美国总统奥巴马每周演讲

 　　Remarks of President Barack Obama

　　Weekly Address

　　The White House

　　July 11, 2015

　　Hi, everybody. It’s our job as citizens to make sure we keep pushing this country we love toward our most cherished ideals – that all of us are created equal, and all of us deserve an equal shot.

　　This week, my Administration took new steps to bring us closer to that goal.

　　Almost 50 years ago, Republicans and Democrats¹ in Congress came together to pass the Fair Housing Act.  It’s a law that says landlords can’t turn away tenants² solely³ because of their race, religion, sex, national origin, or disability.  And it made a difference in this country.

　　Still, the work of the Fair Housing Act remains⁴ unfinished.  Just a few weeks ago, the Supreme⁵ Court ruled that policies segregating⁶ minorities in poor neighborhoods, even unintentionally, are against the law.  The Court recognized what many people know to be true from their own lives:  that too often, where people live determines what opportunities they have in life.

　　In some cities, kids living just blocks apart lead incredibly different lives.  They go to different schools, play in different parks, shop in different stores, and walk down different streets.  And often, the quality of those schools and the safety of those parks and streets are far from equal – which means those kids aren’t getting an equal shot in life.

　　That runs against the values we hold dear as Americans.  In this country, of all countries, a person’s zip code shouldn’t decide their destiny.  We don’t guarantee equal outcomes, but we do strive to guarantee an equal shot at opportunity – in every neighborhood, for every American.

　　Now, the Fair Housing Act also says that this isn’t the responsibility of a landlord alone – local governments have a role to play, too.  That’s why, this week, my Administration announced that we’ll make it easier for communities to implement⁷ this law.  We’re using data on housing and neighborhood conditions to help cities identify the areas that need the most help.  We’re doing more to help communities meet their own goals.  Plus, by opening this data to everybody, everyone in a community – not just elected officials – can weigh in.  If you want a bus stop added near your home, or more affordable⁸ housing nearby, now you’ll have the data you need to make your case.

　　These actions won’t make every community perfect.  That’s something we all have to strive for in our own lives.  But they will help make our communities stronger and more vibrant⁹.  And they’ll help keep this a country where kids from every background can grow up knowing that no matter who you are, what you look like, or where you live, you can write your own story.

　　That’s the America I love.  And it’s the America I’ll keep fighting for.  Thanks, and have a great weekend.

　　Hi, everybody. It’s our job as citizens to make sure we keep pushing this country we love toward our most cherished ideals – that all of us are created equal, and all of us deserve an equal shot.

　　This week, my Administration took new steps to bring us closer to that goal.

　　Almost 50 years ago, Republicans and Democrats in Congress came together to pass the Fair Housing Act.  It’s a law that says landlords can’t turn away tenants solely because of their race, religion, sex, national origin, or disability.  And it made a difference in this country.

　　大家好。我们作为公民的使命就是继续推动我们深爱的国家向我们珍视的人人平等、人人理应得到公平的机会的理想前进。

　　本周，本届政府将采取一系列新措施让我们更加接近这个目标。

　　大约50年前，国会的共和党人和民主党人共同通过了一项公平住房法案。这个法律规定房东不能仅仅因为种族、宗教、性别、原国籍或残疾等原因拒绝租房人。这给我国带来很大改变。

　　Still, the work of the Fair Housing Act remains unfinished.  Just a few weeks ago, the Supreme Court ruled that policies segregating minorities in poor neighborhoods, even unintentionally, are against the law.  The Court recognized what many people know to be true from their own lives:  that too often, where people live determines what opportunities they have in life.

　　In some cities, kids living just blocks apart lead incredibly different lives.  They go to different schools, play in different parks, shop in different stores, and walk down different streets.  And often, the quality of those schools and the safety of those parks and streets are far from equal – which means those kids aren’t getting an equal shot in life.

　　公平住房法案的内容还没有完全实现。就在几周前，最高法院裁定一些政策在贫困社区隔离少数族裔，即使不是故意，但是也违法了。法院从他们的亲身经历认识到很多人都知道的是对的：人们生活的地方决定了他们在一生中的机会是司空见惯的。

　　在一些城市，生活在仅仅相隔几个街区的孩子们的生活大相径庭。他们去不同的学校、走在不同的街上。通常这些学校的质量和这些大街、公园的安全状况也截然不同—这意味着这些孩子们在一生中没有得到公平的机会。

　　That runs against the values we hold dear as Americans.  In this country, of all countries, a person’s zip code shouldn’t decide their destiny.  We don’t guarantee equal outcomes, but we do strive to guarantee an equal shot at opportunity – in every neighborhood, for every American.

　　Now, the Fair Housing Act also says that this isn’t the responsibility of a landlord alone – local governments have a role to play, too.  That’s why, this week, my Administration announced that we’ll make it easier for communities to implement this law.  We’re using data on housing and neighborhood conditions to help cities identify the areas that need the most help.  We’re doing more to help communities meet their own goals.  Plus, by opening this data to everybody, everyone in a community – not just elected officials – can weigh in.  If you want a bus stop added near your home, or more affordable housing nearby, now you’ll have the data you need to make your case.

　　这些与我们作为美国人秉持的价值观背道而驰。在我国，在所有国家中，一个人的命运不应该由他们的邮政编码来决定。我们不能保证一样的产出，但是我们的确努力保证机会面前人人平等—为每个社区的每个美国人。

　　现在，公平住房法案还规定这个责任不仅仅在于房东—地方政府也要有所作为。这就是为什么，本周，本届政府宣布我们将使各个社区贯彻这个法律更加容易。我们将用住房和社区条件的数据来帮助各个城市确定哪些地方最需要帮助。还有，通过向每个人开放这些数据，社区里的每个人—不仅仅当选的官员—可以评估。如果你需要一个公交车站设在你家附近，或附近有可承受的房源，现在你就有你需要的数据来实现这些了。

　　These actions won’t make every community perfect.  That’s something we all have to strive for in our own lives.  But they will help make our communities stronger and more vibrant.  And they’ll help keep this a country where kids from every background can grow up knowing that no matter who you are, what you look like, or where you live, you can write your own story.

　　That’s the America I love.  And it’s the America I’ll keep fighting for.  Thanks, and have a great weekend.

　　这些行动不一定使每个社区都完美。这些我们所有人都应该一生为之奋斗的。但是它们将有助于使我们的社区更加强大和更具活力。它们有助于使我国成为来自各种背景的孩子们茁壮成长，他们知道无论你是谁、长得什么样、或住在哪里，你都可以书写自己的历史。

　　这就是我深爱的美国。这就是我要为之奋斗的美国。谢谢，周末快乐。

1 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 tenants   

n.房客( tenant的名词复数 )；佃户；占用者；占有者

参考例句：

• A number of tenants have been evicted for not paying the rent. 许多房客因不付房租被赶了出来。
• Tenants are jointly and severally liable for payment of the rent. 租金由承租人共同且分别承担。

3 solely   

adv.仅仅，唯一地

参考例句：

• Success should not be measured solely by educational achievement.成功与否不应只用学业成绩来衡量。
• The town depends almost solely on the tourist trade.这座城市几乎完全靠旅游业维持。

4 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

5 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

6 segregating   

（使）分开( segregate的现在分词 )； 分离； 隔离； 隔离并区别对待（不同种族、宗教或性别的人）

参考例句：

• The government has just repealed the law segregating the public facilities. 这个政府已经撤销了分离公共设施的法律。
• Siblings and dizygotic twins share only 50% of their segregating genes. 同卵双生双胞胎和双卵双生双胞胎分享仅50%的基因。

7 implement   

n.(pl.)工具，器具；vt.实行，实施，执行

参考例句：

• Don't undertake a project unless you can implement it.不要承担一项计划，除非你能完成这项计划。
• The best implement for digging a garden is a spade.在花园里挖土的最好工具是铁锹。

8 affordable   

adj.支付得起的，不太昂贵的

参考例句：

• The rent for the four-roomed house is affordable.四居室房屋的房租付得起。
• There are few affordable apartments in big cities.在大城市中没有几所公寓是便宜的。

9 vibrant   

adj.震颤的，响亮的，充满活力的，精力充沛的，(色彩)鲜明的

参考例句：

• He always uses vibrant colours in his paintings. 他在画中总是使用鲜明的色彩。
• She gave a vibrant performance in the leading role in the school play.她在学校表演中生气盎然地扮演了主角。