精美英文欣赏:什么是美国梦? What Is American Dream?

What Is American Dream?

什么是美国梦？

What is the American Dream? Is it the same for all Americans? Is it a myth? Is it simply a search for a better life? How has the American Dream changed over time? Some see their dreams wither¹ and die while others see their dreams fulfilled. Why? Everyone has dreams abut² a personally fulfilled life... and what is your dream?

什么是美国梦？所有的美国人都是一样的吗？它是虚构的事吗？它是为了追求更好的生活吗？美国梦随着时间是如何改变的？有些人的梦想破灭了而有些人却实现了梦想。是什么原因呢？每个人都有自己想要实现的梦想，你的梦想是什么呢？

The term American Dream was first used by James Adams in his book The Epic³ of America which was written in 1931. He states: The American Dream is that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement. It is a difficult dream for the European upper classes to interpret adequately, and too many of us ourselves have grown tired and mistrustful of it. It is not a dream of cars and high wages merely, but a dream of social order in which each man and each woman shall be able to get to the fullest stature⁴ of which they are capable, and be recognized by others for what they are, regardless of the fortuitous circumstances of birth or position."

美国梦这个词最早出现在詹姆斯·亚当斯1931年写的《美国史诗》这本书中。他写道：美国梦是指渴望生活在能够让人们生活丰裕富足的热土上，每个人都有机会实现自己的价值。它是一个欧洲上流社会很难理解和体会的梦想，并且我们中的相当多人对此持怀疑和不信任的态度。这个梦想不仅仅是拥有汽车和高工资，而且还应当包括这样一种社会秩序，在这种秩序下，男人和女人不论他们出身如何，社会地位如何，都能最大程度地实现自己的潜能并为他人所认可和接受”。

In the united States' Declaration of Independence, our founding fathers state: "... all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness." Might this view be considered the foundation of the American Dream?

在美国的《独立宣言》中，我们的创始人指出：“……所有的人人生而平等，创物主赋予他们若干不可剥夺的权利，这其中包括生命权，自由权和追求幸福的权利。”这一说法也许可能被视为美国梦的基础？

Were homesteaders who left the big cities of the east to find happiness and their piece of land in the unknown wilderness⁵ of the west pursuing these Rights? Were the immigrants who came to the United States looking for their bit of life, liberty, happiness and their Dream? And what did the desire of the veteran of World War II—to settle down, to have a home, a car and a family—tell us about this Dream? Is the American Dream attainable⁶ by all Americans? Would Martin Luther King feel his Dream was attained⁷? Did Malcolm X realize his Dream?

农场主为了寻找幸福离开了东部的大城市，抛弃了他们在西部未知荒野上的土地，他们是在实现自己权利吗？移民来到美国，是为了自己想要的生活，追求自由、幸福和梦想吗？二战老兵的愿望又是什么呢，安定下来，有居住的房子，汽车然后组建家庭——告诉我们这就是梦想？所有美国人都能实现美国梦吗？马丁·路德金会认为自己能够梦想成真吗？马尔科姆·X实现自己的梦想了吗？

Some say, that the American Dream has become the pursuit of material prosperity—that people work more hours to get bigger cars, fancier homes, the fruits of prosperity for their families—but have less time to enjoy their prosperity. Others say that the American Dream is beyond the reach of the working poor who must work two jobs for their family's survival. Yet others look toward a new American Dream with less focus on financial gain and more emphasis on living a simple, fulfilling life.

有人说，美国梦已经演变成对物质繁荣的追求——为了买更高级的车，住更豪华的住宅，改善家庭经济状况，人们工作时间增长——却没有足够时间来享受他们的劳动成果。也有人说是美国梦是那些努力工作，为了养家一人兼两职，但是报酬却很低的穷人无法实现的。然而，还有一部分人开始追求新的美国梦，即注重简单而充实的生活，更少地关注经济利益。

1 wither   

vt.使凋谢，使衰退，(用眼神气势等)使畏缩；vi.枯萎，衰退，消亡

参考例句：

• She grows as a flower does-she will wither without sun.她象鲜花一样成长--没有太阳就会凋谢。
• In autumn the leaves wither and fall off the trees.秋天，树叶枯萎并从树上落下来。

2 abut   

v.接界，毗邻

参考例句：

• The two lots are abut together.那两块地毗连着。
• His lands abut on the motorway.他的土地毗邻高速公路。

3 epic   

n.史诗，叙事诗；adj.史诗般的，壮丽的

参考例句：

• I gave up my epic and wrote this little tale instead.我放弃了写叙事诗，而写了这个小故事。
• They held a banquet of epic proportions.他们举行了盛大的宴会。

4 stature   

n.（高度）水平，（高度）境界，身高，身材

参考例句：

• He is five feet five inches in stature.他身高5英尺5英寸。
• The dress models are tall of stature.时装模特儿的身材都较高。

5 wilderness   

n.杳无人烟的一片陆地、水等，荒漠

参考例句：

• She drove the herd of cattle through the wilderness.她赶着牛群穿过荒野。
• Education in the wilderness is not a matter of monetary means.荒凉地区的教育不是钱财问题。

6 attainable   

a.可达到的，可获得的

参考例句：

• They set the limits of performance attainable. 它们确定着可达到的运行限度。
• If objectives are to be meaningful to people, they must be clear, attainable, actionable, and verifiable. 如果目标对人们是具有意义的，则目标必须是清晰的，能达到的，可以行动的，以及可供检验的。

7 attained   

（通常经过努力）实现( attain的过去式和过去分词 )； 达到； 获得； 达到（某年龄、水平、状况）

参考例句：

• She has attained the degree of Master of Arts. 她已获得文学硕士学位。
• Lu Hsun attained a high position in the republic of letters. 鲁迅在文坛上获得崇高的地位。