An Extract from the 43rd US President's Speech
Guidance for Reciting
This part is extracted from the George W. Bush's inaugural address （2001）.
The grandest of these ideals is an unfolding American promise that everyone belongs，that everyone deserves a chance that no insignificant person was ever born. Americans are called to enact this promise in our lives and in our laws. And though our nation has sometimes halted，and sometimes delayed，we must follow no other course.
Through much of the last century，America's faith in freedom and democracy was a rock in a raging sea. Now it is a seed upon the wind，taking root in many nations. Our democratic faith is more than the creed of our country，it is the inborn hope of our humanity，an ideal we carry but do not own，a trust we bear and pass along. And even after nearly 225 years，we have a long way yet to travel.―By George W. Bush
Notes
1.insignificant [7insig5nifikEnt] a. 无关紧要的，可忽略的
2.democracy [di5mRkrEsi] n. 民主政治，民主主义
小布什总统演讲词节选
诵读导言
这是乔治？W？布什（2001）就任第43任美国总统的演讲摘录。
这些理想中最伟大的是正在慢慢实现的美国的承诺，这就是：每个人都有自身的价值，每个人都有成功的机会，每个人天生都会有所作为的。美国人民肩负着一种使命，那就是要竭力将这个诺言变成生活中和法律上的现实。虽然我们的国家过去在追求实现这个承诺的途中停滞不前甚至延误，但我们仍将坚定不移地完成这一使命。
在上个世纪的大部分时间里，美国自由民主的信念犹如汹涌大海中的岩石。现在它更像风中的种子，把自由带给每个民族。在我们的国家，民主不仅仅是一种信念，而是全人类的希望；民主，我们不会独占，而会竭力让大家分享；民主，我们将铭记于心并且不断传播。225年过去了，我们仍有很长的路要走。
口语点津
关于faith，英文里有个说法，“Faith is stronger than reason.”（信仰比理智更有力。）Martin Luther King，Jr. 在“I Have a Dream”的著名演讲中曾提到：With this faith，we will be able to work together，to pray together，to struggle together，to go to jail together，to stand up for freedom together，knowing that we will be free one day. 抱有这个信念，我们就能够共同工作，共同祈祷，共同奋斗，共同入狱，共同捍卫自由，因为我们总有一天会获得自由！