奥巴马每周电视讲话：总统呼吁公平住房体系

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.
大家好。推动这个国家向着我们最为珍惜的理想前进，所有人生而平等，所有人都有公平的机会，这是我们每个公民的责任。
This week,my Administration took new steps to bring us closer to that goal.
本周，本届政府采取了一些新措施，使得我们离这一目标又更进了一步。
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.
大约50年前，国会的共和党人和民主党人共同合作，通过了《公平住房法》。有了这部法律，房主就不能仅仅因为种族、信仰、性别、原国籍或身体残疾为由拒绝租客，为这个国家带来了巨大的变化。
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.
当然，《公平住房法》的任务并没有全部完成。几周前，最高法院裁定，将少数族裔隔离在贫困社区的政策，即便不是有意的，也是违反该法的。法院认可很多人都知道的生活的真实面目：你在哪里生活决定了你人生的机会，大部分时候都是这样。
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.
在一些城市，在不同社区生活的孩子最后的命运完全不同。他们在不同的学校上学，在不同的公园玩耍，在不同的商店购物，在不同的街道上走过。通常的情况是，这些学校的质量，以及这些公园、街道的安全性都是完全不同等级的。这就意味着这些孩子的人生机会是各不相同的。
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.
这与我们作为美国人所信奉的理想是背道而驰的。在这个国家，以及所有其他国家，一个人的住所地不应该成为这个人的命运的决定因素。我们不能保证大家有公平的结果，但我们一定要努力保证大家有公平的机会，对每个社区，每个人都一样。
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.
按照《公平住房法》的规定，这不仅仅是房主的责任，也是地方政府的责任。因此，本周，本届政府宣布了一项新政策，让社会各界更好利用该法。通过对住房和社区环境数据的分析，我们帮助各个城市找到最需要扶持的区域。进一步帮助社区实现发展目标。此外，通过对大众开放这一数据，除了社区官员以外，社区的每个人，都可以参与进来。如果你希望在你家附近增设公交站点，或者在附近增加价格合理的房源，现在你就可以使用这些数据，来达成你的愿望。
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.
当然，这些措施并不能确保每个社区都发展的很完美。但这是我们人生当中应该为之奋斗的事情。这将使得我们的社区更美好，更有活力。将让这个国家更美好，让有着不同成长背景的孩子长大后都理解这一点：无论你是谁，长的是什么样子，在哪里住，你都有机会书写自己的历史。
That's the America I love.And it's the America I'll keep fighting for.Thanks,and have a great weekend.
这就是我们深爱的美国，也是我们要为之奋斗的美国。谢谢大家，祝大家周末愉快！

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。