新世纪大学英语 第三册 原文 每段翻译 U7

UNIT 7：What Makes Olympic Champions
|是什么造就了奥运冠军?|

John E. Anderson
When Kristi Yamaguchi fell to the ice in the 1992 Winter Olympics at Albertville, France, spectators groaned. Surely the 20-year-old's chances for a gold medal in figure skating had evaporated with that tumble. But Kristi rose to her feet, flashed a dazzling smile and spun back into her program. When the judges' scores were announced, she had received near-perfect marks despite the fall. Her spirited recovery gave her the gold medal a€” a tribute to her determination and courage.

1 1992年，在法国阿尔贝维尔冬季奥运会上，当克里斯蒂? 山口在冰场上跌倒时，观众席上一片遗憾的声音。这位20岁的运动员获得花样滑冰金牌的希望肯定会因这一失足而化为泡影。但是克里斯蒂站了起来，她灿然一笑，旋转身体，继续表演。她虽然不幸跌倒，但裁判却给她打了近乎完美的分数。她能鼓起勇气，重振旗鼓，获得了金牌，这足以证明她的决心和勇气。

As a consultant to U.S. Olympic teams and many individual athletes, I've seen dozens of young men and women like Kristi who reached deep into themselves at a critical moment and found something that brought out their best. They mounted the winners' stand not simply because of athletic talent but because of firm inner fiber.

2 作为美国奥运队及许多运动员的顾问，我目睹了许多像克里斯蒂这样年轻的男女运动员：他们在关键时刻能够挖掘自身，找到发挥潜能的一种力量。他们登上领奖台，不单纯是因为运动才能，还因为他们内在的不屈不挠的意志。

They had a dream. Kristi Yamaguchi visualized herself as an Olympic champion the first time she put on skates, at age six. Bonny Warner, who represented the United States in three Olympic luge competitions, didn't have her dream until she was a college student. Before that, she had never heard of the racing sled called a luge. But once the dream took shape, both young women clung to it courageously and worked to make it come true.

3 |他们拥有梦想。|克里斯蒂?山口6岁时首次穿上溜冰鞋，那时她就想象自己是一名奥运冠军。邦妮?华纳三度代表美国参加奥运会的仰卧滑行小雪橇比赛。她直到上了大学才有自己的梦想。之前，她从未听说过有“仰卧滑行的小雪橇”这种比赛用的雪橇。这两个年轻女子，一旦拥有梦想，就锲而不舍地、勇敢地追求，为了梦想的实现不遗余力。

Most important, their parents and those around them supported the dream. Loretta Dawes, whose 16-year-old daughter, Dominique, was one of the first female black gymnasts to represent the United States in the Olympics, recently told the press that bringing up a world-class athlete isn't easy. For an entire year bef

ore the 1992 Olympics, she rarely saw her daughter, who lived with her coach
to be closer to the gym, a 45-minute drive from home. Dawes was asked what advice she would give other parents of athletes. She answered simply and eloquently. Believe in your child, she said.

4 最重要的是，这些运动员的父母以及周围的人都支持他们的梦想。洛雷塔?道斯16岁的女儿多米尼克是代表美国参加奥运会的第一批黑人女性体操运动员之一。洛雷塔最近告诉记者说，培养一个世界一流的运动员着实不易。在1992年奥运会之前整整一年中，她很少看见自己的女儿。为了离体育馆近一点，女儿和教练住在一块，那儿离家有45分钟的车 程。当有人请她给其他运动员的父母提一些建议的时候，她的回答简单却极具说服力。“相信你的孩子吧，” 她这样说。

That doesn't mean every child who dreams of Olympic fame will one day climb onto the winners' stand. But being able to dream is the first step on every road to success a€” even if the initial dream eventually leads to a different road.

5 这并非意味着每个拥有奥运梦想的孩子都能有朝一日登上领奖台。但是，梦想是通向成功的第一步 —— 哪怕当初的梦想最终让孩子走向另一条不同的道路。

They're fired up. The Olympic Flame that top performers pursue burns inside them. They're driven not only to be the best but to do their best a€” always.

6 |他们满怀激情。| 优秀运动员们梦寐以求的奥运圣火在他们的内心深处燃烧。他们有强大的动力，不仅要成为最优秀的运动员，还要竭尽全力去实现目标——始终不渝。

That's why Carl Lewis, who already holds eight Olympic gold medals, plans to compete again at 36 in the 1996 Games, against youngsters half his age; and why discus thrower Al Oerter, after winning gold medals in four consecutive Olympics, tried again for the Olympic team at age 47.

7 正因为如此，已经获得八枚奥运金牌的卡尔? 刘易斯依然筹划在36岁时再度参加1996年的奥运会，同那些年龄只有他一半的年轻人决一雌雄；铁饼运动员艾尔? 奥特，在连续获得四届奥运会的金牌之后，47岁时依然为进入奥运队伍而努力。

Swimmer Janet Evans, who won three gold medals in Seoul in 1988, embodied that same desire to win four years later. After she narrowly missed a gold medal in the 400-meter freestyle, she swam one of the most psychologically challenging races of her life in the 800-meter freestyle to win the gold. I just wanted to be up there on that winners' stand one more time, she confessed.

8 游泳健将珍尼特?埃文斯在1988年的汉城奥运会上虽获得三枚金牌，但她表达了同样的心愿：四年后再次夺冠。在400米自由泳项目中，她因毫厘之差与

金牌擦肩而过。随后，她完成了800米自由泳项目，这是她一生中最具有心理挑战的一次比赛，结果她夺冠胜出。“我
只是想再一次登上冠军的领奖台，”她坦白地说。

They aim high. I once asked a world-class athlete to guess at the outcome of a major competition. I'll come in fifth, he said. And that's exactly where he finished, even though he could easily have placed third, or even second, since two other major contenders performed poorly.

9 |他们胸怀大志。|我曾经让一个世界级的运动员猜测一次重大比赛的结果。“我会得第五名，”他说。他果真得了第五名。他本来可以轻而易举地名列第三，甚至是第二，因为另外两名主要对手发挥得不好。

Contrast him with Flo Joa€” Florence Griffith Joyner. Training a week before the 1988 Games, she wrote in her diary the time she expected to run and win the 100-meter dash 10.54 seconds. When Flo Jo crossed the finish line, the clock showed 10.54. She had not only seen herself winning, but called her winning time to the split second.

10 拿他和“弗洛?乔”——弗洛伦斯?格里菲斯?乔伊纳比比 吧。在1998年奥运会前一周的训练中，乔伊纳在日记中写下预计自己百米短跑夺冠的成绩：10.54秒。当弗洛?乔跨过终点线时，刚好是10.54秒。她不仅能够在赛前看到自己夺冠，而且对夺冠的成绩也能作出毫秒不差的预测。

They never quit. The 1992 Summer Olympics featured two tremendously poignant moments. American sprinter Gail Devers, the clear leader in the 100-meter hurdles, tripped over the last barrier. She agonizingly pulled herself to her knees and crawled the last five meters, finishing the fifth a€” but finishing.

11 |他们从不放弃。| 1992年夏季奥运会有两个让人极度惋惜的特写镜头。在百米跨栏比赛中，本来绝对领先他人的美国短跑运动员盖尔? 德弗斯在跨越最后一道障碍时绊倒在地。但她双膝跪地，极其痛苦地爬完了最后五米，虽然仅获得第五名，但是完成了比赛。

Even more heart-breaking was the 400-meter semifinal in which British runner Derek Redmond had one leg injured and fell to the track. He struggled to his feet and began to hobble, determined to complete the race. His father ran from the stands to help him off the track, but the athlete refused to quit. He leaned on his father, and the two limped to the finish line together, to deafening applause.

12 更加令人心碎的是400米半决赛。英国选手德里克? 雷德蒙的一条腿受了伤，跌倒在跑道上。他挣扎着站起来，只见他一瘸一拐地跑起来，显然是决心完成比赛。他的父亲从看台上跑下来，想搀扶他离开跑道，但是这个运动员拒绝放弃比赛。他倚靠着自己的父亲，父子俩蹒跚而行，直到终

点，观众的掌声震耳欲聋。

They make their own luck. When Paul Wylie won a silver medal in men's figure skating at Albertville, he surprised everyone but himself. Several skaters who had been expected t
o win medals had been injured or had performed poorly. I was the last person expected to make the winners' podium, Wylie said. But I had trained like crazy, and when the favorites faltered, I was ready.

13 |他们创造运气。|当保罗?怀利在阿尔贝维尔赢得男子花样溜冰比赛的银牌时，除他以外，所有的人都很惊讶。本来有望得奖的几位选手有的受伤了，有的发挥不好。“没有人会想到我能登上领奖台，”怀利说，“但是，之前我拼了命地训练，当最有希望获胜的运动员比赛失利时，我已作好了夺冠的准备。”

Month after month, year after year, Olympians I know go through a grind of pointing toward their big moment. Skaters arise at 4 a.m. to squeeze in a few hours of practice before a rink is open to the public. Cyclists put in hours of running exercises before reporting to their daily jobs. Boxers head for the gym and work out relentlessly every day.

14 我所了解的这些奥运选手，为了那个辉煌的时刻，日复一日、年复一年地埋头苦干。溜冰运动员凌晨四时起身，为的是在溜冰场向公众开放之前挤出几个小时的训练时间。自行车竞技运动员在每天上班前，进行长达几小时的长跑训 练。拳击运动员每天都前往体育馆进行不懈的训练。

In the Olympics, as in other aspects of life, luck certainly counts. The second clarinetist who has practiced diligently is lucky to get a chance to solo when the first clarinetist becomes ill. So is the assistant sales manager who fills in for the boss in an emergency. But both must be well prepared for their big break. In the Olympics a€“ in everything a€“ luck strikes those prepared to capitalize on it.

15 奥运会上运气当然重要，这和生活的其他领域一样。当最优秀的单簧管手生病时，屈居第二但是勤奋练习的乐手就有幸获得独奏的机会。这就像在紧急情况下助理销售经理填补老板的位置一样。当然，在这两种情况下，要填补上来的人必须为自己的巨大转机作好准备。在奥运会上——在任何情况下——好运只光顾那些做好准备迎接好运的人。