奥巴马每周电视讲话：总统呼吁减轻大学生学费负担

Hi, everybody.
大家好。
This week, I spent some time in Colorado and Texas, talking with people about what's going on in their lives.
本周，我来到了科罗拉多和德克萨斯州，与当地的人们谈论了他们当前的生活状况。
One of them was Elizabeth Cooper, who'll be a college junior this fall.
其中有个人叫伊丽莎白库珀，今年秋天她将上大三。
She wrote to tell me something I hear often: how hard it is for middle-class families like hers to afford college.
她在给我的信中写到的事情我经常听到：像她家这样的中产家庭对承担大学学费是如何的艰难。
And she shared something I know many of you feel when you wonder what's going on in Washington.
而且我还跟她交流了大家都想知道的事情，那就是华盛顿到底在干什么。
She said she feels “not significant enough to be addressed, not poor enough for people to worry, and not rich enough to be cared about.”
她说她感觉像是“重要性没有达到引起关注的程度，穷又没穷到令人担忧的程度，富又没富到令人关心的程度”。
I ran for President to fight for Americans just like Elizabeth-people who work hard, do everything right, and just want a chance to build a decent¹ life for themselves and their families.
我作为总统就是为了帮助像伊丽莎白这样的人—帮助那些辛勤工作、恪尽职守，只是希望有机会为他们自己和家庭挣得一份体面生活的人们。
And after the worst economic crisis² in generations, our businesses have now created nearly 10 million new jobs over the past 52 months.
在经历了几十年不遇的最严重的经济危机之后，我们的经济在过去的52个月里一共增加了1000万个就业岗位。
The unemployment rate has fallen to its lowest point since 2008.
失业率也下降到自2008年以来的最低值。
By almost every measure, our economy is better off than it was five years ago.
几乎从任何角度来看，我们的经济都要比5年前发展的好。
But while we've created more jobs at this point of the year than any year since 1999, too many families barely³ earn what they did in 1999.
但就在我们创造就业比1999年以来的任何一年都要多的时间节点上，还有太多的家庭几乎无法挣到1999年那么多的钱。
It's harder to pay for college, save, or retire, because people's wages and incomes have not gone up.
大学学费更贵了，储蓄更难了，养老更费劲了，因为人们的工资收入一直没有上涨。
Nearly all the gains of the recovery are going to the very top-and aren't making a difference in your lives.
经济复苏带来的几乎所有收益都流向了社会最顶层—却几乎没有给大家的生活带来什么改变。
And I believe America does better when the middle class does better.
我始终相信当中产阶级生活更好的时候美国才能更好。
And I've laid out an opportunity agenda⁴ to create jobs, train workers, educate our kids, and make sure hard work actually pays off.
我也列出了增加机会的时间表，涉及创造就业，开展员工培训，子女教育以及确保辛勤付出得到回报。
These are the things we should be doing to grow the middle class and help folks work their way into the middle class.
这些事情都是我们应该做的，这样才能帮助中产阶级成长，帮助人们努力跻身中产阶级。
And it's pretty uncontroversial stuff.
这完全是无需争辩的事情。
I hope we can work together on it.
我希望我们在这个问题上可以携起手来。
And I'm always willing to compromise if folks have other ideas or if it advances generally the interests of working Americans.
我也一直愿意妥协，只要人们有其它的好主意或者能显著增加工薪阶层的利益。
But so far this year, Republicans⁶ in Congress have blocked every serious idea to strengthen the middle class.
但今年以来，国会的共和党人阻止了每一个旨在巩固中产阶级地位的紧要立法提案。
Lifting the minimum wage, fair pay, student loan reform-they've said no to all of it.
这包括提高最低工资标准，同工同酬，助学贷款改革等，对这些法案他们统统说不。
And that's when I've acted this year to help working Americans on my own– when Congress won't act.
当国会不行动的时候，我只好自己动手，用我自己的方式来帮助工薪阶层。
I've taken actions to attract new jobs, lift workers' wages, help students pay off their loans, and more.
我采取了很多措施吸引就业，提高工人工资，帮助学生偿还贷款，还有很多。
And the Republican⁵ plan right now is not to do some of this work with me-instead, it's to sue⁷ me.
而国会现在正在计划要做的不是与我一起做好这些事情，而是要起诉我。
That's actually what they're spending their time on.
这就是他们花时间在做的事情。
It's a political stunt⁸ that's going to waste months of America's time.
这种持续进行的政治表演浪费了美国大量的时间。
And by the way, they're going to pay for it using your hard-earned tax dollars.
此外，他们还将用你们辛苦缴纳的税金去支付这一成本。
I have a better idea: do something, Congress.
当然我还有一个更好的主意：国会，做点事情吧。
Do anything to help working Americans. Join the rest of the country.
做点能帮助工薪阶层的事情。
Join me, I'm looking forward to working with you.
与全国人民一起，加入我，我期待着与你们一起合作。
You know, on Tuesday, I met with Carolyn Reed⁹ and her husband David, who own six Silver Mine Sub shops in Colorado.
大家都知道，周二我会见了卡罗琳里德和她的丈夫戴维，他们在科罗拉多州拥有6家银矿快餐店。
Two days later, they announced they're giving their hourly employees a raise to ten dollars and ten cents an hour.
两天后，他们宣布将员工的时新提高到10.10美元。
They're not waiting for Congress.
他们没有等国会。
Carolyn said, “We are happy to be a part of what I hope will be a growing voluntary trend in increased wages.”
卡罗琳说：“我很高兴能成为自主提高员工工资水平大潮中的一员。”
Carolyn and Americans like her all across the country are happy to do their part.
卡罗琳与全国各地与她一样的美国人都很高兴能做好这样的事。
Congress now needs to step up and do its part.
国会现在需要做的就是跟上脚步做好自己该做的事情。
And next week, I'll travel to a couple of job sites to talk about how Democrats¹⁰ and Republicans can work together to grow the economy and protect nearly 700,000 jobs by passing a highway bill by the end of the summer.
下周，我将去部分工地，谈谈民主党和共和党应该如何合作促进经济增长并在夏末之前通过高速公路法案保护将近70万个就业岗位不丢失。
I'm here because hardworking Americans like Elizabeth and Carolyn.
我讲这些是因为勤劳的美国人民喜欢伊丽莎白和卡罗琳这样的人。
That's something I'll never forget-it's something I'll never stop fighting for.
这是我永远都不会忘记的事情，也是我永远会为之奋斗不止的事情。
Thanks, and have a great weekend.
谢谢大家，祝你们周末愉快！

1 decent   

adj.象样的，不错的，体面的，正派的，恰当的

参考例句：

• We want to raise our children to be decent men and women.我们盼望把孩子们培养成优秀人才。
• There isn't even a decent table in this room.这屋里连张像样的桌子也没有。

2 crisis   

n.危机，危急关头，决定性时刻，关键阶段

参考例句：

• He had proved that he could be relied on in a crisis.他已表明，在紧要关头他是可以信赖的。
• The topic today centers about the crisis in the Middle East.今天课题的中心是中东危机。

3 barely   

adv.仅仅，几乎没有，几乎不

参考例句：

• The male bird is barely distinguishable from the female.雄鸟和雌鸟几乎无法辨别。
• He took barely enough money to keep the children in bread.他赚很少的钱仅够孩子们勉强糊口。

4 agenda   

n.议事日程，记事册

参考例句：

• We now proceed to the next item on the agenda.我们现在着手讨论下一项议题。
• If there is no objection,the agenda is adopted.如果没有意见，议程就通过了。

5 republican   

n.拥护共和政体的人； adj.共和政体的，（Republican）共和党人，（Republican）共和党的

参考例句：

• Some families have been republican for generations.有些家庭世代都支持共和党。
• A third candidate has entered the contest for the Republican nomination.第三个候选人已经加入角逐共和党提名的行列。

6 republicans   

拥护共和政体者，共和主义者( republican的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Republicans got shellacked in the elections. 共和党在选举中一败涂地。
• The latest poll gives the Republicans a 5％ lead. 最近的民意调查结果表明共和党领先了五个百分点。

7 sue   

vt.控告，起诉；vi.请求，追求，起诉

参考例句：

• If you don't pay me the money,I'll sue you.如果你不付给我钱，我就告你。
• The war criminals sue for peace.战犯求和。

8 stunt   

n.惊人表演，绝技，特技；vt.阻碍...发育，妨碍...生长

参考例句：

• Lack of the right food may stunt growth.缺乏适当的食物会阻碍发育。
• Right up there is where the big stunt is taking place.那边将会有惊人的表演。

9 reed   

n.芦苇，芦丛，簧舌，簧片

参考例句：

• The river banks were overgrown with reed.河岸长满了芦苇。
• They inhabit reed huts built on stilts above the water.他们住在建于水中木桩之上的芦苇草屋里。

10 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》