美国国家公共电台 NPR 101-Year-Old Chicago Cubs Fan Hopes Beloved Team Grants Her Birthday Wish

101-Year-Old Chicago Cubs¹ Fan Hopes Beloved Team Grants Her Birthday Wish

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It's been 108 years since the Chicago Cubs won the World Series. And Virginia Wood has been alive for almost all of them. She's 101 years old, and she's a longtime faithful fan. Well, now that the Cubs are a game up on the Los Angeles Dodgers⁴ and one win away from the World Series, she's hoping that this just might be their year. NPR's Cheryl Corley reports.

CHERYL CORLEY, BYLINE⁵: Wearing a Cubs T-shirt and surrounded by family, Virginia Wood was ready for baseball last night when the Cubs and Dodgers took to the field. Her wheelchair, not far from the television - the former physical education teacher knew what she wanted to see from her team.

VIRGINIA WOOD: I just want to be sure they get the first run, I really do. I think it makes a difference.

UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: It does.

CORLEY: And the Chicago Cubs did not disappoint, scoring in the first inning.

GARY WOOD: How about that? Are you happy?

V WOOD: (Clapping) Oh, yeah. First run. First run. That's good.

CORLEY: Virginia Wood attended her first Cubs game at Chicago's Wrigley Field in 1924. She was 10. Later, as an adult, she'd go as often as she could, especially with friends after work on Ladies Day, when they could attend for free.

V WOOD: When people didn't stay for the whole game, we'd all move ourselves down a little closer to the front as far as we could go, yeah.

CORLEY: Lots of games, no championships. It was 1908 when the Cubs last won a World Series. But Wood dismisses the idea of a curse holding the Cubs back. She says she knew a championship would come eventually. And she's convinced this is the year.

V WOOD: Oh, I'm counting on them going all the way, absolutely.

CORLEY: Wood says in the past, the Cubs didn't have all the parts they needed - good pitching and hitting at the same time. This year, there's Joe Maddon, an excellent manager, says Wood, directing a very talented team.

V WOOD: They've got all young kids now. It's wonderful. They're enthusiastic, and they hustle⁶ a lot. You know, they really do. They go after everything. And I think that's what the difference is.

CORLEY: If the Cubs do beat the Dodgers, they'll play the Cleveland Indians. Wood's son, Gary, says his mother hopes the Cubs grant her a favored wish.

G WOOD: She'll be 102 next month. That's what she wants for her birthday.

V WOOD: Oh, yeah, sure. I'd like to have that. Good birthday present. Oh, yeah, that's the best.

CORLEY: But first, there is a game or two left before that can happen. And Wood says she'll be watching and cheering on her team. Cheryl Corley, NPR News, Chicago.

1 cubs   

n.幼小的兽，不懂规矩的年轻人( cub的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a lioness guarding her cubs 守护幼崽的母狮
• Lion cubs depend on their mother to feed them. 狮子的幼仔依靠母狮喂养。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 mute   

n.哑子，默音字母，弱音器；adj.哑的，无声的，沉默的；vt.减音，减弱；vi.（鸟）排泄

参考例句：

• He is mute on the subject of social system.他对社会制度的问题保持沉默。
• Her daughter was mute after a serious illness.她的女儿在一场重病之后失去了说话能力。

3 browser   

n.浏览者

参考例句：

• View edits in a web browser.在浏览器中看编辑的效果。
• I think my browser has a list of shareware links.我想在浏览器中会有一系列的共享软件链接。

4 dodgers   

n.躲闪者，欺瞒者( dodger的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a crackdown on fare dodgers on trains 对火车逃票者的严厉打击
• But Twain, Howells, and James were jeeringly described by Mencken as "draft-dodgers". 不过吐温、豪威尔斯和詹姆斯都是被门肯讥诮地叫做“逃避兵役的人。” 来自辞典例句

5 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

6 hustle   

v.推搡；竭力兜售或获取；催促；n.奔忙(碌)

参考例句：

• It seems that he enjoys the hustle and bustle of life in the big city.看起来他似乎很喜欢大城市的热闹繁忙的生活。
• I had to hustle through the crowded street.我不得不挤过拥挤的街道。