VOA慢速英语2020 巴基斯坦无臂男子成为斯诺克高手

A Pakistani man who was born without arms has developed into a highly¹ skilled² snooker player.

一位出生就没有胳膊的巴基斯坦男子已经成为了一名高技术的斯诺克选手。

In the game of snooker, players traditionally³ use long sticks to hit colored balls into holes at the end of a table. But Muhammad Ikram has learned⁴ a different method. He uses his chin⁵ to hit the balls into the holes.

在斯诺克比赛中，选手们通常使用球杆将彩球击落洞中。但是穆罕默德·伊克拉姆学会了另一种办法。他用下巴将球打进洞里。

The 32-year-old lives in Samundri, a rural⁶ town in Pakistan's Punjab province. He has spent eight years perfecting his game and says he is not afraid to take on any players.

这名32岁的男子住在巴基斯坦旁遮普省偏远的萨蒙德利市。他已经花了8年时间来完善自己的比赛，并表示自己不怕与任何选手交锋。

"I have met very good snooker players who tell me I am a real genius, that I can bring great fame to Pakistan," he told Reuters Television.

他对路透社表示：“我遇到过一些非常优秀的斯诺克选手，他们告诉我，我是一名真正的台球天才，我可以给巴基斯坦带来巨大的声誉。”

Muhammad Ikram is one of nine children. He did not receive an education and his family faced struggles meeting basic needs.

伊克拉姆家里有9个孩子。他从小没有受过教育，他的家人面临着满足生活基本需求的挣扎。

Growing up, Ikram spent much of his time watching people play snooker, a game no one dreamed he could ever play. He says he does not remember exactly how the idea of playing struck him. But at some point, he started practicing the game in secret.

长大后，伊克拉姆大部分时间都在看人们打斯诺克，没人能想到他也能打球。他说自己无法确切记得如何被打球的想法所打动。但是在某个时刻，他开始秘密练习。

"He would eagerly watch the other boys play. He would keep wishing he also had arms so he could play like them," said his mother, Razia Bibi. "Then he started using his chin."

他的母亲拉齐亚·毕比说：“他会认真热切地观看其他人的比赛。他一直希望自己也有胳膊，这样他就能像他们一样打球。后来他开始用下巴（打球）。”

Mian Usman Ahmed is co-owner of the Cuemaster Snooker Club. He says Ikram won several prizes in local competitions over the past two years.

米恩·乌斯曼·艾哈迈德是Cuemaster斯洛克俱乐部的合伙人。他说伊克拉姆过去两年在当地的比赛中多次赢得了奖金。

"He would come to the club and ask that he be allowed to play. We would look at his arms and feel he was unable to," Ahmed said. "He insisted we allow him to ... prove himself. When he did that, we saw he was actually very good."

艾哈迈德表示：“他来到俱乐部，要求允许他打球。我们看着他的胳膊，觉得他没法打球。他坚持要求我们允许他证明自己。当他打球时，我们觉得他实际上非常厉害。”

Ikram says many people like his undying spirit. Some eateries even permit⁷ him to eat their food for free, with waiters volunteering to feed him.

伊克拉姆表示，许多人喜欢他不屈不挠的精神。一些餐馆甚至免费给他提供食物，而服务员自愿喂他。

He told Reuters, "God has not given me arms, but he has given me courage. And I have used that spirit to fulfill⁸ my ambition."

他对路透社表示：“上天没给我胳膊，但是给了我勇气。我用这种精神来实现我的抱负。”

When asked what he would say to others with physical disabilities, Ikram said "no one should lose hope." He added⁹ that he would one day like to compete at the international level, hopefully with government support.

当被问到他对其它肢体残疾人士有什么想说的，他说，“任何人都不应该放弃希望。”他还表示，希望有一天能够在政府的支持上参加国际比赛。

Pakistani government records show that the country has 3.3 million people with disabilities. But some studies have estimated¹⁰ the actual number could be as high as 13 percent of the population.

巴基斯坦政府统计表明，该国有330万残疾人。但是有研究估计，实际人数可能达到了总人数的13%。

1 highly   

adv.高度地，极，非常；非常赞许地

参考例句：

• It is highly important to provide for the future.预先做好准备非常重要。
• The teacher speaks very highly of the boy's behaviour.老师称赞这个男孩的表现。

2 skilled   

adj.(in)熟练的，有技能的；需要技能的

参考例句：

• Unskilled workers usually earn less money than skilled workers.无技能的工人通常比有技能的工人挣钱少。
• She was skilled enough in French to translate a novel.她法语娴熟，足以翻译小说。

3 traditionally   

adv.传说地；传统地

参考例句：

• Traditionally,people clean the house before the Spring Festival.传统上，人们在春节前打扫房子。
• Medicine is traditionally the first of the Nobel prizes awarded each year.根据传统，医学奖是诺贝尔奖每年颁发的第一个奖项。

4 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。

5 chin   

n.下巴，下颚，不气馁，不灰心

参考例句：

• You've got some egg on your chin.你的下巴上沾着一点鸡蛋。
• He hurried on with his shaving,cutting his chin twice.他急急忙忙地剃胡子，把下巴割破了两次。

6 rural   

adj.乡下的，田园的，乡村风味的

参考例句：

• He lived a rural life.他过着田园生活。
• We left the city for a rural home.我们离开城市，去农村安家。

7 permit   

n.许可证，许可，执照；vt.允许，容许；vi.容许

参考例句：

• The doctor will not permit mother up until her leg is better.在母亲的腿好些之前,医生不允许她起床。
• The soldiers had orders to permit no stranger through.士兵们接到命令不许任何陌生人通过。

8 fulfill   

vt.履行，实现，完成；满足，使满意

参考例句：

• If you make a promise you should fulfill it.如果你许诺了，你就要履行你的诺言。
• This company should be able to fulfill our requirements.这家公司应该能够满足我们的要求。

9 added   

adj.更多的，附加的，额外的

参考例句：

• They have added a new scene at the beginning.在开头他们又增加了一场戏。
• The pop music added to our enjoyment of the film.片中的流行音乐使我们对这部电影更加喜爱。

10 estimated   

adj．根据估计的

参考例句：

• She estimated the breadth of the lake to be 500 metres. 她估计湖面大约有500米宽。
• The man estimated for the repair of the car. 那人估算了修理汽车的费用。