Athletes Should Be Role Models

Athletes Should Be Role Models Karl Malone 1 I love Charles Barkley like a brother, and except for the times when we're banging and pushing each other under the boards in games between my team, the Utah Jazz, and his, the Phoenix Suns, we're great friends. We don't necessarily like the same things; Claries loves golf so much he would play at halftime if he could, but I think a golf course is a waste of good pasture-land (牧场, 草地). One of the reasons we get along so well, though, is that we a both say what's on our minds without worrying about what other people are going to think---which means we disagree from time to time. Here's an example of what I mean; I disagree with what Charles says in his Nike commercial, the one in which he insists, "lam not a role model. " Charles, you can deny being a role model all you want, but I don't think it's'your decision to make. We don't choose to be role models, we are chosen. Our only choice is whether to be a good role model or a bad one. 2 I don't think we can accept all the glory (荣誉) and the money that comes with being a famous athlete and not accept the responsibility of being a role model, of knowing that kids and even some adults are watching us and looking for us to set an example. I mean, why do we get endorsements( n. 广告 ) in the first place? Because there are people who will follow our lead and buy a certain sneaker (运动鞋) because we use it. 3 I love being a role model, and I try to be a positive one. That doesn't mean I always succeed. I'm no saint. I make mistakes, and sometimes I do childish things. And I don't always wake up in a great, role-model mood. There are days when I don't want-to pose for a picture with every fan I run into, when I don't feel like picking up babies and giving them hugs and kisses (no'matter how cute they are), those are the days I just try to avoid the public. 4 But you don't have to be perfect to be a good role model, and people shouldn't expect perfection. If I were deciding whether a basketball player was a positive role model, I would want to know: Does he influence people's lives in a positive way away from the court? How much has he given of himself, in time or in money, to help people who look up to him? Does he display the values---like honesty and determination---that are part of being a good person? I wouldn't ask whether he lives his life exactly the way I would live it or whether he handles every situation Just the way I would handle it. 5 I do agree with Charles on one thing he says in his commercial: "Just because I can dunk (v.灌 篮) a basketball doesn't mean I should raise your kids." But sometimes parents need a little assistance. There are times when it helps for a mother and father to be able to say to their kids, "Do you think Kari Malone or Scottie Pippen or Charles Barkley or David Robinson would do that?" To me, if someone uses my name in that way, it's an honor. Sure, parents should be role models to their children. But let's face it, kids have lots of other role models---teachers, movie stars, athletes, even other kids. As athletes, we can't take the place of parents, but we can help reinforce what they try to teach their kids. 6 Constantly being watched by the public can be hard to tolerate at times. I am sorry that Michael Jordan had to deal with the negative publicity he received about gambling (赌博). I don't think most people can imagine what it's like to be watched that closely every minute of every day. I was told once that it wouldn't be that bad for me because no one would know me outside of Utah, but that's not true. Ever since. I played on the Dream Team in the Olympics, I can't go anywhere without being the center of attention, and that's very confining at times. For instance, there have been occasions when I've felt like buying a big Harley-Davidson motorcycle and riding it down the street. First, the Jazz would have a fit (大大发作)and say it's too dangerous. Second, everyone would be watching to see if I wore a helmet (头盔),if I was obeying the speed limit, if I was taking turns safely. The first time I didn't measure up to expectations, I would hear, "What kind of example is that to set for other people who ride motorcycles?" 7 But the good things about being a role model outweigh the bad. It's a great feeling to think you're a small part of the reason that a kid decided to give school another try instead of dropping out or that a kid had the strength to walk away when someone offered him 50 drugs. But one thing I would encourage parents to do is to remind their kids that no matter which athletes they look up to, there are no perfect human beings. That way, if the kid's heroes should make mistakes, it won't seem like the end of the world to them. 8 I would never criticize someone for saying what he thinks. If Charles doesn't consider himself a role model, that's certainly his right. But I think he is a role model---and a good one, too. And if he gets that NBA championship ring", I might just make him my role model. Heroes 1 Okay, the following thirty seconds are going to be a test. Don't get nervous. Just tell me what the following three people have in common. Ready? Okay. Winston Churchill, Martin Luther King, Jr. , Clark Gable. They are all men, true; they are all famous. What, besides their fame, do all these people have in common? 2 These men are all the people cited by my mother and father as their heroes when they were growing up. Sadly, the youth of today aren't so sure about their idols (偶像). When most American teens (teenager) are asked who they admire, they have either no idea, or they admire a character in a movie or a cartoon. Where are the Winston Churchills and Clark Gables of the modern age? Where have all the heroes gone? Heroes have had a profound impact on our past and should continue to do so in the future. 3 History itself is meaningless without heroes. You can tell the values of a society by the people they choose to follow. For example, the first President of the United States, George Washington, fought in some of the famous battles of the Revolutionary War and risked his life and reputation for the values he believed in. He was a hero to the people of colonial America because he had qualities important to them; qualities such as bravery and statesmanship (政治家的才能). 4 Some of the more memorable heroes are those of the recent past. John F. Kennedy, Florence Nightingale, and John Wayne are some common heroes. John F. Kennedy, a former president, was admired for his youthfulness, personality, and speaking ability. Florence Nightingale, a nurse during the Crimean War (克里米亚战争), was loved for her bravery and kindness in caring for the wounded. And, yes, even John Wayne, a movie cowboy(牛仔), was admired for his ability to get the bad guy without stooping to his level. All of these are people we have heard of if not idolized at one time or another. They were all nationally known and were all good role models for our youth to follow. But, most importantly, America was not afraid to trust them. They pulled the nation together with their greatness. 5 This unifying force of the hero, something so commonplace in our past, is something sorely lacking in today's society. There are few people who are admired by the entire nation. Perhaps we are afraid to trust. Sociologists (社会学家) have noted an absence of heroes since the late 1960s and early 1970s, around the time of such scandals as Watergate(水门事件) and the Vietnam War (越南战争). Polls (民意调查) have shown that now people have a hard time finding anyone they admire, let alone find an hero. In our desire to know the absolute truth about people, we have killed off all our heroes. Whether on purpose or by accident, both religion and the media have taken part in the slaughter. Few people are allowed to survive as heroes in the church and worthy people are picked apart and critisizeded by the media until their heroes comes crashing to the ground. The heroes of the past have left, taking with them the unity they brought to the nation. 6 Perhaps the worst part of this new lack of heroes is that we have replaced formerly good role models with bad ones. Some of the people most admired by Americans today are hardly people for us to follow. Start with television. Many of the favorite stars are shown waving their guns around shooting at people. They make violence seem acceptable. 7 Not only is TV a major influence, but consider rock music. Some of the people most seen and heard by Americans today are rock stars. For example, Ozzy Ozzbourne is known for eating live bats on stage and throwing puppies in the audience to be trampled to death. His actions also make violence seem acceptable. And yet his records are bought and listened to by people across the nation. 8 A third area of misplaced idolatry is in sports figures. Most generally, children and adults admire baseball players. However, these athletes are in the news almost as much for drug use as they are for their sports achievements. College football players are notorious for breaking academic rules. 9 The people most admired by Americans today are bad role models for us to follow, leading us in the wrong direction. If heroes are a mirror of the times, then perhaps our society is in a sorry state. Perhaps we no longer admire unifying qualities like bravery and intelligence. The heroes of today would lead us to believe that America admires only wealth, no matter how it is obtained. 10 Our lack of modern heroes would also lead us to believe that we no longer need heroes. However, our confused nation occasionally stumbles(碰到) onto a good idol, reminding us that these leaders will always be necessary. For example, the crew of the space shuttle, Challenger(挑战 者号航天飞机). Truly brave, intelligent people willing to risk their lives and reputations for the good of the nation and of scientific advancement. They were good role models for the nation, young and old alike, and with their great achievements, and their tragic deaths, they pulled the nation together for a short while. The unity they brought to us reminded us that heroes will always be vital, even in this era of modern mechanization. Why? Well, we as humans need a path to follow. And this path cannot be provided by computers or robotics (机器人). We, individually, need other persons to guide our actions. On the national scale, we need heroes to give the nation unity. 11 Not only do we need heroes to guide us and give us unity, but we need them to help us become great. If we are to succeed, we need those who are successful to lead the path to greatness. A License to Kill 1 Advocates (v. n.提倡) of assisted suicide and euthanasia (n.安乐死) find a role model in Holland, the only country that permits both practices. They say its policy is a "remarkable triumph (n.胜利) of common sense". Yet a closer look reveals the truth about the practice of euthanasia in Holland. 2 The Royal Dutch Medical Association officially endorsed (v.赞成) euthanasia in 1984, and issued strict guidelines on how to perform it: The patient's condition must be one of unbearable suffering that cannot be relieved, and the patient must freely request to die. When a patient does ask, the doctor should not proceed without consulting an independent physician. Then each case must be reported as an "unnatural death" to local officials. Doctors who don't follow the guidelines can be imprisoned(v. 坐牢)for up to 12 years. 5 A survey commissioned by the Dutch government estimated that only 3,600 people died in 1995 as a result of assisted suicide or euthanasia. But this only included cases where the patient requested death. The survey did not count as euthanasia or physician-assisted suicide the 900 cases in which patients' lives were ended without their request and nearly 1,900 deaths in which doctors increased pain-killing drugs. 6 A 64-year-old woman, told in 1988 that she had advanced ovarian cancer 卵巢癌, wished to die at home. When she awoke one morning covered in what looked like weak, her husband took her to the hospital. Returning to the hospital the next day to take his wife home, he took a short walk while he waited for the doctor to attend to his wife. When the husband returned to his wife's room, she was unresponsive. Three hours later she died from lethal drugs致命的药物 the doctor had injected into her body. 7 The husband believes a doctor proposed the injection and his wife . "She always thought doctors knew best," the husband said. "It wasn't euthanasia ---- it was murder. "But there was no investigation since he did not want the doctor prosecuted (v.控告). Since 1981 only 20 doctors have faced the courts n.法庭. Nine were convicted. Of those, six received suspended sentences缓刑, and three were given no punishment at all. 9 Doctors who have studied euthanasia in the Netherlands note that "what was intended as a solution for exceptional cases has become a routine way of dealing with terminal cases末期病患. 10 Researchers from the University of Utrecht found that more than 40 percent of all mentally handicapped 智障patients who died in 1995 did so after a doctor's decision to withdraw treatment, increase pain-killing drugs or give lethal injections注射致命的药物. In that same year, doctors were charged with killing two handicapped newborns. The courts ruled that the doctors had no option but to kill. The survey commissioned by the Dutch government reports that doctors now kill about 15 handicapped newborns a year. 12 The key alternative to euthanasia----palliative care关怀照顾----is largely unavailable in Holland. Originated in England 30 years ago, this philosophy 原则of total care for the terminally ill 末期的疾病and their families offers spiritual comfort and the control of physical and mental pain without seeking to either hasten or postpone death. Today almost all communities in the United Kingdom and many in Europe and North America provide such care, often in facilities known as hospices (n.末期病人的安养所). 13 Dr. Robert Twycross, a leading British authority on palliative care, recalls a cancer patient who drank excessively to escape the pain and mental distress caused by his illness and finally demanded to be put to death. After pain treatment, the patient changed his mind, saying, "It wasn't me speaking. It was the alcohol. " 14 "Depression often overlaps and complicates terminal illness," Twycross says. "As the patient comes out of depression, the demand for euthanasia disappears. " 15 A 65-year-old widow learned in October 1996 that surgery was not likely to cure her cancer of the throat and stomach. But the two options available----a hospital or a nursing home----did not appeal to her, because she feared that her wishes would not be respected in either place. "I'm not afraid of death," she said, "but I don't want someone else to decide how I should die. " She seriously considered euthanasia. 16 Like most Dutch people, she knew little about options in palliative care. Then an acquaintance told her about a hospice in a nearby city. 17 Five weeks later, she was sitting in the sun lounge 充满阳光的休息室of the hospice. "When I came here, I could hardly walk or talk, and I hadn't eaten for a month," she recalled. "After ten days, I chat, walk and feel relaxed. I know I'm not leaving here alive, but I feel like a human being." 18 She died peacefully a few weeks later. She had been cared for by a doctor with a special sense of mission (n.使命) ---- Ben Zylicz. 19 Five years before, Zylicz quit his hospital post to dedicate himself to an alternative: As a doctor, he says, now I am able to help patients in a humane and caring way. Questions: 1. why some people object to euthanasia ? 2. Does the author agree with euthanasia ? 1) A week after his ________into the army, he fell ill. A. submission B. confession C. admission D. permission 2) The police managed to gain ________ through an upstairs window. A. entrance B. allowance C. accessing D. exit 3) All that money brought ________ sadness and misery and tragedy. A. nothing but B. all but C. anything but D. everything but 4) This used to be a pub but the landlord has lost his ____. A. authority B. license C. diploma D. certificate 5) He ________ from wild optimism to total despair. A. sways B. influences C. maintains D. swings 6) A heart ________ operation is not as demanding as it was years ago. A. transfer B. transformation C. transplant D. transition 7) She is a passionate ________ of the policy of gradual reform. A. insurer B. persuader C. prosecutor D. advocate 8) She had to offer her child for ________ because she knew she was dying. A. adaptation B. adoption C. affliction D. affection A Love Story 1.Every Saturday night,I used to take a rose to Miss Caroline. Every Saturday night, no matter rain or shine, at exactly eight o,clock. It was always the best rose in the shop.I would watch Old Man Olsen put it in green paper and fern. Then I would take the narrow box and pedal (自行车踏板) furiously through the quiet streets and deliver the rose to Miss Caroline. 2.From the beginning there was something a little strange about those roses. At the first time I pointed out to Mr. Olsen that he had forgotten the card. 3.He peered at me through his glasses. “There isn,t any card, James.” He never called me Jimmy. “Remember, the people sending this flower wants it done as quietly as possible. So keep it a secret, will you,” 4.I was glad that Miss Caroline was getting a flower, because we all felt sorry for her. As everybody in our small town knew, the worst of all fates had happened to Miss Caroline. She had been deserted. 5.For seven years she had been as good as engaged to Jeffrey Penniman, one of the ablest young man in town. She had waited while he studied in a medical school. She was still waiting when Dr. Penniman fell in love with a younger, prettier girl and married her. 6.The girl Jeffrey Penniman married was a beauty, all right. Her name was Christine Marlowe, and she came from a big city. She must have had an uncomfortable time in our town, because naturally the women despised her and said unkind things about her. 7. As for poor Miss Caroline, the effect on her was terrible. For six months she had shut herself up in her house, stopped leading her Girl Scout troop女童子军, given up all activities. She even refused to play the organ 管风琴 at church anymore. 8.M iss Caroline wasn’t old or unhandsome, but she seemed determined to turn herself into an eccentric (古 怪的，孤僻的) old maid. She looked like a ghost that night when I delivered the first rose. “ Hello, Jimmy.” she said listlessly (adv. 无精打采的，冷漠的). When I handed her the box, she looked startled-- “For me,” 9.A gain the next Saturday, at exactly the same time; I delivered another rose to Miss Caroline. And the next Saturday yet another. The third time she opened the door so quickly that I knew she must have been waiting. There was a little color in her cheeks now. 10.The morning after my fourth trip to her house, Miss Caroline played the organ again in church. The rose, I saw, was pinned to her blouse. She held her head high;she did not glance once at the row where Dr. Penniman sat with his beautiful bride. 11.The night came, eventually, when I made my final trip to Miss Caroline,s house. I said, as I handed her the box, “ This is the last time I’ll bring this, Miss Caroline. We,re moving away next week. But Mr. Olsen says he,ll keep sending the flowers.” She opened the box and touched the red flowers. “They say so much, though they are silent. They tell me that he, too, is lonely…” She stopped suddenly as if she had said too much. 12.I fled to my bicycle, and ran back to the shop. I did whatI had never had the nerve to do. I looked in the file where Mr. Olsen kept his records. “Penniman,” it said, in Mr. Olsen,s script (n. 笔迹). “52 red roses.13 dollars paid in advance.” 13.The years went by, and one day I came again to Olsen,s flower shop. Nothing had changed. Old Man Olsen was making a corsage of gardenias (n. 栀子花), just as he used to do. 14.We talked a while. Then I said, “Whatever became of Miss Caroline, You remember,,she got the roses.” 15.“Miss Caroline,” He nodded. “She married George Halsey ,,owner of the drugstore. Good man. They have twins.” 16. “Oh～”I said, a bit surprised. Then I decided to show Mr. Olsen how smart I had been. “Did you suppose,” I said, “that Mrs. Penniman ever knew her husband was sending flowers to Miss Caroline,” Mr.Olsen sighed. “James, you never were very bright. Jeffrey Penniman didn,t send them. He never knew about them.” I stared at him. “Who did,then,” “ A lady,” said Mr. Olsen. He put the gardenias carefully into a box. “A lady who said she wasn,t going to sit around and let Miss Caroline make a martyr (n. 殉道者) of herself at her expense (让某人受损，让某人付出代价). Christine Penniman sent those roses.” “Now there,” he said, closing the lid, “was a true woman～” make a martyr of somebody. 将某人做殉道者 at one’s expense 让某人受损，让某人付出代价 Questions: 1. who is the person sending roses to Miss Caroline? 2. What does “they” mean in Para.11? 3. Why did the person send roses to Miss Caroline? 4. Would you like to make a comment on Miss Caroline, Jeffery Penniman, Christine? Video Games: What Parents Need to Know Only you can decide which games are right for your child JANE TALLIM of Ottawa was listening to a short story her 13-year-old son, Alex, had written for English class in the form of a soldier's diary. "I saw an enemy soldier and aimed my gun," Alex read in a calm voice. "He aimed his weapon at me. I shot him in the head and killed him. Another soldier appeared. I shot him in the chest." As the deaths mounted, Tallim became distressed by her son's lack of compassion -- especially since she believed Alex to be a sensitive, caring boy. "It wasn't until later -- when I saw him playing GoldenEye 007 -- that I made the connection," she says. "As I watched the virtual gun come around each corner and shoot whoever came across its path, I realized that Alex's story was written just like a video game: confrontation, attack, kill, move on and kill again. "For the video-game kid," she believes, "death isn't real." ELECTRONIC games present a fantasy world that increasingly features lifelike characters, images of brutality(残忍), and heart-pounding sound effects. Yet most parents don't realize what their kids are playing, says Tallim, who is not only a mother of three but the education co-ordinator for the Media Awareness Network, a national nonprofit educational organization dedicated to teaching young people how to think critically about media information and entertainment. "It's hard for parents to cover all the bases." Tallim admits that even she was caught unaware by her son's reaction to his video game. "Electronic games are definitely part of our children's culture," she says. "Even if you don't find these games interesting, it's important to take a good look at them." Twenty-six percent of current games are not suitable for children under 13, according to the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB), an independent U.S. organization. Since 1994 almost all new games have been classified into one of six categories: EC for players in early childhood, ages three and older; E for everyone, six and older; T for teens, 13 and older; M for mature players, 17 and older; AO for adults only, 18 and older; and RP for rating pending. Of more than 5,000 titles classified, 71 percent are rated E; three percent are rated EC; 19 percent are rated T (may contain violent content, mild or strong language, and/or suggestive themes); seven percent are rated M (may include more intense violence or language than products rated T. These titles may also include more mature sexual themes); and less than one percent are rated AO. The latest generation of M-rated games enables players to indulge in sadism, mutilation and even prostitution. As with excessive TV viewing, the results are long-term, gradual and difficult to measure. Video games represent one more step down the road towards a society that is becoming increasingly violent. For concerned parents, here are some suggestions from the experts: “encourage a mix of activities including reading, outdoor sports and board games as healthy alternatives," says Kline. "It's true electronic games improve hand-eye co-ordination -- but so does playing catch with a baseball." Why Study Public Speaking? 1 Today, beyond the relative security of the college or university classroom, nearly 7,000 speakers will1 stand in front of American audiences and deliver speeches. And during those same twenty-four hours, people will make more than 30 million business presentations. These speakers will express and elaborate their ideas, champion their causes, and promote their products or services. Those who are successful will make sales, obtain support, and educate and entertain their listeners. Many will also enhance their reputations as effective speakers. To achieve these goals, each will be using the skills, principles, and arts of public speaking. 2 Consider, too, that somewhere on a college campus right now is the student who will one day deliver an inaugural address 发表就职演说 after being sworn in 宣誓as President of the United States; the student who will appear on national television to accept the Tony Award for Best Actress, or the Academy Award for Best Director; and the student who will present breakthrough medical research findings to a national conference of doctors and medical technicians, or whose words will announce the passage of important legislation (n.立法). 3 Studying and practicing public speaking benefits you personally, professionally and publicly. Personal Benefits of Studying Public Speaking 4 First, mastering public speaking can help you acquire Skills important to your success in college. According to a recent Carnegie Foundation report, "To succeed in college, undergraduates should be able to write and speak with clarity, and to read and listen with comprehension. Language and thought are connected, and as undergraduates develop their linguistic skills语言学技能, they improve the quality of their thinking and become intellectually and socially empowered. " 5 Second, public speaking can help you become more knowledgeable. There is a saying that we learn: 10 percent of what we read, 20 percent of what we hear, 30 percent of what we see, and 70 percent of what we speak. Professional Benefits of Studying Public Speaking 8 Studying communication, and specifically public speaking, is important to you not only personally but also professionally. In fact, numerous studies document (n. v. 记录) a strong relationship between communication competence and career success. Effective speaking skills enhance your chances of first securing employment and then advancing in your career. John. Hafer and C. C. Hoth surveyed thirty-seven companies, asking them to rate the characteristics they considered most important when hiring an employee. Out of twenty-six total characteristics, oral communication skills ranked first. 9 More. recently, three speech and business professors collected 428 responses from personnel managers in business organizations to determine the "factors most important in helping graduating college students obtain employment". Oral communication skills ranked first and listening second. The researchers concluded: "From the results of this study, it appears that the skills most valued in the contemporary job market are communication skills. The skills of oral communication (both interpersonal and, public), listening, written communication, and the trait of enthusiasm are seen as the most important. It would appear to follow that university officials wishing to be of the greatest help to their graduates in finding employment should make sure that basic competencies in oral and written communication are developed. Courses in listening, interpersonal, and public communication would form the basis of meeting the oral communication competencies." 10 Once you are hired, your speaking skills continue to work for you, becoming your ticket to career success and advancement. A survey of 500 executives (经理) found that speaking skills "rated second only to job knowledge as important factors in a businessperson's success". That same study also showed that effective communication helped improve company productivity and understanding among employees. Oral communication and public speaking clearly play a critical role in your professional life. Public Benefits of Studying Public Speaking 11 Finally, public speaking can help you play your role as a member of society. As the German writer Thomas Mann noted, "Speech is civilization itself. The word, even the most contradictory word, preserves contact--it is silence which isolates. " Public speaking is an important part of creating a society of informed and active citizens. 12 A democratic society is shaped, in part, by the eloquence ( n. 口才) of its leaders: Franklin Roosevelt, who rallied 团结 a nation during the Great Depression by declaring, "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself"; John F. Kennedy, who urged citizen involvement, exhorting (v.劝戒) us to "Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country"; Martin Luther King, who challenged us to dream of a day when people will be judged not "by the color of their skin but by the content of their character". 13 But a democratic society is also shaped by the quiet eloquence ( n.口才)of everyday citizens: The police officer who informs residents of a crime-plagued area how to set up a neighborhood watch program; the social worker who addresses v.发表演说 the city council and secures funding for a safe house for abused and runaway children; the elementary school teacher who speaks to civic clubs, generating support for a meals-on-wheels13 program for elderly citizens confined to their homes.