英文欣赏：什么是美国梦? What Is American Dream?
What Is American Dream?
什么是美国梦？
What is the American Dream? Is it the same for all Americans? Is it a myth? Is it simply a search for a better life? How has the American Dream changed over time? Some see their dreams wither and die while others see their dreams fulfilled. Why? Everyone has dreams abut a personally fulfilled life… and what is your dream?
什么是美国梦？所有的美国人都是一样的吗？它是虚构的事吗？它是为了追求更好的生活吗？美国梦随着时间是如何改变的？有些人的梦想破灭了而有些人却实现了梦想。是什么原因呢？每个人都有自己想要实现的梦想，你的梦想是什么呢？
The term American Dream was first used by James Adams in his book The Epic of America which was written in 1931. He states: The American Dream is that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement. It is a difficult dream for the European upper classes to interpret adequately, and too many of us ourselves have grown tired and mistrustful of it. It is not a dream of cars and high wages merely, but a dream of social order in which each man and each woman shall be able to get to the fullest stature of which they are capable, and be recognized by others for what they are, regardless of the fortuitous circumstances of birth or position.”
美国梦这个词最早出现在詹姆斯·亚当斯1931年写的《美国史诗》这本书中。他写道：美国梦是指渴望生活在能够让人们生活丰裕富足的热土上，每个人都有机会实现自己的价值。它是一个欧洲上流社会很难理解和体会的梦想，并且我们中的相当多人对此持怀疑和不信任的态度。这个梦想不仅仅是拥有汽车和高工资，而且还应当包括这样一种社会秩序，在这种秩序下，男人和女人不论他们出身如何，社会地位如何，都能最大程度地实现自己的潜能并为他人所认可和接受”。
In the united States’ Declaration of Independence, our founding fathers state: “… all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.” Might this view be considered the foundation of the American Dream?
在美国的《独立宣言》中，我们的创始人指出：“……所有的人人生而平等，创物主赋予他们若干不可剥夺的权利，这其中包括生命权，自由权和追求幸福的权利。”这一说法也许可能被视为美国梦的基础？
Were homesteaders who left the big cities of the east to find happiness and their piece of land in the unknown wilderness of the west pursuing these Rights? Were the immigrants who came to the United States looking for their bit of life, liberty, happiness and their Dream? And what did the desire of the veteran of World War II—to settle down, to have a home, a car and a family—tell us about this Dream? Is the American Dream attainable by all Americans? Would Martin Luther King feel his Dream was attained? Did Malcolm X realize his Dream?
农场主为了寻找幸福离开了东部的大城市，抛弃了他们在西部未知荒野上的土地，他们是在实现自己权利吗？移民来到美国，是为了自己想要的生活，追求自由、幸福和梦想吗？二战老兵的愿望又是什么呢，安定下来，有居住的房子，汽车然后组建家庭——告诉我们这就是梦想？所有美国人都能实现美国梦吗？马丁·路德金会认为自己能够梦想成真吗？马尔科姆·X实现自己的梦想了吗？
Some say, that the American Dream has become the pursuit of material prosperity—that people work more hours to get bigger cars, fancier homes, the fruits of prosperity for their families—but have less time to enjoy their prosperity. Others say that the American Dream is beyond the reach of the working poor who must work two jobs for their family’s survival. Yet others look toward a new American Dream with less focus on financial gain and more emphasis on living a simple, fulfilling life.
有人说，美国梦已经演变成对物质繁荣的追求——为了买更高级的车，住更豪华的住宅，改善家庭经济状况，人们工作时间增长——却没有足够时间来享受他们的劳动成果。也有人说是美国梦是那些努力工作，为了养家一人兼两职，但是报酬却很低的穷人无法实现的。然而，还有一部分人开始追求新的美国梦，即注重简单而充实的生活，更少地关注经济利益。
1. beyond the reach of 无法达到；超出……的能力之外
eg. In China ticket prices are beyond the reach of most people, so new trains yawn with empty seats.
在中国，高铁票价超出了多数人的承受能力，以致于很多新列车因没有旅客而闲置。
eg. And the big established financial centres may now be more vulnerable to competition from smaller centres beyond the reach of G20 pressure.
大型成熟金融中心，如今可能更容易遭受来自G20影响范围之外的小型金融中心的竞争。
2. working poor n. 在低报酬职务工作的人
eg. He was collecting a meager stipend as a brokerage trainee, and, like many working poor in America, he had a job but couldn’t make ends meet.
正像许多美国穷人一样，他找了一份工作，但还是入不敷出。
eg. And he’s definitely what I would consider one of the working poor.
我有一个兄弟是残废人，他百分百是我认为的有工作的穷人。
3. fulfilling life 充实的生活
eg. That doesn’t seem like a rich and fulfilling life for me, especially if I am going to have children.
对我来说，那似乎不是丰富和充实的生活，尤其是如果我打算要一个孩子。
eg. But I realised that finding something to do that you love from Monday to Friday was a vital ingredient to a fulfilling life.
但我认识到，找到一份从周一到周五都能乐在其中的工作，是充实生活的关键要素。