VOA标准英语2010年-One of America's Greatest Coaches, Joh

FILE - In this Dec. 9, 2005, file photo, Former UCLA basketball coach John Wooden poses for a picture after a news conference in Anaheim, Calif. Wooden, college basketball's gentlemanly Wizard of Westwood who built one of the greatest dynasties in all of sports at UCLA and became one of the most revered¹ coaches ever, has died.

One of the greatest sports figures of the 20th century in the United States, former college basketball coach John Wooden, has died, leaving a lasting² legacy³ of substance and success with humility⁴.

Following Wooden's death late Friday, baseball announcer Vin Scully made a public announcement which aired on the scoreboard video screen in the middle of a baseball game at Dodger⁵ Stadium, in Los Angeles, California.

"Friends, I interrupt the ball game, and I come to you with a heavy heart to make the announcement that at 6:45 p.m. tonight, Coach John Wooden passed away at Ronald Reagan UCLA hospital. The great coach at UCLA was 99 years old and would have been 100 in October.  Those of us who knew him and knew him well are the ones who were blessed by his life," he said.

Wooden who grew up in small towns in Indiana became a member of the U.S. Basketball Hall of Fame as both a player and as a coach, the first person to earn both distinctions.

Wooden is best known for leading the University of California of Los Angeles to an unmatched 10 national championships, including seven in a row during the late 1960s and early 1970s.

An announcer described him as he took the court for his final national championship victory, in 1975, in his final game.

"As Wooden enters the playing court, he receives a standing⁶ ovation⁷ from an overflow⁸ crowd and true to the Wooden tradition, on the outside everything appears calm."

One of the best known players to have played for him was center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who was then known as Lew Alcindor.

At a ceremony honoring Wooden several years ago, Abdul-Jabbar said many prized athletes are afraid they will be exploited by their coach. "That never, ever had a possibility of happening in my experience at UCLA because of this man here. He really wanted myself and all of us who participated in the program to get our degrees and learn what it meant to be a good citizen and to be good parents and husbands and responsible human beings. And that was the most important thing for him," he said.

Abdul-Jabbar said at first he felt this was too good to be true, but he said he realized it was not after a month or two of seeing Wooden at work.

As a coach, Wooden was praised for how he taught fundamentals, passing, defense⁹, and moving without the basketball.

He was also known for writing an inspirational book called Pyramid of Success.

At a public speaking event, when he was already in his 90s, Wooden explained his father had taught him a few things about success. "I was raised on a small farm in southern Indiana and Dad tried to teach me and my brothers that you should never try to be better than someone else, always learn from others and never cease trying to be the best you could be, that is under your control," he said.

He said those words later helped him with his own definition for success. "Peace of mind attained¹⁰ only through self-satisfaction and knowing you made the effort to do the best of which you are capable. I believe that is true. If you make the effort to do the best of what you are capable, trying to improve the situation that exists for you, I think that is success and I do not think others can judge that," he said.

He said people could not control their reputation or how they were perceived, but that they could control their character, and that was much more important.

His wife of 53 years died of cancer in 1985. Wooden is survived by his two children, seven grandchildren, 13 great-grandchildren, and many more players who played for him and the millions of fans of his coaching and teaching.

 

1 revered   

v.崇敬，尊崇，敬畏( revere的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• A number of institutions revered and respected in earlier times have become Aunt Sally for the present generation. 一些早年受到尊崇的惯例，现在已经成了这代人嘲弄的对象了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Chinese revered corn as a gift from heaven. 中国人将谷物奉为上天的恩赐。 来自辞典例句

2 lasting   

adj.永久的，永恒的；vbl.持续，维持

参考例句：

• The lasting war debased the value of the dollar.持久的战争使美元贬值。
• We hope for a lasting settlement of all these troubles.我们希望这些纠纷能获得永久的解决。

3 legacy   

n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
• He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。

4 humility   

n.谦逊，谦恭

参考例句：

• Humility often gains more than pride.谦逊往往比骄傲收益更多。
• His voice was still soft and filled with specious humility.他的声音还是那么温和，甚至有点谦卑。

5 dodger   

n.躲避者；躲闪者；广告单

参考例句：

• They are tax dodgers who hide their interest earnings.他们是隐瞒利息收入的逃税者。
• Make sure she pays her share she's a bit of a dodger.她自己的一份一定要她付清--她可是有点能赖就赖。

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 ovation   

n.欢呼，热烈欢迎，热烈鼓掌

参考例句：

• The hero received a great ovation from the crowd. 那位英雄受到人群的热烈欢迎。
• The show won a standing ovation. 这场演出赢得全场起立鼓掌。

8 overflow   

v.(使)外溢，(使)溢出；溢出，流出，漫出

参考例句：

• The overflow from the bath ran on to the floor.浴缸里的水溢到了地板上。
• After a long period of rain,the river may overflow its banks.长时间的下雨天后，河水可能溢出岸来。

9 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

10 attained   

（通常经过努力）实现( attain的过去式和过去分词 )； 达到； 获得； 达到（某年龄、水平、状况）

参考例句：

• She has attained the degree of Master of Arts. 她已获得文学硕士学位。
• Lu Hsun attained a high position in the republic of letters. 鲁迅在文坛上获得崇高的地位。