The Medal of Life 生命的奖牌

搜索

复制

[00:01.47]The Medal of Life 生命的奖牌

[00:03.75]After giving a talk at a high school,

[00:07.49]I was asked to pay a visit to a special student.

[00:10.32]An illness had kept the boy home,

[00:12.41]but he had expressed an interest in meeting me,

[00:14.70]and it would mean a great deal to him. I agreed.

[00:18.22]During the nine-mile drive to his home,

[00:20.72]I found out something about Matthew.

[00:22.59]He had muscular¹ dystrophy.

[00:24.44]When he was born, the doctor told his parents

[00:27.29]that he would not live to see five,

[00:28.81]and then they were told he would not make it to ten.

[00:31.44]Now he was thirteen. He wanted to meet me because I was a gold-medal lifter,

[00:36.69]and I knew about overcoming² obstacles³ and going for my dreams.

[00:40.29]I spent over an hour talking to Matthew.

[00:43.37]Never once did he complain or ask, “Why me?”

[00:46.86]He spoke⁴ about winning⁵ and succeeding and going for his dreams.

[00:51.12]Obviously, he knew what he was talking about.

[00:53.76]He didn’t mention that his classmates had made fun of him because he was different.

[00:58.24]He just talked about his hopes for the future,

[01:00.41]and how one day he wanted to lift weights with me.

[01:03.17]When we finished talking,

[01:04.68]I went to my briefcase⁶ and pulled out the first gold medal I won

[01:08.22]and put it around his neck.

[01:09.98]I told him he was more of a winner

[01:12.29]and knew more about success and overcoming obstacles than I ever would.

[01:16.00]He looked at it for a moment,

[01:17.87]then took it off and handed it back to me.

[01:20.37]He said, “You are a champion. You earned that medal.

[01:24.52]Someday when I get to the Olympics and win my own medal,

[01:27.71]I will show it to you.”

[01:29.00]Last summer I received a letter

[01:31.31]from Matthew’s parents telling me that Matthew had passed away.

[01:34.47]They wanted me to have a letter he had written to me a few days before:

[01:38.54]Dear Rick,

[01:40.17]My mom said I should send you a thank-you letter for your talking with me.

[01:44.32]I also want to let you know

[01:46.63]that the doctors tell me

[01:47.84]that I don’t have long to live anymore.

[01:49.82]But I still smile as much as I can.

[01:52.54]I told you someday I was going to the Olympics and win a gold medal.

[01:56.80]But I know now I will never get to do that.

[01:59.66]But I know I’m a champion, and God⁷ knows that too.

[02:03.04]When I get to Heaven⁸, God will give me my medal

[02:06.20]and when you get there, I will show it to you.

[02:09.39]Thank you for loving me.

[02:10.93]Your friend,

[02:11.79]Matthew

1 muscular   

adj.肌肉发达的，强壮的，（有关）肌（肉）的

参考例句：

• He is a muscular young man.他是个健壮的年轻人。
• The player is tall and muscular.那名运动员身高力大。

2 overcoming   

战胜，克服( overcome的现在分词 )； 被（烟、感情等）熏[压]倒，使受不了； 受到…的极大影响

参考例句：

• The pioneers are courageous indeed, overcoming one difficulty after another. 这些开拓者的确有勇气，他们克服了一个又一个的困难。
• I have a plan for overcoming the difficulty. 我有个克服那困难的计划。

3 obstacles   

n. 干扰；障碍

参考例句：

• I think most of these obstacles can be surmounted. 我认为这些障碍大多数都是可以克服的。
• There's no formidable obstacles in the world. 世上没有无法逾越的障碍。

4 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

5 winning   

adj.获胜的，胜利的；吸引人的，有说服力的

参考例句：

• Team A has no chance of winning.A队没有获胜的可能。
• They have great hopes of winning.他们获胜的希望极大。

6 briefcase   

n.手提箱，公事皮包

参考例句：

• He packed a briefcase with what might be required.他把所有可能需要的东西都装进公文包。
• He requested the old man to look after the briefcase.他请求那位老人照看这个公事包。

7 god   

n.上帝，神；被极度崇拜的人或物

参考例句：

• God knows how the cat got up on the roof.只有天知道那只猫是怎样爬上房顶的。
• God wills that man should be happy.上帝愿人类幸福。

8 heaven   

n.天，天空，天堂，天国

参考例句：

• Women hold up half of heaven.妇女能顶半边天。
• Taiwan is really a heaven of delicacy,everyplace has the well-known repast.台湾真是个美食的天堂,各地都有著名的小吃。