欧美名人演讲 第21期:奥巴马最后一次国情咨文(2)

　　It's change that can broaden opportunity, or widen inequality.

　　这场巨变能够带来机遇，也会扩大不公。

　　And whether we like it or not, the pace of this change will only accelerate.

　　无论我们喜欢与否，这场巨变的进度只会越来越快。

　　America has been through big changes before wars and depression, the influx¹ of immigrants, workers fighting for a fair deal, and movements to expand civil rights.

　　美国曾经历过种种巨变——战争，萧条，移民涌入，工人运动，以及民权运动。

　　Each time, there have been those who told us to fear the future; who claimed we could slam the brakes on change, who promised to restore past glory if we just got some group or idea that was threatening America under control.

　　每一次，总有人告诉我们要畏惧未来；每当美国受到某些组织或者言论威胁，将要失控，这些人就告诉我们要停止变革，并承诺恢复往日的辉煌。

　　And each time, we overcame those fears. We did not, in the words of Lincoln, adhere to the "dogmas of the quiet past."

　　但每一次，我们都能够克服恐惧。用林肯的话来说，我们并未遵循“平静的过去时代的信条”。

　　Instead we thought anew, and acted anew.

　　相反地，我们能够用新的思维思考，以新的方式行事。

　　We made change work for us, always extending America's promise outward, to the next frontier, to more people.

　　我们巧妙地利用变化，始终将美国的潜力扩展至更广阔的前沿，惠及更多的民众。

　　And because we did because we saw opportunity where others saw peril² we emerged stronger and better than before.

　　正缘于此——因为他人眼中的风险在我们看来是机遇——我们变得比以前更强更好。

　　What was true then can be true now.

　　过去的真理，现在亦未曾改变。

　　Our unique strengths as a nation, our optimism and work ethic³, our spirit of discovery, our diversity, our commitment to the rule of law,these things give us everything we need to ensure prosperity and security for generations to come.

　　我们的乐观主义与职业道德，我们的发现与创新精神，我们种族多样化和法治信条，这些都是我们作为一个国家所拥有的独一无二的优点，使我们具备了世代繁荣昌盛、国泰民安的一切条件。

　　In fact, it's in that spirit that we have made progress these past seven years.

　　事实上，正因有了这种精神力量，我们过去七年才可能取得进步。

　　It's how we recovered from the worst economic crisis in generations.

　　它使我们得以从几代以来最严重的经济危机中恢复；

1 influx   

n.流入，注入

参考例句：

• The country simply cannot absorb this influx of refugees.这个国家实在不能接纳这么多涌入的难民。
• Textile workers favoured protection because they feared an influx of cheap cloth.纺织工人拥护贸易保护措施，因为他们担心涌入廉价纺织品。

2 peril   

n.(严重的)危险；危险的事物

参考例句：

• The refugees were in peril of death from hunger.难民有饿死的危险。
• The embankment is in great peril.河堤岌岌可危。

3 ethic   

n.道德标准，行为准则

参考例句：

• They instilled the work ethic into their children.他们在孩子们的心中注入了职业道德的理念。
• The connotation of education ethic is rooted in human nature's mobility.教育伦理的内涵根源于人本性的变动性。