They believe we can train our workers for those new jobs，and keep the most productive workforce the most competitive workforce in the world if we fix our public education system by investing in what works and finding out what doesn’t；if we invest in early childhood education and finally make college affordable for everyone who wants to go；if we stop talking about how great our teachers are and start rewarding them for their greatness.
They believe that if you work your entire life，you deserve to retire with dignity and respect，which means a pension you can count on，and Social Security that’s always there.
This is what the people I’ve met believe about the country they love. It doesn’t matter if they’re Democrats or Republicans；whether they’re from the smallest towns or the biggest cities；whether they hunt or they don’t；whether they go to church，or temple，or mosque，or not. We may come from different places and have different stories，but we share common hopes，and one very American dream.
That is the dream I am running to help restore in this election. If I get the chance，that is what I’ll be talking about from now until November. That is the choice that I’ll offer the American people - four more years of what we had for the last eight，or fundamental change in Washington.
People may be bitter about their leaders and the state of our politics，but beneath that，they are hopeful about what’s possible in America. That’s why they leave their homes on their day off，or their jobs after a long day of work，and travel - sometimes for miles，sometimes in the bitter cold - to attend a rally or a town hall meeting held by Senator Clinton，or Senator McCain，or myself. Because they believe that we can change things. Because they believe in that dream.
I know something about that dream. I wasn’t born into a lot of money. I was raised by a single mother with the help my grandparents，who grew up in small-town Kansas，went to school on the GI Bill，and bought their home through an FHA loan. My mother had to use food stamps at one point，but she still made sure that through scholarships，I got a chance to go to some of the best schools around，which helped me get into some of the best colleges around，which gave me loans that Michelle and I just finished paying not all that many years ago.
In other words，my story is a quintessentially American story. It’s the same story that has made this country a beacon for the world-a story of struggle and sacrifice on the part of my forebears and a story overcoming great odds. I carry that story with me each and every day，It’s why I wake up every day and do this，and it’s why I continue to hold such hope for the future of a country where the dreams of its people have always been possible. Thank you.
……他们是民主党员还是共和党员，他们来自小村镇还是大城市，他们打猎与否，他们去的是教堂、寺庙、清真寺，或是根本不去，这些都不重要。我们可能来自天南海北，拥有不同的生活经历，但是我们拥有共同的希望和一个美国梦。
这就是我在这场选战中努力找回的梦想。如果我有机会，我会从现在一直讲到11月。这是我会提供给美国人民的选择：是要让过去八年来我们经历的一切再延续四年，还是让华府出现根本的改变。
人民对他们的领导人，以及我们的政治形势可能觉得不满，但在这种情况下，他们对美国的潜能却充满希望。所以他们才会在放假时离开家，或在结束一天漫长的工作后，暂时离开工作岗位，去参加由克林顿参议员、麦凯恩参议员，或是我举办的集会与市民会议；他们为此有时还要长途跋涉、或是忍受严寒气候。因为他们相信，我们可以改变局面，因为他们信仰美国梦。
我懂这个梦。我不是含着金汤匙出生，而是在外祖父母的帮助下，由一位单亲妈妈抚养长大。我的外祖父母在堪萨斯小镇生活成长，他们利用美国退伍军人权利法案的资助就学，并透过联邦住宅管理局贷款买了房子。我母亲一度必须领取食物券，但她仍确信，通过奖学金的资助，我有机会上最好的学校，会进最好的大学，后来我还申请到了和米歇尔几年前刚还完的助学贷款。
换句话说，我的故事，就是典型美国人的故事，也是让这个国家成为全世界明灯的故事。这是我的先辈努力奋斗、牺牲奉献的故事，也是克服重大困难的故事。我每天都和这个故事紧紧相随。这就是为什么我每天醒来后可以从事这些工作，也是为什么我仍对这个国家的未来抱着希望的原因所在——因为人民的梦想总能实现。
背景介绍
一周前，奥巴马在提到宾夕法尼亚州老工业小镇的工人阶层选民饱受失业之苦时，曾说这部分人因为“痛苦失落，而死抱枪支和宗教问题，厌恶那些不喜欢他们的人，借反对移民和贸易来泄愤”。这些话随即引发了激烈的争议，奥巴马被扣上蔑视宾州工人选举和精英主义者的帽子。民主党竞选人希拉里·克林顿批评奥巴马的言论是自命不凡、脱离民众，不能“反映美国人的价值观和信念”，“人们不需要一个看不起他们的总统”。共和党总统竞选人约翰·麦凯恩的发言人也做出类似表述。面对党内外竞争对手的连番轰炸，奥巴马12日在印第安纳州曼西市一场竞选集会上承认自己的言论选择不当。他说：“我没有按照我应当说的那样说。”本篇演讲的开场白，即是奥巴马对此次事件的一个正面回应。
单词注解
faith [feiW] n.信任；信仰；信心
acknowledge [Ek5nClidV] vt.承认，供认；感谢
contrary to和…相反，违反
lay off解雇
skyrocket [5skai??????] vi. 突升，猛涨
contest [5kCntest] vt. & vi.争夺，竞争
agenda [E5dVendE] n.议事日程
out of whack〈美口〉紊乱；（机器等）不正常
worthy [5wE:Ti] adj. 应得某事物；值得做某事
reward [ri5wC:d] n. 报酬，奖赏；vt. 酬谢
forebear [5fC:bZE] n. 祖先，祖宗
精华句型& 翻译
Ronald Reagan called this trickle-down economics.
We may come from different places and have different stories，but we share common hopes，and one very American dream.
演讲技巧揭密
I may have made a mistake last week in the words that I chose，but the other party has made a much more damaging mistake in the failed policies they’ve chosen and the bankrupt philosophy they’ve embraced for the last three decades.
和听众建立和谐关系的五种方法
1，谈听众感兴趣的话题；
2，给予诚实、真心的赞赏；
3，尽力拉近和听众的距离；
4，让听众参与演讲，比如让他们发问、举手回答问题、帮忙拿道具、举手表决或与演讲者配合；
5，演讲者本人放低姿态。
奥巴马的开场白，就是对自己上周出言不当采取了主动认错的低姿态。这种对错误采取正面回应的态度，刚好让美国人民看到一个胸襟坦荡，有错必改的磊落形象，也增加了美国人民对这位未来总统的信心。
