温馨夜读II PART4 6.Great Expectations

 

[00:00.42]6.Great Expectations

[00:03.79]Pete Rose, the famous baseball player, whom I have never met, taught me something so valuable that changed my life. 

[00:11.74]Pete was being interviewed in spring training the year he was about to break Ty Cobb’s all time hits record. 

[00:19.03]One reporter blurted¹ out, “Pete, you only need 78 hits to break the record. 

[00:24.80]How many at-bats do you think you’ll need to get the 78 hits?” 

[00:28.51]Without hesitation², Pete just stared at the reporter and very matter-of-factly said, “78.” 

[00:36.24]The reporter yelled back, “Ah, come on Pete, you don’t expect to get 78 hits in 78 at-bats, do you?”

[00:42.99]Mr. Rose calmly shared his philosophy with the throngs³ of reporters who were anxiously awaiting his reply to this seemingly boastful claim. 

[00:52.13]“Every time I step up to the plate, I expect to get a hit! 

[00:56.54]If I don’t expect to get a hit, I have no right to step in the batter’s box in the first place!” 

[01:02.20]“If I go up hoping to get a hit,” he continued, “then I probably don’t have a prayer of getting a hit. 

[01:08.96]It is positive expectation that has gotten me all of the hits in the first place.”

[01:13.64]When I thought about Pete Rose’s philosophy and how it applied⁴ to everyday life, I felt a little embarrassed. 

[01:20.39]As a business person, I was hoping to make my sales quotas⁵. 

[01:24.31]As a father, I was hoping to be a good dad. 

[01:27.46]As a married man, I was hoping to be a good husband. 

[01:31.38]The truth was that I was an adequate salesperson⁶, I was not so bad of a father, and I was an okay husband. 

[01:38.90]I immediately decided⁷ that being okay was not enough! 

[01:42.83]I wanted to be a great salesperson, a great father and a great husband. 

[01:47.64]I changed my attitude to one of positive expectation, and the results were amazing. 

[01:53.33]I was fortunate enough to win a few sales trips, I won Coach of the Year in my son’s baseball league, 

[02:00.33]and I share a loving relationship with my wife, Karen, with whom I expect to be married to for the rest of my life! 

[02:07.55]Thanks, Mr. Rose!

1 blurted   

v.突然说出，脱口而出( blurt的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She blurted it out before I could stop her. 我还没来得及制止，她已脱口而出。
• He blurted out the truth, that he committed the crime. 他不慎说出了真相，说是他犯了那个罪。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 hesitation   

n.犹豫，踌躇

参考例句：

• After a long hesitation, he told the truth at last.踌躇了半天，他终于直说了。
• There was a certain hesitation in her manner.她的态度有些犹豫不决。

3 throngs   

n.人群( throng的名词复数 )v.成群，挤满( throng的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• She muscled through the throngs of people, frantically searching for David. 她使劲挤过人群，拼命寻找戴维。 来自辞典例句
• Our friends threaded their way slowly through the throngs upon the Bridge. 我们这两位朋友在桥上从人群中穿过，慢慢地往前走。 来自辞典例句

4 applied   

adj.应用的；v.应用，适用

参考例句：

• She plans to take a course in applied linguistics.她打算学习应用语言学课程。
• This cream is best applied to the face at night.这种乳霜最好晚上擦脸用。

5 quotas   

（正式限定的）定量( quota的名词复数 )； 定额； 指标； 摊派

参考例句：

• In fulfilling the production quotas, John made rings round all his fellow workers. 约翰完成生产定额大大超过他的同事们。
• Quotas of the means of production are allocated by the higher administrative bodies to the lower ones. 物资指标按隶属关系分配。

6 salesperson   

n.售货员，营业员，店员

参考例句：

• A salesperson works in a shop.售货员在商店工作。
• Vanessa is a salesperson in a woman's wear department.凡妮莎是女装部的售货员。

7 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。