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　　U.S. President Barack Obama has unveiled the first part of his plan to reform the country's schools. The initial steps would affect all levels of education.
美国总统奥巴马公布了他对美国学校改革计划的第一步。教育改革的初步计划将涉及各级教育。
The president is proposing an overhaul¹ of the U.S. education system that includes extra pay for good teachers, longer school days and years for students, and higher standards in schools across the country.
奥巴马总统提出了改革美国教育体系的计划，其中包括为优秀教师提供附加工资、为学生开设更多的课时和增加学年，以及提高全国各地学校的标准。
The president took his case for education reform to a group of Hispanic business leaders, who greeted him with the Spanish version of his campaign slogan, "Yes We Can," "Si se puede! Si se puede!"
奥巴马是在一个拉美裔企业领导人机构介绍他的教育改革计划的。这些企业界人士用西班牙语高呼“我们一定能做到”来欢迎他。这也是奥巴马竞选时用的口号。
Mr. Obama made his first major speech on education before the U.S. Hispanic Chamber² of Commerce. New government statistics show that one-fifth of U.S. primary school students are of Latin American origin.
奥巴马总统在这个拉美裔商会上发表了他在教育方面的第一次重要讲话。根据新政府的数据，美国五分之一的小学生都是拉美族裔。
The president says it is unacceptable that American students post mediocre³ results on international rankings, despite having one of the world's best-financed school systems.
奥巴马说，美国的学校系统是世界上资金最充足的之一，但是美国学生在国际排名上成绩平庸，这是不能接受的。
"Despite resources that are unmatched anywhere in the world, we have let our grades slip, our schools crumble⁴, our teacher quality fall short, and other nations outpace us," he said.
他说：“尽管资金来源是世界上任何地方都没有办法比拟的，但是我们的学生成绩下滑，我们的学校崩溃，我们教师的质量不合格，其他国家超过了我们。”
The president says his reform agenda would improve education at all levels, from pre-school programs to universities.
奥巴马总统说，他的改革计划要做到加强各级学校的教育，从幼儿园到大学都不例外。
While some critics say Mr. Obama should focus exclusively on the nation's economic crisis, he says the economy cannot be revived without better schools.
批评人士说，奥巴马应该集中力量来对付美国的经济危机，而奥巴马说，没有更好的学校，经济就不能恢复。
"Our curriculum for eighth-graders is two full years behind top-performing countries," he said. "That is a prescription⁵ for economic decline, and I refuse to accept that America's children cannot rise to this challenge. They can, and they must, and they will meet higher standards in our time."
他说：“我们8年级的教学课程比成绩最高的国家落后整整两年。这就是导致经济下滑的原因，而我拒绝有关美国孩子不能接受这种挑战的说法。他们在我们的时代里能够、必须、也必将达到更高水平。”
Mr. Obama said he wants to reduce the number of students who do not finish high school. U.S. Education Department statistics show that 22 percent of Hispanic students drop out of school, far more than any other major U.S. ethnic⁶ group.
奥巴马总统说，他要减少不念完高中的学生人数。美国教育部的数据显示，在中途辍学的学生中有22%是拉丁裔学生，比美国其他任何主要族裔都多。
"To any student who is watching, I say this: Do not even think about dropping out of school. Do not even think about it," he said. "As I said a couple of weeks ago, dropping out is quitting on yourself, it is quitting on your country, and it is not an option, not any more."
他说：“我要对每一位现在正在看电视的学生说，不要想中途辍学，想都别想。就像我几个星期以前说过的那样，辍学就是自暴自弃，就是对国家不负责任，这不是一个选择，再也不能这样了。”
Mr. Obama did not propose any new spending for education, but his $787 billion economic recovery package includes grants to local school districts and money for modernizing⁷ schools.
奥巴马没有为教育规划提供任何新的支出方案，但是他提出的7870亿美元的经济刺激计划包括了给地方校区拨款以及为学校现代化提供的资金。