hi, everybody. on behalf of all the obamas – michelle, malia, sasha, bo, and the newest member of our family, sunny – i want to wish you a happy and healthy thanksgiving.
大家好!我代表我們家所有人——米歇爾、瑪利亞、薩莎、波爾以及新添成員桑尼，祝願大家有一個快樂舒適的感恩節。
we’ll be spending today just like many of you – sitting down with family and friends to eat some good food, tell some stories, watch a little football, and most importantly, count our blessings.
我們今天會和家人朋友一起享用美味的食物、講故事、看點足球比賽，最重要的是，感恩——就像你們大多數人一樣。
and as americans, we have so much to be thankful for.
作為美國人，我們有那么多值得感恩的東西。
we give thanks for the men and women who set sail for this land nearly four centuries ago, risking everything for the chance at a better life – and the people who were already here, our native american brothers and sisters, for their generosity during that first thanksgiving.
我們對近4XX年前航行到這片土地的人們表達感謝，因為他們為了尋求更好的生活，甘冒一切風險。我們還要感激已經在這片土地上的，我們的原住民印第安兄弟姐妹們，感激他們在第一次感恩節上的慷慨大度。
we give thanks for the generations who followed – people of all races and religions, who arrived here from every country on earth and worked to build something better for themselves and for us.
我們對相繼而來的世世代代的人們表達感激。來自世界各國的人們——來自不同民族並有著不同宗教信仰，齊心協力為他們自己和我們建築起更美好的將來。
we give thanks for all our men and women in uniform – and for their families, who are surely missing them very much today. we’re grateful for their sacrifice too.
我們對穿制服為我們服務的人們表達謝意，對今天必定無比想念他們的親人表達謝意。我們感激他們的犧牲。
we give thanks for the freedoms they defend – the freedom to think what we want and say what we think, to worship according to our own beliefs, to choose our leaders and, yes, criticize them without punishment. people around the world are fighting and even dying for their chance at these freedoms. we stand with them in that struggle, and we give thanks for being free.
我們感恩他們所捍衛的自由——讓我們敢想敢說的自由、讓我們選擇信仰的自由、讓我們選擇自己的領導人的自由，以及，不受懲罰地批評領導人的自由。世界各國人民都在為有這些自由而奮鬥甚至犧牲。我們和他們站在同一戰線上，我們為自由而感恩。
and we give thanks to everyone who’s doing their part to make the united states a better, more compassionate nation – who spend their thanksgiving volunteering at a soup kitchen, or joining a service project, or bringing food and cheer to a lonely neighbor. that big-hearted generosity is a central part of our american character. we believe in lending a hand to folks who need it. we believe in pitching in to solve problems even if they aren’t our problems. and that’s not a one-day-a-year belief. it’s part of the fabric of our nation.
而且，我們感恩所有讓美國成為更強大並且更富同情心的國家而盡責職守的人們——那些感恩節在救濟所參加志願服務的人，或者參加服務項目的人，或者給孤單的鄰居送去食物和鼓勵的人。這樣的大度慷慨是我們美國人性格中的核心部分。我們願意給需要的人以援手，我們願意路見不平拔刀相助。這些不是一年一次的想法，這是我們國家的構成。
and we remember that many americans need that helping hand right now. americans who’ve lost their jobs and can’t get a new one through no fault of their own. americans who’ve been trapped in poverty and just need that helping hand to climb out. citizens whose prayers and hopes move us to act.
我們牢記著許多美國人現在需要幫助。那些失去工作而且沒有絲毫過錯卻找不到新工作的美國人，那些深陷貧困而且急需救援之手的美國人。正是這些公民的祈禱和希望促使我們行動。
we are a people who are greater together than we are on our own. that’s what today is about. that’s what every day should be about. no matter our differences, we’re all part of one american family. we are each other’s keeper. we are one nation, under god. that coretenet of our american experience has guided us from the earliest days of our founding – and it will guide us to a future that’s even brighter than today.
我們是一個團結勝過單獨行動的國家。今天如此，每天都如此。不管我們多么不同，我們都是美國大家庭的一份子。我們是彼此的守護者。我們是上帝庇佑的一個國家。我們美國歷史實踐出的這個核心信條將帶領我們走向比今天更輝煌的未來，從建國初期到將來都是如此。
thank you, god bless you, and from my family to yours, happy thanksgiving.
謝謝，上帝保佑你。還有我們全家想對大家表示感恩節快樂。
美國總統歐巴馬9月8日開學演講 英文全文
for immediate release september 8, XX
remarks by the president
in a national address to america's schoolchildren
wakefield high school
arlington, virginia
the president: hello, everybody! thank you. thank you. thank you, everybody. all right, everybody go ahead and have a seat. how is everybody doing today? (applause.) how about tim spicer? (applause.) i am here with students at wakefield high school in arlington, virginia. and we've got students tuning in from all across america, from kindergarten through 12th grade. and i am just so glad that all could join us today. and i want to thank wakefield for being such an outstanding host. give yourselves a big round of applause. (applause.)
i know that for many of you, today is the first day of school. and for those of you in kindergarten, or starting middle or high school, it's your first day in a new school, so it's understandable if you're a little nervous. i imagine there are some seniors out there who are feeling pretty good right now -- (applause) -- with just one more year to go. and no matter what grade you're in, some of you are probably wishing it were still summer and you could've stayed in bed just a little bit longer this morning.
i know that feeling. when i was young, my family lived overseas. i lived in indonesia for a few years. and my mother, she didn't have the money to send me where all the american kids went to school, but she thought it was important for me to keep up with an american education. so she decided to teach me extra lessons herself, monday through friday. but because she had to go to work, the only time she could do it was at 4:30 in the morning.
now, as you might imagine, i wasn't too happy about getting up that early. and a lot of times, i'd fall asleep right there at the kitchen table. but whenever i'd complain, my mother would just give me one of those looks and she'd say, "this is no picnic for me either, buster." (laughter.)
so i know that some of you are still adjusting to being back at school. but i'm here today because i have something important to discuss with you. i'm here because i want to talk with you about your education and what's expected of all of you in this new school year.
now, i've given a lot of speeches about education. and i've talked about responsibility a lot.
i've talked about teachers' responsibility for inspiring students and pushing you to learn.
i've talked about your parents' responsibility for making sure you stay on track, and you get your homework done, and don't spend every waking hour in front of the tv or with the xbox.
i've talked a lot about your government's responsibility for setting high standards, and supporting teachers and principals, and turning around schools that aren't working, where students aren't getting the opportunities that they deserve.
but at the end of the day, we can have the most dedicated teachers, the most supportive parents, the best schools in the world -- and none of it will make a difference, none of it will matter unless all of you fulfill your responsibilities, unless you show up to those schools, unless you pay attention to those teachers, unless you listen to your parents and grandparents and other adults and put in the hard work it takes to succeed. that's what i want to focus on today: the responsibility each of you has for your education.
i want to start with the responsibility you have to yourself. every single one of you has something that you're good at. every single one of you has something to offer. and you have a responsibility to yourself to discover what that is. that's the opportunity an education can provide.
maybe you could be a great writer -- maybe even good enough to write a book or articles in a newspaper -- but you might not know it until you write that english paper -- that english class paper that's assigned to you. maybe you could be an innovator or an inventor -- maybe even good enough to come up with the next iphone or the new medicine or vaccine -- but you might not know it until you do your project for your science class. maybe you could be a mayor or a senator or a supreme court justice -- but you might not know that until you join student government or the debate team.
and no matter what you want to do with your life, i guarantee that you'll need an education to do it. you want to be a doctor, or a teacher, or a police officer? you want to be a nurse or an architect, a lawyer or a member of our military? you're going to need a good education for every single one of those careers. you cannot drop out of school and just drop into a good job. you've got to train for it and work for it and learn for it.
and this isn't just important for your own life and your own future. what you make of your education will decide nothing less than the future of this country. the future of america depends on you. what you're learning in school today will determine whether we as a nation can meet our greatest challenges in the future.
you'll need the knowledge and problem-solving skills you learn in science and math to cure diseases like cancer and aids, and to develop new energy technologies and protect our environment. you'll need the insights and critical-thinking skills you gain in history and social studies to fight poverty and homelessness, crime and discrimination, and make our nation more fair and more free. you'll need the creativity and ingenuity you develop in all your classes to build new companies that will create new jobs and boost our economy.
we need every single one of you to develop your talents and your skills and your intellect so you can help us old folks solve our most difficult problems. if you don't do that -- if you quit on school -- you're not just quitting on yourself, you're quitting on your country.
now, i know it's not always easy to do well in school. i know a lot of you have challenges in your lives right now that can make it hard to focus on your schoolwork.
i get it. i know what it's like. my father left my family when i was two years old, and i was raised by a single mom who had to work and who struggled at times to pay the bills and wasn't always able to give us the things that other kids had. there were times when i missed having a father in my life. there were times when i was lonely and i felt like i didn't fit in.
so i wasn't always as focused as i should have been on school, and i did some things i'm not proud of, and i got in more trouble than i should have. and my life could have easily taken a turn for the worse.
but i was -- i was lucky. i got a lot of second chances, and i had the opportunity to go to college and law school and follow my dreams. my wife, our first lady michelle obama, she has a similar story. neither of her parents had gone to college, and they didn't have a lot of money. but they worked hard, and she worked hard, so that she could go to the best schools in this country.
some of you might not have those advantages. maybe you don't have adults in your life who give you the support that you need. maybe someone in your family has lost their job and there's not enough money to go around. maybe you live in a neighborhood where you don't feel safe, or have friends who are pressuring you to do things you know aren't right.
but at the end of the day, the circumstances of your life -- what you look like, where you come from, how much money you have, what you've got going on at home -- none of that is an excuse for neglecting your homework or having a bad attitude in school. that's no excuse for talking back to your teacher, or cutting class, or dropping out of school. there is no excuse for not trying.
where you are right now doesn't have to determine where you'll end up. no one's written your destiny for you, because here in america, you write your own destiny. you make your own future.
that's what young people like you are doing every day, all across america.
young people like jazmin perez, from roma, texas. jazmin didn't speak english when she first started school. neither of her parents had gone to college. but she worked hard, earned good grades, and got a scholarship to brown university -- is now in graduate school, studying public health, on her way to becoming dr. jazmin perez.
i'm thinking about andoni schultz, from los altos, california, who's fought brain cancer since he was three. he's had to endure all sorts of treatments and surgeries, one of which affected his memory, so it took him much longer -- hundreds of extra hours -- to do his schoolwork. but he never fell behind. he's headed to college this fall.
and then there's shantell steve, from my hometown of chicago, illinois. even when bouncing from foster home to foster home in the toughest neighborhoods in the city, she managed to get a job at a local health care center, start a program to keep young people out of gangs, and she's on track to graduate high school with honors and go on to college.
and jazmin, andoni, and shantell aren't any different from any of you. they face challenges in their lives just like you do. in some cases they've got it a lot worse off than many of you. but they refused to give up. they chose to take responsibility for their lives, for their education, and set goals for themselves. and i expect all of you to do the same.
that's why today i'm calling on each of you to set your own goals for your education -- and do everything you can to meet them. your goal can be something as simple as doing all your homework, paying attention in class, or spending some time each day reading a book. maybe you'll decide to get involved in an extracurricular activity, or volunteer in your community. maybe you'll decide to stand up for kids who are being teased or bullied because of who they are or how they look, because you believe, like i do, that all young people deserve a safe environment to study and learn. maybe you'll decide to take better care of yourself so you can be more ready to learn. and along those lines, by the way, i hope all of you are washing your hands a lot, and that you stay home from school when you don't feel well, so we can keep people from getting the flu this fall and winter.
but whatever you resolve to do, i want you to commit to it. i want you to really work at it.
i know that sometimes you get that sense from tv that you can be rich and successful without any hard work -- that your ticket to success is through rapping or basketball or being a reality tv star. chances are you're not going to be any of those things.
the truth is, being successful is hard. you won't love every subject that you study. you won't click with every teacher that you have. not every homework assignment will seem completely relevant to your life right at this minute. and you won't necessarily succeed at everything the first time you try.
that's okay. some of the most successful people in the world are the ones who've had the most failures. j.k. rowling's -- who wrote harry potter -- her first harry potter book was rejected 12 times before it was finally published. michael jordan was cut from his high school basketball team. he lost hundreds of games and missed thousands of shots during his career. but he once said, "i have failed over and over and over again in my life. and that's why i succeed."
these people succeeded because they understood that you can't let your failures define you -- you have to let your failures teach you. you have to let them show you what to do differently the next time. so if you get into trouble, that doesn't mean you're a troublemaker, it means you need to try harder to act right. if you get a bad grade, that doesn't mean you're stupid, it just means you need to spend more time studying.
no one's born being good at all things. you become good at things through hard work. you're not a varsity athlete the first time you play a new sport. you don't hit every note the first time you sing a song. you've got to practice. the same principle applies to your schoolwork. you might have to do a math problem a few times before you get it right. you might have to read something a few times before you understand it. you definitely have to do a few drafts of a paper before it's good enough to hand in.
don't be afraid to ask questions. don't be afraid to ask for help when you need it. i do that every day. asking for help isn't a sign of weakness, it's a sign of strength because it shows you have the courage to admit when you don't know something, and that then allows you to learn something new. so find an adult that you trust -- a parent, a grandparent or teacher, a coach or a counselor -- and ask them to help you stay on track to meet your goals.
and even when you're struggling, even when you're discouraged, and you feel like other people have given up on you, don't ever give up on yourself, because when you give up on yourself, you give up on your country.
the story of america isn't about people who quit when things got tough. it's about people who kept going, who tried harder, who loved their country too much to do anything less than their best.
it's the story of students who sat where you sit 250 years ago, and went on to wage a revolution and they founded this nation. young people. students who sat where you sit 75 years ago who overcame a depression and won a world war; who fought for civil rights and put a man on the moon. students who sat where you sit 20 years ago who founded google and twitter and facebook and changed the way we communicate with each other.
so today, i want to ask all of you, what's your contribution going to be? what problems are you going to solve? what discoveries will you make? what will a president who comes here in 20 or 50 or 100 years say about what all of you did for this country?
now, your families, your teachers, and i are doing everything we can to make sure you have the education you need to answer these questions. i'm working hard to fix up your classrooms and get you the books and the equipment and the computers you need to learn. but you've got to do your part, too. so i expect all of you to get serious this year. i expect you to put your best effort into everything you do. i expect great things from each of you. so don't let us down. don't let your family down or your country down. most of all, don't let yourself down. make us all proud.
thank you very much, everybody. god bless you. god bless america. thank you. (applause.)
end
12:22 p.m. edt
時間：XX年9月8日
地點：維吉尼亞州，阿林頓市
嗨，大家好！你們今天過得怎么樣？我現在和維吉尼亞州阿林頓郡韋克菲爾德高中的學生們在一起，全國各地也有從幼稚園到高三的眾多學生們通過電視關注這裡，我很高興你們能共同分享這一時刻。
我知道，對你們中的許多人來說，今天是開學的第一天，你們中的有一些剛剛進入幼稚園或升上初高中，對你們來說，這是在新學校的第一天，因此，假如你們感到有些緊張，那也是很正常的。我想也會有許多畢業班的學生們正自信滿滿地準備最後一年的衝刺。不過，我想無論你有多大、在讀哪個年級，許多人都打心底里希望現在還在放暑假，以及今天不用那么早起床。我可以理解這份心情。
小時候，我們家在印度尼西亞住過幾年，而我媽媽沒錢送我去其他美國孩子們上學的地方去讀書，因此她決定自己給我上課——時間是每周一到周五的凌晨4點半。顯然，我不怎么喜歡那么早就爬起來，很多時候，我就這么在廚房的桌子前睡著了。每當我埋怨的時候，我媽總會用同一副表情看著我說：“小鬼，你以為教你我就很輕鬆？” 所以，我可以理解你們中的許多人對於開學還需要時間來調整和適應，但今天我站在這裡，是為了和你們談一些重要的事情。我要和你們談一談你們每個人的教育，以及在新的學年裡，你們應當做些什麼。
知名人士11我做過許多關於教育的講話，也常常用到“責任”這個詞。我談到過教師們有責任激勵和啟迪你們，督促你們學習。我談到過家長們有責任看管你們認真學習、完成作業，不要成天只會看電視或打遊戲機。
我也很多次談到過政府有責任設定高標準嚴要求、協助老師和校長們的工作，改變在有些學校里學生得不到應有的學習機會的現狀。但哪怕這一切都達到最好，哪怕我們有最盡職的教師、最好的家長、和最優秀的學校，假如你們不去履行自己的責任的話，那么這一切努力都會白費。——除非你每天準時去上學、除非你認真地聽老師講課、除非你把父母、長輩和其他大人們說的話放在心上、除非你肯付出成功所必需的努力，否則這一切都會失去意義。而這就是我今天講話的主題：對於自己的教育，你們中每一個人的責任。
首先，我想談談你們對於自己有什麼責任。 你們中的每一個人都會有自己擅長的東西，每一個人都是有用之材，而發現自己的才能是什麼，就是你們要對自己擔起的責任。教育給你們提供了發現自己才能的機會。或許你能寫出優美的文——甚至有一天能讓那些文出現在書籍和報刊上——但假如不在英語課上經常練習寫作，你不會發現自己有這樣的天賦；或許你能成為一個發明家、創造家——甚至設計出像今天的iphone一樣流行的產品，或研製出新的藥物與疫苗——但假如不在自然科學課程上做上幾次實驗，你不會知道自己有這樣的天賦；或許你能成為一名議員或最高法院法官，但假如你不去加入什麼學生會或參加幾次辯論賽，你也不會發現自己的才能。而且，我可以向你保證，不管你將來想要做什麼，你都需要相應的教育。
知名人士11——你想當名醫生、當名教師或當名警官？你想成為護士、成為建築設計師、律師或軍人？無論你選擇哪一種職業，良好的教育都必不可少，這世上不存在不把書念完就能拿到好工作的美夢，任何工作，都需要你的汗水、訓練與學習。不僅僅對於你們個人的未來有重要意義，你們的教育如何也會對這個國家、乃至世界的未來產生重要影響。今天你們在學校中學習的內容，將會決定我們整個國家在未來迎接重大挑戰時的表現。
你們需要在數理科學課程上學習的知識和技能，去治療癌症、愛滋那樣的疾病，和解決我們面臨的能源問題與環境問題；你們需要在歷史社科課程上培養出的觀察力與判斷力，來減輕和消除無家可歸與貧困、犯罪問題和各種歧視，讓這個國家變得更加公平和自由；你們需要在各類課程中逐漸累積和發展出來的創新意識和思維，去創業和建立新的公司與企業，來製造就業機會和推動經濟的增長。我們需要你們中的每一個人都培養和發展自己的天賦、技能和才智，來解決我們所面對的最困難的問題。
假如你不這么做——假如你放棄學習——那么你不僅是放棄了自己，也是放棄了你的國家。當然，我明白，讀好書並不總是件容易的事。我知道你們中的許多人在生活中面臨著各種各樣的問題，很難把精力集中在專心讀書之上。我知道你們的感受。我父親在我兩歲時就離開了家庭，是母親一人將我們拉扯大，有時她付不起帳單，有時我們得不到其他孩子們都有的東西，有時我會想，假如父親在該多好，有時我會感到孤獨無助，與周圍的環境格格不入。因此我並不總是能專心學習，我做過許多自己覺得丟臉的事情，也惹出過許多不該惹的麻煩，我的生活岌岌可危，隨時可能急轉直下。但我很幸運。我在許多事上都得到了重來的機會，我得到了去大學讀法學院、實現自己夢想的機會。
知名人士11我的妻子——現在得叫她第一夫人米歇爾·歐巴馬了——也有著相似的人生故事，她的父母都沒讀過大學，也沒有什麼財產，但他們和她都辛勤工作，好讓她有機會去這個國家最優秀的學校讀書。
你們中有些人可能沒有這些有利條件，或許你的生活中沒有能為你提供幫助和支持的長輩，或許你的某個家長沒有工作、經濟拮据，或許你住的社區不那么安全，或許你認識一些會對你產生不良影響的朋友，等等。但歸根結底，你的生活狀況——你的長相、出身、經濟條件、家庭氛圍——都不是疏忽學業和態度惡劣的藉口，這些不是你去跟老師頂嘴、逃課、或是輟學的藉口，這些不是你不好好讀書的藉口。
你的未來，並不取決於你現在的生活有多好或多壞。沒有人為你編排好你的命運，在美國，你的命運由你自己書寫，你的未來由你自己掌握。而在這片土地上的每個地方，千千萬萬和你一樣的年輕人正是這樣在書寫著自己的命運。
例如德克薩斯州羅馬市的賈斯敏·佩雷茲。剛進學校時，她根本不會說英語，她住的地方幾乎沒人上過大學，她的父母也沒有受過高等教育，但她努力學習，取得了優異的成績，靠獎學金進入了布朗大學，如今正在攻讀公共衛生專業的博士學位。
我還想起了加利福尼亞州洛斯拉圖斯市的安多尼·舒爾茲，他從三歲起就開始與腦癌病魔做鬥爭，他熬過了一次次治療與手術——其中一次影響了他的記憶，因此他得花出比常人多幾百個小時的時間來完成學業，但他從不曾落下自己的功課。這個秋天，他要開始在大學讀書了。
又比如在我的家鄉，伊利諾斯州芝加哥市，身為孤兒的香特爾·史蒂夫換過多次收養家庭，從小在治安很差的地區長大，但她努力爭取到了在當地保健站工作的機會、發起了一個讓青少年遠離犯罪團伙的項目，很快，她也將以優異的成績從中學畢業，去大學深造。賈斯敏、安多尼和香特爾與你們並沒有什麼不同。
和你們一樣，他們也在生活中遭遇各種各樣的困難與問題，但他們拒絕放棄，他們選擇為自己的教育擔起責任、給自己定下奮鬥的目標。我希望你們中的每一個人，都能做得到這些。因此，在今天，我號召你們每一個人都為自己的教育定下一個目標——並在之後，儘自己的一切努力去實現它。
知名人士11你的目標可以很簡單，像是完成作業、認真聽講或每天閱讀——或許你打算參加一些課外活動，或在社區做些志願工作；或許你決定為那些因為長相或出身等等原因而受嘲弄或欺負的孩子做主、維護他們的權益，因為你和我一樣，認為每個孩子都應該能有一個安全的學習環境；或許你認為該學著更好的照顧自己，來為將來的學習做準備……
當然，除此之外，我希望你們都多多洗手、感到身體不舒服的時候要多在家休息，免得大家在秋冬感冒高發季節都得流感。不管你決定做什麼，我都希望你能堅持到底，希望你能真的下定決心。我知道有些時候，電視上播放的節目會讓你產生這樣那樣的錯覺，似乎你不需要付出多大的努力就能腰纏萬貫、功成名就——你會認為只要會唱rap、會打籃球或參加個什麼真人秀節目就能坐享其成，但現實是，你幾乎沒有可能走上其中任何一條道路。因為，成功是件難事。
你不可能對要讀的每門課程都興趣盎然，你不可能和每名帶課教師都相處順利，你也不可能每次都遇上看起來和現實生活有關的作業。而且，並不是每件事，你都能在頭一次嘗試時獲得成功。但那沒有關係。因為在這個世界上，最最成功的人們往往也經歷過最多的失敗。
j.k.羅琳的第一本《哈利·波特》被出版商拒絕了十二次才最終出版；麥可·喬丹上高中時被學校的籃球隊刷了下來，在他的職業生涯里，他輸了幾百場比賽、投失過幾千次射籃，知道他是怎么說的嗎？“我一生不停地失敗、失敗再失敗，這就是我現在成功的原因。”
他們的成功，源於他們明白人不能讓失敗左右自己——而是要從中吸取經驗。從失敗中，你可以明白下一次自己可以做出怎樣的改變；假如你惹了什麼麻煩，那並不說明你就是個搗蛋貴，而是在提醒你，在將來要對自己有更嚴格的要求；假如你考了個低分，那並不說明你就比別人笨，而是在告訴你，自己得在學習上花更多的時間。沒有哪一個人一生出來就擅長做什麼事情的，只有努力才能培養出技能。
任何人都不是在第一次接觸一項體育運動時就成為校隊的代表，任何人都不是在第一次唱一首歌時就找準每一個音，一切都需要熟能生巧。對於學業也是一樣，你或許要反覆運算才能解出一道數學題的正確答案，你或許需要讀一段文好幾遍才能理解它的意思，你或許得把論文改上好幾次才能符合提交的標準。這都是很正常的。不要害怕提問。不要不敢向他人求助。——我每天都在這么做。求助並不是軟弱的表現，恰恰相反，它說明你有勇氣承認自己的不足、並願意去學習新的知識。所以，有不懂時，就向大人們求助吧——找個你信得過的對象，例如父母、長輩、老師、教練或輔導員——讓他們幫助你向目標前進。
知名人士11你要記住，哪怕你表現不好、哪怕你失去信心、哪怕你覺得身邊的人都已經放棄了你——永遠不要自己放棄自己。因為當你放棄自己的時候，你也放棄了自己的國家。
美國不是一個人們遭遇困難就輕易放棄的國度，在這個國家，人們堅持到底、人們加倍努力，為了他們所熱愛的國度，每一個人都盡著自己最大的努力，不會給自己留任何餘地。
250年前，有一群和你們一樣的學生，他們之後奮起努力、用一場革命最終造就了這個國家；75年前，有一群和你們一樣的學生，他們之後戰勝了大蕭條、贏得了二戰；就在20年前，和你們一樣的學生們，他們後來創立了google、twitter和facebook,改變了我們人與人之間溝通的方式。因此，今天我想要問你們，你們會做出什麼樣的貢獻？你們將解決什麼樣的難題？你們能發現什麼樣的事物？二十、五十或百年之後，假如那時的美國總統也來做一次開學演講的話，他會怎樣描述你們對這個國家所做的一切？你們的家長、你們的老師和我，每一個人都在盡最大的努力，確保你們都能得到應有的教育來回答這些問題。
例如我正在努力為你們提供更安全的教室、更多的書籍、更先進的設施與計算機。但你們也要擔起自己的責任。因此我要求你們在今年能夠認真起來，我要求你們盡心地去做自己著手的每一件事，我要求你們每一個人都有所成就。請不要讓我們失望——不要讓你的家人、你的國家和你自己失望。你們要成為我們驕傲，我知道，你們一定可以做到。謝謝大家，上帝保佑你們，上帝保佑美國。
the president:
well, good morning, everyone.
audience:good morning.
the president:we are gathered in the heart of our nation’s capital, surrounded by memorials to leaders and citizens who served our nation in its earliest days and in its days of greatest trial.today is such a time for america.
over the past two years, we have faced the worst recession since the great depression.eight million people lost their jobs.tens of millions saw the value of their homes and retirement savings plummet.countless businesses have been unable to get the loans they need and many have been forced to shut their doors.and although the economy is growing again, too many people are still feeling the pain of the downturn.
now, while a number of factors led to such a severe recession, the primary cause was a breakdown in our financial system.it was a crisis born of a failure of responsibility from certain corners of wall street to the halls of power in washington.for years, our financial sector was governed by antiquated and poorly enforced rules that allowed some to game the system and take risks that endangered the entire economy.unscrupulous lenders locked consumers into complex loans with hidden costs.firms like aig placed massive, risky bets with borrowed money.and while the rules left abuse and excess unchecked, they also left taxpayers on the hook if a big bank or financial institution ever failed.now, even before the crisis hit, i went to wall street and i called for common-sense reforms to protect consumers and our economy as a whole.and soon after taking office, i proposed a set of reforms to empower consumers and investors, to bring the shadowy deals that caused this crisis into the light of day, and to put a stop to taxpayer bailouts once and for all.(applause.) today, thanks to a lot of people in this room, those reforms will become the law of the land.
for the last year, chairmen barney frank and chris dodd have worked day and night -- (applause) -- barney and chris have worked day and night to bring about this reform.and i am profoundly grateful to them.i would be remiss if i didn't also express my appreciation to senator harry reid and speaker nancy pelosi for their leadership.it wouldn’t have happened without them.(applause.)
passing this bill was no easy task.to get there, we had to overcome the furious lobbying of an array of powerful interest groups and a partisan minority determined to block change.so the members who are here today, both on the stage and in the audience, they have done a great service in devoting so much time and expertise to this effort, to looking out for the public interests and not the special interests.(applause.)and i also want to thank the three republican senators who put partisanship aside -- (applause) -- judged this bill on the merits, and voted for reform.we’re grateful to them.(applause.)and the republican house members.(applause.)good to see you, joe.(applause.)
now, let’s put this in perspective.the fact is, the financial industry is central to our nation’s ability to grow, to prosper, to compete and to innovate.there are a lot of banks that understand and fulfill this vital role, and there are a whole lot of bankers who want to do right -- and do right -- by their customers.this reform will help foster
innovation, not hamper it.it is designed to make sure that everybody follows the same set of rules, so that firms compete on price and quality, not on tricks and not on traps.
it demands accountability and responsibility from everyone. it provides certainty to everybody, from bankers to farmers to business owners to consumers.and unless your business model depends on cutting corners or bilking your customers, you’ve got nothing to fear from reform.(applause.)
now, for all those americans who are wondering what wall street reform means for you, here’s what you can expect.if you’ve ever applied for a credit card, a student loan, or a mortgage, you know the feeling of signing your name to pages of barely understandable fine print.what often happens as a result is that many americans are caught by hidden fees and penalties, or saddled with loans they can’t afford.
that’s what happened to robin fox, hit with a massive rate increase on her credit card balance even though she paid her bills on time.that’s what happened to andrew giordano, who discovered hundreds of dollars in overdraft fees on his bank statement –- fees he had no idea he might face.both are here today.well, with this law, unfair rate hikes, like the one that hit robin, will end for good.(applause.)and we’ll ensure that people like andrew aren’t unwittingly caught by overdraft fees when they sign up for a checking account.(applause.)
with this law, we’ll crack down on abusive practices in the mortgage industry.we’ll make sure that contracts are simpler -– putting an end
to many hidden penalties and fees in complex mortgages -– so folks know what they’re signing.
with this law, students who take out college loans will be provided clear and concise information about their obligations.
and with this law, ordinary investors -– like seniors and folks saving for retirement –- will be able to receive more information about the costs and risks of mutual funds and other investment products, so that they can make better financial decisions as to what will work for them.
so, all told, these reforms represent the strongest consumer financial protections in history.(applause.)in history.and these
protections will be enforced by a new consumer watchdog with just one job:looking out for people -– not big banks, not lenders, not investment houses -– looking out for people as they interact with the financial system.
and that’s not just good for consumers; that’s good for the economy.because reform will put a stop to a lot of the bad loans that fueled a debt-based bubble.and it will mean all companies will have to seek customers by offering better products, instead of more deceptive ones. now, beyond the consumer protections i’ve outlined, reform will also rein in the abuse and excess that nearly brought down our financial system.it will finally bring transparency to the kinds of complex and risky transactions that helped trigger the financial crisis.shareholders will also have a greater say on the pay of ceos and other executives, so they can reward success instead of failure.
and finally, because of this law, the american people will never again be asked to foot the bill for wall street’s mistakes. (applause.)there will be no more tax-funded bailouts -- period. (applause.)if a large financial institution should ever fail, this reform gives us the ability to wind it down without endangering the broader economy.and there will be new rules to make clear that no firm is somehow protected because it is “too big to fail,” so we don’t have another aig.
that's what this reform will mean.now, it doesn’t mean our work is over.for these new rules to be effective, regulators will have to be vigilant.we may need to make adjustments along the way as our financial system adapts to these new changes and changes around the globe.no law can force anybody to be responsible; it’s still incumbent on those on wall street to heed the lessons of this crisis in terms of how they conduct their businesses.
the fact is every american -– from main street to wall street –- has a stake in our financial system.wall street banks and firms invest the capital that makes it possible for start-ups to sell new products.they provide loans to businesses to expand and to hire.they back mortgages for families purchasing a new home.that’s why we’ll all stand to gain from these reforms.we all win when investors around the world have confidence in our markets.we all win when shareholders have more power and more information.we all win when consumers are protected against abuse.and we all win when folks are rewarded based on how well they perform, not how well they evade accountability.
in the end, our financial system only works –- our market is only free –- when there are clear rules and basic safeguards that prevent abuse, that check excess, that ensure that it is more profitable to play by the rules than to game the system.and that’s what these reforms are designed to achieve -- no more, no less.because that’s how we will ensure that our economy works for consumers, that it works for investors, that it works for financial institutions -– that it works for all of us.this is the central lesson not only of this crisis but of our history.ultimately, there’s no dividing line between main street and wall street.we rise or fall together as one nation. so these reforms will help lift our economy and lead all of us to a stronger, more prosperous future.and that’s why i’m so honored to sign these reforms into law, and i’m so grateful to everybody who worked so hard to make this day possible.thank you very much, everybody.(applause.)
(the bill is signed.)(applause.)
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