. So you don’t have to be a top student to attend a university. And even if your parents don’t have much money or you live in a tiny town in a rural area, in America, you can still attend university. And you can get scholarships and government loans to help pay your tuition.So I attended Princeton University for my undergraduate degree, and I went on to Harvard University for my graduate degree in law. And with those degrees I was able to become a lawyer at a large law firm, and then I worked as an executive at a city hospital, and then I was the director of an organization that helped disadvantaged young people.And my story isn’t unusual in America. Some of our most famous athletes, like LeBron James, and artists, like the singer Janelle Monae, came from struggling families like mine, as do many business leaders – like Howard Schultz. He’s the head of a company called Starbucks, which many of you may have heard of. When Mr. Schultz was a boy his father lost his job, leaving their family destitute. But Mr. Schultz worked hard. He got a scholarship to a university, and eventually built the largest coffeehouse company in the world.And then there’s this other guy I know who was raised by a single mother who sometimes struggled to afford food for their family. But like me, this guy got scholarships and loans to attend universities. He became a lawyer and a professor, and then he was a state senator and then a national senator. And then, he became President of the United States. This guy I’m talking about is my husband, Barack Obama. (Applause.)These stories are the stories of so many Americans, and of America itself. Because in America, we believe that no matter where you live or how much money your parents have, or what race or religion or ethnicity you are, if you work hard and believe in yourself, then you should have a chance to succeed. We also believe that everyone is equal, and that we all have the right to say what we think and worship as we choose, even when others don’t like what we say or don’t always agree with what we believe.Now of course, living up to these ideals isn’t always easy. And there have been times in our history where we have fallen short. Many decades ago, there were actually laws in America that allowed discrimination against black people like me, who are a minority in the United States. But over time, ordinary citizens decided that those laws were unfair. So they held peaceful protests and marches. They called on government officials to change those laws, and they voted to elect new officials who shared their views.And slowly but surely, America changed. We got rid of those unjust laws. And today, just 50 years later, my husband and I are President and First Lady of the United States. And that is really the story of America –- how over the course of our short history, through so many trials and struggles, we have become more equal, more inclusive, and more free.And today in America, people of every race, religion and ethnicity live together and work together to build a better life for their children and grandchildren. And in the end, that deep yearning to leave something better for those who come after us, that is something we all truly share. In fact, there’s a Chinese saying that I love that says, “To achieve true happiness, help the next generation.”And like so many of your parents, my parents sacrificed so much so that I could have opportunities they never dreamed of. And today, as a mother myself, I want even more opportunities for my own daughters. But of course, as I always tell my daughters, with opportunities come obligations.

优酷网，直接输入就有链接

巴拉克·奥巴马：今晚，此刻，我们相信 ――参议员巴拉克·奥巴马在艾奥瓦党团会议选举获胜之夜的演讲，2008年1月3日 巴拉克·奥巴马 文 海星 译 我衷心感谢艾奥瓦的公民们。 众所周知，有人说这一天永远不会到来。 有人说我们好高骛远。 有人说人民异见纷呈，悲观失望，不可能再为了一个共同的目标而众志成城。 但在这个一月的夜晚，在这个书写历史的时刻，你们做到了那些愤世嫉俗的人断言我们做不到的事。五天后新罕布什尔州的选民也将完成你们的壮举。在刚刚来到的2008年，美国人民也会完成同样的壮举。在学校和教堂，在小市镇和大城市，你们——民主党人、共和党人、无党派人士——熙熙攘攘地走到一起，自豪地宣称：我们是一个国家，我们是一个民族；变革的时刻已经到来。你们还说，华盛顿被冷酷、萎缩和愤怒所淹没，现在是超越这种政治手段、以相加替代分割的时刻，是在红州和蓝州建立变革联盟的时刻。这是因为我们将以此在11月取胜，我们也将以此面对我们国家面临的挑战。 我们选择希望，抛弃恐惧；我们选择联合，拒绝分裂；我们向美利坚高声宣布变革就在眼前。 你们宣布，政治说客自以为他们的财富和影响力比公众舆论的威力更大，但是他们并不拥有这个政府。政府是我们的，我们正在把它收回。 人民此刻需要这样一位总统：他能诚实面对机遇和挑战；即使跟人民见解不同也会倾听和了解他们的想法；他不仅要说人民愿意听到的话，更要提供人民需要知道的信息。如果新罕布什尔也给我今晚艾奥瓦给我的机会，我将会是这样一位总统。 感谢你们。 我会是这样一位总统：让每个人都能看上病和看得起病。我在伊利诺斯州就通过民主党人和共和党人的携手合作实现了这一目标。 我会是这样一位总统：终止所有把工作运往海外的公司的税收优惠政策，并给美国最值得享受减税的中产阶级减税。 我会是这样一位总统：让农场主、科学家和企业家发挥他们的创造力，使我们国家一劳永逸地摆脱石油的主宰。 最后，我会是这样一位总统：我要结束伊拉克战争并让我们的士兵回家；我要恢复我们的道德地位；我知道9/11不是骗取选票的借口，而是使美国和世界联合起来应对21世纪这个世界面临的共同威胁：恐怖主义和核扩散，全球变暖和贫困，种族屠杀和疾病。 今晚，因为艾奥瓦公民的选择，我们距离那样的美国蓝图又近了一步。在此，我特别想感谢选举的组织者和各个投票站的站长、志愿者和我的竞选团队的工作人员。没有你们就没有今晚的胜利。 当我站在这里表达谢意时，我想有必要感谢我的至爱，奥巴马家庭的坚实后盾，竞选旅途的殿后者，米歇尔·奥巴马。 我明白你们不是为了我才这样做的。你们这样做，你们这样做，是因为你们坚信一个美国信念，那就是，无论条件多么艰难困苦，相信这个国家的人是可以改变它的。 我明白这一点，我明白这一点，是因为虽然我此刻站在这里，我永远也不会忘记我的行程从芝加哥的街头开始。我曾经作过你们为我的竞选和艾奥瓦所有的竞选作过的一切：组织，工作，为了让人民的生活能够得到一点点改善而奋斗。 我知道这样的工作的艰辛，睡眠不足，薪酬低微，大量的自我牺牲，失望常常伴随着我们。但是偶尔，仅仅是偶尔，也会有象今晚这样的时刻，在这样一个夜晚，这样一个我们数年后想起来会自豪地说那个更好的美国就是从那个时刻开始的夜晚。在这样的美国，我们实现了我们坚信不移的变革：更多的家庭看得起病；我们的孩子，我的女儿玛利亚和萨沙和你们的孩子会生活在一个更干净和更安全的星球上；世界将以不同的眼光来看待美国，而美国将把自己看作一个更少歧见、更多团结的国家。 这一刻是勇往直前的人击败了华盛顿总是说战无不胜的人的时刻。 这一刻是我们拆除长久分裂我们的藩篱，让不同党派和不同年龄的人们为了一个共同的目的联合起来，并给那些从不过问政治的人们一个关心政治的理由的一刻。 这一刻是我们终于击退恐惧、疑虑和犬儒主义政治的一刻，是我们用国家携手向上替代政客相互践踏的政治的一刻。这是我们期待的那一刻。 数年后，遥想往事，你们也许会说，就是这一刻，在这个地方——美国人民记起希望究竟意味这什么。 几个月以来，我们因为谈论希望而遭到挖苦，甚至嘲弄。 但我们一直认为，希望不是盲目的乐观主义。希望不是忽视未来的艰巨任务或横亘在我们前行道路上的障碍。希望不是置身事外或从拼斗中退缩。希望是我们心中坚守一种东西：它告诉我们，不管遭遇多少艰难险阻，只要有勇气去争取，只要愿意付出努力和艰辛，更好的东西就会等待我们。 我在一个来自樟泉（Cedar Rapids）的年轻女士的眼中看到了希望：她白天全天在大学上课，晚上加夜班，但却仍然不能负担生病的妹妹的医疗费；但她仍相信这个国家会提供她实现梦想的机会。 我从一个来自新罕布什尔州的妇女的声音中听到了希望：她告诉我自从她的侄儿奔赴伊拉克战场她就一直感到气短；但是她每晚睡觉前都要为侄子的安全回归祈祷。 希望引领一群殖民者揭竿而起反对一个帝国；希望引领我们伟大的祖先解放了一个大陆，复活了一个民族；希望引领青年男女为了自由围坐在（不向黑人提供服务）的餐桌旁，引领他们勇敢地面对高压水龙，穿越（阿拉巴马州的）塞尔玛和蒙哥马利。 希望，希望引领我今天来到这里，——我的父亲来自肯尼亚，母亲来自堪萨斯，这样的故事只可能发生在美利坚合众国。希望是美利坚民族的基石，希望是我们执着的信仰：我们的命运不是被人写就，而是要由我们自己写就，由那些不愿意勉强接受这个世界并信心百倍地按照它应该变成的蓝图去改造它的男男女女们写就。 这就是我们从艾奥瓦开始的开拓，这也是我们要向新罕布什尔州和其他州传达的信息。我们顺利的时候没有忘记它，失利的时候也没有忘记它。这个信息可以帮助我们一块砖一块砖地、一条街道一条街道地、一只接一只布满老茧的手地去改变这个国家。团结起来，普通人也能铸就宏图伟业，因为我们不是红色的州或蓝色的州的组合，我们是美利坚合众州。在此刻，在这次选举中，我们乐于再次相信。谢谢，艾奥瓦。 关于这篇演讲的一些解释： 1）1月4日，艾奥瓦举行2008年总统选举全国第一次预选－－政党党团选举会议。奥巴马出奇制胜。这篇演讲是他在获胜后发表的讲话。在场听到他演讲的和后来看到他的演讲稿的美国学者、官员和普通人先后提出奥巴马不仅仅是一个候选人，他是一场运动。 2）奥巴马试图借艾奥瓦的东风在1月11日的新罕布什尔州的预选中击败对手希拉里·克林顿。当时的民调也显示奥巴马领先克林顿。但是，由于比尔·克林顿对奥巴马的攻击和希拉里·克林顿的第一次流泪，选民开始出现摇摆。最终希拉里在新罕布什尔获胜。 3）奥巴马本科毕业于哥伦比亚大学，之后在哈佛大学法学院获得法学博士。奥巴马的妻子米歇尔在芝加哥大学任职。他们有两个女儿。 4）奥巴马的父亲来自肯尼亚，据说是目前肯尼亚反对党领袖奥丁加的叔叔。他在夏威夷读书时认识了那里的研究生，奥巴马的母亲。奥巴马两岁的时候，他父亲返回非洲。 5）红州指共和党控制的州，蓝州指民主党势力大的州。 6）“希望引领青年男女为了自由围坐在（不向黑人提供服务）的餐桌旁，引领他们勇敢地面对高压水龙，穿越（阿拉巴马州的）塞尔玛和蒙哥马利。”这句话是指60年代黑人为了抵抗种族隔离举行的示威、静坐和游行。 更多了解美国选举制度和政党政治，2008年美国的大选，请点击本站系列专稿： 追踪美国大选（I）1月21日至2月7日、追踪美国大选（II）2月7日－2月29日“美国总统、总统选举和政党政治”、关中人：开场即惊心动魄的2008年美国大选 、斯坦福大学研究员：巴拉克·奥巴马有魅力没“理念” 、 关中人：911改变美国青年 美国青年改变美国政治、让奥巴马迈向白宫的演讲：希望就是勇气，希望就是力量 、巴拉克·奥巴马：今晚，此刻，我们相信、关中人：猜测奥巴马的中国政策、亚裔人支持克林顿 媒体影射其种族歧视、吕芳：从08大选看美国社会的族群分裂。 英文原文： Remarks of Senator Barack Obama: Iowa Caucus Night Des Moines, IA | January 03, 2008 Thank you, Iowa. You know, they said this day would never come. They said our sights were set too high. They said this country was too divided; too disillusioned to ever come together around a common purpose. But on this January night - at this defining moment in history - you have done what the cynics said we couldn't do. You have done what the state of New Hampshire can do in five days. You have done what America can do in this New Year, 2008. In lines that stretched around schools and churches; in small towns and big cities; you came together as Democrats, Republicans and Independents to stand up and say that we are one nation; we are one people; and our time for change has come. You said the time has come to move beyond the bitterness and pettiness and anger that's consumed Washington; to end the political strategy that's been all about division and instead make it about addition - to build a coalition for change that stretches through Red States and Blue States. Because that's how we'll win in November, and that's how we'll finally meet the challenges that we face as a nation. We are choosing hope over fear. We're choosing unity over division, and sending a powerful message that change is coming to America. You said the time has come to tell the lobbyists who think their money and their influence speak louder than our voices that they don't own this government, we do; and we are here to take it back. The time has come for a President who will be honest about the choices and the challenges we face; who will listen to you and learn from you even when we disagree; who won't just tell you what you want to hear, but what you need to know. And in New Hampshire, if you give me the same chance that Iowa did tonight, I will be that president for America. Thank you. I'll be a President who finally makes health care affordable and available to every single American the same way I expanded health care in Illinois - by--by bringing Democrats and Republicans together to get the job done. I'll be a President who ends the tax breaks for companies that ship our jobs overseas and put a middle-class tax cut into the pockets of the working Americans who deserve it. I'll be a President who harnesses the ingenuity of farmers and scientists and entrepreneurs to free this nation from the tyranny of oil once and for all. And I'll be a President who ends this war in Iraq and finally brings our troops home; who restores our moral standing; who understands that 9/11 is not a way to scare up votes, but a challenge that should unite America and the world against the common threats of the twenty-first century; common threats of terrorism and nuclear weapons; climate change and poverty; genocide and disease. Tonight, we are one step closer to that vision of America because of what you did here in Iowa. And so I'd especially like to thank the organizers and the precinct captains; the volunteers and the staff who made this all possible. And while I'm at it, on "thank yous," I think it makes sense for me to thank the love of my life, the rock of the Obama family, the closer on the campaign trail; give it up for Michelle Obama. I know you didn't do this for me. You did this-you did this because you believed so deeply in the most American of ideas - that in the face of impossible odds, people who love this country can change it. I know this-I know this because while I may be standing here tonight, I'll never forget that my journey began on the streets of Chicago doing what so many of you have done for this campaign and all the campaigns here in Iowa - organizing, and working, and fighting to make people's lives just a little bit better. I know how hard it is. It comes with little sleep, little pay, and a lot of sacrifice. There are days of disappointment, but sometimes, just sometimes, there are nights like this - a night-a night that, years from now, when we've made the changes we believe in; when more families can afford to see a doctor; when our children-when Malia and Sasha and your children-inherit a planet that's a little cleaner and safer; when the world sees America differently, and America sees itself as a nation less divided and more united; you'll be able to look back with pride and say that this was the moment when it all began. This was the moment when the improbable beat what Washington always said was inevitable. This was the moment when we tore down barriers that have divided us for too long - when we rallied people of all parties and ages to a common cause; when we finally gave Americans who'd never participated in politics a reason to stand up and to do so. This was the moment when we finally beat back the politics of fear, and doubt, and cynicism; the politics where we tear each other down instead of lifting this country up. This was the moment. Years from now, you'll look back and you'll say that this was the moment - this was the place - where America remembered what it means to hope. For many months, we've been teased, even derided for talking about hope. But we always knew that hope is not blind optimism. It's not ignoring the enormity of the task ahead or the roadblocks that stand in our path. It's not sitting on the sidelines or shirking from a fight. Hope is that thing inside us that insists, despite all evidence to the contrary, that something better awaits us if we have the courage to reach for it, and to work for it, and to fight for it. Hope is what I saw in the eyes of the young woman in Cedar Rapids who works the night shift after a full day of college and still can't afford health care for a sister who's ill; a young woman who still believes that this country will give her the chance to live out her dreams. Hope is what I heard in the voice of the New Hampshire woman who told me that she hasn't been able to breathe since her nephew left for Iraq; who still goes to bed each night praying for his safe return. Hope is what led a band of colonists to rise up against an empire; what led the greatest of generations to free a continent and heal a nation; what led young women and young men to sit at lunch counters and brave fire hoses and march through Selma and Montgomery for freedom's cause. Hope-hope-is what led me here today - with a father from Kenya; a mother from Kansas; and a story that could only happen in the United States of America. Hope is the bedrock of this nation; the belief that our destiny will not be written for us, but by us; by all those men and women who are not content to settle for the world as it is; who have the courage to remake the world as it should be. That is what we started here in Iowa, and that is the message we can now carry to New Hampshire and beyond; the same message we had when we were up and when we were down; the one that can change this country brick by brick, block by block, calloused hand by calloused hand - that together, ordinary people can do extraordinary things; because we are not a collection of Red States and Blue States, we are the United States of America; and at this moment, in this election, we are ready to believe again. Thank you, Iowa.