Stepping Up to the Plate(中) |
http://www.sina.com.cn 2004/06/02 11:23 空中美语 |
语音讲解: Jackie Robinson came from a humble background, but he was always a high achiever. Born into a poor family in 1919, he later became a star athlete at UCLA. Encouraged by his mother to fight back rather than hold back, he never allowed discrimination1 to crush his spirit. While in the army, Robinson was arrested2 after refusing to give up his seat on a bus to a white officer. Robinson was found innocent of the charges,3 but his greatest battle was about to begin. As per his agreement with Rickey, Robinson sacrificed4 his pride and patiently endured two seasons of threats, insults, and hatred. But in 1949, Robinson began playing baseball with a vengeance. He started protesting5 unfair calls by umpires and criticizing6 hotels that welcomed his white teammates but refused to admit him. The 1949 season was also the best of Robinson’s ten-year baseball career. The aggressive second baseman hit .342, stole 37 bases, and won the Most Valuable Player award. |
罗宾森:超越种族界限的棒坛传奇(中) |
杰基·罗宾森虽然出身卑微,却总有高水准的表现。他在1919 年出生于一个贫困家庭,后来成为加州大学洛杉矶分校的明星球员。由于母亲常鼓励他要坚强还击,而不是忍气吞声,因此他从不让别人的歧视击垮自己的意志。服役期间,罗宾森因在公交车上拒绝给一名白人军官让座而遭到逮捕。虽然罗宾森在此案中获判无罪,但他的伟大战役才正要展开。 按照他与瑞基的协议,罗宾森牺牲尊严,耐心地忍受了两个赛季的威胁、侮辱及仇恨。但是到了 1949 年,罗宾森开始在球场上奋力反击。他开始抗议裁判不公正的判决,并抨击那些只接待他的白人队友、却拒绝他进入的饭店。1949 年同时也是罗宾森10年职棒生涯中表现最好的一个赛季。这名斗志旺盛的二垒手拥有高达三成四二的打击率,盗垒37次,并赢得“最有价值球员奖”。 Vocabulary 1.discrimination n. the practice of treating sb. differently because of their race, sex, religion, etc. 歧视;差别待遇 For a long time, sexual discrimination prevented women from voting in elections. 有很长的一段时间,性别歧视使得妇女无法在选举中行使投票权。 2.arrest v. to catch and hold sb. in order to find out whether they are guilty of a crime 逮捕;拘捕 Rico was arrested by the police for armed robbery and taken to jail. 瑞克因持械抢劫被警方逮捕入狱。 3.charge n. a formal statement accusing sb. of a crime 指控;控诉 The movie stars pressed charges against the magazine for publishing unauthorized pictures of their wedding. 电影明星控告该杂志在未经授权的情况下刊登了他们的结婚照。 ●4.sacrifice v. to give up sth. important 牺牲 They sacrificed their retirement savings in order to enable their son to attend college. 他们拿出自己的退休金供儿子上大学。 ●5.protest v. to disagree publicly 抗议;反对 Crowds of angry people protested the government’s plan to raise health insurance fees. 愤怒的群众抗议政府提高医疗保险费用的计划。 ●6.criticize v. to say what one thinks is wrong about sb./sth. 批评 Many politicians are criticized for not keeping their promises. 许多政客因不守承诺而受到抨击。 More Information 1.as per prep. 根据;按照 2.with a vengeance adv. phr. 激烈地;猛烈地 (vengeance意为报复,此指Robinson奋力表现,以还击之前遭受的不平对待) 3.call n. (比赛等)裁判的判决 4.umpire n. 裁判 5.baseman n. 垒手 (second baseman 即为二垒手;base指垒包,steal base为盗垒) |
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