VOA常速英语2014--70岁大学生的影响（在线收听）

70-Year-Old College Student Leaves Impact 70岁大学生的影响

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VIRGINIA — May is typically a month of college graduations in the United States.  But this year’s college graduation at one Virginia School featured an unusual graduate, someone you would not recognize as a student.  

弗吉尼亚州，夏洛茨维尔市—5月是美国大学生的毕业季，但今年弗吉尼亚大学有一位不寻常的毕业生，你不会把他看做是大学生。

Years ago, he would have blended in as one of them.  Now, he looks different.  But strangely, Jerry Reid does fit in.

多年前，杰瑞·里德想成为一名大学生，不可思议的是，现在他做到了，在毕业生里，里德显得多么与众不同。

Reid is a 70-year-old senior at the University of Virginia, but his age is easy to forget.

70岁的里德今年将从弗吉尼亚大学毕业，但人们很容易忘了他的年龄。

Reid is an energetic member of the "Hoo Crew," the student cheering section at games.

里德是“Hoo Crew”啦啦队的充满活力的成员。

Fellow classmates say they can talk to him about anything.  

同学们称:和他无话不谈。

This was Jerry Reid back in his 20s…racing cars and chasing girls.  Back then, his friend Bill invited him to parties at UVA.

“Bill Sturman told me what a screwup I was that there was no way I’d ever make anything out of my life unless I came up here and went to school with him,"said Reid.

里德说“比尔斯特曼认为我是个只会弄糟事情的人，除非我来到大学和他在一起。”、

That was back in 1963.  Jerry says it took him 48 years to take that advice.  And in 2011, he enrolled as a college student.

这要追回到1963年，里德花了48年的时间才接受这项建议，2011年，他成为弗吉尼亚大学的一名在校生。

For his last exam before graduation, Reid spoke about Civil War General Stonewall Jackson.   

毕业前的最后一次测试，里德谈到美内战石墙将军杰克逊（Jackson）。

Jerry Reid leaves behind his mark on UVA.  Professor Luke Wright:

弗吉尼亚大学教授卢克·赖特（Luke Wright）认为，里德留下了自己的足迹。

“He certainly opened the minds of the 18 through 21-year-olds that life does not end at 40," said Wright.

“毫无疑问，他拓展了18-21岁年轻人的思路，生命没有在40岁停止。”赖特说

Instead it can be the beginning of a dream.

而这只是梦想的开始。

“Remember that path that you left waits for you.  It’s there.  It’s yours.  All you gotta do is get out of your own way and get back to it.  And, that’s exactly what I did," said Reid.

里德说：“路在前方等你，在这里等你，你所做的就是走出自己的路，这恰好是我做的。”

Reid says he and his wife Susan will now take some time to enjoy his college degree.  Then, he’ll return to UVA.  To get a masters degree.

现在，里德和妻子苏珊有更多时间来享受大学学位，不久他将会回到弗吉尼亚大学攻读硕士学位。