VOA标准英语2010年-Dignitaries, Friends Say Farewell to N

Manute Bol's casket lies at the Washington National Cathedral during funeral services for the late NBA star, 29 Jun 2010

A funeral was held on Tuesday for former National Basketball Association star Manute Bol at Washington's National Cathedral.  The towering shot blocker from southern Sudan was remembered more for his off-the-court humanitarianism² than for his on-the court play.

In death as in life, Manute Bol towered above others.  His specially³ made 2.44 meter long casket was covered in a white pall⁴ emblazoned with red crosses as it was wheeled into the massive gothic cathedral.

Bol died on June 19 at age 47 from kidney failure brought on by a skin condition attributed to medical care he received while traveling in his native Sudan.

Bol joined the Washington Bullets, now called the Wizards, in 1985.  By the time he retired⁵ 10 seasons later, Bol had amassed⁶ 2,086 blocked shots and 1,599 points - the only NBA player with more blocks than points scored.

Rory Sparrow, the NBA's vice¹ president of Player Development, told mourners that not even Michael Jordan was able to intimidate⁷ the smiling Dinka tribesman.

Rory Sparrow, NBA VP of Player Development speaks at Manute Bol's funeral at the Washington National Cathedral, 29 Jun10

"I remember one time when we were teasing him at one game.  I was playing for the [Chicago] Bulls and I was teasing him about what Michael Jordan was going to do to him," he said.  "And he just laughed and he said, 'What Michael Jordan?  Why should I be afraid of Michael Jordan?  I kill lion.  He come in, I block his shot.'  And sure enough, he blocked his shot.  Michael made a couple of dunks, but hey, Manute stood his ground," said Sparrow.

Bol was later traded to Golden State.  He later played for Philadelphia and Miami before returning to Washington.  His highest NBA salary was $1.5 million dollars per year.  While in Washington, he often protested at the Sudanese Embassy to draw attention to his home country's civil war.  When he returned to Sudan in 1998, Bol supported a large extended family.  He gave more than $3.5 million to a Dinka-led rebel group in Southern Sudan, and later lost his fortune, and was forced to sell his house and possessions.  A political dispute left him in virtual exile in his country.

By 2001, Bol was almost destitute⁸.  He sometimes appeared in promotional stunts⁹, such as a boxing match against former Chicago Bears defensive¹⁰ lineman William "Refrigerator" Perry to raise funds for his homeland.  He said at the time he did it to save people's lives, not for the money.

Bol was later admitted to the United States as a religious refugee where his rent in Connecticut was paid by a Catholic charity.  The former NBA star was nearly killed in a 2003 car accident.  But Bol's experiences led him to rededicate himself to helping¹¹ others, particularly children and the dispossessed in Sudan. His goal was to build 41 schools across the country.

Alec Khoc, Southern Sudan's ambassador to the United States, pays tribute to late NBA star Manute Bol during funeral services at the Washington National Cathedral, 29 Jun 2010
Akec Khoc, Sudan's ambassador to the United States, said Bol did not dwell on his setbacks.  Instead, he showed kindness to everyone.

"He gave his time to children, to the poor, to the displaced, to the helpless, to the sick everywhere," he said.

Manute Bol later moved from Connecticut to Kansas, where he lived in recent years.  Kansas Senator Sam Brownback said that the quiet, towering basketball star was not preoccupied¹² with his own wealth, fame or misfortune.  He said Bol's concern was helping the poor and needy¹³, and reconciling former enemies in his native country.

"I can't think of a person that I know of in the world that used their celebrity¹⁴ status for a greater good than what Manute Bol did.  He used it for his people, he gave his life for his people," said Brownback.

Manute Bol worked with Sudan Sunrise, which seeks to help bring about reconciliation¹⁵ between Christians¹⁶, animists and Muslims in Southern Sudan.  

Sudan Sunrise founder¹⁷, Reverend Canon Tom Prichard, says Bol's work to reconcile former enemies lives on.

"Manute's legacy¹⁸ and vision of education and reconciliation, his determination to grow grassroots reconciliation - whether that reconciliation is expressed in a country that divides or holds together, wherever the boundary lines are drawn¹⁹.  Manute stood for grassroots reconciliation," said Prichard.

Manute Bol's family patriarch, Bol Bol Chol, praised his nephew's efforts to bring about reconciliation between Muslims and Christians in Sudan - including Darfurians, who, he said, killed as many as 250 of Bol's relatives.  

"This man is not an ordinary man.  I believe this man is a messenger like others messengers who were sent into this world - to do something in this world.  He has accomplished²⁰ most of his mission, and so God took him and left the rest of the work to be done by others," said Chol.

Manute Bol's remains²¹ will be flown to Sudan where they will be interred²² near his grandfather in a family cemetery²³.
 

1 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

2 humanitarianism   

n.博爱主义；人道主义；基督凡人论

参考例句：

• Humanitarianism is apt to be forgotten when the balloon goes up. 一旦战争爆发，人道主义往往就被抛到脑后了。 来自互联网
• We must heal the wounded, rescue the dying, practicing revolutionary humanitarianism. 我们要救死扶伤，实行革命的人道主义。 来自互联网

3 specially   

adv.特定地；特殊地；明确地

参考例句：

• They are specially packaged so that they stack easily.它们经过特别包装以便于堆放。
• The machine was designed specially for demolishing old buildings.这种机器是专为拆毁旧楼房而设计的。

4 pall   

v.覆盖，使平淡无味；n.柩衣，棺罩；棺材；帷幕

参考例句：

• Already the allure of meals in restaurants had begun to pall.饭店里的饭菜已经不像以前那样诱人。
• I find his books begin to pall on me after a while.我发觉他的书读过一阵子就开始对我失去吸引力。

5 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。

6 amassed   

v.积累，积聚( amass的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He amassed a fortune from silver mining. 他靠开采银矿积累了一笔财富。
• They have amassed a fortune in just a few years. 他们在几年的时间里就聚集了一笔财富。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 intimidate   

vt.恐吓，威胁

参考例句：

• You think you can intimidate people into doing what you want?你以为你可以威胁别人做任何事？
• The first strike capacity is intended mainly to intimidate adversary.第一次攻击的武力主要是用来吓阻敌方的。

8 destitute   

adj.缺乏的；穷困的

参考例句：

• They were destitute of necessaries of life.他们缺少生活必需品。
• They are destitute of common sense.他们缺乏常识。

9 stunts   

n.惊人的表演( stunt的名词复数 )；（广告中）引人注目的花招；愚蠢行为；危险举动v.阻碍…发育[生长]，抑制，妨碍( stunt的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• He did all his own stunts. 所有特技都是他自己演的。
• The plane did a few stunts before landing. 飞机着陆前做了一些特技。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 defensive   

adj.防御的；防卫的；防守的

参考例句：

• Their questions about the money put her on the defensive.他们问到钱的问题，使她警觉起来。
• The Government hastily organized defensive measures against the raids.政府急忙布置了防卫措施抵御空袭。

11 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

12 preoccupied   

adj.全神贯注的，入神的；被抢先占有的；心事重重的v.占据（某人）思想，使对…全神贯注，使专心于( preoccupy的过去式)

参考例句：

• He was too preoccupied with his own thoughts to notice anything wrong. 他只顾想着心事，没注意到有什么不对。
• The question of going to the Mount Tai preoccupied his mind. 去游泰山的问题盘踞在他心头。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 needy   

adj.贫穷的，贫困的，生活艰苦的

参考例句：

• Although he was poor,he was quite generous to his needy friends.他虽穷，但对贫苦的朋友很慷慨。
• They awarded scholarships to needy students.他们给贫苦学生颁发奖学金。

14 celebrity   

n.名人，名流；著名，名声，名望

参考例句：

• Tom found himself something of a celebrity. 汤姆意识到自己已小有名气了。
• He haunted famous men, hoping to get celebrity for himself. 他常和名人在一起, 希望借此使自己获得名气。

15 reconciliation   

n.和解，和谐，一致

参考例句：

• He was taken up with the reconciliation of husband and wife.他忙于做夫妻间的调解工作。
• Their handshake appeared to be a gesture of reconciliation.他们的握手似乎是和解的表示。

16 Christians   

n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Christians of all denominations attended the conference. 基督教所有教派的人都出席了这次会议。
• His novel about Jesus caused a furore among Christians. 他关于耶稣的小说激起了基督教徒的公愤。

17 Founder   

n.创始者，缔造者

参考例句：

• He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
• According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。

18 legacy   

n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
• He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。

19 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

20 accomplished   

adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的

参考例句：

• Thanks to your help,we accomplished the task ahead of schedule.亏得你们帮忙,我们才提前完成了任务。
• Removal of excess heat is accomplished by means of a radiator.通过散热器完成多余热量的排出。

21 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

22 interred   

v.埋，葬( inter的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Marie Curie's remains were exhumed and interred in the Pantheon. 玛丽·居里的遗体被移出葬在先贤祠中。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The body was interred at the cemetery. 遗体埋葬在公墓里。 来自《简明英汉词典》

23 cemetery   

n.坟墓，墓地，坟场

参考例句：

• He was buried in the cemetery.他被葬在公墓。
• His remains were interred in the cemetery.他的遗体葬在墓地。