本书主要汇集了美国等国家总统中的杰出代表和政治、文学、体育、教育等方面的名人所发表过的演讲，从美国总统大选中的竞选演讲到总统的正式就职和离职演讲，从国家元首关于社会、政治、战争、灾难和教育等发表的重要演讲到世界名人关于经济、文艺和体育等发表的经典演讲。这些演讲语言优美、意味深长，为英语学习者提供了一个回顾历史、了解文化、欣赏语言、学习英语语言和演讲技巧的良好平台。

每篇演讲稿均配有重点词汇和专有名词的详细注释、演讲者的背景介绍、难句和经典语句的翻译、阅读理解，并提供符合演讲题目和相关主题的名人名言(英汉对照)，这些注释和补充可帮助读者从多角度详细地了解西方的历史地理、文化传统、风土人情、思维方式和语言表达等知识，对于英语学习者来说是一本提高英语素养的较好的选读教材。

本书适合大学本科生和专科生、研究生、英语爱好者和英语教师使用。

1 Presidential Campaign Speeches, Inaugural and Farewell

 Addresses

 America's Future Will Be in Your Hands

 Republican National Convention Acceptance

 Address (excerpted)

 Opportunity for All and Responsibility from All

 Victory Speech

 Endorsement Speech (excerpted)

 First Inaugural Address (excerpted)

 Inaugural Address

 First Inaugural Address

 First Inaugural Address

 First Inaugural Address

 Second Inaugural Address (excerpted)

 Inaugural Address

 Inaugural Address

 Farewell Address (excerpted)

 Farewell Address

 Resignation Speech

 Farewell Address

2 Speeches about Famous Events

 Gettysburg Address

 The Conservation of Natural Resources (excerpted)

 The Four Freedoms (excerpted)

The Truman Doctrine (excerpted)

Address on the Capture of Saddam Hussein

Declaration of War on Japan

The Space Shuttle "Challenger" Tragedy Address

9/11 Address to the Nation

On War with Iraq

Address to the Nation on Tsunami

Speech at Tsinghua University

Speech at Yale

3 Celebrities' Famous Speeches

Farewell to Baseball Address

Farewell Address to Congress (excerpted)

Retirement Speech

Good Bye and Good Luck

Nobel Prize in Literature Acceptance Speech

Nobel Prize in Literature Acceptance Speech

I Have a Dream

Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence (excerpted)

Speech at the Opening Ceremony of the Beijing 2008

 Olympic Games

On the Assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.

Obituary to Diana, Princess of Wales

Speech at Israel's Holocaust Memorial

Commencement Address at Wellesley College

Baccalaureate Address to Class of 2008 (excerpted)