米歇尔.奥巴马成都七中演讲稿(中英文双语全文(4)

米歇尔.奥巴马成都七中演讲稿(中英文双语全文),后面还链接有第一夫人在北大的演讲,是学习地道英语的极好资料,同时学生也能受到很好教育和激励。

young people.

And my story isn’t unusual in America. Some of our most famous athletes, like

LeBron James, and artists, like the singer Janelle Monae, came from struggling

families like mine, as do many business leaders – like Howard Schultz. He’s the

head of a company called Starbucks, which many of you may have heard of. When

Mr. Schultz was a boy his father lost his job, leaving their family destitute. But Mr.

Schultz worked hard. He got a scholarship to a university, and eventually built the

largest coffeehouse company in the world.

And then there’s this other guy I know who was raised by a single mother who

sometimes struggled to afford food for their family. But like me, this guy got

scholarships and loans to attend universities. He became a lawyer and a professor,

and then he was a state senator and then a national senator. And then, he became

President of the United States. This guy I’m talking about is my husband, Barack

Obama. (Applause.)

These stories are the stories of so many Americans, and of America itself.

Because in America, we believe that no matter where you live or how much money

your parents have, or what race or religion or ethnicity you are, if you work hard and

believe in yourself, then you should have a chance to succeed. We also believe that

everyone is equal, and that we all have the right to say what we think and worship as

we choose, even when others don’t like what we say or don’t always agree with what

we believe.

Now of course, living up to these ideals isn’t always easy. And there have been

times in our history where we have fallen short. Many decades ago, there were

actually laws in America that allowed discrimination against black people like me,

who are a minority in the United States. But over time, ordinary citizens decided

that those laws were unfair. So they held peaceful protests and marches. They

called on government officials to change those laws, and they voted to elect new

officials who shared their views.

And slowly but surely, America changed. We got rid of those unjust laws. And

today, just 50 years later, my husband and I are President and First Lady of the United

States. And that is really the story of America –- how over the course of our short

history, through so many trials and struggles, we have become more equal, more

inclusive, and more free.

And today in America, people of every race, religion and ethnicity live together

and work together to build a better life for their children and grandchildren. And in

the end, that deep yearning to leave something better for those who come after us, that

is something we all truly share. In fact, there’s a Chinese saying that I love that says,

“To achieve true happiness, help the next generation.”