文字难度：★★☆
I remember, as a kid growing up, attending school with a kid who had no arms and one fake leg. His name was Chris and I will never forget him. He attended school with me and my brother and had a strong personality. Outside of his handicap, he was really a pretty normal kid. He attended most of the same classes and had many of the same friends. But thinking back on his existence, he had to overcome 1)way more obstacles than myself and most other kids at our school. Chris is just one story of many.
我记得小时候,一个没有手臂而且一条腿是义肢的孩子和我一起上过学。他的名字叫克里斯。我永远都不会忘记他。他和我还有我哥哥一起上学,他个性很强。撇开他的身体缺陷不看,他真的和一般小孩无异。他上的课程和我的大同小异,且我们有很多共同的朋友。但回想起他的生活,比起我以及学校里其他大多数的孩子,他得克服的障碍要多得多。克里斯的故事只是众多故事中的一个。
We have all probably either heard about or seen the movie, Door to Door with 2)William Macy about a salesman from Portland, Oregon named Bill Porter. Bill Porter is a real person who had 3)cerebral palsy and can barely make out sentences, yet he built a very loyal customer base selling products door to door. If you have not seen the movie and you have an interest in sales, 4)network marketing or being successful, I highly recommend that you rent this film or buy it from your local video store.
我们大概都听过或看过由威廉·梅西主演的电影《永不放弃》,该电影讲述了一位来自俄勒冈州波特兰市名为比尔·波特的推销员的故事。比尔·波特真有其人,他患有大脑性麻痹症,几乎说不清楚话。然而他通过做上门推销建立起一批非常忠实的客户群。如果你没有看过那部电影,而又对销售、直销感兴趣,或者你渴望成功,那么我强烈建议你租这碟子或到当地的音像店把它买下来看看。
This evening I watched a 5)60 Minutes segment on a man with no legs or arms who has become a motivational speaker and is changing the lives of many in his home country of Australia. When I think of handicapped people overcoming great obstacles, I cannot help but think of 6)Stephen Hawking who is a famous theoretical physicist. Stephen has been confined to a wheelchair for most of his life. Yet, he has made startling revelations regarding our planet in relation to the universe and his most famous revelation relating to black holes emitting radiation, which has been declared “Hawking radiation.”
今天晚上,我看了《60分钟时事杂志》里的一节,里面介绍了一个没有腿也没有手臂的男人,他成为了一位励志演说家,在他祖国澳大利亚改变着很多人的生活。一说到身有缺陷而能克服重重障碍的人,我会不由自主地想到著名的理论物理学家斯蒂芬·霍金。斯蒂芬一生中的大部分时间都困在轮椅上。然而,他在我们的星球与宇宙之间的联系这个问题上取得了惊人发现。还有他最著名的新发现是关于黑洞发出辐射,被称为“霍金辐射”。
Another that comes to mind is a former American President Franklin D. Roosevelt who served in the White House from 1933—1945 and is the only US President who served more than 2 terms, all while he was 7)paralyzed and confined to a wheel chair. I’m sure most everyone has heard the name of Helen Keller. She was deaf and blind from birth, and managed to finish college, and went on to become a world famous speaker and author. And who can forget 8)Ray Charles, one of the most famous rhythm and blues performers of a generation. Many declared that Ray was a genius. His life was so interesting and successful that it was later turned into a Hollywood movie starring 9)Jamie Foxx, which ultimately won Foxx the 2004 Academy Award for his performance.
另一个在我脑海里浮现的是美国前总统富兰克林·D·罗斯福,他在1933到1945年间执掌白宫,是目前为止美国总统中唯一的一位任期超过两届的总统。而他在任期间,一直处于瘫痪状态,受限于轮椅上。我肯定大多数人听过海伦·凯勒这个名字。她一出生就耳聋眼盲,却成功地完成了大学学业,并且继续努力成为了世界著名的演说家和作家。还有,谁能忘记雷·查尔斯——节奏蓝调(R&B)的一代宗师。很多人称雷是个天才。他的一生极富传奇色彩而成就斐然,所以后来被改编成一部好莱坞电影,由杰米·福克斯主演。凭着出色表演,福克斯最终因为这部片赢得了2004年度的奥斯卡奖项。
Above are just a few examples of some amazing handicapped people who overcame great obstacles to accomplish incredible things. They would rather fight fate than lie 10)prostrate at the feet of misfortune. We tend to think of famous or successful people as having it easy in life, or that they somehow got lucky, or are even favored by fate. We admire them for what they have or for what they have accomplished and sometimes wish we were just like them. The truth, however, is often very different from what we imagine. When I think of these people, I wonder how I can ever fail at anything, when these people have accomplished far more, and have had to overcome handicaps, which I can’t even imagine. You might say their handicaps were their friend, as many had to learn to live in a world with no light, sound, or without the ability to walk, speak, or move normally. I think the one thing that made these people great, is they all believed in themselves, they did not bow to fate and they all had a willingness to succeed. The next time you feel like a failure in business, relationships, or life, think of those less fortunate that have accomplished great things. They are fighters, not scared by fate. They win the 11)tug-of-war of fighting fate.
许多残疾人士克服重重障碍取得斐然成就,上述的不过是其中的几个例子。他们宁可与命运抗争,也不愿屈服于命运的脚下。我们往往认为知名成功人士的成就来得容易,要不就认为他们不过是走运,或者,甚至认为他们获命运垂青。我们羡慕他们所拥有的东西或是获得的成就,有时也会希望自己能像他们一样。然而,事实常与我们所想象的大不相同。当我想到这些人时,我会自问,自己怎么会有做不成的事呢,看看别人取得这么大的成就,而且还要克服身体的缺陷,这是我想也不敢想的。你可能会说,他们身体上的缺陷就是他们的朋友。因为很多人得学会生活在一个没有光,没有声音,或者自己无法行走、发声,或像正常人一样行动的世界里。我认为,使这些人变得伟大的原因之一在于他们都相信自己,不向命运低头,并且他们都有成功的意愿。下一次,当你失意于商界、人际关系,或者自己的人生时,想想那些没那么幸运却成就伟大事业的人。他们是斗士,没被命运吓倒。他们在与命运的拔河中赢了。
