精美英文欣赏:我从他们身上获益匪浅(上)

What I Learn from Them

我从他们身上获益匪浅

When I was a child, my father (having no son) decided¹ he would instill a love of sport in both of his daughters.

当我还是小女孩的时候，我的父亲（没有儿子）决定向他们的女儿们灌输对运动的热爱。

While my sister leans more towards football, a love of basketball took root in my own heart and flowered.

当我的姐姐开始喜欢足球，我对篮球的热爱像种子一样生根发芽。

I can remember the great days of Clyde Drexler leading the team of defenders².

我对于德雷克斯勒领导的球队的后卫至今记忆犹新。

The smiling face of a rookie, Sam Cassell, whose deep love of the game caused him to grin and laugh after taking a three-point shot that made everyone jump to their feet and gasp³ in anxiety before the whole crowd would explode into sounds of joy as the ball made a soft "swish" through the hoop⁴.

萨姆·卡塞尔这个新手对于足球有深厚的感情，因此在踢进一个三分球之后他咧着嘴大笑起来，这是属于新手的笑容。当空心球划入足球门的时候，每个人一跃而起，感到震惊，接着人群就爆炸成欢乐的海洋。

And of course, the big man. There are times when we wake up that we are haunted by a dream we cannot remember... yet there was a Dream all of Houston experienced together that no one could ever forget.

了不起的新手。很多次我们醒来记不起做过的梦……但是这一刻是所有休斯顿民众永生难忘的梦。

Hakeem Olajuwon came to us from Nigeria as a very shy freshman⁵ who would make a name for himself at the University of Houston, where the days of Phi Slama Jama will never be forgotten.

来自尼日尼亚的哈基姆·奥拉朱旺，一个害羞的新手，为他的母校休斯顿大学赢得名声，史拉玛·杰玛将不会忘记在大学的日子。

He would quickly endear himself to the City of Houston, where those of us who watched his career on the court also saw him grow into his position as center, watched his skills develop and also, the baptism by fire of a great leader, who through his humbleness⁶ and grace would lead a brave young team to world championships.

他很快收到休斯顿人民的喜爱，在休斯顿我们既看到他在球场的表现，又看到他取得中心的位置，还看到他在伟大教练的帮助下提高了球技，这位谦逊而优雅的教练将领导一支勇敢而年轻的团队加入世界锦标赛。

Olajuwon's humbleness, despite his obvious fame, lead him to keep quiet when the Houston Rockets franchise⁷ printed his first jersey⁸ with the name, "Akeem," using his first name instead of his last and misspelling it as well.

当火箭队特许经营商制作了第一件印刷着“Akeem（使用了他的名而不是姓，并且省略了姓）”的运动衫尽管名声显赫，朱旺对此保持谦逊和沉默。

1 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

2 defenders   

n.防御者( defender的名词复数 )；守卫者；保护者；辩护者

参考例句：

• The defenders were outnumbered and had to give in. 抵抗者寡不敌众，只能投降。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• After hard fighting,the defenders were still masters of the city. 守军经过奋战仍然控制着城市。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 gasp   

n.喘息，气喘；v.喘息；气吁吁他说

参考例句：

• She gave a gasp of surprise.她吃惊得大口喘气。
• The enemy are at their last gasp.敌人在做垂死的挣扎。

4 hoop   

n.（篮球）篮圈，篮

参考例句：

• The child was rolling a hoop.那个孩子在滚铁环。
• The wooden tub is fitted with the iron hoop.木盆都用铁箍箍紧。

5 freshman   

n.大学一年级学生(可兼指男女)

参考例句：

• Jack decided to live in during his freshman year at college.杰克决定大一时住校。
• He is a freshman in the show business.他在演艺界是一名新手。

6 humbleness   

n.谦卑，谦逊；恭顺

参考例句：

• Neither riches nor honours can corrupt him; neither poverty nor humbleness can make him swerve from principle; and neither threats nor forces can subdue him. 富贵不能淫， 贫贱不能移，威武不能屈。
• Consciousness is the mother of progress; humbleness is the source of degeneration. 1自觉心是进步之母，自贱心是堕落之源。

7 franchise   

n.特许，特权，专营权，特许权

参考例句：

• Catering in the schools is run on a franchise basis.学校餐饮服务以特许权经营。
• The United States granted the franchise to women in 1920.美国于1920年给妇女以参政权。

8 jersey   

n.运动衫

参考例句：

• He wears a cotton jersey when he plays football.他穿运动衫踢足球。
• They were dressed alike in blue jersey and knickers.他们穿着一致，都是蓝色的运动衫和灯笼短裤。