奥巴马在中美S&ED开幕式上面的致辞（一）2009年7月27日-7月28日，中美开始了史无前例的S&ED双边会晤，首轮会谈在美国首富华盛顿举行。
美国总统奥巴马亲临会场为开幕式致词。
美国总统的演讲辞对于英语爱好者来说是最好的学习材料，我们不应该放弃这么好的学习材料，以下就是白宫新闻秘书办公室于当日发布的奥巴马总统开幕词全文，中文文本由美国国务院国际信息局翻译。
Thank you. Good morning. It is a great honor to welcome you to the first meeting of the Strategic Economic Dialogue between the United States and China. This is an essential step in advancing a positive, constructive, and comprehensive relationship between our countries. I'm pleased that President Hu shares my commitment to a sustained dialogue to enhance our shared interests.谢谢各位。
早上好。
能够在此欢迎你们前来参加美中战略与经济对话首次会议，我深感荣幸。
这是推动两国积极、建设性、全面关系的极其重要的步骤。
胡锦涛主席同我一样致力于为增进两国的共同利益而开展持续对话，我对此感到高兴。
President Hu and I both felt that it was important to get our relationship off to a good start. Of course, as a new President and also as a basketball fan, I have learned from the words of Yao Ming, who said, "No matter whether you are new or an old team member, you need time to adjust to one another." Well, through the constructive meetings thatwe've already had, and through this dialogue, I'm confident that we will meet Yao's standard.胡主席和我都认为两国关系有一个良好的开端很重要。
当然，作为一位新任总统和篮球迷，我从姚明说过的话中受到启示，他说：“无论你是新队员还是老队员，你都需要时间相互适应。
”通过我们已经举行的建设性会晤和这项对话，我深信我们能够达到姚明提出的标准。
I want to acknowledge the remarkable American and Chinese leaders who will co-chair this effort. Hillary Clinton and Tim Geithner are two of my closest advisors, and they have both obtained extraordinary experience working with China. And I know that they will have extremely capable and committed Chinese counterparts in State Councilor Dai and Vice Premier Wang. Thank you very much for being here.我来介绍一下将共同主持这一对话的美中两国卓越的领导人。
希拉里·克林顿（Hillary Clinton）和蒂姆·盖特纳（Tim Geithner）是与我接触最密切的顾问中的两位，他们在与中国合作方面都有非凡的经验。
我知道他们的对话伙伴王岐山副总理和戴秉国国务委员也是能力超凡并坚定地致力于对话。
I'm also looking forward to the confirmation of an outstanding U.S. Ambassador to China, Governor Jon Huntsman, who is here today. (Applause.) Jon has deep experience living and working in Asia, and -- unlike me -- he speaks fluent Mandarin Chinese. He also happens to be a Republican who co-chaired Senator McCain's campaign. And I think that demonstrates Jon's commitment to serving his country, and the broad, bipartisan support for positive and productive relations between the United States and China. So thank you, Jon, for your willingness to serve.我还期待乔恩·亨茨曼（Jon Huntsman，中文名洪博培）州长通过确认，成为一位出色的美国驻华大使。
他今天也在座。
乔恩在亚洲有丰富的生活和工作经历，并且，同我不一样的是，他能说一口流利的中国普通话。
他还是一位共和党人，曾任麦凯恩（McCain）参议员总统竞选团队的共同主席。
我认为，这反映了乔恩为国效劳的坚定承诺以及两党对发展积极和富有成果的美中关系的广泛、一致的支持。
谢谢您，乔恩，谢谢您同意担任这项职务。
Today, we meet in a building that speaks to the history of the last century. It houses a national memorial to President Woodrow Wilson, a man who held office when the 20th century was still young, and America's leadership in the world was emerging. It is named for Ronald Reagan, a man who came of age during two World Wars, and whose presidency helped usher in a new era of history. And it holds a piece of the Berlin Wall, a decades-long symbol of division that was finally torn down, unleashing a rising tide of globalization that continues to shape our world.今天，我们在一个见证了上个世纪历史的大楼里开会。
这里有伍德罗·威尔逊（Woodrow Wilson）总统的国家纪念馆。
他任职于20世纪初期，当时，美国在世界上刚刚崭露头角。
这座大楼以罗纳德·里根（Ronald Reagan）的名字命名。
里根在两次世界大战期间成年，在他担任总统时期，美国政府帮助迎来了一个新的历史时代。
这座大楼里还陈列着象征几十年对立的柏林墙（Berlin Wall）的一块砖石，这堵墙的最终拆除引发了全球化的潮流，这一潮流至今仍在继续塑造我们的世界。
One hundred years ago -- in the early days of the 20th century -- it was clear that there were momentous choices to be made -- choices about the borders of nations and the rights of human beings. But in Woodrow Wilson's day, no one could have foreseen the arc of history that led to a wall coming down in Berlin, nor could they have imagined the conflict and upheaval that characterized the years in between. For people everywhere -- from Boston to Beijing -- the 20th century was a time of great progress, but that progress also came with a great price.100年前，在20世纪初期，显然有两种极其重要的选择等待人们去作出——关于国界和人权的选择。
但是，在伍德罗·威尔逊时代，谁也无法预见导致柏林那堵墙倒塌的历史进程，也无法想象这段历史所特有的冲突与动荡。
对从波士顿到北京的世界各地的人们来说，20世纪是取得巨大进步的时代，但为了取得这些进步，也付出了巨大的代价。
Today, we look out on the horizon of a new century. And as we launch this dialogue, it's important for us to reflect upon the questions that will shape the 21st century. Will growth be stalled by events like our current financial crisis, or will we cooperate to create balanced and sustainable growth, lifting more people out of poverty and creating a broader prosperity around the world? Will the need for energy breed competition and climate change, or will we build partnerships to produce clean power and to protect our planet? Will nuclear weapons spread unchecked, or will we forge a new consensus to use this power for only peaceful purposes? Will extremists be able to stir conflict and division, or will we unite on behalf of our shared security? Will nations and peoples define themselves solely by their differences, or can we find common ground necessary to meet our common challenges, and to respect the dignity of every human being?今天，我们眺望新世纪的地平线。