(单词翻译:单击)
听力文本
Now, the VOA Special English program, PEOPLE IN AMERICA. A North American Major League baseball record was established in nineteen thirty-nine. The man who set it played in two thousand one hundred thirty games without missing one. In nineteen ninety-five, the record was broken by Cal Ripken of the Baltimore Orioles. But there is not much chance that the man who set the first record will be forgotten.
Today Shirley Griffith and Steve Ember tell about Lou Gehrig whose record lasted for fifty-six years.
Lou Gehrig was born on June nineteenth, nineteen-oh-three. He was a huge baby. He weighed six-and-one-third kilograms. His parents, Heinrich and Christina Gehrig, had come to America from Germany. They worked hard. But they always had trouble earning enough money.
Lou loved to play baseball games on the streets of New York City, where he grew up. Yet he did not try to play on any sports teams when he entered high school. He thought of himself as a ball player only for informal games with friends.
Then one of Lou's high school teachers heard that he could hit the ball very hard. The teacher ordered Lou to come to one of the school games.
Years later, Lou said: "When I saw so many people and heard all the noise at the game, I was so scared I went home." The teacher threatened to fail Lou in school if he did not attend the next game.
So Lou Gehrig went to that game. He became a valued member of the high school team. He also played other sports. The boy who feared noise and people was on his way to becoming a star baseball player.
A representative of a major league team, the New York Giants, came to watch him. He got Lou a chance to play for the manager of the Giants' team, John McGraw. McGraw thought Gehrig needed more experience before becoming a major league player. It was suggested that Lou get that experience on a minor league team in the city of Hartford, Connecticut.
Lou played in Hartford that summer after completing high school. He earned money to help his parents. His father was often sick and without a job.
The money Lou earned also helped him attend Columbia University in New York City. The university had offered him financial help if he would play baseball on the Columbia team.
But, the fact that Gehrig had accepted money for playing professional baseball got him into trouble. Officials of teams in Columbia's baseball league learned that Lou had played for the professional team in Hartford. The other teams got him banned from playing for Columbia during his first year at the college.
Gehrig was permitted to play during his second year, though. He often hit the ball so far that people walking in the streets near the baseball field were in danger of being hit.
Lou's mother earned money as a cook and house cleaner. But she became very sick. The family could not make their monthly payments for their home.
The New York Yankees major league baseball organization came to the rescue. The Yankees offered Lou three thousand five hundred dollars to finish the nineteen twenty-three baseball season.
That was a great deal of money in those days. Gehrig happily accepted the offer. His parents were sad that he was leaving Columbia. Yet his decision ended their financial problems.
The Yankees recognized that Gehrig was a good hitter. They wanted him to add to the team's hitting power provided by its star player, Babe Ruth. But Gehrig had trouble throwing and catching the ball. So they sent him back to the minor league team in Hartford. While playing there he improved his fielding. He also had sixty-nine hits in fifty-nine games.
The next spring Gehrig went to spring training camp with the Yankees. Again he was sent to Hartford to get more experience. And again, the Yankees called him back in September. He hit six hits in twelve times at the bat before that baseball season ended.
Lou Gehrig began to play first base for the Yankees regularly in early June of nineteen twenty-five. He played well that day and for the two weeks that followed.
Then Gehrig was hit in the head by a throw to second base. He should have left the game. But he refused to. He thought that if he left, he never again would have a chance to play regularly.
Gehrig continued to improve as a player. By Nineteen twenty-seven, pitchers for opposing teams were having bad dreams about Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth. Ruth hit sixty home runs that year. Gehrig hit forty-seven and won the American League's Most Valuable Player Award. Nobody was surprised when the Yankees won the World Series.
Gehrig, however, almost did not play. His mother had to have an operation. He felt he should be with her. Missus Gehrig and the Yankees' manager urged him to play in the World Series. His mother recovered.
More major threats to Gehrig's record of continuous games played took place in nineteen twenty-nine. His back, legs and hands were injured. He was hit on the head by a throw one day as he tried to reach home plate. Another Yankee player said: "Every time he played, it hurt him."
Gehrig felt good in nineteen thirty. He said his secret was getting ten hours of sleep each night and drinking a large amount of water.
Lou Gehrig now was becoming one of the greatest players in baseball history. He hit three home runs in the World Series of nineteen thirty-two. His batting average was five-twenty-nine. The manager of an opposing team, the Chicago Cubs, said of Gehrig: "I did not think a player could be that good."
In nineteen thirty-three, Gehrig married Eleanor Twitchell. Eleanor helped him take his place as one of baseball's most famous players. The younger Lou Gehrig had stayed away from strangers when he could. The married Lou Gehrig was much more friendly.
As time went on, Gehrig played in game after game. He appeared not to have thought about his record number of continuous games played until a newspaper reporter talked to him about it.
An accident during a special game played in Virginia almost broke the record. Gehrig was taken to a hospital after being hit in the head with a pitch. He played the next day, though. He just wore a bigger hat so people could not see his injury.
Gehrig completed his two-thousand game on May thirty-first, Nineteen thirty-eight. That was almost two times as many continuous games as anyone ever had played before.
Gehrig finished that season with a batting average of almost three hundred. He scored one hundred fifteen runs. He batted in almost as many runs.
But the Lou Gehrig of that year was not the Lou Gehrig of earlier years. He walked and ran like an old man. He had trouble with easy catches and throws. Yet his manager commented: "Everybody is asking what is wrong with Gehrig. I wish I had more players on this club doing as poorly as he is doing."
Gehrig thought his problems were temporary. Then he fell several times the next winter while ice skating with Eleanor. He had trouble holding onto things. And he failed to hit in three games as the next season opened. In May, nineteen thirty-nine, he finally told his manager he could not play.
Lou Gehrig had played in two thousand one hundred thirty games without missing any that his team played.
Gehrig observed his thirty-sixth birthday on June nineteenth. That same day, doctors told him he had a deadly disease that attacks the muscles in the body. The disease is called amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Today, it is known as Lou Gehrig's Disease.
Gehrig did not act like a dying man, though. He refused to act frightened or sad.
On July fourth, nineteen thirty-nine, more than sixty thousand people went to Yankee Stadium to honor one of America's greatest baseball players. Gehrig told the crowd he still felt he was lucky. His words echoed throughout the stadium.
"I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the Earth. I might have been given a bad break, but I've got an awful lot to live for. Thank you."
Gehrig fought his sickness. But he became weaker and weaker. He died on June second, nineteen forty-one. He was thirty-seven years old.
America mourned the loss of a great baseball hero. Those who knew him best - family, friends, baseball players -- mourned the loss of a gentle man.
重点解析
1.in danger of处于...危险之中
Britain's university system is in danger of falling apart at the seams.
英国的大学体系面临分崩离析的危险。
2.add to增加；加强
Sincere performances and gritty Boston settings add to the film's realism.
真诚的表演和对波士顿这一背景城市的真实刻画增添了电影的现实主义色彩。
3.take place发生
A total solar eclipse is due to take place some time tomorrow.
明天某个时刻会发生日全食。
4.live for为...而活
I live for the moment, day by day, not for the past.
我活在当下，过一天算一天，而不是活在过去。
5.have trouble doing有困难
If you have trouble doing this, you might have chosen the wrong keywords.
如果在这方面遇到困难，那么可能说明您选错了关键词。
6.stay away远离
A lone mother Canada goose honked a warning to stay away from her nest.
一只孤独无伴的雌性加拿大黑雁鸣叫了一声，警告别人不要靠近它的巢。
参考译文
这里是VOA慢速英语栏目《美国人物志》。1939年，北美职业棒球大联盟诞生了一个记录。创造这个记录的人在2130场比赛中没有缺席过一场。1995年，巴尔的摩金莺队的卡尔·瑞普肯打破了这项纪录。但是，创造第一项纪录的人不大可能被遗忘。
今天雪莉·格里菲斯和史蒂夫·恩贝尔为您讲述卢·格里克的故事。他的记录持续了56年。
卢·格里格出生于1903年6月19日。他是一个巨大的婴儿。他体重是六又三分之一公斤。他的父母海因里希和克里斯蒂娜·格里格从德国来到美国。他们努力工作。但是他们总是很难挣到足够的钱。
卢喜欢在他长大的纽约街头打棒球。然而，当他进入高中时，他并没有尝试参加任何运动队。他认为自己只是个和朋友打非正式比赛的球员。
接着，卢的一位高中老师听说他击球力量很大。老师安排卢来参加学校的一个运动会。
多年后，卢说：“在比赛中，我看到了太多人，听到太多的嘈杂声，我太害怕了，所以我回家了。”老师威胁说，如果卢不参加下一场比赛，他就让他学业不及格。
所以卢·格里克去看了那场比赛。他成为了高中团队中重要的一员。他也参加其他运动。那个害怕噪音和人群的男孩正在成为一名棒球明星。
大联盟球队纽约巨人队的代表来看他比赛。他为卢争取到了为巨人队主教练约翰·麦格劳效力的机会。麦格劳认为格里克在成为大联盟球员之前需要更多的经验。有人建议卢在康涅狄格州哈特福德市的一支小联盟球队中获得这样的经验。
卢高中毕业那年夏天在哈特福德市打球。他挣钱帮助他的父母。他的父亲经常生病，没有工作。
卢挣的钱也帮助他进入了纽约市的哥伦比亚大学。如果他在哥伦比亚大学球队打棒球，该大学就给他提供经济援助。
但是，格里格因打职业棒球而接受经济援助的事情给他带来了麻烦。哥伦比亚棒球队的官员了解到，卢曾为哈特福德的职业棒球队效力。其他球队禁止他在哥伦比亚大学的第一年打球。
不过，格里格在第二年被允许参加比赛。他经常把球打得很远，以致于走在棒球场附近街道上的人都有被击中的危险。
卢的母亲靠当厨师和清洁工赚钱。但是后来她病得很重。这个家庭无法支付他们每月的房屋贷款。
纽约洋基队棒球大联盟组织出面救援。洋基队出价3500美元让卢完成1923年的棒球赛季。
在当时那是一大笔钱。格里格高兴地接受了这个报价。他的父母为他要离开哥伦比亚大学而难过。然而，他的决定结束了他们的财务问题。
洋基队认识到格里格是个好击球手。他们希望在球队明星球员贝比·鲁斯的基础之上，他能增强球队的击球能力。但格里格在投球和接球方面都有困难。所以他们把他送回哈特福德的小联盟球队。在那里打球时，他提高了自己的防守。他在59场比赛中打出69支安打。
第二年春天，格里格去了洋基队的春训营。他又一次被派到哈特福德去获得更多的经验。洋基队在9月份再次把他召回。在那个棒球赛季结束前，他打了12次，中了6次安打。
卢·格里格在1925年6月初开始定期为洋基队打一垒。那天他打得很好，接下来的两周也打得很好。
然后格里格被扔到二垒击中头部。他应该退出比赛。但他拒绝了。他想，如果他离开了，他就再也没有机会常规地打球了。
格里格作为一名球员继续在进步。到1927年，卢·格里格和贝比·鲁斯对对立球队的投手们来说就像噩梦一般。那一年鲁斯打了60支全垒打。格里格打了47支全垒打，赢得了美国联盟最有价值球员奖。洋基队赢得世界大赛时，没有人感到惊讶。
然而，格里格差点没有打比赛。他的母亲不得不做手术。他感觉他应该和母亲在一起。格里格太太和洋基队的经理力劝他参加世界大赛。他的母亲康复了。
更多的主要威胁格里格的连续比赛记录发生在1929年。他的背、腿和手都受伤了。有一天，当他试图回到本垒板的时候，他的头被球击中了。另一位洋基球员说：“每次他打球，他都会感到疼痛。”
格里格在1930年感觉很好。他说他的秘诀是每天晚上睡10个小时，喝大量的水。
卢·格里格那时正成为棒球史上最伟大的球员之一。在1932年的世界职业棒球大赛中，他打出了三个本垒打。他的击球率率是5比29。对手球队芝加哥小熊队的经理在谈到格里格时说：“我没想到一个球员能打得那么好。”
1933年，格里格与埃莉诺·特切尔结婚。埃莉诺帮助他成为最著名的棒球运动员之一。小卢·格里格会尽可能远离陌生人。而已婚的卢·格里格要友好得多。
随着时间的推移，格里格打了一场又一场。他似乎从未想过自己连续比赛的创纪录数量，直到一位报纸记者跟他谈起此事。
在弗吉尼亚州举行的一场特殊比赛中发生的事故几乎打破了这项纪录。格里格头部被投球击中，随后被送往医院。但是，第二天他还是打了比赛。他戴了一个更大的帽子，这样人们就看不到他受伤的部位。
格里格于1938年5月31日完成了他的第2000场比赛。这差不多是之前任何球员连续比赛场次的两倍。
格里格在那个赛季结束时的平均击球率接近300。他得了115分。他击出了几乎同样多的分。
但是那一年的卢·格里格不是早些年的卢·格里格。他走路和跑步时就像一个老人。他难以接住和投掷容易的球。然而他的经理评论道：“每个人都在问格里格怎么了。我希望我的俱乐部有更多的球员能像他一样表现糟糕。”
格里格认为他的问题是暂时的。第二年冬天，他和埃莉诺一起滑冰时摔倒了好几次。他抓东西有困难。下个赛季开始时，他在三场比赛中都没有打出安打。1939年，他终于告诉他的经理，他不能再打球了。
格里格打了2130场比赛，没有缺席任何一场。
里格于6月19日庆祝了他的36岁生日。就在同一天，医生告诉他，他得了一种会攻击身体的肌肉的致命的疾病。这种疾病被称为肌萎缩侧索硬化症。今天，它被称为葛雷克氏症。
不过格里格并不像一个垂死的人。他拒绝表现出害怕或悲伤的样子。
1939年7月4日，6万多人来到扬基体育场纪念美国最伟大的棒球运动员之一。格里格告诉观众，他仍然觉得自己很幸运。他的话在整个体育场回荡。
“我觉得我是地球上最幸运的人。我可能遭遇了一个糟糕的结束，但我还为很多东西而活。谢谢你们。”
格里格同疾病作斗争。但是他变得越来越虚弱。他于1941年6月2日去世，年仅37岁。
美国为一位伟大的棒球英雄的逝世而哀悼。那些最了解他的人——家人、朋友、棒球运动员——都为失去了一位绅士而哀悼。
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