Name: 英文演講 | 與奧巴馬一起學習英語 (ENGLISH SPEECH | LEARN ENGLISH with BARACK OBAMA)
Uploaded: 2025-10-31T12:59:24.000Z
Duration: 10 min 17 s

親愛的學習者，歡迎來到這裡。

I'm Anna and today we'll dive into an inspiring speech by Barack Obama, the 44th president of the United States.

我是 Anna，今天我們要一起深入探討美國第 44 任總統 Barack Obama 的一段鼓舞人心的演講。

基礎被動語態

This speech is filled with valuable lessons, but

這場演講充滿了寶貴的啟示，但

we'll also focus on its language structure, grammar and unique phrases to enhance your English comprehension.

我們也會聚焦在它的語言結構、文法和獨特的詞彙，來提升大家的英文理解能力。

Point number one when you hear someone longing for the good old days, take it with a grain of salt.

當你聽到有人懷念過去的美好時光，第一點，聽聽就好。

We live in a great nation, and we are rightly proud of our history.

我們生活在一個偉大的國家，我們也為我們的歷史感到驕傲。

We are beneficiaries of the labor and the grit and the courage of generations who came before.

我們是前幾代人辛勤工作、毅力和勇氣的受益者。

But I guess it's part of human nature, especially in times of change and uncertainty, to want to look backwards and long for some imaginary past when everything worked and the economy hummed and all politicians were wise and every child was well mannered and America pretty much did whatever it wanted around the world.

但我猜這也是人之常情，尤其在變動和不確定的時期，我們會想回頭去懷念一個虛幻的過去，那時一切都運作良好，經濟蓬勃發展，所有政治人物都很明智，每個孩子都舉止得體，而美國幾乎可以隨心所欲地在全世界為所欲為。

In this section, Obama employs repetition in Take it with a Grain of Salt, which emphasizes his point.

在本節中，歐巴馬在「聽聽就好」這句話中運用了重複，以強調他的觀點。

This phrase means to be skeptical or doubtful about something.

這句話的意思是對某事持懷疑或懷疑的態度。

He claims to be an expert, but take it with a grain of salt.

他聲稱自己是專家，但聽聽就好。

Also notice the use of the past simple in we lived and we were expressing completed actions in the past, the good old days weren't all that good.

同時也要注意我們使用了簡單過去式，例如「我們生活」和「我們是」，這是在表達過去已完成的動作，美好的舊時光並非那麼美好。

Yes, there have been some stretches in our history where the economy grew much faster or when government ran more smoothly.

是的，我們的歷史上確實有些時期，經濟成長更快，或是政府運作更順暢。

There were moments when immediately after World War II, for example, or at the end of the Cold War, when the world bent more easily to our will.

確實有些時刻，例如二戰剛結束後，或是冷戰結束時，世界更能輕易地順應我們的意願。

But those are sporadic, those moments, those episodes.

但那些都是零星的，那些時刻，那些插曲。

In fact, by almost every measure, America is better and the world is better than it was 50 years ago, or 30 years ago, or even eight years ago.

事實上，幾乎從各方面來看，美國和世界都比 50 年前、30 年前，甚至 8 年前來得好。

Here, Obama uses the past simple tense, as in the economy grew to describe historical facts.

在這裡，歐巴馬使用了過去簡單式，像是「經濟成長」來描述歷史事實。

The word sporadic means occurring irregularly.

sporadic 這個詞的意思是零星地發生。

Sporadic rain showers are expected throughout the day.

He contrasts the past with the present, making comparisons using the comparative form better.

他將過去與現在做對比，使用比較級 better 來做比較。

And by the way, I'm not set aside 150 years ago, pre Civil War.

對了，我不是指 150 年前，美國內戰前的時候。

We could talk about set aside life in the 50s, when women and people of color were systematically excluded from big chunks of American life.

我們可以談談 50 年代的隔離生活，當時女性和有色人種被系統性地排除在外，無法參與美國生活的絕大部分。

Since I graduated in 1983, which isn't that long ago.

自從我 1983 年畢業以來，這其實沒過多久。

I'm just saying, since I graduated, crime rates, teenage pregnancy, the share of Americans living in poverty, they're all down.

我只是想說，自從我畢業以來，犯罪率、青少年懷孕率、生活在貧困中的美國人比例，全都下降了。

The share of Americans with college educations have gone way up.

大學教育的美國人比例大幅提高。

Blacks and Latinos have risen up the ranks in business and politics.

非裔和拉丁裔在商業和政治上都晉升了。

Although it's long past time that we pass laws to make sure that women are getting the same pay for the same work as men.

雖然早就該通過法律，確保女性獲得與男性相同的薪資。

Notice the ellipsis in I'm not set aside, which shows a pause or omission.

注意「I'm not set aside」中的省略號，表示停頓或省略。

He also uses the present perfect in have gone way up, indicating a connection between the past and present.

他也用了現在完成式「have gone way up」，表示過去與現在的關聯。

The phrase long past time means something that should have happened earlier.

「long past time」這個片語的意思是某件事應該早點發生。

It's long past time for him to take responsibility.

Meanwhile, in eight years since most of you started high school, we're also better off.

同時，自從你們大多數人開始讀高中後的八年裡，我們也過得更好了。

You and your fellow graduates are entering the job market with better prospects than any time since 2007.

你和你的同學們進入職場時，前景比 2007 年以來任何時候都要好。

20 million more Americans know the financial security of health insurance.

有 2000 萬美國人是以享有健康保險帶來的財務保障。

我們對外國石油的依賴減少了。

We've doubled the production of clean energy.

我們將清潔能源的產量翻了一倍。

We have cut the high school dropout rate.

Marriage equality is the law of the land.

And just as America is better, the world is better than when I graduated.

就像美國變得更好一樣，世界也比我畢業時更好了。

自從我畢業以來，一道鐵幕已經落下。

We virtually eliminated certain diseases like polio.

我們幾乎消滅了小兒麻痺等特定疾病。

We've cut infant mortality by an enormous amount.

Now, now, I say all these things not to make you complacent.

現在，我說這些並不是要讓你們自滿。

We've got a bunch of big problems to solve.

But I say it to point out that change has been a constant in our history.

但我說這些是為了指出，改變一直都是我們歷史上的常態。

And the reason America is better is because we didn't look backwards.

美國之所以變得更好，是因為我們沒有回頭看。

We seized the future and made it our own.

我們掌握了未來，並讓它成為我們的。

And that's exactly why it's always been young people like you that have brought about big changes because you don't fear the future.

這正是為什麼一直以來都是像你們一樣的年輕人帶來了巨大的改變，因為你們不害怕未來。

This section contains numbers and statistical facts utilizing the present perfect as in we've doubled the phrase.

這個部分包含數字和統計事實，使用了現在完成式，例如我們將「phrase」這個詞加倍了。

Law of the land refers to laws that must be obeyed by everyone.

國家的法律指的是每個人都必須遵守的法律。

Free speech is the law of the land in many democratic countries.

在許多民主國家，言論自由是國家的法律。

The world is more interconnected than ever before, and it's becoming more connected every day.

世界比以往任何時候都更加緊密相連，而且每天都在變得更加緊密。

Look, as president, my first responsibility is always the security and prosperity of the United States.

聽著，身為總統，我的首要責任始終是美國的安全與繁榮。

And as citizens, we all rightly put our country first.

而作為公民，我們都理所當然地將國家擺在第一位。

But if the past two decades have taught us anything, it's that the biggest challenges we face cannot be solved in isolation.

但如果過去二十年教會了我們什麼，那就是我們面臨的最大挑戰，無法獨自解決。

When overseas states start falling apart, they become breeding grounds for terrorists and ideologies of nihilism and despair that ultimately can reach our shores.

當海外國家開始崩潰時，它們就成了恐怖分子以及虛無主義和絕望思想的溫床，這些最終會蔓延到我們的海岸。

When developing countries don't have functioning health systems.

當開發中國家沒有健全的衛生系統時。

Epidemics like Zika or Ebola can spread and threaten Americans too.

像茲卡或伊波拉這樣的流行病會蔓延並威脅到美國人。

Obama introduces his second point using a future prediction.

歐巴馬用未來的預測來引出他的第二點。

The world is becoming more connected every day.

世界每天都在變得更加緊密相連。

The modal verb won't is used to express a strong determination or belief about the future.

助動詞 won't 用來表達對未來的強烈決心或信念。

The phrase breeding grounds means a place where something develops.

片語 breeding grounds 的意思是某事物發展的地方。

For example, the damp bathroom became a breeding ground for mold.

舉例來說，潮濕的浴室就成了黴菌的溫床。

If we want to close loopholes that allow large corporations and wealthy individuals to avoid paying their fair share of taxes, we've got to have the cooperation of other countries in a global financial system to help enforce financial laws.

如果我們要堵住那些讓大公司和富人逃避應繳稅款的漏洞，我們就必須在一個全球金融體系中獲得其他國家的合作，來協助執行金融法規。

The point is to help ourselves, we got to help others, not Pull up the drawbridge and try to keep the world out.

目的是要幫助我們自己，我們必須幫助別人，而不是關起門來試圖將世界拒之門外。

He discusses international cooperation and the use of the conditional if to express a requirement or condition.

他討論了國際合作以及使用條件句「if」來表達要求或條件。

The term loopholes refers to ways of avoiding laws or rules.

漏洞（loopholes）這個詞指的是規避法律或規則的方法。

He found a loophole in the contract and managed to avoid extra costs.

他在合約中找到了一個漏洞，並成功避開了額外的費用。

The phrase pull up the drawbridge is a metaphor for isolating oneself.

關起門來（pull up the drawbridge）這個片語是自我孤立的比喻。

Throughout our history, a new generation of Americans has reached up and bent the arc of history in the direction of more freedom and more opportunity and more justice.

在我們的歷史中，新一代的美國人總是努力地將歷史的軌跡導向更多的自由、更多的機會和更多的正義。

It is your turn now to shape our nation's destiny as well as your own.

現在輪到你們來塑造國家的命運以及你們自己的未來了。

Make sure the next 250 years are better than the last.

確保接下來的 250 年比過去的更好。

In the conclusion, Obama uses the imperative get to work to instruct or encourage.

在結論中，歐巴馬使用「動手去做」這個祈使句來訓示或鼓勵。

The phrase bent the arc of history is metaphorical meaning to change the course of history.

「彎曲歷史的軌跡」這個片語是比喻，意思是改變歷史的進程。

Using the simple future will be to express future predictions.

使用簡單未來式（will be）是為了表達未來的預測。