词汇提示

1.stakes

2.tactic

3.sentiment

4.cynicism

5.apathy

6.momentum

7.arrogance

8.proliferation

9.diminished

原文

George W. Bush: 'Inaugural Address' (2)

But the stakes for America are never small.

If our country does not lead the cause of freedom, it will not be led.

If we do not turn the hearts of children toward knowledge and character, we will lose their gifts and undermine their idealism.

If we permit our economy to drift and decline,the vulnerable will suffer most.

We must live up to the calling we share.

Civility is not a tactic or a sentiment.

It is the determined choice of trust over cynicism, of community over chaos.

And this commitment, if we keep it, is away to shared accomplishment.

America, at its best, is also courageous.

Our national courage has been clear in times of depression and war, when defending common dangers defined our common good.

Now we must choose if the example of our fathers and mothers will inspire us or condemn us.

We must show courage in a time of blessing by confronting problems instead of passing them on to future generations.

Together, we will reclaim America's schools, before ignorance and apathy claim more young lives.

We will reform Social Security and Medicare, sparing our children from struggles we have the power to prevent.

And we will reduce taxes, to recover the momentum of our economy and reward the effort and enterprise of working Americans.

We will build our defenses beyond challenge,lest weakness invite challenge.

We will confront weapons of mass destruction, so that a new century is spared new horrors.

The enemies of liberty and our country should make no mistake:

America remains engaged in the world by history and by choice, shaping a balance of power that favors freedom.

We will defend our allies and our interests.

We will show purpose without arrogance.

We will meet aggression and bad faith with resolve and strength.

And to all nations, we will speak for the values that gave our nation birth.

America, at its best, is compassionate.

In the quiet of American conscience, we know that deep, persistent poverty is unworthy of our nation's promise.

And whatever our views of its cause, we can agree that children at risk are not at fault.

Abandonment and abuse are not acts of God, they are failures of love.

And the proliferation of prisons, however necessary, is no substitute for hope and order in our souls.

Where there is suffering, there is duty.

Americans in need are not strangers, they are citizens, not problems, but priorities.

And all of us are diminished when any are hopeless.

Government has great responsibilities for public safety and public health, for civil rights and common schools.

Yet compassion is the work of a nation,not just a government.

And some needs and hurts are so deep they will only respond to a mentor's touch or a pastor's prayer.

Church and charity, synagogue and mosque lend our communities their humanity, and they will have an honored place in our plans and in our laws.

Many in our country do not know the pain of poverty, but we can listen to those who do.

And I can pledge our nation to a goal:When we see that wounded traveler on the road to Jericho, we will not pass to the other side.

翻译

乔治·W·布什：“就职演说”（2）

但对美国来说，风险从来都不小。
如果我们的国家不领导自由事业，它就不会被领导。
如果我们不让孩子们的心转向知识和性格，我们就会失去他们的天赋，破坏他们的理想主义。
如果我们允许我们的经济漂移和衰退，弱势群体将遭受最大的痛苦。
我们必须履行我们共同的使命。
礼貌不是一种策略或感情。
这是一种坚定的选择：信任而非犬儒主义，社区而非混乱。
如果我们信守这一承诺，这是实现共同成就的一种方式。
在最好的时候，美国也是勇敢的。
在萧条和战争时期，当捍卫共同危险定义了我们的共同利益时，我们的民族勇气是显而易见的。
现在，我们必须选择我们的父亲和母亲的榜样是激励我们，还是谴责我们。
我们必须在一个充满祝福的时代表现出勇气，直面问题，而不是将问题传给子孙后代。
在无知和冷漠夺走更多年轻人的生命之前，我们将共同夺回美国的学校。
我们将改革社会保障和医疗保险，使我们的孩子免受我们有能力阻止的斗争。
我们将减税，以恢复我们的经济势头，并奖励美国工薪阶层的努力和进取心。
我们将在挑战之外建立防御，以免软弱招致挑战。
我们将面对大规模毁灭性武器，从而使新世纪免于新的恐怖。
自由和我们国家的敌人不应该犯错误：
美国仍然根据历史和选择参与世界事务，形成有利于自由的力量平衡。
我们将捍卫我们的盟友和利益。
我们将毫不傲慢地表现出目标。
我们将以决心和力量对付侵略和恶意。
我们将为孕育我们国家的价值观向所有国家发声。
在最好的情况下，美国是富有同情心的。
在美国良知的平静中，我们知道，根深蒂固的贫困不值得我们国家的承诺。
无论我们对其原因有何看法，我们都可以同意，处于危险中的儿童没有过错。
遗弃和虐待不是上帝的行为，它们是爱的失败。
监狱的泛滥，无论多么必要，都不能取代我们灵魂中的希望和秩序。
哪里有苦难，哪里就有责任。
有需要的美国人并不陌生，他们是公民，不是问题，而是优先事项。
当任何人绝望时，我们所有人都会被削弱。
政府对公共安全和公共卫生、公民权利和普通学校负有重大责任。
然而，同情是一个国家的工作，而不仅仅是一个政府的工作。
有些需求和伤害是如此之深，以至于他们只会对导师的触摸或牧师的祈祷做出回应。
教堂和慈善机构、犹太教堂和清真寺为我们的社区提供了人性，他们将在我们的计划和法律中享有崇高的地位。
我们国家的许多人不知道贫困的痛苦，但我们可以倾听那些知道的人的声音。
我可以向我们的国家保证一个目标：当我们在前往杰里科的路上看到受伤的旅行者时，我们不会越过另一边。

Level 5-Day 11.George W. Bush 'Inaugural Address' (2)

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