读者文摘:美国最美好的地方(1)

Everyone in town knows Ryan Houck, but not for the reasons you'd expect.

镇上的每个人都认识瑞恩·豪克，但原因不是你想象的那样。

He's not the businessman who helped revitalize the downtown.

他不是那个帮助重振市中心的商人。

He's not the bakery owner who donates doughnuts and hot dog buns to local fund-raisers.

他也不是向当地募捐者捐赠甜甜圈和热狗面包的面包房老板。

He's not the woman who dug into her retirement¹ money to help rebuild Columbiana's beloved Firestone Park.

他不是那个用自己的退休金帮助重建哥伦比亚纳人钟爱的费尔斯通公园的女人。

He's just a kid, and he has a lot of challenges.

他只是个孩子，而且他面临很多挑战。

Ryan, five, has a rare disease called Miller-Dieker syndrome²,

五岁的瑞恩患有一种罕见的疾病米勒-迪克综合症，

a devastating³ developmental brain disorder⁴ that makes it impossible for him to speak or move.

这是一种毁灭性的大脑发育障碍，使他无法说话或行动。

In fact, the doctors said Ryan wouldn't live to see age two.

事实上，医生说瑞恩活不过两岁。

For a long time, his parents, Dan and Meghan Houck, were stunned⁵ and heartbroken.

在很长一段时间里，他的父母丹和梅根·霍克都感到震惊和心碎。

"All the dreams and aspirations⁶ you had for your child kind of vanish," Meghan says.

“你对自己孩子的所有梦想和抱负都消逝了，”梅根说。

Then, when Ryan was 18 months old, the Houcks witnessed what you might call a miracle, if it didn't happen all the time in Columbiana.

然后，在瑞恩18个月大的时候，霍克一家人见证了一个或许可以称之为奇迹的事情，如果这种事不是在哥伦比亚纳一直发生的话。

They had heard about shows at the Main Street Theater featuring actors with all kinds of disabilities, from physical challenges to autism.

他们听说过主街剧院有各种残疾演员的演出，从患身体上的疾病到自闭症的人都有。

Curious, they took Ryan to a meeting about the upcoming production of The Little Mermaid⁷.

出于好奇，他们带着瑞恩参加了一个关于即将上映的《小美人鱼》的会议。

Before long, he got a part—a juicy one. He was cast as King Triton, the merman-demigod who wields⁸ a lightning-shooting trident.

不久，他得到了一个角色——一个有趣的角色。他获选扮演特里同国王，一个拥有闪电射击三叉戟的半人半神。

This Little Merman was a true family affair.

这个小人鱼是真正的家族大事。

On opening night, Ryan received a personalized star-shaped poster and walked the red carpet,

首映当晚，瑞恩收到了一张个性化的星形海报，并且和他的父母走上了红地毯，

just as all the actors in these Crown Theater Productions shows do, with his parents.

就像皇冠剧团所有的演员一样。

Dan delivered Triton's lines from the wings.

丹从用四肢表演自己的台词。

Meghan, dressed in black to blend in with the background, stood onstage wearing a strap-on baby carrier with Ryan in it.

梅根身穿黑色衣服，与背景融为一体，她站在台上，身上带着瑞恩的婴儿背带。

She moved his limbs as he "acted" out the lines.

当丹“表演”台词时，梅根移动他的四肢。

When the Houcks finished their big scene, the crowd jumped to their feet to cheer for the most irresistible⁹ theatrical¹⁰ debut¹¹ in Columbiana history.

当霍克家人完成他们的大场面，人群跳起来欢呼在哥伦比亚纳历史上最无法抗拒的戏剧首演。

1 retirement   

n.退休，退职

参考例句：

• She wanted to enjoy her retirement without being beset by financial worries.她想享受退休生活而不必为金钱担忧。
• I have to put everything away for my retirement.我必须把一切都积蓄起来以便退休后用。

2 syndrome   

n.综合病症；并存特性

参考例句：

• The Institute says that an unidentified virus is to blame for the syndrome. 该研究所表示,引起这种综合症的是一种尚未确认的病毒。
• Results indicated that 11 fetuses had Down syndrome. 结果表明有11个胎儿患有唐氏综合征。

3 devastating   

adj.毁灭性的，令人震惊的，强有力的

参考例句：

• It is the most devastating storm in 20 years.这是20年来破坏性最大的风暴。
• Affairs do have a devastating effect on marriages.婚外情确实会对婚姻造成毁灭性的影响。

4 disorder   

n.紊乱，混乱；骚动，骚乱；疾病，失调

参考例句：

• When returning back,he discovered the room to be in disorder.回家后，他发现屋子里乱七八糟。
• It contained a vast number of letters in great disorder.里面七零八落地装着许多信件。

5 stunned   

adj. 震惊的，惊讶的 动词stun的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• The fall stunned me for a moment. 那一下摔得我昏迷了片刻。
• The leaders of the Kopper Company were then stunned speechless. 科伯公司的领导们当时被惊得目瞪口呆。

6 aspirations   

强烈的愿望( aspiration的名词复数 )； 志向； 发送气音； 发 h 音

参考例句：

• I didn't realize you had political aspirations. 我没有意识到你有政治上的抱负。
• The new treaty embodies the aspirations of most nonaligned countries. 新条约体现了大多数不结盟国家的愿望。

7 mermaid   

n.美人鱼

参考例句：

• How popular would that girl be with the only mermaid mom!和人鱼妈妈在一起，那个女孩会有多受欢迎！
• The little mermaid wasn't happy because she didn't want to wait.小美人鱼不太高兴，因为她等不及了。

8 wields   

手持着使用（武器、工具等）( wield的第三人称单数 )； 具有； 运用（权力）； 施加（影响）

参考例句：

• She wields enormous power within the party. 她操纵着党内大权。
• He remains chairman, but wields little power at the company. 他还是主席，但在公司没有什么实权了。

9 irresistible   

adj.非常诱人的，无法拒绝的，无法抗拒的

参考例句：

• The wheel of history rolls forward with an irresistible force.历史车轮滚滚向前，势不可挡。
• She saw an irresistible skirt in the store window.她看见商店的橱窗里有一条叫人着迷的裙子。

10 theatrical   

adj.剧场的，演戏的；做戏似的，做作的

参考例句：

• The final scene was dismayingly lacking in theatrical effect.最后一场缺乏戏剧效果，叫人失望。
• She always makes some theatrical gesture.她老在做些夸张的手势。

11 debut   

n.首次演出，初次露面

参考例句：

• That same year he made his Broadway debut, playing a suave radio journalist.在那同一年里，他初次在百老汇登台，扮演一个温文而雅的电台记者。
• The actress made her debut in the new comedy.这位演员在那出新喜剧中首次登台演出。