英语听力—环球英语 500 Jim MacLaren: Finding Hope

　　Voice 1
Welcome to Spotlight¹, I'm Ruby² Jones
Voice 2
And I'm Joshua Leo. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand no matter where in the world they live.
Voice 1
Today's Spotlight is on Jim MacLaren. Jim was a skilled³ sports player and actor, until an accident changed his life. And then, another event changed his life completely again. Jim had to face the question "What defines⁵ a person's life and worth?"
Voice 2
When Jim MacLaren was a boy, he loved playing sports. He went to a school where the teachers and students loved sports. And Jim was one of the best athletes at the school. But Jim was also very skilled in his school work. When he finished school, he attended Yale University. There, he played the sports of American football and lacrosse.
Voice 1
At Yale, Jim studied acting⁶ and theatre. When his time at the university was over, he trained at the Square Theatre School in New York City. One night he left the school on his motorcycle. As he was riding through the city, a large city bus came toward⁷ him at high speed. Jim did not have time to react. The bus weighed over eighteen hundred [1,800] kilograms. It crashed into Jim's body.
Voice 2
An ambulance hurried Jim to the hospital. When Jim arrived at the hospital, doctors believed he would die. But after eighteen hours of surgery⁸, they were able to save his life. Sadly, to save him, the doctors had to cut off Jim's left leg below the knee. Jim was in a coma⁹ for thirteen days. When he awoke, the doctors told Jim that there was no medical explanation as to how he was still alive.
Voice 1
Jim worked hard trying to recover from his injuries. He did not want to give up. After months of work, Jim was able to walk with the help of a man-made leg, a prosthetic. Jim did not want his disability to stop him from doing the things he wanted to do. He returned to Yale to study at the school of acting. He got work acting on a television show. But Jim wanted to continue playing sports too. And soon, he discovered triathlon races. These races involve swimming, bicycling, and running. Jim decided¹⁰ that he was going to compete in a triathlon.
Voice 2
After months of training, Jim competed in a triathlon. He did not try to compete against other people. He just wanted to race against himself. Jim competed in many races and continued to improve. He started to set record race times for disabled athletes. He competed in some of the most difficult races. And he finished races ahead of eighty percent of able-bodied racers. He became a hero for disabled athletes. He spoke¹¹ at events and gave hope to many people who suffered from physical disabilities.
Voice 1
But his life changed again during one triathlon race in 1993. Jim was riding in the bicycle part of the race. As he rode, a traffic manager misjudged Jim's distance. The traffic manager let a large vehicle cross the race path. But the driver did not see Jim. Jim described the event.
Voice 3
"About a couple miles into the race, I hear people cheering, and then I understand that they are shouting. And quickly I look over and there is the front of a black van coming straight into me. And I thought "Just move one pedal¹² faster and I will beat him across the road." So I moved one pedal faster, and then I heard the vehicle move faster and not stop. The next thing I knew I woke up in the hospital."
Voice 2
The doctors told Jim that the accident had made him a quadriplegic. They said he would never move below his chest ever again. He was paralyzed¹⁴. Jim felt hopeless. He was a talented athlete, but that was now all over. Jim thought about competing someday in a wheelchair but he was unsure about his future.
Voice 1
Jim's injuries did not completely paralyze¹³ him. Jim worked very hard trying to recover. After some time, he was able to move his arms and legs a little bit. But it was not Jim's physical recovery¹⁵ that was his greatest victory. Jim found a new purpose for his life. He did not want to be defined¹⁶ by his body. He tried to see his injuries as a gift. He saw them as a way to reach and encourage others.
Voice 2
Jim even created a group to help other people facing difficult times. The group is called the "Choose Living Foundation¹⁷." The group helps many different people around the world. Jim wanted to give hope to people who do not have any. He wanted them to know that no matter what happens in life, there is always something to live for.
Voice 1
Jim continued speaking to groups of people. But he gave a new kind of encouragement. Instead of speaking about beating and overcoming physical disability, Jim talked about how we are not defined by our bodies but by who we are. Jim says of himself,
Voice 3
"I am not my body. I am a man, and I am alive. As alive as anyone who is jamming a basketball, scoring a touchdown or hugging their child."
Voice 2
Most people judge their worth through what they can do - through their abilities. But Jim MacClaren tells people that what we can do is less important than who we are. This is a belief that is important to Christians¹⁸ too.
Voice 1
For thousands of years, God had rules for his followers¹⁹. Some rules limited who could enter the temple. Other rules decided which people were spiritually clean and unclean. But when Jesus came to the earth, he changed things. He talked to all kinds of people. He touched clean and unclean people.
Voice 2
Jesus came to the earth to set people free from the old laws. He taught that a person's worth was not in following laws correctly. It was in their relationship with God. Jesus was not concerned with what people looked like, or what they could do. His love and forgiveness are for all people!
Voice 1
Jesus taught that, because of this, no matter what happens in life, we can find joy. Through good times and bad times, God is always with us. And whatever happens, God will be there to help us.
Voice 2
Jim MacLaren learned²⁰ that his body did not define⁴ him. And he decided to choose life, every day, even through difficult times. This is an important lesson for all of us.
 

1 spotlight   

n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目

参考例句：

• This week the spotlight is on the world of fashion.本周引人瞩目的是时装界。
• The spotlight followed her round the stage.聚光灯的光圈随着她在舞台上转。

2 ruby   

n.红宝石，红宝石色

参考例句：

• She is wearing a small ruby earring.她戴着一枚红宝石小耳环。
• On the handle of his sword sat the biggest ruby in the world.他的剑柄上镶有一颗世上最大的红宝石。

3 skilled   

adj.(in)熟练的，有技能的；需要技能的

参考例句：

• Unskilled workers usually earn less money than skilled workers.无技能的工人通常比有技能的工人挣钱少。
• She was skilled enough in French to translate a novel.她法语娴熟，足以翻译小说。

4 define   

vt.解释，下定义，阐述，限定，规定

参考例句：

• Please define the words.请解释这些字的意义。
• It's hard to define exactly what has changed.很难解释清楚到底发生了什么变化。

5 defines   

规定( define的第三人称单数 )； 使明确； 精确地解释； 画出…的线条

参考例句：

• This name defines us all. 这个名字造就了我们。 来自演讲部分
• The range of incomes over which this happens defines the 'poverty trap'. 发生在这种情况的收入范围，称为“贫困陷阱。”

6 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

7 toward   

prep.对于，关于，接近，将近，向，朝

参考例句：

• Suddenly I saw a tall figure approaching toward the policeman.突然间我看到一个高大的身影朝警察靠近。
• Upon seeing her,I smiled and ran toward her. 看到她我笑了，并跑了过去。

8 surgery   

n.外科，外科手术；手术室

参考例句：

• What time does surgery finish?门诊什么时间结束？
• Your condition is serious and requires surgery.你的情况很严重，需要动外科手术。

9 coma   

n.昏迷，昏迷状态

参考例句：

• The patient rallied from the coma.病人从昏迷中苏醒过来。
• She went into a coma after swallowing a whole bottle of sleeping pills.她吃了一整瓶安眠药后就昏迷过去了。

10 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。

11 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。

12 pedal   

n.踏板；adj.脚的，踏脚的；v.用脚踏动，踩踏板

参考例句：

• He pressed down the accelerator pedal of his car.他踩下汽车的加速器踏板。
• I saw him pedal to school every morning.我看到他每天早晨骑自行车上学。

13 paralyze   

vt.使瘫痪，使丧失作用，使呆若木鸡

参考例句：

• The fear that you might make a mistake or fail in your efforts can paralyze your progress.担心你可能会犯错或者你的努力将会失败，这会阻碍你的进步。
• The snake uses its venom to stun or paralyze its victims.蛇用其毒液使受害者失去知觉或瘫痪。

14 paralyzed   

adj.瘫痪的

参考例句：

• He is paralyzed as the result of a would-be assassin's bullet years ago. 几年前有人对他行刺未遂，但子弹使他瘫痪了。
• But the very imminence of the emergency paralyzed his invention. Good! 常言说得好，急中生智，可汤姆这回却束手无策，对，就这么办。

15 recovery   

n.恢复，痊愈；追回，寻回，收复

参考例句：

• The doctors said that his recovery was a miracle. 医生们说他的复原是件奇事。
• The quick recovery was truly in response to medication.这次迅速康复确实是对药物治疗的反应。

16 defined   

adj 定义的; 清晰的

参考例句：

• These categories are not well defined. 这些类别划分得不太明确。
• The powers of a judge are defined by law. 法官的权限是由法律规定的。

17 foundation   

n.[pl.]地基；基础；基金会；建立，创办

参考例句：

• The foundation of the university took place 600 years ago.这所大学是600年前创办的。
• The Foundation gives money to help artists.那家基金会捐款帮助艺术家。

18 Christians   

n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Christians of all denominations attended the conference. 基督教所有教派的人都出席了这次会议。
• His novel about Jesus caused a furore among Christians. 他关于耶稣的小说激起了基督教徒的公愤。

19 followers   

追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件

参考例句：

• the followers of Mahatma Gandhi 圣雄甘地的拥护者
• The reformer soon gathered a band of followers round him. 改革者很快就获得一群追随者支持他。

20 learned   

adj.有学问的，博学的；learn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He went into a rage when he learned about it.他听到这事后勃然大怒。
• In this little village,he passed for a learned man.在这个小村子里，他被视为有学问的人。