布什在白宫会见美国女篮冠军讲话(2008-06-23)

THE PRESIDENT: Thanks for coming. Please be seated. Welcome to the White House. And it is fitting that we use the East Garden because, one, this is rarely used; and two, it is an opportunity for me to welcome a lot of people to the -- that are here to see the WNBA champs, Phoenix¹ Mercury. And we're glad you came. (Applause.)

People who follow sport in America will know that the Phoenix Mercury played together as a great team, and they brought new glory to women's athletics² and the sport of basketball. As they like to say, "Mighty³ Mercury, we are number one!" (Laughter.) And these women proved it.

 I want to thank Jay Parry, President and COO of the Phoenix Mercury, for joining us. Ann Meyers Drysdale, the General Manager of Phoenix Mercury. Where is your son? There he is. Kind of looks like the big right-hander. You're right. (Laughter.)

Corey Gaines, the head coach -- Coach, thanks for coming, proud you're here. I particularly want to pay my respects to the co-captains of the team, Cappie Pondexter and Diana Taurasi.

Now, this is not the first time that Diana has been here to the White House. She came with the mighty UConn Huskies. And she told me she was going to amount to something in life when I saw her. (Laughter.) She said, "I will be back," and she is, as the champion. Welcome. Glad you're here.

And I wish these two -- these two great athletes all the best at the Olympics in Beijing. They're going to be carrying on the great tradition of women's basketball here in the United States. And even though it's going to be tough, a lot of teams are getting ready for them, they're going to come back with the Gold and America will be proud. (Applause.)

I welcome the other athletes on the stage and the newly -- the new athletes who have joined the Phoenix Mercury. Must be pretty cool to be playing with champs. I bet it's wearing off on you, what it means to make the sacrifices necessary to win the title and be invited here in the White House.

I want to welcome Congressman⁴ Trent Franks -- Congressman, thanks for coming. Thanks for taking an interest in the Phoenix Mercury. I know they're proud to have your support.

I welcome members of the Junior WNBA that have joined us. Thanks for coming, thanks for taking an interest in women's basketball. (Applause.) I want to -- do thank -- do want to thank the WNBA representatives and personnel who've joined us; appreciate you promoting women's athletics. As the father of twin girls, there's nothing better than having good role models for girls to look at, and there are no better role models than women basketball players. They're great athletes. They're well-conditioned people. They're disciplined.

I want to welcome the Phoenix fans here, professionally known as the "X-factor." I know these women really love the fact that they play in a city that supports them. And I hope the fans that, you know, aren't here recognize that even here in Washington D.C. we've heard of the Phoenix Mercury, and proud to -- proud to have them come.

 The team's playoff slogan was, "One team, one city, one goal." And they've fulfilled the goal. You became the first WNBA team in history to win the championship on the road. For the second year in a row, you set the record for the highest scoring average in WNBA history.

You were led ably by Coach Paul Westhead. I know he is proud of the women. And Corey Gaines was the assistant coach, so he had the pleasure of being part of a championship program, and he knows what it takes to get you in a position where you can win this year, as well. Of course, I'm not going to be around to welcome you -- but play hard anyway. (Laughter.)

The thing I love about this team and a lot of champions that I get to recognize here at the White House is the fact that they understand you're a champ on the courts, and you're a champ off the courts. The -- this team spent weekends on a Habitat for Humanity program called, "Women Build." They served meals at homeless shelters. They honored breast cancer survivors⁵. They helped sign up runners for Race for the Cure. They collected water bottles from fans and donated them to the Salvation⁶ Army's Extreme Heat Emergency Project. They participated in Read to Achieve. They helped stuff backpacks with supplies for underprivileged children.

They support the junior WNBA program, fully⁷ understanding that promoting healthy lifestyles is good for America, and there's no better way to have a healthy lifestyle than to participate in athletics. They've done their duty as citizens of the United States. I'm honored to welcome you. I'm proud of your championship trophy⁸. I thank you for what you do for the country. May God bless you all. (Applause.)

MS. MEYERS DRYSDALE: Mr. President, on behalf of the 2007 WNBA Champion Phoenix Mercury, we'd like to thank you for your invitation to the White House. The Phoenix Mercury and the WNBA is all about leadership, being a strong role model, teamwork, and making a difference in other's lives.

This team accomplished⁹ a lot last year and had a lot of firsts. The coaches, fans and players never stopped believing in themselves. Mr. President, we know your support for the Phoenix Mercury is genuine, because of the influence of the women in your life.

THE PRESIDENT: Yes.

MS. MEYERS DRYSDALE: All first ladies -- your graceful¹⁰ mother, your classy wife --

 THE PRESIDENT: Thank you.

MS. MEYERS DRYSDALE: -- your very strong-willed daughters -- (laughter.) You think?

THE PRESIDENT: Yes, that's why my hair is white. (Laughter.)

MS. MEYERS DRYSDALE: We are very proud of this team. And on behalf of the Phoenix Mercury, we'd like our two Olympians, Diana Taurasi and Cappie Pondexter, to present you with a Phoenix Mercury jersey¹¹ and a replica¹² banner of our championship. (Applause.)

1 phoenix   

n.凤凰，长生(不死)鸟；引申为重生

参考例句：

• The airline rose like a phoenix from the ashes.这家航空公司又起死回生了。
• The phoenix worship of China is fetish worship not totem adoration.中国凤崇拜是灵物崇拜而非图腾崇拜。

2 athletics   

n.运动，体育，田径运动

参考例句：

• When I was at school I was always hopeless at athletics.我上学的时候体育十分糟糕。
• Our team tied with theirs in athletics.在田径比赛中，我们队与他们队旗鼓相当。

3 mighty   

adj.强有力的；巨大的

参考例句：

• A mighty force was about to break loose.一股巨大的力量即将迸发而出。
• The mighty iceberg came into view.巨大的冰山出现在眼前。

4 Congressman   

n.（美）国会议员

参考例句：

• He related several anecdotes about his first years as a congressman.他讲述自己初任议员那几年的几则轶事。
• The congressman is meditating a reply to his critics.这位国会议员正在考虑给他的批评者一个答复。

5 survivors   

幸存者，残存者，生还者( survivor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The survivors were adrift in a lifeboat for six days. 幸存者在救生艇上漂流了六天。
• survivors clinging to a raft 紧紧抓住救生筏的幸存者

6 salvation   

n.（尤指基督）救世，超度，拯救，解困

参考例句：

• Salvation lay in political reform.解救办法在于政治改革。
• Christians hope and pray for salvation.基督教徒希望并祈祷灵魂得救。

7 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

8 trophy   

n.优胜旗，奖品，奖杯，战胜品，纪念品

参考例句：

• The cup is a cherished trophy of the company.那只奖杯是该公司很珍惜的奖品。
• He hung the lion's head as a trophy.他把那狮子头挂起来作为狩猎纪念品。

9 accomplished   

adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的

参考例句：

• Thanks to your help,we accomplished the task ahead of schedule.亏得你们帮忙,我们才提前完成了任务。
• Removal of excess heat is accomplished by means of a radiator.通过散热器完成多余热量的排出。

10 graceful   

adj.优美的，优雅的；得体的

参考例句：

• His movements on the parallel bars were very graceful.他的双杠动作可帅了!
• The ballet dancer is so graceful.芭蕾舞演员的姿态是如此的优美。

11 jersey   

n.运动衫

参考例句：

• He wears a cotton jersey when he plays football.他穿运动衫踢足球。
• They were dressed alike in blue jersey and knickers.他们穿着一致，都是蓝色的运动衫和灯笼短裤。

12 replica   

n.复制品

参考例句：

• The original conservatory has been rebuilt in replica.温室已按原样重建。
• The young artist made a replica of the famous painting.这位年轻的画家临摹了这幅著名的作品。