大学体验英语第二册Unit5-Passage B

Christopher Reeve--A Real Superman
　He was "faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, able to leap tall buildings in a single bound." He was the world's greatest superhero. When Christopher Reeve was picked to play this role in films in 1977, audiences across the country cheered with approval. Like Superman, Christopher was dashing, handsome, and strong. Like Superman, he seemed nearly invincible¹. He skied, sailed, flew planes, went scuba² diving, rode horses, played tennis--and did it all with skill and ease. No one could imagine Christopher Reeve any other way.　
　All that changed on May 27, 1995. Christopher was in Virginia with his wife, Dana Morosini, and their young son, Will. He had entered a three-day horse riding competition there. His horse, Eastern Express, appeared to be in fine shape. The 42-year-old Christopher looked equally fit and relaxed. 　

　The competition was going well for Christopher. He wasn't in the first place, but he wasn't in the last, either. On his third obstacle in a two-mile jumping event, however, the communication between horse and rider broke down somehow. Without warning, Eastern Express stopped short, but Christopher kept going. He pitched forward over the horse's head, landing on his own head--not moving, not even breathing.　

　Christopher had broken his spinal³ cord near the base of his skull⁴, resulting in paralysis⁵ from the neck down. He could not speak. He could not even breathe on his own. At the time, doctors gave him only a 50-50 chance of surviving at all. 　

?Despair filled Christopher Reeve's heart. He thought perhaps it would be best if he simply gave up. Dying seemed like the easiest and least painful thing to do. He thought it might be best for his family, too. Then he saw his wife Dana standing⁶ next to him, saying, "You're still you, and I love you." 　

　From that moment on, Christopher thought only about living. Gathering⁷ his courage, he began to fight for his life. A few days later, Christopher underwent an operation that helped restore some feeling to his upper body. Still, doctors emphasized his limitations. He would never walk again. He would never even breathe again without the aid of a respirator.　

　Christopher set out to prove the doctors wrong. First of all, he wanted to breathe on his own. Five months after the accident, he asked to be taken off the respirator. He managed just 10 feeble breaths before being reconnected to the breathing tube. Refusing to be discouraged, Christopher took a few more breaths the next day. By the fourth day, he was able to breathe seven minutes without assistance. After three months, he could sustain himself for 90 minutes at a time. By the end of 1995, he was able to go home.　

? Soon after that, Christopher felt ready to face the world again. He had a message to spread. He wanted to tell people that no matter what challenges they faced, they shouldn't give up. Christopher began to make public appearances. He gave a motivational speech in Toronto. He spoke⁸ at a Boston University graduation. Wherever Christopher appeared, his speeches met with standing ovations--and many teary faces. 　
?Christopher also went back to work. Clearly he couldn't play the roles he'd played in the past. Instead he turned to directing. His first film, In the Gloaming, proved he had not lost his creative spark. 　

?Despite his brave attitude, Christopher has had his share of "down" times. In the year following his accident, he had problems with blood clots⁹. Later, he developed pneumonia¹⁰. One day while doing physical therapy, he fell to the floor and broke his arm. 　

?Every day he struggled with the reality of his condition. "In the morning, I need 20 minutes to cry," he told a reporter. After nighttime dreams of running and playing with his son, he needed the 20 minutes "to wake up and make that shift..."　

　But after the tears, Christopher always whispered, "And now, forward!" With those words, Christopher Reeve proved that although he had lost control of his body, he still had his courage, his spirit, and his inner strength. In that sense, he still was--and always would be--Superman!　

1 invincible   

adj.不可征服的，难以制服的

参考例句：

• This football team was once reputed to be invincible.这支足球队曾被誉为无敌的劲旅。
• The workers are invincible as long as they hold together.只要工人团结一致，他们就是不可战胜的。

2 scuba   

n.水中呼吸器

参考例句：

• I first got hooked on scuba diving when I was twelve.12岁时我开始迷上了带水中呼吸器潜水。
• While on honeymoon in Bali,she learned to scuba dive.她在巴厘岛度蜜月时学会了带水肺潜水。

3 spinal   

adj.针的，尖刺的，尖刺状突起的；adj.脊骨的，脊髓的

参考例句：

• After three days in Japan,the spinal column becomes extraordinarily flexible.在日本三天，就已经使脊椎骨变得富有弹性了。
• Your spinal column is made up of 24 movable vertebrae.你的脊柱由24个活动的脊椎骨构成。

4 skull   

n.头骨；颅骨

参考例句：

• The skull bones fuse between the ages of fifteen and twenty-five.头骨在15至25岁之间长合。
• He fell out of the window and cracked his skull.他从窗子摔了出去，跌裂了颅骨。

5 paralysis   

n.麻痹(症)；瘫痪(症)

参考例句：

• The paralysis affects his right leg and he can only walk with difficulty.他右腿瘫痪步履维艰。
• The paralysis affects his right leg and he can only walk with difficulty.他右腿瘫痪步履维艰。

6 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

7 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

8 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

9 clots   

n.凝块( clot的名词复数 )；血块；蠢人；傻瓜v.凝固( clot的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• When you cut yourself, blood clots and forms a scab. 你割破了，血会凝固、结痂。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Milk clots when it turns sour. 奶变酸就凝块。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

10 pneumonia   

n.肺炎

参考例句：

• Cage was struck with pneumonia in her youth.凯奇年轻时得过肺炎。
• Pneumonia carried him off last week.肺炎上星期夺去了他的生命。