演讲稿

We too often let the external, the material things, serve as indicators that we're doing well, even though something inside us tells us that we're not doing our best; that we're avoiding that which is hard, but also necessary; that we're shrinking from rather than rising to the challenges of the age.And the thing is, in this new hyper-competitive age, none of us—none of us can afford to be complacent.
我们过多地把那些外在的、物质的东西看成是我们取得成就的标记，虽然我们内心明白自己并没有尽力；自己正在逃避必须经历的困难；自己面对时代的挑战，没有奋起迎接，而是选择了退缩。问题是，在这个竟争极度激烈的新时代，我们中没有任何人能够付得起自满的代价。
That's true whatever profession you choose. Professors might earn the distinction of tenure, but that doesn't guarantee that they'll keep putting in the long hours and late nights and have the passion and the drive to be great educators.
无论选择何种职业，都不能自满。教授可能会获得终身教授的荣誉，但这并不能保证他们拥有成为伟大教育家的激情和动力。
The same principle is true in your personal life. Being a parent is not just a matter of paying the bills, doing the bare minimum. It's not just bringing a child into the world that matters, but the acts of love and sacrifice it takes to raise and educate that child and give them opportunities.
这一原则也适用于个人生活。父母的职责不只是支付账单、做最低限度的事情，也不只是把孩子带到这个世界上来，而是用爱和奉献教育孩子，并给他们提供机遇。
It can happen to presidents as well. If you think about Abraham Lincoln and Millard Fillmore had the very same title. They were both presidents of the United States, but their tenure in office and their legacy could not be more different.

纵使对于总统也是如此。你们想想看，亚伯纳罕·林肯和米勒德·菲尔莫尔有相同的头衔，他们都曾是美国总统，但他们的总统任期和为人类创造的价值却又天壤之别。

背景介绍

背景介绍

米勒德·菲尔莫尔，美国第十三任总统。菲尔莫尔是美国历史上第二位以副总统身份继承总统职位的人，在任仅两年又八个月。菲尔莫尔在奴隶制问题上始终持妥协态度。他于1850年签署了对南方奴隶主妥协的法案。这一法案既为北方所不满，又未赢得南方的信任。由于两面不讨好，他在1852年的总统选举中落选。

他在对外政策方面也无显著成就，任期内最大的外交行动是派遣海军少将佩里率领舰队前往日本，迫使日本政府开放海口与美国通商，从而“打开日本的大门”。他的另一项政绩是大力在西部构筑铁路。1840年以前，美国的铁路大部分在阿巴拉契亚山脉以东，西部地区没有铁路。1852年，东西部铁路在芝加哥市接通，使得芝加哥成为了美国铁路网的中心，也促进了西部资本主义经济的发展。

他是美国历史上最具争议的总统之一，对他的评价也曾两级化。