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红丝带
添加时间:2014-07-25 09:56:50 浏览次数: 作者:未知
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  • Everyone wants a blue ribbon. Blue. First place. The best. Even kindergarteners want that blue ribbon. In sports, I was never a blue-ribbon person. In a race I was always last. In baseball I was as likely to get hit on the head as to drop the ball. In basketball I was fine as long as there weren’t nine other players on the court with me. Where I got my horrible sports ability, I don’t know, but I got it. And I got it early.

    During the spring of my kindergarten year, our class had a fieldtrip to a park in a town about 20 miles away. Making that drive now is no big deal, but when you’re six and you’ve lived in a town of 300 all your life, going to a town of a couple thousand is a very big deal. Nonetheless1, looking back now, I don’t remember much of that day. I’m sure we ate our little sack lunches, played on the swings, slid down the slide — typical six-year-old stuff. Then it was time for the races.

    These no ordinary races. Some parent had come up with the idea to have the picnic kind of races, like pass the potato under your neck and hold an egg on a spoon while you run to the other side. I don’t remember too much about these, but there was one race that will forever be lodged2 in my memory — the three-legged race.

    The parents decided3 not to use potato sacks for this particular race. Instead, they tied our feet together. One lucky little boy got me for a partner. Now what you have to know about this little boy is that he was the second most athletic4 boy in our class. I’m sure he knew he was in trouble the second they laced5 his foot to mine. As for me, I was mortified6. This guy was a winner. He almost always won, and I knew that, with me, he didn’t have a chance

    However, apparently7 he didn’t realize that as deeply as I did at the time. He laced his arm with mine, the gun sounded, and we were off to the other side. Couples were falling and stumbling8 all around us, but we stayed on our feet and made it to the other side. Unbelievably when we turned around and headed back for home, we were in the lead! Only one other couple even had a chance, and they were a good several yards behind us.

    Then only feet from the finish line, disaster struck. I tripped and fell. We were close enough that my partner could have easily dragged me across the finish line and won. He could have, but he didn’t. Instead, he stopped, reached down, and helped me up — just as the other couple crossed the finish line.

    I still remember that moment, and I still have that little red ribbon. When we graduated 13 years later, I stood on that stage and gave the Valedictory9 address to that same group of students, none of whom even remembered that moment anymore. So, I told them about that little boy who had made a split-second decision that helping10 a friend up was more important than winning a blue ribbon. In my speech I told them that I wouldn’t tell which of the guys sitting there on that stage was the little boy although he was up there with me. I wouldn’t tell because in truth at one time or another all of them had been that little boy — helping me up when I fell, taking time out from their pursuit11 of their own goals to help a fellow person in need.

    And I told them why I’ve kept that ribbon. You see to me, that ribbon is a reminder12 that you don’t have to be a winner in the eyes of the world to be a winner to those closest to you. The world may judge you a failure or a success, but those closest to you will know the truth. That’s important to remember as we travel through this life.

    You may not have a red ribbon to prove it, but I sincerely hope you have at least a few friends who remember you for taking time out from your pursuit of that blue ribbon to help them. I’m thinking those will be the ones that really count — I know it’s the one that counted the most to me.

     6级    美文 


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    1 nonetheless [ˌnʌnðəˈles] DHFxq   第6级
    adv.尽管如此,依然,然而
    参考例句:
    • Though he's fool, I like him nonetheless. 虽然他很笨,我仍然喜欢他。
    • His face is serious but nonetheless very friendly. 他一脸严肃,但还是非常友好。
    2 lodged [lɔdʒd] cbdc6941d382cc0a87d97853536fcd8d   第7级
    v.存放( lodge的过去式和过去分词 );暂住;埋入;(权利、权威等)归属
    参考例句:
    • The certificate will have to be lodged at the registry. 证书必须存放在登记处。 来自《简明英汉词典》
    • Our neighbours lodged a complaint against us with the police. 我们的邻居向警方控告我们。 来自《简明英汉词典》
    3 decided [dɪˈsaɪdɪd] lvqzZd   第7级
    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 athletic [æθˈletɪk] sOPy8   第7级
    adj.擅长运动的,强健的;活跃的,体格健壮的
    参考例句:
    • This area has been marked off for athletic practice. 这块地方被划出来供体育训练之用。
    • He is an athletic star. 他是一个运动明星。
    5 laced [leɪst] laced   第6级
    adj. 有花边的, 绑带子的, 加酒的
    参考例句:
    • He verbally laced into his son for his misbehaviour. 他严厉斥责儿子的行为不端。
    • He laced up his boots. 他系紧靴子的鞋带。
    6 mortified [ˈmɔ:təˌfaɪd] 0270b705ee76206d7730e7559f53ea31   第11级
    v.使受辱( mortify的过去式和过去分词 );伤害(人的感情);克制;抑制(肉体、情感等)
    参考例句:
    • She was mortified to realize he had heard every word she said. 她意识到自己的每句话都被他听到了,直羞得无地自容。
    • The knowledge of future evils mortified the present felicities. 对未来苦难的了解压抑了目前的喜悦。 来自《简明英汉词典》
    7 apparently [əˈpærəntli] tMmyQ   第7级
    adv.显然地;表面上,似乎
    参考例句:
    • An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space. 山穷水尽,豁然开朗。
    • He was apparently much surprised at the news. 他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。
    8 stumbling ['stəmblɪŋ] dd558ceb6b46ec0b68129e1cc95f759f   第6级
    adj.摇摇晃晃或跌跌撞撞的v.(不顺畅地)说( stumble的现在分词 );跌跌撞撞地走;绊脚;(说话、演奏等)出错
    参考例句:
    • The question of disarmament proved a major stumbling block to agreement. 结果证明裁军问题是达成协议的主要障碍。 来自《简明英汉词典》
    • His stumbling attempts at colloquial Russian amused her. 他结结巴巴地学说俄语,把她逗乐了。 来自辞典例句
    9 valedictory [ˌvælɪˈdɪktəri] qinwn   第11级
    adj.告别的;n.告别演说
    参考例句:
    • He made a valedictory address after two years as chairman. 在担任主席职务两年后他发表了告别演说。
    • This valedictory dispatch was written as he retired from the foreign service a few weeks ago. 这份告别报告是他几周前从外交界退休时所写的。
    10 helping [ˈhelpɪŋ] 2rGzDc   第7级
    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,他们在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。
    11 pursuit [pəˈsju:t] p0pz0   第6级
    n.追赶,追求,职业,工作
    参考例句:
    • They set off at once along the lane in pursuit. 他们立即出发沿着小巷追赶。
    • Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness have been called the inalienable rights of man. 生命、自由和追求幸福被称为人类不可剥夺的权利。
    12 reminder [rɪˈmaɪndə(r)] WkzzTb   第9级
    n.提醒物,纪念品;暗示,提示
    参考例句:
    • I have had another reminder from the library. 我又收到图书馆的催还单。
    • It always took a final reminder to get her to pay her share of the rent. 总是得发给她一份最后催缴通知,她才付应该交的房租。

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