美国经典英文演讲100篇(中英对照):罗斯福总统就职演讲(中)
日期:2011-10-28 16:41

(单词翻译:单击)

听力原文
Happiness lies not in the mere possession of money; it lies in the thrill of achievement, in the thrill of creative effort. The joy, the moral stimulation of work no longer must be forgotten in the mad chase of evanescent profits. These dark days, my friends, will be worth all they cost us if they teach us that our true destiny is not to be ministered unto but to minister to ourselves, to our fellow men.

Recognition of that falsity of material wealth as the standard of success goes hand in hand with the abandonment of the false belief that public office and high political position are to be valued only by the standards of pride of place and personal profit; and there must be an end to a conduct in banking and in business which too often has given to a sacred trust the likeness of callous and selfish wrongdoing. Small wonder that confidence languishes, for it thrives only on honesty, on honor, on the sacredness of obligations, on faithful protection, and on unselfish performance; without them it cannot live.

Restoration calls, however, not for changes in ethics alone. This Nation is asking for action, and action now.

Our greatest primary task is to put people to work. This is no unsolvable problem if we face it wisely and courageously. It can be accomplished in part by direct recruiting by the Government itself, treating the task as we would treat the emergency of a war, but at the same time, through this employment, accomplishing great —greatly needed projects to stimulate and reorganize the use of our great natural resources.

Hand in hand with that we must frankly recognize the overbalance of population in our industrial centers and, by engaging on a national scale in a redistribution, endeavor to provide a better use of the land for those best fitted for the land.
参考译文
幸福并不在于单纯地占有;幸福还在于取得成就后的喜悦,在于创造性努力时的激情。务必不能再忘记劳动带来的喜悦和激励,而去疯狂地追逐那转瞬即逝的利润。如果这些暗淡的时日能使我们认识到,我们真正的夭命不是要别人侍奉,而是为自己和同胞们服务,那么我们付出的代价就完全是值得的。

认识到把物质财富当作成功的标准是错误的,我们就会抛弃以地位尊严和个人收益为唯一标准。来衡量公职和高级政治地位的错误信念,我们必须制止银行界和企业界的一种行为,它常常使神圣的委托混同于无情和自私的不正当行为,难怪信心在减弱,因为增强信心只有靠诚实、荣誉感、神圣的责任感,忠实地加以维护和无私地履行职责,而没有这些,就不可能有信心。

但是,复兴不仅仅要求改变伦理观念。这个国家要求行动起来,现在就行动起来。

我们最大、最基本的任务是让人民投入工作。只要我们运用智慧和勇气,这个问题就可以解决。这可以部分由政府直接征募完成,就象对待临战的紧要关头一样,但同时,在有了人手的情况下,我们还急需能刺激并重组巨大自然资源的工程。

我们齐心协力,但必须坦白地承认工业中心的人口失衡,我们必须在全国范围内重新分配,使土地在最适合的人手中发表挥更大作用。
词语解释
1. thrill n. 兴奋,激动;恐怖

It is quite a thrill to see a real movie star in the flesh.
看见电影明星本人是一件令人十分兴奋的事。

2. evanescent a. 短暂,易逝的

All was unstable; quivering as leaves, evanescent as lightning.
一切都是不稳定的,都象树叶似地颤动翻转,象闪电似地倏忽明灭。

3. falsity n. 虚假

We have shown the falsity of the story.
我们已证明那个报道不真实。

3. languish v. 变得无生气,衰弱

In the Tower of London, prisoners used to languish in chains, cold, and darkness.
过去,在伦敦塔里的囚犯受到镣铐、寒冷和阴暗的折磨。

4. recruit v. 征募

The recruit was all eagerness to go to the front.
新入伍的战士迫切盼望上前线。

分享到
重点单词
  • engagingadj. 动人的,迷人的,有魅力的
  • recruitv. 招募,征兵,吸收(新成员),补充 n. 新兵,新成
  • restorationn. 恢复,归还,复位
  • sacredadj. 神圣的,受尊重的
  • ethicsn. 道德规范
  • lightningn. 闪电 adj. 闪电般的,快速的 vi. 打闪
  • possessionn. 财产,所有,拥有
  • unselfishadj. 无私的
  • performancen. 表演,表现; 履行,实行 n. 性能,本事
  • unstableadj. 不稳定的,易变的