人生之求08-坚强的意志

[00:00.00]Determination 坚强的意志
[00:05.95]In 1883,
[00:08.89]a creative engineer named John Roebling was inspired by an idea
[00:13.62]to build a spectacular bridge connecting New York with Manhattan Island.
[00:18.95]However bridge building experts throughout the world thought
[00:23.56]that this was an impossible feat¹ and told Roebling to forget the idea.
[00:28.80]Roebling could not ignore the vision he had in his mind of this bridge.
[00:33.85]He first managed to convince his son Washington,
[00:38.00]an up and coming engineer,
[00:40.17]that the bridge in fact could be built.
[00:43.47]Then together they developed concepts of how it could be accomplished
[00:48.84]and how the obstacles could be overcome.
[00:51.45]With great excitement and inspiration,
[00:55.26]they hired their crew and began to build their dream bridge.
[00:59.75]The project started well,
[01:01.73]but when it was only a few months underway a tragic² accident
[01:07.09]on the site took the life of John Roebling.
[01:10.14]Washington was injured and left with a certain amount of brain damage,
[01:14.75]which resulted in him not being able to walk or talk or even move.
[01:20.53]In spite of his handicap Washington was never discouraged
[01:25.58]and still had a burning desire to complete the bridge
[01:29.18]and his mind was still as sharp as ever.
[01:32.24]All he could do was move one finger and he decided³ to make the best use of it.
[01:39.14]By moving this,
[01:40.98]he slowly developed a code of communication with his wife.
[01:45.05]Then he used the same method of tapping her arm to tell the engineers what to do.
[01:51.16]It seemed foolish but the project was under way again.
[01:56.21]For 13 years Washington tapped out his instructions
[02:01.00]with his finger on his wife’s arm,
[02:03.42]until the bridge was finally completed.
[02:06.27]Today the spectacular Brooklyn Bridge stands in all its glory
[02:11.83]as a tribute to the triumph of one man’s indomitable spirit
[02:16.77]and his determination not to be defeated by circumstances.
[02:20.93]It is also a tribute to the engineers and their team work,
[02:25.30]and to their faith in a man who was considered mad by half the world.
[02:30.21]Often when we face obstacles in our day-to-day life,
[02:34.26]our hurdles⁴ seem very small in comparison to what many others have to face.
[02:39.95]The Brooklyn Bridge shows us that dreams that seem impossible can be realised
[02:45.85]with determination and persistence⁵,
[02:48.36]no matter what the odds⁶ are.
[02:50.34]Even the most distant dream can be realized with determination and persistence.

1 feat   

n.功绩；武艺，技艺；adj.灵巧的，漂亮的，合适的

参考例句：

• Man's first landing on the moon was a feat of great daring.人类首次登月是一个勇敢的壮举。
• He received a medal for his heroic feat.他因其英雄业绩而获得一枚勋章。

2 tragic   

adj.悲剧的，悲剧性的，悲惨的

参考例句：

• The effect of the pollution on the beaches is absolutely tragic.污染海滩后果可悲。
• Charles was a man doomed to tragic issues.查理是个注定不得善终的人。

3 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。

4 hurdles   

n.障碍( hurdle的名词复数 )；跳栏；（供人或马跳跃的）栏架；跨栏赛

参考例句：

• In starting a new company, many hurdles must be crossed. 刚开办一个公司时，必须克服许多障碍。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• There are several hurdles to be got over in this project. 在这项工程中有一些困难要克服。 来自辞典例句

5 persistence   

n.坚持，持续，存留

参考例句：

• The persistence of a cough in his daughter puzzled him.他女儿持续的咳嗽把他难住了。
• He achieved success through dogged persistence.他靠着坚持不懈取得了成功。

6 odds   

n.让步，机率，可能性，比率；胜败优劣之别

参考例句：

• The odds are 5 to 1 that she will win.她获胜的机会是五比一。
• Do you know the odds of winning the lottery once?你知道赢得一次彩票的几率多大吗？