VOA慢速英语2020 巴基斯坦无臂男子成为斯诺克高手（在线收听）

A Pakistani man who was born without arms has developed into a highly skilled snooker player.

一位出生就没有胳膊的巴基斯坦男子已经成为了一名高技术的斯诺克选手。

In the game of snooker, players traditionally use long sticks to hit colored balls into holes at the end of a table. But Muhammad Ikram has learned a different method. He uses his chin to hit the balls into the holes.

在斯诺克比赛中，选手们通常使用球杆将彩球击落洞中。但是穆罕默德·伊克拉姆学会了另一种办法。他用下巴将球打进洞里。

The 32-year-old lives in Samundri, a rural town in Pakistan's Punjab province. He has spent eight years perfecting his game and says he is not afraid to take on any players.

这名32岁的男子住在巴基斯坦旁遮普省偏远的萨蒙德利市。他已经花了8年时间来完善自己的比赛，并表示自己不怕与任何选手交锋。

"I have met very good snooker players who tell me I am a real genius, that I can bring great fame to Pakistan," he told Reuters Television.

他对路透社表示：“我遇到过一些非常优秀的斯诺克选手，他们告诉我，我是一名真正的台球天才，我可以给巴基斯坦带来巨大的声誉。”

Muhammad Ikram is one of nine children. He did not receive an education and his family faced struggles meeting basic needs.

伊克拉姆家里有9个孩子。他从小没有受过教育，他的家人面临着满足生活基本需求的挣扎。

Growing up, Ikram spent much of his time watching people play snooker, a game no one dreamed he could ever play. He says he does not remember exactly how the idea of playing struck him. But at some point, he started practicing the game in secret.

长大后，伊克拉姆大部分时间都在看人们打斯诺克，没人能想到他也能打球。他说自己无法确切记得如何被打球的想法所打动。但是在某个时刻，他开始秘密练习。

"He would eagerly watch the other boys play. He would keep wishing he also had arms so he could play like them," said his mother, Razia Bibi. "Then he started using his chin."

他的母亲拉齐亚·毕比说：“他会认真热切地观看其他人的比赛。他一直希望自己也有胳膊，这样他就能像他们一样打球。后来他开始用下巴（打球）。”

Mian Usman Ahmed is co-owner of the Cuemaster Snooker Club. He says Ikram won several prizes in local competitions over the past two years.

米恩·乌斯曼·艾哈迈德是Cuemaster斯洛克俱乐部的合伙人。他说伊克拉姆过去两年在当地的比赛中多次赢得了奖金。

"He would come to the club and ask that he be allowed to play. We would look at his arms and feel he was unable to," Ahmed said. "He insisted we allow him to ... prove himself. When he did that, we saw he was actually very good."

艾哈迈德表示：“他来到俱乐部，要求允许他打球。我们看着他的胳膊，觉得他没法打球。他坚持要求我们允许他证明自己。当他打球时，我们觉得他实际上非常厉害。”

Ikram says many people like his undying spirit. Some eateries even permit him to eat their food for free, with waiters volunteering to feed him.

伊克拉姆表示，许多人喜欢他不屈不挠的精神。一些餐馆甚至免费给他提供食物，而服务员自愿喂他。

He told Reuters, "God has not given me arms, but he has given me courage. And I have used that spirit to fulfill my ambition."

他对路透社表示：“上天没给我胳膊，但是给了我勇气。我用这种精神来实现我的抱负。”

When asked what he would say to others with physical disabilities, Ikram said "no one should lose hope." He added that he would one day like to compete at the international level, hopefully with government support.

当被问到他对其它肢体残疾人士有什么想说的，他说，“任何人都不应该放弃希望。”他还表示，希望有一天能够在政府的支持上参加国际比赛。

Pakistani government records show that the country has 3.3 million people with disabilities. But some studies have estimated the actual number could be as high as 13 percent of the population.

巴基斯坦政府统计表明，该国有330万残疾人。但是有研究估计，实际人数可能达到了总人数的13%。