And what a century it has been. America became the world s mightiest¹ industrial power; 这是怎样的一个世纪啊。美国成为世界上最强大的工业大国，

saved the world from tyranny in two world wars and a long cold war; 它把世界从两次世界大战和旷日持久的冷战的暴虐中拯救出来，

and time and again, reached out across the globe to millions who, like us, longed for the blessings² of liberty. 并且一再向全球上百万像我们一样渴望自由赐福的人们伸出援助之手。

Along the way, Americans produced a great middle class and security in old age; 在这一进程中，美国产生了庞大的中产阶级和养老保障制度；

built unrivaled centers of learning and opened public schools to all; 建立了无与伦比的学习中心，并对全民开放公立学校；

split the atom and explored the heavens; invented the computer and the microchip; 分裂了原子且探索了太空；发明了计算机和微芯片；

and deepened the wellspring of justice by making a revolution in civil rights for African Americans and all minorities, 通过发起一场非裔美国人和少数民族的民权革命及扩大妇女的公民权利、

and extending the circle of citizenship³, opportunity and dignity to women. 就业机会和人身尊严，从而深掘了正义之泉。

Now, for the third time, a new century is upon us, and another time to choose. 现在，也是第三次，一个新世纪到来，这又是一个选择的时候。

We began the 19th century with a choice, to spread our nation from coast to coast. 我们进入十九世纪时有一个选择，使得我们国家从一个海岸扩展到另一个海岸。

We began the 20th century with a choice, to harness the Industrial Revolution to our values of free enterprise, conservation, and human decency⁴. 我们进入二十世纪时又有一个选择，使得工业革命能符合我们的价值观，即自由经营、养护环境、和捍卫人格尊严。

Those choices made all the difference. 这些选择使得一切迥然不同。