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The Day I Met Lance Armstrong

时间:2012-10-26 03:17来源:互联网 提供网友:laura6688   字体: [ ]
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    (单词翻译:双击或拖选)

 So there I was at seven thirty in the a.m., perched on my scooter at an intersection1 waiting to turn. I was sitting at the lights lost in my own thoughts when all of a sudden I became aware of a presence… no, not a poltergeist; a bloke on a mountain bike had pulled up along side me.

Three feet away.
Coulda touched him.
Game face on… waiting for the green signal.
Like an Olympian waiting for the starters gun.
Focused.
Committed.
And dressed atrociously.
Didn’t matter… it’s all about function.
I actually laughed in my helmet, he looked so funny.
(No, he didn’t hear me).
Here’s the picture:
Chubby2 guy, maybe thirty five years old and twenty kilos (44lbs) overweight.
Ten year-old bike (at least) accessorised with one of those white and yellow foam3 helmets from the eighties strapped4 too tightly around his unshaven cheeks.
Kind of like a chubby Adam Sandler.
Some twenty five year-old sneakers providing a home to two lovely brown business socks!
A sweat-stained grey training-shirt, not quite covering the totality of his ample tummy.
Some too-small black track pants revealing some pretty significant (and hairy) calves5 and just a hint of ass-crack.
Nice.
Classy.
All in all, quite the picture.
So glad I hadn’t eaten.
I looked over at him.
He looked back.
I gave the obligatory6 head nod.
As us hard-core(!) scooter riders do.
He looked back, smiled and opened his mouth to speak.
‘He’s up for a chat’, I thought.
I lifted up the visor on my helmet.
    “G’day Mate”.
    “G’day.”
    “How’s the scooter go?”
    “Yeh, pretty well.”
    “That’s what I need; a motor.”
    “You’re doing okay.”
    “I’m givin’ it a crack anyway..”
    “In training for something?”
    “Yep, gettin’ married in six weeks.”
    “How’s the progress?”
    “Great, lost six kilos (13lbs) in three weeks so far.”
    “Good for you man, that’s awesome7.”
He certainly was ‘giving it a crack’ and he turned out to be a really nice guy.
Just then the lights turned green and a large group of cyclists (all on their five thousand dollar road bikes and clad in the obligatory lycra) sped through the intersection heading into the city. Lance Armstrong (my new friend) and I pulled away from the lights and the funniest thing ever happened… Lance decided8 that he would attach himself to the back of the peloton (bunch of cyclists) and ride with them!!
This was amusing for all kinds of reasons… but here are my top five.
   1. He was out of shape and relatively9 unfit - they were all serious, fit riders.
   2. His bike was worth fifteen bucks10 (max), weighed fifty pounds, had knobbies (off-road tyres) and a bell.
   3. They were all ‘in uniform’ and he looked like he’d just escaped from a shelter.
   4. His helmet made him look like he was about to be shot out of a cannon11.
   5. He wasn’t one bit worried about what anyone thought - I loved that about him.
So we were off…
Lance and I followed the pretty boys on their over-priced ‘Giants’ and ‘Cannondales’ down the road.
His legs pumped like angry little pistons12 and I laughed so much that my helmet started to fog up.
Within one minute he had caught the group and I thought he was about to expire.
I tried to recall my first-aid… “is it five compressions per breath… or four?”
He looked in pain.
“C’mon Big Fella”, I yelled through my helmet.
His work rate increased.
He was lovin’ the love.
I decided not to overtake the group (not hard to do considering I was the only one with a motor) and to coach my boy to the next set of lights.
Such fun.
Lance and I sat at the back of the pack, I offered more encouragement and his rapidly fatiguing13 pistons continued to pump.
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About two km’s (just over a mile) into the journey he turns and yells to me “how fast am I going?”
How funny is that?
I laughed my guts14 out.
Again.
Only an Aussie bloke who’s near death would still care about… ‘how fast he’s riding’.
If he was a she… not a chance.
I looked at my speedo.
“About forty (25mph).”
“I’m flying.”
(more laughs)
“Yes, you are..”
And with those words.. the big man started to ‘hit the wall’.
His legs began to turn to rubber, his pink cheeks started to turn a lovely shade of grey and the friendly dialogue came to a standstill.
Lance began to drop off the back of the pack.
“Champ… don’t let those pretty boys get away.”
He mustered15 one final heroic burst, kind of like Sly in the first Rocky movie (the only good one) and momentarily caught the group again… he hung on for a bit and then surrendered to his screaming body.
Strangely, I understood his triumph.
To anyone else, me and my chubby athlete would have been a bizarre sight, but to us it was a significant moment.
The ex-fat kid (me) was delighted to invest five minutes into the friendly chubby guy ‘training’ for his wedding day.
We pulled up at the next set of lights and Lance was breathing like an eighty year-old smoker18 with emphysema.
But he was happy.
“Thanks Man.”
“You’re welcome… keep up the great work and have fun on the big day.”
“I will…”
We exchanged a few more pleasantries, the lights turned green, we gave the alpha-male nod and I left the exhausted, but happy, groom-to-be to finish his training session.
I rode away with a big smile on my face.
He was happy, I was happy… and the ‘real’ cyclists thought we needed help.
As I continued my journey, I thought about what Lance had taught me:
1) It’s really easy to connect with people when we want to - especially when we make it about them.
2) Everyone responds to encouragement.
3) Most people like some attention and care.
4) It’s amazing what a little support (even from a stranger) can do to a person’s level of performance.
5) When we slow down and notice what (and who) is around us, there are lessons to be learned.
6) Helping19 a stranger can make me feel better than helping myself.
Thanks Lance.
Enjoy your wedding day and your life with Mrs Lance.

点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 intersection w54xV     
n.交集,十字路口,交叉点;[计算机] 交集
参考例句:
  • There is a stop sign at an intersection.在交叉路口处有停车标志。
  • Bridges are used to avoid the intersection of a railway and a highway.桥用来避免铁路和公路直接交叉。
2 chubby wrwzZ     
adj.丰满的,圆胖的
参考例句:
  • He is stocky though not chubby.他长得敦实,可并不发胖。
  • The short and chubby gentleman over there is our new director.那个既矮又胖的绅士是我们的新主任。
3 foam LjOxI     
v./n.泡沫,起泡沫
参考例句:
  • The glass of beer was mostly foam.这杯啤酒大部分是泡沫。
  • The surface of the water is full of foam.水面都是泡沫。
4 strapped ec484d13545e19c0939d46e2d1eb24bc     
adj.用皮带捆住的,用皮带装饰的;身无分文的;缺钱;手头紧v.用皮带捆扎(strap的过去式和过去分词);用皮带抽打;包扎;给…打绷带
参考例句:
  • Make sure that the child is strapped tightly into the buggy. 一定要把孩子牢牢地拴在婴儿车上。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The soldiers' great coats were strapped on their packs. 战士们的厚大衣扎捆在背包上。 来自《简明英汉词典》
5 calves bb808da8ca944ebdbd9f1d2688237b0b     
n.(calf的复数)笨拙的男子,腓;腿肚子( calf的名词复数 );牛犊;腓;小腿肚v.生小牛( calve的第三人称单数 );(冰川)崩解;生(小牛等),产(犊);使(冰川)崩解
参考例句:
  • a cow suckling her calves 给小牛吃奶的母牛
  • The calves are grazed intensively during their first season. 小牛在生长的第一季里集中喂养。 来自《简明英汉词典》
6 obligatory F5lzC     
adj.强制性的,义务的,必须的
参考例句:
  • It is obligatory for us to obey the laws.我们必须守法。
  • It is obligatory on every citizen to safeguard our great motherland.保卫我们伟大的祖国是每一个公民应尽的义务。
7 awesome CyCzdV     
adj.令人惊叹的,难得吓人的,很好的
参考例句:
  • The church in Ireland has always exercised an awesome power.爱尔兰的教堂一直掌握着令人敬畏的权力。
  • That new white convertible is totally awesome.那辆新的白色折篷汽车简直棒极了.
8 decided lvqzZd     
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。
9 relatively bkqzS3     
adv.比较...地,相对地
参考例句:
  • The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
  • The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。
10 bucks a391832ce78ebbcfc3ed483cc6d17634     
n.雄鹿( buck的名词复数 );钱;(英国十九世纪初的)花花公子;(用于某些表达方式)责任v.(马等)猛然弓背跃起( buck的第三人称单数 );抵制;猛然震荡;马等尥起后蹄跳跃
参考例句:
  • They cost ten bucks. 这些值十元钱。
  • They are hunting for bucks. 他们正在猎雄兔。 来自《简明英汉词典》
11 cannon 3T8yc     
n.大炮,火炮;飞机上的机关炮
参考例句:
  • The soldiers fired the cannon.士兵们开炮。
  • The cannon thundered in the hills.大炮在山间轰鸣。
12 pistons c10621515a8dfd90d65ed99cc8c6e998     
活塞( piston的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • Some pistons have seating rings of metal or leather. 有些活塞上有金属或皮革的密封环。
  • A pump uses valves and pistons. 泵使用阀和活塞。
13 fatiguing ttfzKm     
a.使人劳累的
参考例句:
  • He was fatiguing himself with his writing, no doubt. 想必他是拼命写作,写得精疲力尽了。
  • Machines are much less fatiguing to your hands, arms, and back. 使用机器时,手、膊和后背不会感到太累。
14 guts Yraziv     
v.狼吞虎咽,贪婪地吃,飞碟游戏(比赛双方每组5人,相距15码,互相掷接飞碟);毁坏(建筑物等)的内部( gut的第三人称单数 );取出…的内脏n.勇气( gut的名词复数 );内脏;消化道的下段;肠
参考例句:
  • I'll only cook fish if the guts have been removed. 鱼若已收拾干净,我只需烧一下即可。
  • Barbara hasn't got the guts to leave her mother. 巴巴拉没有勇气离开她妈妈。 来自《简明英汉词典》
15 mustered 3659918c9e43f26cfb450ce83b0cbb0b     
v.集合,召集,集结(尤指部队)( muster的过去式和过去分词 );(自他人处)搜集某事物;聚集;激发
参考例句:
  • We mustered what support we could for the plan. 我们极尽所能为这项计划寻求支持。
  • The troops mustered on the square. 部队已在广场上集合。 来自《简明英汉词典》
16 exhausted 7taz4r     
adj.极其疲惫的,精疲力尽的
参考例句:
  • It was a long haul home and we arrived exhausted.搬运回家的这段路程特别长,到家时我们已筋疲力尽。
  • Jenny was exhausted by the hustle of city life.珍妮被城市生活的忙乱弄得筋疲力尽。
17 triumphant JpQys     
adj.胜利的,成功的;狂欢的,喜悦的
参考例句:
  • The army made a triumphant entry into the enemy's capital.部队胜利地进入了敌方首都。
  • There was a positively triumphant note in her voice.她的声音里带有一种极为得意的语气。
18 smoker GiqzKx     
n.吸烟者,吸烟车厢,吸烟室
参考例句:
  • His wife dislikes him to be a smoker.他妻子不喜欢他当烟民。
  • He is a moderate smoker.他是一个有节制的烟民。
19 helping 2rGzDc     
n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的,辅助的
参考例句:
  • The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
  • By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。
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