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.
Clinton)4月12日晚正式宣布参选下届2016年美国总统，为外界持续数年的揣测画上了句号。如果竞选成功，她将成为美国历史上首位女总统。
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.
。七年前，在2008年美国总统选举中，巴拉克·奥巴马(Barack Obama)异军突起，、最坚固的玻璃天花板”。
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.
数十年来，在美国民众的眼中，，是纽约州联邦参议员，是周游各国的国务卿。
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，现年67岁、，却想向她的选民重新介绍自己——一个更温和、更具人性的总统候选人，对任何事都不掉以轻心。
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.
。她在视频中承诺要成为“普通美国民众的捍卫者”。所谓普通美国民众，不仅指代传统美国核心人群，还包括日新月异的国土上的同性恋者和少数族裔。
"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.
“我要开始争取你们的选票，因为这是你们的时代，我希望你们能和我一起踏上征程。”她在视频中说。
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.
竞选活动将被正式命名为“Hillary for America”，竞选团队表示将以一种“谦卑”的姿态来开展活动，。
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.
，很可能会在爱荷华州先行举办一系列小规模活动。2008年，在与奥巴马的较量中，。
The candidate is expected to hold intimate events in coffee shops and community centres rather than mega-rallies in front of thousands of supporters.
据悉，她将在咖啡店和社区中心举办一系列亲民活动，而不会选择在数千支持者面前举行大型集会。
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年时，奥巴马已经是一个家喻户晓的名字，拥有大批的年轻支持者。与当时的情况不同，，并未遇到什么备受瞩目的对手。
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.
。党内几位潜在竞争对手纷纷选择旁观，而并未对她的白宫竞选之路发起挑战。
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.
。届时，她的对手将是从共和党多位候选人中脱颖而出的胜利者。共和党候选人中包括乔治·W·布什(George W Bush)的弟弟杰布·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，比尔·克林顿(Bill Clinton)曾打败杰布·布什的父亲乔治·HW·布什(George HW Bush)，当选总统。此次2016年总统选举中，。
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.
。作为美国公众生活中最受欢迎的人物之一，克林顿此次在竞选活动第一年中将扮演“幕后顾问”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.
。切尔西近期刚刚生下了第一个孩子夏洛特(Charlotte)。，对夏洛特以及夏洛特这一代人的担忧，是她竞选总统的动力之一。
Vocabulary:
upstart: 崛起的
glass ceiling: 玻璃天花板，指在公司企业和机关团体中，限制某些群体(女性、少数民族)晋升到高级职位的障碍。
globe-trotting: 全球奔波的
hit the road: 启程
insurgent: (集团内部的)反对派;反抗者
campaign trail: 竞选游说之行