VOA标准英语2013--自闭症儿童闪耀青年曲棍球队

 

Autistic Children Shine on Youth Hockey Team 自闭症儿童闪耀青年曲棍球队

ROCKVILLE, MARYLAND — At ice rinks across America, parents taking their children to hockey practice are a common sight. Many think it not only helps their children  stay fit, but also teaches important life lessons, like the value of teamwork. In Rockville, Maryland, near Washington, D.C., a special group of young players has an  inspiring story to tell.

On a recent Saturday morning in a quiet neighborhood in Rockville, the Blaisdell family got up before dawn. David Blaisdell was preparing for his son Christopher's  weekly hockey practice.

Christopher is 14 years old and plays on a team called the Montgomery Cheetahs¹. The Cheetahs look no different than young hockey players across the U.S., but their  path to the game has been very different.

All the players on the team have varying degrees of developmental challenges, including autism. The team was founded in 2006 with only 10 players and two coaches, but  now has more than 80 players and a larger coaching staff.  Head Coach David Lucia helped start the team.

“Montgomery Cheetahs Special Hockey Team is a therapeutic² program for kids, to help them socially, behaviorally in and out of the classroom, on and off the ice. It's  life skills that can be taken from the ice and transferred to daily life,” explained Lucia.

David Blaisdell, who speaks Mandarin³ from his overseas experience in China years ago, said much of Christopher’s success on the ice can be attributed to the coaches.

“All the coaches and volunteers are very patient with Christopher,” said Blaisdell.

The coaches are volunteers. Some, including Coach Lucia, are major donors⁴ to the team.

Weiwei Zhang, Christopher’s mother, appreciates the care the coaches take.

“Sometimes, you get the sense that the coaches treat your child better than you do,” said Zhang.

Weimin Zhou is the father of Jaojao, a player on the team. Zhou feels that playing on the Cheetahs offers the players an opportunity to grow they may not get on  another team.

“Children with autism don’t mingle⁵ very well with other kids. First of all, they are not easily accepted by other kids. Secondly⁶, they may receive special treatment.  Neither is good for them to develop social skills. But on the Cheetahs, they feel they are all the same. They feel this is their own team,” said Zhou.

Chris Nagle is the mother of Donovan, another player, and also highlighted the opportunity to develop socially and physically⁷.

“The social aspect of it has been a huge help for him because he really enjoys being with his teammates, whereas before he didn’t have the same endurance and would  tired out more easily. He would be more likely to sit and read books,” said Nagle.

The social aspect also helps the parents. Parents often find themselves under immense pressure because their children have special needs. The weekly team practice  gives them an opportunity to relax and mingle.

“With special needs children, there are not a lot of opportunities to be with parents with a similar situation,” explained Marie Jacob, the mother of Henry, a  Cheetahs player.

Many parents serve the team as volunteers and mentors⁸. Christopher’s father, David, is one of them.

“The more progress he makes, the more confident we parents grow, and the more grateful we are to the team. I want to do my share to be able to give back to the team, ” said Blaisdell.

The American Special Needs Hockey Association says there are 50 teams like the Cheetahs nationwide with more than 1,500 participants.

Speed. Endurance. Teamwork. Competition. Hockey is a fascinating, but challenging game.

“We see how hard they try. They have so few opportunities out there. When they do get the opportunities and they shine, it just brings tears to everyone’s eyes,”  said Lucia. 

1 cheetahs   

n.（奔跑极快的）非洲猎豹( cheetah的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Unlike lions or cheetahs, leopards are secretive, solitary cats. 花豹不像狮子或印度豹，是属于较神秘而隐居的大猫。 来自互联网
• Among this lot are cheetahs, lions, leopards, rhinoceroses, spotted hyenas and elephants. 印度豹、狮子、花豹、犀牛、斑点土狼、大象等，都是此地的居民。 来自互联网

2 therapeutic   

adj.治疗的，起治疗作用的；对身心健康有益的

参考例句：

• Therapeutic measures were selected to fit the patient.选择治疗措施以适应病人的需要。
• When I was sad,music had a therapeutic effect.我悲伤的时候，音乐有治疗效力。

3 Mandarin   

n.中国官话，国语，满清官吏；adj.华丽辞藻的

参考例句：

• Just over one billion people speak Mandarin as their native tongue.大约有十亿以上的人口以华语为母语。
• Mandarin will be the new official language of the European Union.普通话会变成欧盟新的官方语言。

4 donors   

n.捐赠者( donor的名词复数 )；献血者；捐血者；器官捐献者

参考例句：

• Please email us to be removed from our active list of blood donors. 假如你想把自己的名字从献血联系人名单中删去，请给我们发电子邮件。
• About half this amount comes from individual donors and bequests. 这笔钱大约有一半来自个人捐赠及遗赠。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 mingle   

vt.使混合，使相混；vi.混合起来；相交往

参考例句：

• If we mingle with the crowd,we should not be noticed.如果我们混在人群中，就不会被注意到。
• Oil will not mingle with water.油和水不相融。

6 secondly   

adv.第二，其次

参考例句：

• Secondly,use your own head and present your point of view.第二，动脑筋提出自己的见解。
• Secondly it is necessary to define the applied load.其次，需要确定所作用的载荷。

7 physically   

adj.物质上，体格上，身体上，按自然规律

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。
• Every time I think about it I feel physically sick.一想起那件事我就感到极恶心。

8 mentors   

n.（无经验之人的）有经验可信赖的顾问( mentor的名词复数 )v.（无经验之人的）有经验可信赖的顾问( mentor的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Beacham and McNamara, my two mentors, had both warned me. 我的两位忠实朋友，比彻姆和麦克纳马拉都曾经警告过我。 来自辞典例句
• These are the kinds of contacts that could evolve into mentors. 这些人是可能会成为你导师。 来自互联网