than a Meteor

美音、自然拼读、分级阅读与词汇复习

I live in Seattle, Washington.

我住在华盛顿西雅图

I know what you’re thinking.

我知道你在想什么。

You’re just like my cousin who came up here from Los Angeles thinking that everybody in the Northwest lives in the forest.

你就像我从洛杉矶来到这里的表弟, 以为西北地区的每个人都住在森林里。

I live in the city, the inner city, and there aren’t many trees on the street where I live.

我住在城市、内城,

My name is Shaquille O’Neal, and no, not that one.

我叫沙奎尔·奥尼尔 不 不是那个

I love my name, and at the same time, I hate my name.

爱取我名相相并相并相并相并相并相并相而憎取我名相.

My mom and dad are big basketball fans, and when I was born they thought the real Shaq was better than the smell of a new car.

我父母是篮球迷 我出生的时候 他们觉得真正的Shaq比新车的味道好

About the only things Shaq and I have in common are that we are both black, have the same name, and love basketball.

我和夏克唯一的共同点是 我们都是黑人 名字相同 爱篮球

There are a few things that we don’t share.

有些事情我们不分享。

He’s old, and I am in my nines.

他老了,我9岁。

He is very tall, and I am very short (even for being in my nines).

他非常高,我非常矮(即使我9岁).

He is the best basketball player in the world, and I am the worst basketball player in the world.

他是世界上最优秀的篮球运动员,我也是世界上最差的篮球运动员.

Plus, he is rich, and I am poor.

而且,他很有钱,我也很穷

Like him, I love basketball—it is the best sport in the world.

像他一样,我喜欢篮球,这是世界上最好的运动。

There is nothing better.

没有比这更好的了

But last year was the worst, the absolute worst.

但是,去年是最糟糕的,绝对最糟糕的。

We usually start playing basketball in late September.

我们通常在9月下旬开始打篮球.

Every Saturday, without fail, the Central District’s Boys and Girls Club sponsors league-play for all age groups.

每周六, 中央区男女孩俱乐部赞助所有年龄段的联赛。

My age group, 9 to 11, is the biggest.

我9到11岁年龄组是最大的

As usual, my dad was excited about basketball season.

跟往常一样,我爸对篮球赛季很兴奋

After getting home from the cleaners where he works, and all through dinner, all he talks about is basketball.

从他工作的清洁工回家后, 和所有通过晚餐, 他谈论的只是篮球。

Most of all, he talks about me playing basketball.

最重要的是,他谈到我打篮球。

I’m his very own personal Shaquille O’Neal.

我是他个人的Shaquille O'Neal。

But my dad never figured out that I wasn’t very big.

但我爸从未发现我并不大。

At eight years old, I was barely tall enough to look over the kitchen counter.

8岁时,我刚高到只能看厨房柜台

A basketball was almost bigger than I was.

篮球几乎比我大。

But I tried really hard because, like I said, I like basketball.

但我很努力,因为,就像我说的,我喜欢篮球。

It just didn’t start out liking me.

却开始不喜欢我。

My dad would drive me to the Boys and Girls Club at 8 o’clock every Saturday morning on his way to work.

每周六早上八点,

He would stop in at the doughnut shop and get coffee, hot chocolate, and some glazed doughnuts.

他会去甜甜圈店买咖啡 吃热巧克力 吃甜甜圈

As he slurped his coffee and munched a doughnut, he would talk about how much fun I was going to have.

当他擦了咖啡还弄了个甜甜圈时 他会说我有多好玩

Then he’d drop me off, and I would stand around until they unlocked the doors at 9 o’clock.

然后他送我走, 我会站在一旁直到他们9点打开门。

Then I would go inside and stand around until they started choosing teams.

然后我就进去站着 直到他们开始选择队伍

Then I would stand around while they chose everybody else.

然后我会站在一旁 当他们选择了其他人。

Then I would stand around being the only one left.

然后,我会站在周围是唯一一个了。

Then somebody would have to pick me.

然后有人会选我。

“But coach, he’s too little.”

但教练, “

“ Ah, but with Shaquille O’Neal on your team, you can’t help but win.”

“...... 但随着Shaquille O'Neal加入你的队伍, “

Then everyone would laugh, the team would pick me, and everyone would make fun of me because of my name and my size.

然后每个人都会笑,团队会挑选我,每个人都会取笑我,因为我的名字和大小.

Then I would sit around while all the other kids played basketball.

然后,我会坐在这里, 而所有其他的孩子打篮球。

Then I would stand around after they closed the Boys and Girls Club and wait for my dad to pick me up after work.

然后,我会站在周围 在他们关闭 男孩和女孩俱乐部 并等待我爸爸 接我下班后。

Then I would tell my dad how great I was and how much fun I’d had.

我会告诉我爸我有多伟大,

Then we would go home, and I would go into my room and feel really mad.

然后,我们回家, 我会进入我的房间, 感到非常生气。

Why did I have to be so small, and why did I have to have such a big name?

为什么我一定要这么小,为什么我必须有这么大的名字?

I got better, because I hardly got to play until then.

我好多了,因为在那之前我几乎不用玩了

It was just that a lot of kids went away for Thanksgiving weekend, and then it was the beginning of flu season.

只是很多孩子在感恩节周末离开了,然后是流感季节的开始.

I didn’t get sick, and I got to play on one of the teams almost regularly.

我并没有生病,

The only problem was that I still couldn’t play worth beans!

唯一的问题是,

I was shorter than short, and I could barely dribble the ball, let alone shoot it.

我短于短, 我几乎不能打出球, 更不要说射了。

I tried to make up for my rotten playing by being really aggressive.

我试图弥补我的烂游戏 通过真正的攻击。

I would always defend the biggest kid on the other team.

我永远会为另一队最大的孩子辩护

I would always get flattened, and I would always get a bloody nose.

我总是会被扁, 我总是会得到一个血淋淋的鼻子。

The Boys and Girls Club has a great nurse’s room.

男女会有一个很棒的护士室。

I know because I spent more time in there than on the court.

我知道 因为我在那里待的时间比在法庭上多

The nurse was a Vietnamese lady, and because none of the kids could pronounce her name, they called her Skimmy.

护士是一位越南女士,由于孩子都无法发音她的名字,他们称她为"斯克米".

Skimmy didn’t know anything about basketball or any other American sports, but she was nice and had a pretty smile.

Skimmy对篮球或其他美国运动一无所知,

By the last game and my twelfth nosebleed, Skimmy was my friend.

最后一场比赛和我第12次流鼻血时,斯基米是我的朋友.

It was she who finally helped me become a better player.

是她终于帮助我成为一个更好的球员。

“Mr.

“本戈亚先生,

Shaq,” she said one Saturday, “I watch you play.

Shaq,”她说,一个星期六,“我看你玩。

You always get hurt.

你总是受伤。

Why do you play that way?

你为什么那样玩?

Why don’t you take advantage of what you are?

为何不利用自己?

I watch you—you are fast.

我看着你 你很快

You are speedier than a meteor.

你比流星还快

Why don’t you get faster?”

为什么不快点呢? “

What Skimmy had said kind of made sense.

史基米说的有道理

It made a lot of sense.

颇能通达.

From then on, I never walked anyplace— I ran.

从那时起,我从来没有走过任何地方... 我跑。

And when I ran, I dribbled a basketball.

当我跑的时候,我打篮球

I dribbled in the house until my mom yelled at me.

我在屋里跑来跑去 直到我妈骂我

I dribbled in the driveway, and I dribbled to the bus stop to go to school.

我在车道上行走,然后去公交车站上学

I dribbled at school whenever I could.

我尽可能在学校打杂

Kids still made fun of me, but I was running so fast, I couldn’t hear half of what they said.

孩子们仍然嘲笑我,但我跑得这么快,

All through the heat of the summer, I ran and dribbled and dribbled and ran.

出自"取出"一回"一回"出自"出自"出自"出自"出自"出自"出自"出自"出自"出自"出自"出自"出自"出自"出自"出自"出自"出自"出自"出自"出自"出自"出自"出自"出自"出自"出自"出自"出自"出自"出自"出自"出自"出自"出自"出自"出自"出自"出自"出自"出自"出自"出自"出自"出自"出自"出自"出自"出自"出自"出自"出自"出自"出自"出自"出自"出自"出自"出自"出自"出自"出自"出自"出自"出自"出自"出自"出自"出自"出自"出自"出自"出自"出自"出自"出自"出自"出自"出自"出自"出自"

And Skimmy was right—I got faster and faster and better and better.

史基米说得对 我越来越快,越来越好

Come the end of September, I was waiting as usual for them to unlock the Boys and Girls Club.

9月底,我像往常一样等待他们 打开男孩和女孩俱乐部。

As usual, I got chosen last.

跟往常一样 我最后被选中了

But this year I got to play.

但今年我必须玩。

The team captain, Louis Bidwell, didn’t want me on his team at all, but I was last and he was last.

队长Louis Bidwell完全不希望我加入他的队伍,

He was stuck.

他被困住了 他被困住了 He was stuck.

There was a new rule this year that everybody got to play in every game.

今年有一条新规则,每个人都要在每场比赛中玩。

With our team down six points and with only four minutes to go, Louis, by the rule, had to put me in or forfeit the game.

我们的球队降了6分 只剩4分钟了 路易按规矩 必须把我关进球场 或放弃比赛

With a loud groan, he took out Sally Brown.

他大声地叹息,拿出了莎莉·布朗.

“Just stay out of the way,” he threatened.

他威胁说,“不要挡道。”

I didn’t stay out of the way—I got in the way in a big way.

我并没有回避, 我得到了一个很大的阻碍。

The first time the other team started down the court, I slipped in there fast and stripped the ball away.

对方球队第一次从球场开始,我迅速滑倒在那里并剥去球.

Just like that I was dribbling the other way.

碞钩ê妓и锣锣

Louis was running behind me shouting, “Shoot it!

路易在我身后跑来跑去,喊道:"开枪!

Shoot it!”

开枪!”

There was a guard in front of me, his big arms spread out like an octopus.

我面前有个警卫 他的大手臂像章鱼一样散开

I planted my foot and started up, but I didn’t shoot— instead I passed that ball just as hard as I could to Louis.

我种下我的脚并开始, 但我没有开枪,

He didn’t expect it.

他没想到。

The ball hit him right in the gut, and his eyes bulged out in surprise and pain.

球击中他的直肠,他的眼睛出乎意料地和痛苦地涌出.

But I’ve got to give it to Louis, at least he had the sense to shoot it—swish, all net.

但我必须给路易,

The rest of the game went like that—I got the ball, I raced down the court, and I passed off to Louis.

剩下的比赛是这样... 我拿到球了,我跑到球场上,我传给了路易斯。

We won!

我们赢了!

Because of me, we won!

因为我,我们赢了!

After the game, I told my dad what had happened.

比赛结束后,我告诉我爸发生了什么。

He was just about as proud as could be.

他已经很骄傲了

“Hey,” he said when we pulled up to the house, “how come you never shot the ball?”

“嘿,”他说,当我们开车到家里时,“你怎么从来没有打过球? “

“ Well,” I said, “I practiced running, and I really am speedier than a meteor.

“...... 我说:“我练习跑步,我比流星还快。

I practiced dribbling, and there is nobody who can dribble better than I can.

我练习了打鼓,没有人比我更能打鼓

But I never practiced shooting, and I’m still rotten at that!”

但我从未练习过射击, “

My dad laughed all the way into the house.

我爸爸一直笑进屋子里

It’s still one of his favorite family stories to tell.

这是他最喜欢的家庭故事之一。

Basketball season is over, and all I do every day is run, dribble, and shoot.

篮球赛季结束了,我每天做的都是跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑跑

Without practice nothing gets perfect— just ask the real Shaq about his free throw shooting.

没有练习,没有什么会变得完美——只是问真正的Shaq,他的自由投掷射击。

He’s really rotten— maybe he ought to practice, too.

或许他也应该练习。