希拉里正式宣佈參選 美國或迎首位女總統

Hillary Clinton brought years of speculation to an end last night by officially announcing she is running to become the first woman president of the United States.
美國前國務卿希拉里·克林頓（Hillary Clinton）4月12日晚正式宣佈參選下屆2016年美國總統，爲外界持續數年的揣測畫上了句號。如果競選成功，她將成爲美國曆史上首位女總統。

Her second bid for the White House comes seven years after she was defeated by an upstart Barack Obama and forced to admit she was unable to "crack the highest, hardest glass ceiling" for women in US politics.
這是希拉里第二次參加總統選舉。七年前，在2008年美國總統選舉中，巴拉克·奧巴馬（Barack Obama）異軍突起，希拉里被迫承認自己無法在美國政治領域爲女性“打破那層最高、最堅固的玻璃天花板”。

Mrs Clinton has been known to the American people for decades as a First Lady who stood by her husband during the Monica Lewinsky scandal, a senator from New York and a globe-trotting US secretary of state.
數十年來，在美國民衆的眼中，希拉里一直是站在丈夫身邊伴他走過萊溫斯基性醜聞的第一夫人，是紐約州聯邦參議員，是周遊各國的國務卿。

But the 67-year-old, who recently became a grandmother, hopes to re-introduce herself to voters as a gentler and more human candidate who is taking nothing for granted.
然而，現年67歲、剛剛當上外祖母的希拉里，卻想向她的選民重新介紹自己——一個更溫和、更具人性的總統候選人，對任何事都不掉以輕心。

She launched the campaign with a short online video where she promised to be a "champion for everyday Americans", who would represent the country's traditional heartland as well as a rapidly changing country that includes gay people and ethnic minorities.
希拉里用一個網絡短視頻開啓了她的競選之旅。她在視頻中承諾要成爲“普通美國民衆的捍衛者”。所謂普通美國民衆，不僅指代傳統美國核心人羣，還包括日新月異的國土上的同性戀者和少數族裔。

"I'm hitting the road to earn your vote, because it's your time and I hope you will join me on this journey," she said.
“我要開始爭取你們的選票，因爲這是你們的時代，我希望你們能和我一起踏上征程。”她在視頻中說。

Her campaign, which will be officially known as Hillary for America, said it would be "humble" in its effort to make her the most powerful person in the world.
競選活動將被正式命名爲“Hillary for America”，競選團隊表示將以一種“謙卑”的姿態來開展活動，努力讓希拉里成爲世界上最具權勢的人。

Mrs Clinton's second quest for the White House is likely to begin with small-scale events in Iowa, the rural state where Mr Obama's insurgent first defeated her in 2008.
此次是希拉里第二次參加總統選舉，很可能會在愛荷華州先行舉辦一系列小規模活動。2008年，在與奧巴馬的較量中，希拉里就在這個農業州遭遇了滑鐵盧。

The candidate is expected to hold intimate events in coffee shops and community centres rather than mega-rallies in front of thousands of supporters.
據悉，她將在咖啡店和社區中心舉辦一系列親民活動，而不會選擇在數千支持者面前舉行大型集會。

Unlike the 2008 campaign, when Mr Obama was already a household name backed by an army of young supporters, Mrs Clinton faces no high-profile opponents in the race to become the Democratic nominee for president.
2008年時，奧巴馬已經是一個家喻戶曉的名字，擁有大批的年輕支持者。與當時的情況不同，希拉里此次角逐民主黨候選人時，並未遇到什麼備受矚目的對手。

Mrs Clinton holds an overwhelming lead in the polls and in fundraising and several potential rivals in her own party have opted to stay on the sidelines rather than challenge her path to the White House.
希拉里在票數和籌資上佔據了壓倒性優勢。黨內幾位潛在競爭對手紛紛選擇旁觀，而並未對她的白宮競選之路發起挑戰。

Her real test is likely to come in next November's general election, where she will face the winner of a crowded Republican field of candidates that includes Jeb Bush, the brother of George W Bush.
希拉里的真正考驗可能會在2016年11月總統大選時到來。屆時，她的對手將是從共和黨多位候選人中脫穎而出的勝利者。共和黨候選人中包括喬治·W·布什（George W Bush）的弟弟傑布·布什（Jeb Bush）。

Bill Clinton defeated Mr Bush's father, George HW Bush, in 1992 and the 2016 election could see another face off between the two American political dynasties.
1992年，比爾·克林頓（Bill Clinton）曾打敗傑布·布什的父親喬治·HW·布什（George HW Bush），當選總統。此次2016年總統選舉中，我們將看到美國兩大政治家族的又一場對決。

Mr Clinton will be supported on the campaign trail by her husband, who remains one of the most popular figures in US public life but is expected to play "a backstage advisor" role for the first year of the campaign.
希拉里的競選活動將得到丈夫克林頓的支持。作爲美國公衆生活中最受歡迎的人物之一，克林頓此次在競選活動第一年中將扮演“幕後顧問”的角色。

She will also be joined by her daughter Chelsea, who recently gave birth to her first child, Charlotte. Mrs Clinton has often mentioned her concern for Charlotte and the infant's generation as one of her motivations for running for president.
希拉里的女兒切爾西（Chelsea）也將參與到母親的競選之中。切爾西近期剛剛生下了第一個孩子夏洛特（Charlotte）。希拉里常常提到，對夏洛特以及夏洛特這一代人的擔憂，是她競選總統的動力之一。

Vocabulary:

upstart: 崛起的

glass ceiling: 玻璃天花板，指在公司企業和機關團體中，限制某些羣體（女性、少數民族）晉升到高級職位的障礙。

globe-trotting: 全球奔波的

hit the road: 啓程

insurgent: （集團內部的）反對派；反抗者

campaign trail: 競選遊說之行