英文自修150：运动、安全与希望
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转载、翻译、中文标题：武太白
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Thought for the Day 20141128 Professor Mona Siddiqui
We wake up every day to news of violence, disease, abuse and religious extremism but sometimes it’s the story of a single death that cuts through and makes us feel very sad. Such has been the reaction to the death of the rising star, the 25 year old cricketer Philip Hughes who died two days after sustaining a fatal injury when he was hit on the side of his head while attempting to hit a ball at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
It’s been called a freak accident but it’s shocked us more because most of us don't associate the warm sunshine and manicured greenery of a cricket pitch with death. But just now we're left with the terrible image of Phil Hughes lying unconscious and the bowler, Sean Abbott, struggling to come to terms with what’s happened.
Cricket is a sport that still exudes a certain privilege and quiet reassuring confidence. Yes, every sport carries risk, careers cut short by injuries and accidents, but cricket where the angle and pace of the ball can make or break your career, is still seen as a relatively safe sport. When my two older boys were at school they played cricket with a passion and for a while the eldest aspired to play professionally. Summers were taken up with cricket matches at home or away. They played rugby too. I always prayed that they'd come home in one piece, aware of the possibility that an unexpected phone call might bring bad news. When my eldest left for university he said I'd really like to carry on playing cricket but I still miss rugby, the sheer aggression and physicality of the sport- you can't really match it.
I stayed quiet, conscious that my own fears were my problem. How could I stop him from doing what he wanted when I'd always tried to teach him to be determined and willing to take risks, telling him that God himself took a risk in the creation of human beings and that we ourselves go from the ordinary to the extraordinary only when we are willing to reach for what seems unattainable.
And in the end I think that's all we can do, allow our children to grow up with a drive and passion to do something they love, which brings meaning to their life and if they're fortunate enough, touches the lives of others too. We hear sports people speak all the time of their sport as their life, their dream. People play and watch precisely because of the adrenalin rush and the thrill of competition and risk. Many become heroes and idols of their game, but even those whose life is sadly cut short and who like Phil Hughes had the best playing years still to come, are admired and loved for carrying the hopes of those watching from afar.
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我们每天醒来，都听到暴力、疾病、虐待、宗教极端主义的新闻，但有时是一个人的死亡令我们痛彻心扉。25岁的板球新星菲利普·休斯的死带来的就是这样的反应，他两天前死于致命的伤病，这是他在悉尼板球场试图击球时球打中他头侧所受的伤。
此事被称为怪异的事故，但对我们的震撼尤其大，因为绝大多数人并不会把板球场上的温暖阳光和整齐的绿草和死亡联系起来。但就是现在，我们脑海中是菲尔·休斯在病床上毫无意识地躺着的形象，还有投手肖恩·阿博特挣扎着接受所发生的事情的形象。
板球是一种仍然散发着一定特权感和默认的、令人放心的信心的运动。的确，每一种运动都有风险，比如伤病和事故可能造成运动生涯的缩短，但板球这种不论是球的角度还是速度都可能成就或毁灭一个人生涯的运动仍然被认为是相对安全的。我家两个大点的儿子上学的时候就曾经热爱板球，老大还曾经试图进入职业板球。夏季要参加主客场比赛。他们也打橄榄球。我总是要祈祷，希望他们回家的时候安然无恙，因为我知道可能一个陌生来电可能就带来坏消息。大儿子去上大学时说，我实在想继续打板球，但我仍然想念橄榄球，想念橄榄球那种侵略性和活力感——实在是无与伦比。
我没有说话，心里很清楚，我的恐惧只是我的问题。我怎能阻止他去做想做的事情，一边又努力教他要坚定不移、敢于承担风险，告诉他上帝自己造人时也承担了风险，而我们自己只有在努力去实现看上去达不成的目标时才从平常走向不寻常。
而最终我认为那就是我们能做的一切：允许孩子们长大的时候有动力、有激情去做他们热爱的事情，这会给他们的生活带来意义，如果他们够幸运，还能够触动别人的生活。我们一直听到体育人士谈起他们把运动当成生命，当成梦想。人们打球、看球，正是因为运动带来的肾上腺素、以及竞争和风险带来的刺激。许多人成为了一项运动的英雄和偶像，但即便是那些遭逢不幸的人，那些像菲尔·休斯一样运动生涯刚刚开始的人，也受到人们的景仰与喜爱，因为他们承载了那些从远处观看他们比赛的人的希望。