虽然政府能有许多作为也必须有许多作为，但最终离不开美国人民的信仰和决心，这才是我们的立国之本。于防洪堤坝决堤之时收留陌生受难者的善意，于经济不景气的时候宁愿减少自己工时也不肯看着朋友失业的无私，正是这些，支撑着我们走过黑暗的时刻。消防队员冲入满是浓烟的楼梯抢救生命的勇气，父母养育孩子的坚持，正是这些决定了我们的命运。
我们面临的挑战可能前所未闻，我们应对挑战的措施也可能前所未有，但那些长期以来指导我们成功的价值观——勤奋、诚实、勇气、公平竞争、包容以及对世界保持好奇心，还有对国家的忠诚和爱国主义——却是历久弥新。这些价值观都是千真万确的。他们是创造美国历史的无声力量。我们现在需要的就是回归这些古老的价值观。我们需要一个新的负责任的时代，一个觉醒的时代，每个国人都应意识到：我们对自己、对国家和世界负有责任。对于这些责任，我们并非勉强接受，而是心甘情愿主动承担。我们应该坚定这一认识，即没有什么比全身心投入一项艰巨的工作更能锻炼我们的性格，更能获得精神上的满足。
这是公民应尽的义务，应做出的承诺。
这就是我们自信的来源，上帝号召我们要掌握自己的命运。
这就是我们自由和信仰的意义，这也是为何不同种族、不同信仰、不同性别和年龄的人可以同聚一堂在此欢庆的原因，也是我今天能站在这里庄严宣誓的原因，而在50多年前我的父亲甚至都不能成为地方餐馆的服务生。
所以，让我们铭记自己的身份，镌刻自己的足迹。在美国诞生的时代，那最寒冷的岁月里，一群勇敢的爱国人士围着篝火在冰封的河边取暖。首都被占领，敌人在挺进，冬天的雪被鲜血染成了红色。在美国大革命最受质疑的时刻，我们的国父们这样说：
“我们要让未来的世界知道……在深冬的严寒里，惟有希望和勇气才能让我们存活……面对共同的危险时，我们的城市和国家要勇敢地上前去面对。”
今天的美国也在严峻的寒冬中面对共同的挑战，让我们记住国父们不朽的话语。带着希望和勇气，让我们再一次勇敢地面对寒流，迎接可能会发生的风暴。我们要让我们的子孙后代记住，在面临挑战的时候，我们没有屈服，我们没有逃避也没有丝毫动摇，我们脚踏实地、心怀信仰，秉承了自由这份伟大的礼物并将其安全地交到了下一代的手中。
背景介绍
2009年1月20日第56届（第44任）美国总统奥巴马发表了就职演说。奥巴马说，美国仍然是年轻的国家，但这个时代受到挑战，我们必须凝聚力量，重新塑造美国。但他并没有提供有关经济刺激计划的更多细节。
单词注解
humble [5hQmbl] adj.谦逊的；卑微的
mindful [5maindful] adj. 注意的，留神的，
amidst [E5midst] prep.（表示位置）在…中间，
grateful [5^reitful] adj. 感激的，感谢的
shed [Fed] n.棚，库；vt.流出，流下
shutter [5FQtE] n. 百叶窗
adversary [5AdvEsEri] n.对手，敌手
recrimination [rIkrImI5neIF(E)n] n.吵架；相互指责
dogmas [5dC^mEs] n.教条
pick up拾起；安排接取；振作起来
wield [wi:ld] vt.手持着使用（武器、工具等）；行使
dust off掸去灰尘；迅速离开
specter [5spektE] n. 幽灵，妖怪，缭绕心头的恐惧（或忧虑等）
outlast [aut5lB:st] vt. 比…长久，比…活得长
levee [5levi] n. 堤，堤岸
segregation [7se^ri5^eiFEn] n.隔离
grudgingly [5^rQdViNli] adv.不愿意地
embody [im5bCdi] vt. 表现，象征，具体表现；收录
精华句型 & 翻译
we have chosen hope over fear，unity of purpose over conflict and discord.
The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our Gross Domestic Product，but on the reach of our prosperity.
演讲技巧揭密
It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break，the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours.
In the year of America’s birth，in the coldest of months，a small band of patriots huddled by dying campfires on the shores of an icy river.
就职演讲包括四个部分
1.称呼。演讲时对听众的称呼，一般运用全称。因为面对的听众是群体，表达要亲切得体；
2.开头。表明就职者的心情，对选民、代表、公众的谢意，要简短亲切；
3.主体。写明施政纲领、措施、近期要做的几项重要工作，所要达到的效果或目的，内容要具体充实；
4.结尾。鼓舞斗志，展望未来，一般以表示谢意的话语作结尾。
《时代周刊》记者发表文章，用“谦逊、感激、奉献”三个词概括了这一演说。
第一章 Address to Joint Session of Congress
February 24th，2009
Madame Speaker，Mr. Vice President，Members of Congress，and the First Lady of the United States：
I’ve come here tonight not only to address the distinguished men and women in this great chamber，but to speak frankly and directly to the men and women who sent us here.
I know that for many Americans watching right now，the state of our economy is a concern that rises above all others. And rightly so. If you haven’t been personally affected by this recession，you probably know someone who has - a friend；a neighbor，a member of your family. You don’t need to hear another list of statistics to know that our economy is in crisis，because you live it every day. It’s the worry you wake up with and the source of sleepless nights. It’s the job you thought you’d retire from but now have lost；the business you built your dreams upon that’s now hanging by a thread；the college acceptance letter your child had to put back in the envelope. The impact of this recession is real，and it is everywhere.
But while our economy may be weakened and our confidence shaken；though we are living through difficult and uncertain times，tonight I want every American to know this：
We will rebuild，we will recover，and the United States of America will emerge stronger than before.
The weight of this crisis will not determine the destiny of this nation. The answers to our problems don’t lie beyond our reach. They exist in our laboratories and universities；in our fields and our factories；in the imaginations of our entrepreneurs and the pride of the hardest-working people on Earth. Those qualities that have made America the greatest force of progress and prosperity in human history we still possess in ample measure. What is required now is for this country to pull together，confront boldly the challenges we face，and take responsibility for our future once more.
Now，if we’re honest with ourselves，we’ll admit that for too long，we have not always met these responsibilities - as a government or as a people. I say this not to lay blame or look backwards，but because it is only by understanding how we arrived at this moment that we’ll be able to lift ourselves out of this predicament.
The fact is，our economy did not fall into decline overnight. Nor did all of our problems begin when the housing market collapsed or the stock market sank. We have known for decades that our survival depends on finding new sources of energy. Yet we import more oil today than ever before. The cost of health care eats up more and more of our savings each year，yet we keep delaying reform. Our children will compete for jobs in a global economy that too many of our schools do not prepare them for. And though all these challenges went unsolved，we still managed to spend more money and pile up more debt，both as individuals and through our government，than ever before.