米歇爾回顧白宮一年生活：表面平靜 實則洶涌

Despite topping power lists, MichelleObama has admitted that she more often feels like a swan: "calm and serene above water - but we're paddling like mad, going crazy underneath, trying to look smooth".

The First Lady's name has popped up on Forbes' "most powerful women" list, People magazine's "most beautiful" list and Time's "most influential" list, among others, since her husband, Barack Obama, assumed office as US president year ago.

Her every word, move, bite, gesture, dress and shoe has been analysed and second-guessed.

"It wasn't something that I was prepared for," she admitted last week as she looked back on her first year as First Lady.

But asked if she had any regrets, the First Lady said no, and vowed to expand her role in the coming year.

"I'm a 110-percenter," she said. "And, yes, we can do more."

Mrs Obama, a 46-year-old Harvard-educated lawyer, has spent the past year settling her family into a new life in a new town, trying to avoid creating controversy for her already burdened husband and figuring out where to make her mark.

"Our goal was to do everything that was done before, so that we'd know what it was, and uphold those traditions, but try to tweak it," she told reporters recently.

She has championed healthy eating with her White House kitchen garden, promoted the unsuccessful Olympic bid of her hometown of Chicago, and has been photographed hugging dozens of people - including the Queen, in a bold gesture that was widely criticised.

Her wardrobe - mixing top designers and off-the-rack cardigans - has won her accolades, and censure, from the fashion world.

But asked what she is most proud of in the past year, she answers without hesitating: "That my kids are sane."

儘管躋身各種影響力排行榜，但米歇爾•奧巴馬坦稱自己經常感覺像一隻天鵝：“在水面上看起來沉着平靜，但底下卻在拼命划水，下面瘋狂，外表卻要保持平靜。”

自從丈夫貝拉克•奧巴馬就任美國總統一年來，第一夫人的名字一時間出現在各類排行榜，其中包括《福布斯》“最具影響力女性”榜、《人物》“最美麗人物”榜以及《時代》“最具影響力人物”榜等。

她的言行舉止和穿着打扮都成爲人們分析評論的對象。

上週，米歇爾在回顧成爲第一夫人一年來的生活時坦稱：“我有點措手不及。”

但在被問及是否有什麼遺憾時，米歇爾說沒有，並表示要在今後一年中更好地發揮自己作爲第一夫人的作用。

她說：“我很有信心。我們可以做更多的事情。”

現年46歲的奧巴馬伕人畢業於哈佛大學法律系，曾是一名律師。去年一年，她的主要任務是使全家努力適應在新城市的新生活，力圖避免給壓力已經很大的丈夫添麻煩，並找準自己的定位。

近日她在接受記者的採訪時說：“我們的目標是一切按慣例行事，這樣我們可以知道原來的情況是怎樣的，在保持傳統的同時，試着做些調整。”

在過去一年中，米歇爾在白宮開闢了菜地，倡導健康飲食；爲“老家”芝加哥申奧，未獲成功；還被拍到與很多人擁抱，其中包括英國女王，並因擁抱女王的姿勢過於大膽受到批評。

她既穿頂級設計師的名品禮服，也可穿得平民風格的開襟羊毛衫，這樣的穿衣風格使她既贏得了來自時尚界的讚譽，也有批評。

但在被問及過去一年她最自豪的事情時，米歇爾不假思索地回答說：“我的孩子們心智都很健康。”

Vocabulary:

like mad：with great haste, impulsiveness, energy, or enthusiasm（瘋狂地，拼命地）

second-guess：to use hindsight in criticizing or correcting（事後批評，品評）

makeone's mark：attain success or fame; achieve one's ambition（使自己出名）

tweak：a slight change that you make to improve（輕微調整）

off-the-rack：not made to specific or individual requirements; ready-made（現成的）

accolade：any award, honor, or laudatory notice（讚美）