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米歇尔·奥巴马寄语2020毕业生的演讲(2)

来源:可可英语 编辑:Melody   可可英语APP下载 |  可可官方微信:ikekenet

The truth is,

事实是,

when it comes to all those tidy stories of hard work and self-determination that we like to tell ourselves about America,

相较于那些我们喜欢告诉自己的关于美国的艰苦工作和自决权的故事,

well, the reality is a lot more complicated than that.

好吧,现实比这复杂得多。

Because for too many people in this country,

因为对这个国家的很多人来说,

no matter how hard they work,

不管他们怎么努力,

there are structural barriers working against them that just make the road longer and rockier.

有一些结构性的障碍物总是阻碍着他们,让他们的人生道路变得更慢长崎岖。

And sometimes it's almost impossible to move upward at all.

有时候,向上爬几乎不可能。

Because if you're required to work during a pandemic,

因为如果你要在大流行期间工作,

but don't have enough protective equipment,

但是没有足够的防护装备,

or health insurance from your employer, or paid sick leave,

或者雇主没有给你上健康保险,或者没有带薪病假,

well, what is more essential, your work, or your life?

那你的工作和你的生活孰轻孰重?

021226.jpg

If you don't feel safe driving your own car in your own neighborhood

如果你觉得在自家附近开车、

or going for a jog, or buying some candy at 7-Eleven, or bird watching,

慢跑、在711买糖果、观鸟都不安全,

if you can't even approach the police without fearing for your life,

如果你连报警都不担心自己的生命安全,

well, then how do you begin to chart your own course?

那么,你怎么开始规划自己的路线呢?

And as so often is the case

通常是这样,

these questions compound upon themselves.

这些问题错综复杂。

So, if you're struggling already just to keep your head above water,

所以,如果你已经在努力避免负债,

if you're living in a constant state of fear,

如果你一直生活在恐惧之中,

how much farther behind will you be after months in quarantine and without a job?

忧虑几个月的隔离期和失业之后,你还会落后多少?

These are uncomfortable questions.

这些都是令人不安的问题。

Questions that have dogged this country for generations,

这些问题困扰美国好几代人,

but are now staring us in the face

现在也盯上了我们,

every time we look at our phones

每次我们盯着手机的时候,

or hear helicopters circling our neighborhoods.

或者听到直升机在附近盘旋的时候。

And the tough part is nobody has all the answers.

最困难的是没有人知道所有的答案。

If my generation did,

如果我们这一代找到了答案,

trust me, we'd have fixed all of this a long time ago.

那相信我,我们早就搞定了。

But that doesn't mean we should feel hopeless.

但这并不意味着我们会感到绝望。

Just the opposite.

恰恰相反。

Because what we finally do have is focus.

因为我们最终得到的是专注。

We see what's happening in stark relief.

我们看到了完全松懈后发生的事情。

We see how these inequalities are playing out on our streets.

我们看到不平等事件在我们的街道上演。

And it's not just the communities most affected by these challenges that see it now.

现在不仅仅是受这些挑战影响最大的社区面临这些问题。

It's folks all across the country,

全国各地的人,

who, for too long, have had the luxury and privilege of looking away.

他们受挑战折磨太久了,他们有权把目光移开。

We all have no choice but to see what has been staring us in the face

我们都别无选择,只能看看到底是什么问题一直困扰着我们,

for years, for centuries.

困扰多年,几个世纪一直如此。

重点单词   查看全部解释    
luxury ['lʌkʃəri]

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n. 奢侈,豪华,奢侈品

 
pandemic [pæn'demik]

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adj. 全国流行的 n. (全国或全世界范围流行的)疾

联想记忆
impossible [im'pɔsəbl]

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adj. 不可能的,做不到的
adj.

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privilege ['privilidʒ]

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n. 特权,特别恩典,基本人权,荣幸
vt.

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relief [ri'li:f]

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n. 减轻,解除,救济(品), 安慰,浮雕,对比

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insurance [in'ʃuərəns]

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n. 保险,保险费,安全措施

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uncomfortable [ʌn'kʌmftəbl]

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adj. 不舒服的,不自在的

 
compound ['kɔmpaund]

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n. 混合物,复合词
n. 院子(用围墙圈起来

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tidy ['taidi]

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adj. 整齐的,整洁的,相当大的
vt. 使

 
complicated ['kɔmplikeitid]

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adj. 复杂的,难懂的
动词complica

 

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