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2006年NPR美国国家公共电台八月-The Tangible Benefits of Not Losing Hope

时间:2007-07-20 07:16来源:互联网 提供网友:zhao6221133   字体: [ ]
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    (单词翻译:双击或拖选)
It's true that some people have more hurdles1 in life than others. But commentator2 Joseph C. Phillips says regardless of the trials and tribulations3, one factor can improve the lives of all people – hope.

An 8th grade reading teacher recently told me that quite often she held out very little hope for young people today. We spoke4 during a reception for the author Pearl Cleage. She sipped6 her cosmopolitan7 and shook her head sadly: "'These kids feel as if they are grown, they don't wanna listen and dare you to tell them anything,' she continued. 'They come into class and do hair, turn on their radios and will curse you out in a minute.''
As she took another sip5 of her drink, the teacher lamented9 that times have changed. 'I've been assaulted twice.' She said, 'One of the students currently in trouble for attacking my conversationalist is a girl with a particularly difficult family life. Her story is not new, her mother is a single parent with several children from different fathers and a history of mental health issues. As a result, this young girl often finds herself missing school to parent her younger siblings10. While other children are exploring the newness of their teenage years, this girl has been handed responsibilities not of her making, and is no doubt, trying to cope as best she can with, it would appear, scarcely any help. It is little wonder that she snapped, the fact that this girl ended up in a hospital suffering high blood pressure and stress at the tender age of 13 may be a blessing11 in disguise.
From the surface it would appear that without intervention12 of some kind, a better life than the one she is living will be a long trek13 along a difficult road indeed.'

Given the story, the educator told me her pessimism14 is understandable. One can’t help but feel a sense of trepidation15, given the deep singular focus and effort it will take for her 8th grade student to rise above her circumstances and build a life of significance. However, this stands in stark16 contrast with the story of the educator’s daughter who accompanied her to the reception. Her daughter is a beautiful young woman entering her senior year in high school. Unlike the young student in her mother’s class, the doors to the world are wide-open to this young lady. And she was filled with enthusiasm. She will attend a major university, will meet new and exciting people, and barring some major distraction17 will have every opportunity to achieve her dream of becoming a journalist. It would be difficult not to feel excited and optimistic about the future of this country when speaking to her.

Life sometimes deals us cards from the bottom of the deck. Indeed, for some it seems that cards are not dealt at all. And yet, regardless of the hand, we’re all expected to play as best we can. That’s life. And life is not fair. Some young girls break bread with famous authors while others are forced to raise their siblings while their mothers slip into madness. Yet, the difference between the two girls is more than circumstance. It is also, and I think more significantly, a difference in hope. Young people like this 8th grade girl must have faith that the hand of God will move in their lives. However, they also need hope in the form of human hands that will reach to offer them counsel and support.
Hope is a hand that will guide young people towards the doors of opportunity. Hope will not alleviate18 the difficult work. Sweat and striving will always be necessary for success. Hope will, however, maintain a forward focus and will be the fuel that powers dreams. I share the teacher’s concern, but I do not share her pessimism. Experience has taught me that as a bit of native American wisdom teachers, all roads are good. Hope tells me this is true, even when the reality is that for some, the road is made through walking.

Joseph C. Phillips is an actor and columnist19 living in Los Angeles.

【WORLD BANK】
lament8
1
[intransitive and transitive] to express feelings of great sadness about something
The nation lamented the death of its great war leader.
2
[transitive]to express annoyance20 or disappointment about something you think is unsatisfactory or unfair
lament that
He lamented that people had expected too much of him too soon.She lamented the fact that manufacturers did not produce small packs for single-person households.
lament the lack/absence/decline etc of something Steiner lamented the lack of public interest in the issue.
conversationalist
[countable]
someone who talks about intelligent, amusing, and interesting things
snap
[intransitive] to suddenly stop being able to control your anger, anxiety, or other feelings in a difficult situation
The stress began to get to her, and one morning she just snapped. Something inside him snapped and he hit her.
tender age
the time when you are young or do not have much experience
at the tender age of something
Nicholas was sent to boarding school at the tender age of seven.
a blessing in disguise
something that seems to be bad or unlucky at first, but which you later realize is good or lucky
break bread
Have a meal, eat. For example, It's hard to remain enemies when you've broken bread together. This term occurs in numerous places in the New Testament21, where it sometimes means to share bread and other times to distribute food to others. In later usage it came to refer to the sacramental bread of Communion in Christian22 services. The latter survives in the spiritual hymn23, "Let Us Break Bread Together."
slip
[intransitive always + adverb/preposition]to gradually start being in a particular condition
slip into
He had begun to slip into debt.She slipped into unconsciousness and died the next day.
The project has slipped behind schedule.


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 hurdles ef026c612e29da4e5ffe480a8f65b720     
n.障碍( hurdle的名词复数 );跳栏;(供人或马跳跃的)栏架;跨栏赛
参考例句:
  • In starting a new company, many hurdles must be crossed. 刚开办一个公司时,必须克服许多障碍。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • There are several hurdles to be got over in this project. 在这项工程中有一些困难要克服。 来自辞典例句
2 commentator JXOyu     
n.注释者,解说者;实况广播评论员
参考例句:
  • He is a good commentator because he can get across the game.他能简单地解说这场比赛,是个好的解说者。
  • The commentator made a big mistake during the live broadcast.在直播节目中评论员犯了个大错误。
3 tribulations 48036182395310e9f044772a7d26287d     
n.苦难( tribulation的名词复数 );艰难;苦难的缘由;痛苦
参考例句:
  • the tribulations of modern life 现代生活的苦恼
  • The film is about the trials and tribulations of adolescence. 这部电影讲述了青春期的麻烦和苦恼。 来自《简明英汉词典》
4 spoke XryyC     
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 sip Oxawv     
v.小口地喝,抿,呷;n.一小口的量
参考例句:
  • She took a sip of the cocktail.她啜饮一口鸡尾酒。
  • Elizabeth took a sip of the hot coffee.伊丽莎白呷了一口热咖啡。
6 sipped 22d1585d494ccee63c7bff47191289f6     
v.小口喝,呷,抿( sip的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • He sipped his coffee pleasurably. 他怡然地品味着咖啡。
  • I sipped the hot chocolate she had made. 我小口喝着她调制的巧克力热饮。 来自辞典例句
7 cosmopolitan BzRxj     
adj.世界性的,全世界的,四海为家的,全球的
参考例句:
  • New York is a highly cosmopolitan city.纽约是一个高度世界性的城市。
  • She has a very cosmopolitan outlook on life.她有四海一家的人生观。
8 lament u91zi     
n.悲叹,悔恨,恸哭;v.哀悼,悔恨,悲叹
参考例句:
  • Her face showed lament.她的脸上露出悲伤的样子。
  • We lament the dead.我们哀悼死者。
9 lamented b6ae63144a98bc66c6a97351aea85970     
adj.被哀悼的,令人遗憾的v.(为…)哀悼,痛哭,悲伤( lament的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • her late lamented husband 她那令人怀念的已故的丈夫
  • We lamented over our bad luck. 我们为自己的不幸而悲伤。 来自《简明英汉词典》
10 siblings 709961e45d6808c7c9131573b3a8874b     
n.兄弟,姐妹( sibling的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • A triplet sleeps amongst its two siblings. 一个三胞胎睡在其两个同胞之间。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • She has no way of tracking the donor or her half-siblings down. 她没办法找到那个捐精者或她的兄弟姐妹。 来自时文部分
11 blessing UxDztJ     
n.祈神赐福;祷告;祝福,祝愿
参考例句:
  • The blessing was said in Hebrew.祷告用了希伯来语。
  • A double blessing has descended upon the house.双喜临门。
12 intervention e5sxZ     
n.介入,干涉,干预
参考例句:
  • The government's intervention in this dispute will not help.政府对这场争论的干预不会起作用。
  • Many people felt he would be hostile to the idea of foreign intervention.许多人觉得他会反对外来干预。
13 trek 9m8wi     
vi.作长途艰辛的旅行;n.长途艰苦的旅行
参考例句:
  • We often go pony-trek in the summer.夏季我们经常骑马旅行。
  • It took us the whole day to trek across the rocky terrain.我们花了一整天的时间艰难地穿过那片遍布岩石的地带。
14 pessimism r3XzM     
n.悲观者,悲观主义者,厌世者
参考例句:
  • He displayed his usual pessimism.他流露出惯有的悲观。
  • There is the note of pessimism in his writings.他的著作带有悲观色彩。
15 trepidation igDy3     
n.惊恐,惶恐
参考例句:
  • The men set off in fear and trepidation.这群人惊慌失措地出发了。
  • The threat of an epidemic caused great alarm and trepidation.流行病猖獗因而人心惶惶。
16 stark lGszd     
adj.荒凉的;严酷的;完全的;adv.完全地
参考例句:
  • The young man is faced with a stark choice.这位年轻人面临严峻的抉择。
  • He gave a stark denial to the rumor.他对谣言加以完全的否认。
17 distraction muOz3l     
n.精神涣散,精神不集中,消遣,娱乐
参考例句:
  • Total concentration is required with no distractions.要全神贯注,不能有丝毫分神。
  • Their national distraction is going to the disco.他们的全民消遣就是去蹦迪。
18 alleviate ZxEzJ     
v.减轻,缓和,缓解(痛苦等)
参考例句:
  • The doctor gave her an injection to alleviate the pain.医生给她注射以减轻疼痛。
  • Nothing could alleviate his distress.什么都不能减轻他的痛苦。
19 columnist XwwzUQ     
n.专栏作家
参考例句:
  • The host was interviewing a local columnist.节目主持人正在同一位当地的专栏作家交谈。
  • She's a columnist for USA Today.她是《今日美国报》的专栏作家。
20 annoyance Bw4zE     
n.恼怒,生气,烦恼
参考例句:
  • Why do you always take your annoyance out on me?为什么你不高兴时总是对我出气?
  • I felt annoyance at being teased.我恼恨别人取笑我。
21 testament yyEzf     
n.遗嘱;证明
参考例句:
  • This is his last will and testament.这是他的遗愿和遗嘱。
  • It is a testament to the power of political mythology.这说明,编造政治神话可以产生多大的威力。
22 Christian KVByl     
adj.基督教徒的;n.基督教徒
参考例句:
  • They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
  • His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。
23 hymn m4Wyw     
n.赞美诗,圣歌,颂歌
参考例句:
  • They sang a hymn of praise to God.他们唱着圣歌,赞美上帝。
  • The choir has sung only two verses of the last hymn.合唱团只唱了最后一首赞美诗的两个段落。
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