环球英语 — 61：Madeline Manning-Mims

　　Voice 1
Hello. I’m Marina Santee.
Voice 2
And I’m Elizabeth Lickiss. Welcome to Spotlight¹. This programme uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
Voice 1
Sports watchers may remember Madeline Manning-Mims. She had a wonderful win in 1968. She became the first black woman to win a gold medal in the Olympic Games. Madeline was living in a period of racism². People judged one another on their race - or the colour of their skin. Madeline’s success encouraged other young African women. Today we tell her story.
Voice 2
Imagine training for the Olympic Games! Imagine how you feel before a race! You have a nervous feeling in your stomach. You arrive at the Olympic Stadium³. You see the other team members. You are the only black runner on the team. Madeline remembers,
Voice 3
‘I was the only black girl there. The rest were white. I got threatening letters. People told me that I should not be there. They said I should just let the white girls do it. I was struggling with all this. I was still young. And I was not very experienced⁴ in all this.
Voice 1
Madeline wondered if anyone believed in her. But her faith in God made her stronger. She said,
Voice 3
‘Maybe no one else believed in me. But I knew that God did. So I decided⁵ to run for his glory’.
Voice 1
Madeline and her team mate⁶, Doris Brown, were both in the Olympic finals. They agreed on a plan to gain them first and second place. The idea was to control the race together. Madeline would start fast, knowing others would follow. She would hold the lead position. Doris would stay behind to save her energy. Then, Madeline would slow the race down, keeping the lead. By this time the team would be tired. But Doris would still have energy. She would catch up. They would speed up to win. They would gain first and second place.
Voice 2
But Doris told her trainer their plan. And the trainer did not like it. He told her not to follow the plan. He told her to wait until Madeline got tired - and then to run past her! Why would he do this? Madeline said later that he was racist⁷ - he did not like the colour of her skin! He did not want a black woman to win the race. Doris was white.
Voice 1
The race began. Madeline did not know what the trainer had told Doris. She followed the plan and slowed down to wait for Doris. After the first part of the race she understood something was wrong. She said,
Voice 3
‘I thought to myself, “Madeline; you are on your own now.” And I won my race by eighty metres. I was so happy when I passed the finish line. I heard my mother shout, “Thank you Jesus, that’s my baby!’
Voice 1
Afterwards, Madeline asked Doris what had happened. Doris explained that she was following her trainer’s advice. Madeline was very hurt. She found it hard to forgive him. She said,
Voice 3
‘It took me years to work through the process of forgiving him. But I found that not forgiving him was hurting me - not him. I felt terrible every time I saw him or someone spoke⁸ about him. It was torturing⁹ me emotionally¹⁰. And finally, I just had to let it go. I said, “Lord¹¹, in faith, I forgive him. It is not my problem. It is his. I refuse to hold onto this anymore.” And then I was surprised. The next time I saw him I did not feel anything. He was surprised too - that I spoke to him!’
Voice 2
Madeline’s next big event was the Olympic Games of 1972. She trained hard. It was not easy. She had personal problems at that time. This included a divorce¹² from her husband. Madeline was not strong mentally¹³ or emotionally. But she worked hard to get in good physical condition. One event she would compete in was the relay¹⁴.
Voice 1
Relays¹⁵ are different to normal races. In a relay, four people from the team work together. Each runner starts in a different position. One person runs at a time. The first person runs to the second person. He or she passes a baton¹⁶, a tube¹⁷ shaped object. The second person takes the baton and runs to the third person. This continues until all four runners have finished the race.
Voice 2
Madeline was a good runner! But, two days before the event she damaged her leg while training. She remembers being in a lot of pain. However, she decided to run anyway! She said,
Voice 3
‘I ran the hardest day of my life. I was fighting so hard through the pain. I remember thinking - either your leg is going to tear or you are going to do this! I do not remember the last hundred metres. I remember passing the baton to the girl in front of me. But I have no idea what happened afterwards.’
Voice 1
Later, Madeline watched the race on film. And she saw that she finished the race. But she could not remember it. It was a very strange feeling.
Voice 2
A few years later, she went back to the Olympic Stadium where she ran. She describes how she went to the exact place where her memory had failed.
Voice 3
‘“I prayed Lord what happened here?” God said, “This is when I lifted you up and carried you to the finish line.” And he must have because I do not remember a thing! I think the pain was so bad I just blocked everything out. I was just running without knowing what was going on.
That was a hard year for me. I was running with anger. I was not running to glorify¹⁸ God. I was running to show the world that you cannot keep a good woman down! My emotions were not balanced. But that dark period is where God met me. He made my faith stronger for the coming years. I learned¹⁹ that God is always God. I learned that no matter what you go through - he can take you through it. He can keep your mind when you feel like you are losing it. He can help you control your emotions when they fail. And he can help you get through anything. It was quite an experience for me.’
Voice 1
Today Madeline’s story encourages people all over the world. She talks to people about what the power of God can do!
 

1 spotlight   

n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目

参考例句：

• This week the spotlight is on the world of fashion.本周引人瞩目的是时装界。
• The spotlight followed her round the stage.聚光灯的光圈随着她在舞台上转。

2 racism   

n.民族主义；种族歧视(意识)

参考例句：

• He said that racism is endemic in this country.他说种族主义在该国很普遍。
• Racism causes political instability and violence.种族主义道致政治动荡和暴力事件。

3 stadium   

n.露天大型运动场

参考例句：

• The new football stadium can hold eighty thousand people.新的足球场可以容纳八万人。
• The stadium is being used for a match.那个露天运动场正在进行一场比赛。

4 experienced   

adj.有经验的；经验丰富的，熟练的

参考例句：

• Experienced seamen will advise you about sailing in this weather.有经验的海员会告诉你在这种天气下的航行情况。
• Perhaps you and I had better change over;you are more experienced.也许我们的工作还是对换一下好，你比我更有经验。

5 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

6 mate   

n.伙伴，同事；配偶；大副；v.(使)交配

参考例句：

• Where is the mate to this glove?这副手套的另一只在哪儿？
• She has been a faithful mate to him.她一直是他忠实的配偶。

7 racist   

n.种族主义者，种族主义分子

参考例句：

• a series of racist attacks 一连串的种族袭击行为
• His speech presented racist ideas under the guise of nationalism. 他的讲话以民族主义为幌子宣扬种族主义思想。

8 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。

9 torturing   

使痛苦( torture的现在分词 )； 使苦恼； 使焦急

参考例句：

• demons torturing the sinners in Hell 地狱里折磨罪人的魔鬼
• He saw himself as a possible second in such a torturing destiny. 他觉得他自己很有可能是第二个受那样残酷命运支配的人。

10 emotionally   

adv.感情上，情绪上，冲动地

参考例句：

• a special school for emotionally disturbed children 为精神异常儿童开办的特殊学校
• A wide range of emotionally stressful events may trigger a relapse. 多种令人情绪紧张的事情都可能引起旧病复发。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 lord   

n.上帝，主；主人，长官；君主，贵族

参考例句：

• I know the Lord will look after him.我知道上帝会眷顾他的。
• How good of the Lord not to level it beyond repair!上帝多么仁慈啊，竟没有让这所房子损毁得不可收拾！

12 divorce   

n.离婚；分离；vi.离婚；vt.离婚；脱离

参考例句：

• Did he divorce his wife or did she divorce him?是他要和妻子离婚，还是妻子要和他离婚？
• None of us like the divorce of word and deed.我们都不喜欢言行不一。

13 mentally   

adv.精神上，理智上，在心中

参考例句：

• He was out of sorts physically,as well as disordered mentally.他浑身不舒服，心绪也很乱。
• Male nurses are often employed in hospitals for the mentally ill.精神病院常雇用男护士护理精神病人。

14 relay   

n.接力赛，中继转播（设备）；vt.转述，转播

参考例句：

• They will relay your message.他们会转达你的口信。
• This metal tower is used to relay television signals to distant villages.这个金属塔是用于向遥远的村子转播电视讯号的。

15 relays   

v.转述( relay的第三人称单数 )；转达

参考例句：

• New relays of troops were sent to the battle front. 新补充的部队已送往前线。 来自辞典例句
• His questioners worked on him in relays. 审讯人员轮流对他进行审讯。 来自辞典例句

16 baton   

n.乐队用指挥杖

参考例句：

• With the baton the conductor was beating time.乐队指挥用指挥棒打拍子。
• The conductor waved his baton,and the band started up.指挥挥动指挥棒，乐队开始演奏起来。

17 tube   

n.（英）地铁；管，软管，隧道；vt.把…装管，使通过管子

参考例句：

• You may get to the railway station by tube.你可以乘地铁到火车站。
• Take care not to break the test tube!当心别把试管打碎了！

18 glorify   

vt.颂扬，赞美，使增光，美化

参考例句：

• Politicians have complained that the media glorify drugs.政治家们抱怨媒体美化毒品。
• We are all committed to serving the Lord and glorifying His name in the best way we know.我们全心全意敬奉上帝，竭尽所能颂扬他的美名。

19 learned   

adj.有学问的，博学的；learn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He went into a rage when he learned about it.他听到这事后勃然大怒。
• In this little village,he passed for a learned man.在这个小村子里，他被视为有学问的人。