VOA慢速英语:Barack Obama Begins 2nd Term as President

This week, Barack Obama began his second term as president of the United States. The public swearing-in ceremony took place on Monday at the Capitol building in Washington.
本周，美国总统奥巴马开始了他作为美国总统的第二个任期。周一，公开的宣誓就职仪式在华盛顿国会大厦举行。

In a speech, Mr. Obama read from parts of the United States Constitution and the Declaration of Independence.
在演讲中，奥巴马先生宣读了美国宪法和独立宣言的一部分内容。

“What makes us exceptional, what makes us American is our allegiance to an idea articulated in a declaration made more than two centuries ago.  We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.”   
“让我们与众不同，让我们成为美国人的是我们对于一种理念的恪守。200多年前，这一理念在一篇宣言中被清晰阐述。我们认为真理是不言而喻的，人人生而平等。”

Officials estimated that over one million people gathered on Washington’s “National Mall” for the inaugural ceremonies. Some came for the musical performances. But others wanted to hear how President Obama would define goals for the next four years.
官方估计有超过100万人聚集在华盛顿国家广场参加就职典礼。有的人是为音乐表演而来，但也有人希望听到奥巴马如何定义未来四年的目标。

In his speech, Mr. Obama said he will make climate change one of his top goals. He said that failing to deal with the threat from rising temperatures would betray the world’s children.
在他的演讲中，奥巴马先生称，他将把气候变化作为他的首要目标之一。他说，如果未能解决气温不断上升的威胁就是对全世界儿童的出卖。

Environmental groups welcomed the president’s desire to act on climate change. The Sierra Club called his comments ‘heartening.’  It said global warming is an urgent issue for the whole world. But many opponents of Mr. Obama’s policies disagree. They say it would cost too much for the American economy to move away from using oil and other fossil fuels.
环保组织对奥巴马总统对气候变化采取行动的态度表示欢迎。塞拉俱乐部称他的言论“令人振奋”。他表示，全球变暖对世界而言是亟待解决的一个问题。但是，许多反对奥巴马政策的人提出了不同意见。他们称，摆脱石油和其它化石燃料的使用对美国经济的代价巨大。

The president raised other issues of disagreement between the Republican and Democratic Parties. For example, he made it clear that now is the time to re-examine American immigration policies. The president predicted that some immigrants could one day become the country’s technological leaders.
总统还提出共和党和民主党之间的分歧等问题。例如，他明确表示，现在是重新审视美国的移民政策的时候。总统预测一些移民可能有一天会成为美国的科技领导者。

After the speech, political leaders were quick to comment on the ceremonies. Senator Johnny Isakson, a Republican, thought the event was great.
演讲结束后，政治领导人迅速评论了该典礼。共和党参议员Johnny Isakson认为这一仪式很伟大。

"I thought it was a great program, an uplifting program. I thought the music was fantastic, the poem was fantastic. The president's speech was thoughtful. I thought it was another testament to our constitution and our democracy."
“我认为这是一个伟大、令人振奋的仪式。我认为音乐太美妙了、诗歌太棒了，奥巴马总统的讲话很周到。我认为这再一次证明了我们的宪法和民主。”

Democratic Congressman John Conyers praised the inaugural address. He said he thinks President Obama will make his second term even more powerful than the first. 
民主党众议员John Conyers称赞了就职演说。他说，他认为奥巴马总统将会让自己的第二任期比第一任更强大。

Mr. Obama said that with 10 years of war coming to an end, and the economy recovering, now is the time for America to unite. But, Republican Senator John McCain found the speech lacking. He said it failed to improve cooperation between the two parties. Yet Senator Robert Casey, a Democrat, noted that inaugural addresses are important.
奥巴马先生称，随着十年的战争即将结束，而经济则开始复苏，现在是美国团结起来的时候了。但是，共和党参议员John McCain认为奥巴马的演讲有所欠缺。他说这次演讲未能改善双方之间的合作。然而，民主党参议员Robert Casey指出，就职演讲是很重要的。

"I know there are cynics who say that speeches do not matter and nothing will cut through the cynicism and partisanship. But I disagree. I think all of us at our core share some basic values as Americans. And we need to be reminded of it." 
“我知道有愤世嫉俗的人说，演讲无所谓，并不会改变犬儒主义和党派之争。但是,我不同意该观点。我认为我们所有人共享一些作为美国人的基本价值观，我们需要牢记这一点。”

Mr. Obama took the oath of office on two historic Bibles. One book had been used by President Abraham Lincoln in his 1861 inauguration. The other Bible belonged to the civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Junior. People across the United States observed the Martin Luther King federal holiday on Monday.
奥巴马先生把手放在两本历史悠久的圣经上宣誓就职。一本圣经曾用于亚伯拉罕•林肯总统1861年就职典礼，另一本圣经则属于民权领袖马丁•路德•金。周一，美国各地的人们庆祝了马丁•路德•金联邦假日。