2016年12月31日，美国现任总统奥巴马发表了任期内的最后一次新年贺词。在讲话中，奥巴马大篇幅总结了执政8年的政绩，包括让美国经济走出衰退、从阿富汗及伊拉克撤军、推动医疗保险等。奥巴马表示:“过去8年我们国家得到惊人的进展，要注意的是，没有什么事是必然的，这是我们所作的艰难选择，这是你们的辛苦功劳与耐力的成果，要美国继续向前走是我们的任务。”
奥巴马: 大篇幅总结8年政绩
Happy New Year, everybody. At a time when we turn the page on one year and look ahead to the future, I just want to take a minute to thank you for everything you’ve done to make America stronger these past eight years.
大家新年快乐。我谨借此挥别过去展望未来之际，感谢你们所有人，在过去的八年里为使美国更加强大所做的一切。
Just eight years ago, as I prepared to take office, our economy teetered on the brink of depression. Nearly 800,000 Americans were losing their jobs each month. In some communities, nearly one in five folks were out of work.
就在八年前我准备上任执政的时候，我们国家的经济濒临大萧条的边缘。每个月有将近80万的美国人失业。在一些社区中甚至有1/5的人失业。
Almost 180,000 troops were serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, and Osama bin Laden was still at large.
有18万美国军人在伊拉克和阿富汗服役，而奥萨马本拉登依然逍遥法外。
And on challenges from health care to climate change, we’d been kicking the can* down the road for way too long.
而在关于从医疗保险到气候变化等挑战的问题上，我们一直行动迟缓，逃避太久了。
*kick the can 原是一种小孩子游戏,一群孩子在街上,一个孩子把一个罐子尽可能的踢远,有一个孩子去拣,在拣回来的过程中,其他孩子就躲起来了.这就是我们的“藏猫猫”。它的引申意思就是“缓兵之计”。
Eight years later, you’ve told a different story. We’ve turned recession into recovery.
八年后，情况大有不同了。我们已经从经济萧条转为经济恢复。
Our businesses have created 15.6 million new jobs since early 2010 – and we’ve put more people back to work than all other major advanced economies combined.
从2010年初起，我们的企业已经创造了1560万的新工作机会——比其它所有主要发达国家创造的新就业数量的总和还要多。
A resurgent auto industry has added nearly 700,000 jobs, and is producing more cars than ever. Poverty is falling. Incomes are rising.
汽车工业的复苏带来了将近70万的新工作，并比以往任何时候产出的车辆还要多。贫困在减少，收入在增加。
In fact, last year, folks’ typical household income rose by $2,800, that’s the single biggest increase on record, and folks at the bottom and middle saw bigger gains than those at the top.
实际上，去年国民平均家庭收入增长了2800美元，这是有记录以来最大的上涨幅度，而低收入和中等收入民众的收入增长要比高等收入的民众还要多。
Twenty million more Americans know the financial security of health insurance. Our kids’ high school graduation rate is at an all-time high.
超过2000万美国人了解到了医疗保险的经济保障。高中毕业率达到了历史峰值。
We’ve brought 165,000 troops from Iraq and Afghanistan, and took out Osama bin Laden.
我们从伊拉克和阿富汗撤回了16.5万名军人，并解决掉了奥萨马本拉登。
Through diplomacy, we shut down Iran’s nuclear weapons program, opened up a new chapter with the people of Cuba, and brought nearly 200 nations together around a climate agreement that could save this planet for our kids.
在外交方面，我们关掉了伊朗的核武器项目，翻开了与古巴人民交往的新篇章，并团结将近200个国家达成了气候保护协定，为我们的子孙后代拯救这个星球。
Almost every country on Earth sees America as stronger and more respected today than they did eight years ago. And marriage equality is finally a reality from coast to coast.
今天，几乎世界上所有的国家见证了美国比八年前更加强大和受尊敬。婚姻平等终于在美国全境范围内实现。
We’ve made extraordinary progress as a country these past eight years. And here’s the thing: none of it was inevitable.
我们作为一个国家在过去的八年里取得了非凡的成就，而这并不是必然发生的。
It was the result of tough choices we made, and the result of your hard work and resilience. And to keep America moving forward is a task that falls to all of us.
这是我们做出的艰难选择的结果，是你们辛勤努力和坚韧精神的结果。而让美国保持向前发展是落在我们每个人肩上的重担。
Sustaining and building on all we’ve achieved – from helping more young people afford a higher education, to ending discrimination based on preexisting conditions, to tightening rules on Wall Street, to protecting this planet for our kids – that’s going to take all of us working together.
要维护和建设我们已经取得的成就——从帮助更多的年轻人接受更高的教育，到停止歧视先存条件*，到加强对华尔街的管理，到为我们的子孙后代保护地球——这些需要我们所有人齐心协力共同努力。
Because that’s always been our story – the story of ordinary people coming together in the hard, slow, sometimes frustrating, but always vital work of self-government.
因为这一直就是我们的故事——普通民众一起经过艰苦、漫长、有时令人沮丧但始终保持自制的努力实现共同目标的故事。
Preexisting condition
n.先存情况：投保以前已经存在的情况; 例如以前因车祸而引致的受伤; 一般保险公司不会支付因先存情况而需要接受治疗服务的费用; 有的则隔一段时间才开始承认。
It has been the privilege of my life to serve as your President.
能够担任你们的总统是我此生最大的荣耀。
And as I prepare to take on the even more important role of citizen, know that I will be there with you every step of the way to ensure that this country forever strives to live up to the incredible promise of our founding – that all of us are created equal, and all of us deserve every chance to live out our dreams.
在我已准备好转换为更重要的国民角色之际，请放心，我会和你们一起肩并肩共同确保这个国家永远为实现我们建国的非凡愿景而终生奋斗——那就是我们人人生而平等，我们人人都应赋予实现梦想的权利。
From the Obama family to yours – have a happy and blessed 2017.
来自奥巴马家庭的祝福——祝大家2017年快乐幸福。
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