(单词翻译:单击)
听力文本
I'm Shirley Griffith. And I'm Doug Johnson with the Special English program, PEOPLE IN AMERICA. Every week we tell about a person important in the history of the United States. Today, we tell about Babe Ruth, America's greatest baseball player. Some say he was the greatest sports hero of all time.
George Herman Ruth was born in Baltimore, Maryland in eighteen ninety-five. George's parents owned a bar where people came to drink alcohol. His mother died when he was very young. His father was killed in a street fight.
Young George was forced to live on the streets of Baltimore. He stole things. He fought with other children. He got into trouble. At the age of eight, he was sent to live at Saint Mary's industrial school for boys. Catholic religious workers operated the school. The religious workers helped George to act better. And they taught him how to play baseball.
By the age of eighteen, George was an excellent baseball player. In nineteen fourteen, a teacher at the school wrote to a friend of his, Jack Dunn. Dunn was the manager of the Baltimore Orioles minor league baseball team. He was the one who decided who would play for the team. The teacher invited Dunn to see the young player.
Dunn watched George pitch the baseball. He offered the young left-handed pitcher a job playing baseball for six months. He said the Baltimore Orioles team would pay George six hundred dollars.
Jack Dunn had to take responsibility for the boy or George could not leave the school. Dunn decided to become George's legal parent.
Jack Dunn and his new player arrived at the Orioles' baseball park. The older Orioles' players joked about the new young player. They called him, "Dunn's babe. " The young baseball player became known forever as Babe Ruth.
That year, the Boston Red Sox baseball team bought the right to make Babe Ruth a player for their team. Ruth pitched for the Red Sox teams during the next two years. He became the best pitcher in the American baseball league. Then the Red Sox discovered that he could hit the ball even better than he could throw it. So Ruth became an outfielder instead of a pitcher. In nineteen nineteen, he hit the ball out of the baseball park twenty-nine times. He hit more home runs than any other player that year.
In nineteen twenty, the Red Sox sold Babe Ruth's contract to the famous New York Yankees baseball team. That year, Babe Ruth hit fifty-four home runs. This was more home runs than any other American League team hit that season. The next year, he hit fifty-nine home runs. Babe Ruth's baseball skill and friendly nature made him famous across the country and around the world.
Many people came to the Yankee games just because they wanted to see Babe Ruth play. He helped the team earn a great deal of money. The Yankees built a new baseball stadium in nineteen twenty-three. It was known as "The House that Ruth Built. "
Baseball fans loved Babe Ruth because he was what some people called "larger than life. " Sports writer Paul Gallico wrote that Babe Ruth played ball in the same intense way that he lived his life. Gallico said that whenever Ruth hit a ball out of the baseball park the fans would become so excited that they were ready to break the seats. It was impossible to watch Ruth swing his bat without experiencing a strong emotion. In fact, in nineteen twenty, a man reportedly died of excitement while watching Babe Ruth hit a home run.
The name of Babe Ruth appeared so often in the newspapers that sports writers thought up new names for him. They called him "The Sultan of Swat." "The King of Clout." "The Babe. " They called him "Bambino." Sometimes they shortened that name to "Bam. "
Babe Ruth led the New York Yankees to seven championships, including four World Series titles. He hit more home runs than any other baseball player. In nineteen twenty-seven, he hit sixty home runs. During his lifetime, he hit a total of seven hundred fourteen home runs. Before he became a power hitter, he had been among the best pitchers of his time. All these skills made Babe Ruth the greatest player baseball has ever had.
In nineteen thirty, Ruth earned eighty thousand dollars. This was more money than the president of the United States, Herbert Hoover, earned that year. Reporters asked Ruth why he should be paid more than President Hoover. Ruth reportedly said: "Why not? I had a better year than he did."
Ruth also earned money by permitting his name to be used on many products. A candy bar was named after him. "Baby Ruth" candy bars still are popular today.
Sometimes, Babe Ruth got into trouble on the baseball field. He often arrived late. He got angry often. He hit a baseball umpire. He had many disputes with the chief baseball official.
In nineteen twenty-one, the Yankees' manager suspended Ruth from playing. The next year, Ruth did the worst thing a baseball player could do. He left the field during a game to chase a fan who said something he did not like. He had to pay five thousand dollars for violating the rules.
Babe Ruth also got into trouble off the baseball field. He was a very large man who liked to have a good time. He ate too much. He drank too much alcohol. He played cards and lost money. He went to nightclubs. He drove his car too fast.
Some people were unhappy about the way he acted. In nineteen twenty-two, New York State Senator Jimmy Walker appealed to Babe Ruth at a dinner of the baseball writers association. Mr. Walker asked the great baseball star to be a better example to the children of America. Babe Ruth stood up with tears running down his face. He promised he would be a better person. He kept his promise. He was never in trouble again.
Yet Babe Ruth continued to eat too much. In nineteen twenty-five, he was returning on a train from baseball spring training in the South. He became hungry. He stopped at a train station. He reportedly ate twelve hot dog sandwiches. He drank eight bottles of soft drink.
Ruth developed severe stomach problems. He was taken to a hospital in New York. Babe Ruth was so sick that doctors had to operate on him. He was in the hospital for seven weeks. Many Americans worried about him until he got well.
Babe Ruth loved children. In nineteen twenty-six, a child named Johnny Sylvester lay in a hospital bed. He was very weak after an operation. His doctor thought that a visit from Johnny's hero might help the boy get better. So Babe Ruth came to the hospital. He wrote his name on a baseball and gave it to Johnny. He promised to hit a home run that afternoon for the boy. Babe Ruth kept his promise. In fact, he hit three home runs that day.
There are many stories about Babe Ruth and his life. Experts do not agree about which ones are true. The most famous story about him concerns the nineteen thirty-two World Series championship game. The Yankees were playing the Chicago Cubs in Chicago. Ruth was at bat getting ready to hit. The Cubs and their fans were trying to make Ruth angry. They insulted him. Ruth swung his bat and missed the first pitch. The crowd laughed at him. Ruth swung and missed the second pitch. The crowd made more noises. Then Ruth pointed his bat at the seats past the center field of the ball park. He showed the crowd where he would hit the next ball. And that was exactly where he hit the ball out of the park.
Ruth stopped playing baseball in nineteen thirty-five. The next year he was one of the first five players to be elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. After he retired as a player, he wanted to be manager of a baseball team. But no such position was offered to him. Ruth died in nineteen forty-eight of throat cancer. He was fifty-three years old.
Babe Ruth is buried near New York City. People still come to visit his burial place. They leave things there: A Yankees baseball hat. A small American flag. A baseball. Americans leave these things to show that they have not forgotten the Babe.
重点解析
1.take responsibility 承担责任
I knew I needed to speak to the press and take responsibility for the fiasco.
我知道我需要向媒体发言，为此次行动的完全失败承担责任。
2.arrive at到达
Television news helicopters arrived at the scene ahead of the police, who said they struggled to find boats to take them from the mainland.
报道电视新闻的直升机在警方之前到达了案发现场，警方说他们很难找到船只将警员从大陆运到岛上。
3.instead of代替
It was basically a cheeseburger but with a slice of pineapple instead of meat.
从根本上说，它是一种用一片菠萝代替肉片的起司汉堡。
4.appeal to 呼吁
Then in an appeal to form a common front against extremists, Obama said the "cycle of suspicion and discord" between the west and Islam must end.
然后奥巴马呼吁组成共同对抗极端分子的共同战线，认为在西方与伊斯兰国家必须结束“怀疑与争议的循环”。
5.get into trouble惹上麻烦
But if enough banks got into trouble, the government would be on the hook for any shortfall.
但是，如果有足够多的银行卷入麻烦，政府将会面临大量赤字。
6.A total of总计
A total of 24% believe it will be good forthe country and good for them personally.
总计24%的人相信这次的改革对他们个人还有国家来说是有益的。
参考译文
我是雪莉·格里菲思，我是道格·约翰逊，这里是VOA慢速英语栏目《美国人物志》。每周我们会讲述一位美国历史上的重要人物的故事。今天我们讲述美国最伟大的棒球运动员贝比·鲁斯的故事。有些人认为他是有史以来最伟大的体育英雄。
乔治·赫尔曼·鲁斯于1895年出生在马里兰州的巴尔的摩。乔治的父母开了一家酒吧，人们来这里喝酒。他母亲在他很小的时候就去世了。他的父亲在一次巷战中丧生。
小乔治被迫住在巴尔的摩的大街上。他偷东西，和其他孩子打架。他总是陷入麻烦。
八岁时，乔治被送到圣玛丽工业男子学校。天主教的宗教工作者管理着这所学校。宗教工作者帮助改善乔治的行为。他们教他打棒球。18岁时，乔治已是一名优秀的棒球运动员。1914年，学校的一位老师给他的朋友杰克·邓恩写信。邓恩是巴尔的摩金莺小联盟棒球队的经理。他是那个决定谁为球队效力的人。这位老师邀请邓恩去看这位年轻的运动员。
邓恩看了乔治投球。邓恩给了这位年轻的左撇子投手一份打六个月棒球的工作。他说巴尔的摩金莺队将付给乔治600美元。
杰克·邓恩必须对这个男孩负责，否则乔治就不能离开学校。邓恩决定成为乔治的法定父亲。
杰克·邓恩和他的新球员来到金莺棒球场。老金莺队的球员拿新来的年轻球员开玩笑。他们叫他“邓恩的宝贝”。这位年轻的棒球运动员便永远叫做贝比·鲁斯。
那一年，波士顿红袜棒球队买下了让贝比·鲁斯成为他们球队球员的权利。鲁斯在接下来的两年里担当红袜队的投手。他成为美国棒球联盟最好的投手。后来红袜队发现鲁斯的击球技术甚至比他的投球技术还要好。所以鲁斯从投手转成了外野手。在1919年，他把球打出棒球场29次。那一年他打出的全垒打比其他任何球员都多。
1920年，红袜队把贝比·鲁斯的合同卖给了著名的纽约扬基棒球队。那一年，贝比·鲁斯打出了54次全垒打。这比那个赛季任何一支美国联盟球队打出的全垒打都多。第二年，他打出59次全垒打。贝比·鲁斯的棒球技术和友好的天性使他闻名全国和世界各地。
许多人来观看扬基队的比赛只是因为他们想看贝比·鲁斯打球。鲁斯帮助球队赚了很多钱。扬基队在1923年建造了一个新的棒球场。它被称为“鲁斯建造的房子”。"
棒球球迷喜欢贝比·鲁斯，因为一些人称他为“比生命更伟大的人”。"体育作家保罗·加利科写道，贝比·鲁斯打球的方式和他的生活方式一样热情。加利科说，每当露丝把球击出棒球场，球迷们就会兴奋得要把座位都打破了。看到鲁斯挥动球拍，人们总是会产生强烈的情感。事实上，据报道，在1920年，一名男子在观看贝比·鲁斯击出一个本垒打时因兴奋而死。
贝比·鲁斯这个名字经常出现在报纸上，体育记者们为他起了个新名字。他们叫他“全垒打之王”。“影响力之王”。“贝比”。他们叫他“班比诺”。有时他们把这个名字简称为“砰”。
贝比·鲁斯带领纽约洋基队获得七次总冠军，包括四次世界大赛冠军。他击出的全垒打比任何棒球运动员都多。在1927年，他打出了60次全垒打。鲁斯在他的一生中，总共打出了714支全垒打。鲁斯在成为优秀的击球手之前，是他那个时代最好的投手之一。所有这些技术使贝比·鲁斯成为有史以来最伟大的棒球运动员。
1930年，鲁斯赚了8万美元。在那年，他比时任美国总统赫伯特·胡佛赚的钱还多。记者问鲁斯为什么他的工资应该比胡佛总统高。据报道，鲁斯说:“为什么不呢?我过了比他更好的一年。”
鲁斯还通过允许他的名字出现在许多产品上而赚钱。一种糖果以他的名字命名。“宝贝鲁斯”棒棒糖今天仍然很受欢迎。
有时，贝比·鲁斯在棒球场上会遇到麻烦。他经常迟到。他经常生气。他打了一名棒球裁判员。他和首席棒球官有很多争执。
在1921年，洋基队的经理暂停了鲁斯的比赛。第二年，鲁斯做了棒球运动员所能做的最糟糕的事。他在一场比赛中离开球场去追逐一个说了他不喜欢的话的球迷。鲁斯因违反规则而遭罚款五千美元。
贝比·鲁斯在棒球场外也会遇到麻烦。他块头很大，喜欢玩乐。鲁斯饭量很大，喝酒很多。他打牌输钱，常去夜总会玩。他开车车速很快。
有些人对他的行为表示不满。1922年，纽约州参议员吉米·沃克在棒球作家协会的晚宴上向贝比·鲁斯提出了要求。沃克先生要求这位伟大的棒球明星为美国儿童树立一个更好的榜样。贝比·鲁斯站起来，泪水顺着他的脸流了下来。鲁斯承诺他会成为一个更好的人。他遵守了诺言，后来他再也没有陷入麻烦。
然而，贝比·鲁斯还是吃得太多。在1925年，他坐火车从南方棒球春训回来。鲁斯饿了，他在火车站停了下来。据报道，当时他吃了12个热狗三明治，喝了8瓶软饮料。
鲁斯得了严重的胃病。他被送往纽约的一家医院。贝比·鲁斯病得很重，医生不得不给他动手术。鲁斯在医院里住了七个星期。直到他康复前，许多美国人一直都在担心他。
贝比·鲁斯爱孩子。1926年，一个名叫强尼·西尔维斯特的孩子躺在医院的病床上，他手术后很虚弱。他的医生认为强尼的英雄的来访可能会帮助他康复。于是贝比·鲁斯来到医院。鲁斯把自己的名字写在棒球上给了强尼。他答应那个男孩那天下午打一个全垒打。贝比·鲁斯遵守了他的诺言。事实上，那天他打出了三次全垒打。
有许多关于贝比·鲁斯和他的生活的故事。专家们对这些故事的真实与否意见不一。他最著名的故事发生在1932年的世界职业棒球锦标赛，当时洋基队在芝加哥与芝加哥小熊队在进行比赛。鲁斯正准备击球，小熊队和他们的球迷试图激怒鲁斯，他们侮辱了他。鲁斯挥了球棒，第一个球没有击中。观众嘲笑了他。鲁斯再次挥棒，第二个球也没打中。人群发出更多的噪音。然后鲁斯用他的球棒指着球场中央的座位。他向人群展示他将把球打到哪里。那正是他把球击出公园的地方。
鲁斯在1935年就不再打棒球了。第二年，他成为首批入选棒球名人堂的五名球员之一。退役后，鲁斯想成为一个棒球队的经理。但他没有得到这样的职位。鲁斯于1948年死于喉癌。享年五十三岁。
贝比·鲁斯埋葬在纽约市附近。现在人们仍然来参观他的墓地。他们把几样东西留在那儿：一顶洋基队的棒球帽。一面小小的美国国旗。一个棒球。美国人留下这些东西是为了表明他们没有忘记贝比。
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