Changed Lives 生命的转变

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[00:01.36]Changed Lives 生命的转变

[00:03.75]In 1921, Lewis Lawes became the warden¹ at Sing Sing Prison of New York State.

[00:12.08]No prison was tougher than Sing Sing during that time.

[00:15.57]But when Warden Lawes retired² some 20 years later, that prison had become a humanitarian³ institution.

[00:23.13]Those who studied the system said credit for the change belonged to Lawes.

[00:27.50]But when he was asked about the transformation⁴, here’s what he said,

[00:31.54]“I owe it all to my wonderful wife, Catherine, who is buried outside the prison walls.”

[00:37.67]Catherine Lawes was a young mother with three small children when her husband became the warden.

[00:43.47]Everybody warned her from the beginning that she should never set foot inside the prison walls,

[00:48.72]but that didn’t stop Catherine!

[00:50.90]When the first prison basketball game was held,

[00:53.53]she went into the gym with her three beautiful kids and she sat in the stands with the inmates⁵.

[00:59.30]Her attitude was: “My husband and I are going to take care of these men

[01:03.55]and I believe they will take care of me!I don’t have to worry!”

[01:07.27]She insisted on getting acquainted with them and their records.

[01:11.09]She discovered one convicted murderer was blind so she paid him a visit.

[01:15.60]Holding his hand in hers she said, “Do you read Braille?”

[01:19.42]“What’s Braille?” he asked. Then she taught him how to read.

[01:23.90]Years later he would weep in love for her. Later, Catherine found a deaf-mute in prison.

[01:30.14]She went to school to learn how to use sign language.

[01:33.29]Many said that Catherine Lawes was the body of Jesus that came alive again in Sing Sing from 1921to 1937.

[01:41.63]Then, she was killed in a car accident. The next morning Lewis Lawes didn’t come to work,

[01:47.21]so the acting⁶ warden took his place. It seemed almost instantly that the prison knew something was wrong.

[01:53.34]The following day, her body was resting in a casket in her home, three-quarters of a mile from the prison.

[01:59.81]As the acting warden took his early morning walk,

[02:02.97]he was shocked to see a large crowd of the toughest, hardest-looking criminals

[02:07.89]gathered like a herd⁷ of animals at the main gate.

[02:10.53]He came closer and noted⁸ tears of grief and sadness.

[02:13.58]He knew how much they loved Catherine. He turned and faced the men.

[02:18.06]“All right, men, you can go. Just be sure and check in tonight!”

[02:22.33]Then he opened the gate and a parade of criminals walked, without a guard,

[02:26.58]the three-quarters of a mile to stand in line to pay their final respects to Catherine Lawes.

[02:32.17]And every one of them checked back in. Every one!

1 warden   

n.监察员，监狱长，看守人，监护人

参考例句：

• He is the warden of an old people's home.他是一家养老院的管理员。
• The warden of the prison signed the release.监狱长签发释放令。

2 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

3 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

4 transformation   

n.变化；改造；转变

参考例句：

• Going to college brought about a dramatic transformation in her outlook.上大学使她的观念发生了巨大的变化。
• He was struggling to make the transformation from single man to responsible husband.他正在努力使自己由单身汉变为可靠的丈夫。

5 inmates   

n.囚犯( inmate的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• One of the inmates has escaped. 被收容的人中有一个逃跑了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The inmates were moved to an undisclosed location. 监狱里的囚犯被转移到一个秘密处所。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

7 herd   

n.兽群，牧群；vt.使集中，把…赶在一起

参考例句：

• She drove the herd of cattle through the wilderness.她赶着牛群穿过荒野。
• He had no opinions of his own but simply follow the herd.他从无主见，只是人云亦云。

8 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。