三個字改變一生

任何人都不愿身處逆境，但人生旅途中的中的逆境是無法避免的，重要的是我們怎樣去認(rèn)識和對待它，使他成為生命中的一個閃光點(diǎn)。本文作者斯蒂芬·霍普森 (Stephen Hopson)生來就患有嚴(yán)重的耳聾，但他的勤奮和毅力使他慢慢地克服了這一自身障礙。本文記述了他在五年級時發(fā)生的一件事，他的老師用簡短有力的三個字改變了他的一生。

Since it never occurred to anybody at the school to retain1) the services of an interpreter2)， I had to sit in the front row so that I could read the teacher's lips. Classroom discussions were virtually impossible to follow because I couldn't hear what was being said around the room. In a vain3) effort to keep up with the flow4) of conversation swirling5) around me， I was always asking whoever happened to be sitting next to me what was being said. Eventually， I got tired of watching everyone shrug their shoulders indifferently and rolling their eyes. I began to pretend that I knew what was going on. Fitting in6) was so important to me that every time the kids laughed， I laughed along even though I was clueless7) most of the time.

I spent every spare moment trying to keep up with my peers. While most of them finished their homework well before dinner， I was often holed up8) in my room right up until dinnertime， only to go back and work well into the night.

One evening， I was working on a math word problem. For the life of9) me， I couldn't solve it so I asked my father to help me out. We had been going over it for more than a half-hour and making no progress at all. The smell of pizza drifted10) in from the kitchen. It was almost suppertime.

My father decided to try one last time.

\"Stephen， read through the word problem again，\" he said.

After I read it aloud， he added， \"Now， do you add or subtract?\"

Hesitantly11)， I replied， \"Add?\"

\"NO， STEPHEN， YOU HAVE TO SUBTRACT， SUBTRACT， SUBTRACT!\"

His eyes were bulging12)， ready to pop13) out while slamming14) his fist on my tiny desk， almost knocking over15) the little green lamp.

I shivered in fear. I wanted to dash beneath my bed and stay there forever.

Going to school wasn't much better either. Kids taunted16) me and called me names17) mainly because of my hearing aid and the way I talked.

I remembered thinking， \"What have I done wrong?\"

Not only did I have trouble fitting in， but I also had difficulty reading the clock， counting money and reading. Although I was gregarious18) and acted as a happy-go-lucky kid， I actually thought of myself as an ugly yellow bucktooth19) kid with wires that ran from the hearing aid box to my ears. Other parents didn't want me to hang around20) with their kids fearing that my deafness would rub off on21) them. How absurd was that!

Because of my academic struggles， I was fast22) on my way to being held back23) in fourth grade. Teachers didn't know what to do with me.

But then fate intervened24).

I was allowed to pass， making the way for my fifth grade teacher， Mrs. Jordan， to make a grand entrance into my life.

She uttered a simple three-word phrase that was delivered at the right time in just the right way， forever changing my life.

A large woman with salt and pepper25) hair， and twinkling brown eyes， Mrs. Jordan， my fifth grade teacher， had a voice that boomeranged26) off the walls of her tiny classroom. The school was Blue Creek Elementary in Latham， New York (just outside Albany).

On one sunny afternoon， she asked the class a question. I read her lips from my front-row seat and immediately raised my hand.

I couldn't believe it—despite my fears， I felt uncharacteristically27) confident because—for once—I was sure I had the right answer.

But， when she called on me， I was suddenly afraid. Here was an opportunity to impress the powerful teacher and show her I was worthy of her love. Maybe even impress my classmates a little.

I didn't want to blow it. I took a deep breath and nervously answered her question.

Her explosive response startled28) all of us.

She enthusiastically slammed her right foot on the floor and whirled29) her finger a full circle until it pointed directly at me. With sparkling eyes and a wide smile she cried， \"THAT'S RIGHT， STEPHEN!\"

For the first time in my young life， I felt like an instant star. My heart burst with pride as an ear-to-ear grin filled my face. I sat a little taller in my chair and puffed30) out my chest. My confidence soared.

It was amazing how a simple three-word phrase delivered with incredible enthusiasm had totally transformed my young life.

\"THAT'S RIGHT， STEPHEN!\"

All it took was three words to get me to think that I would make a place for myself in this world no matter how many obstacles I had to overcome. From that day forward， my grades and speech improved dramatically. My peers suddenly looked at me with new respect and my outlook on life did a complete turnabout31).

由于學(xué)校里從沒有人想到花錢為聾啞人提供翻譯服務(wù)，因此我只得坐在第一排，這樣我才能看清老師的唇語。而要跟上課堂討論，那幾乎是天方夜譚，因為我聽不見教室里同學(xué)們都在說些什么。雖然始終是白費(fèi)力氣，但為了跟上周圍同學(xué)們滔滔不絕的討論，我總是不斷地向碰巧坐在我身旁的那位同學(xué)詢問大家在說什么。最后，我實在是厭倦了看著每個人冷漠地聳聳肩膀，對我翻個白眼，我開始假裝知道大家在說些什么。對我來說，融入感非常重要，因此每當(dāng)其他孩子們大笑的時候，我也跟著哈哈大笑，盡管對于他們?yōu)槭裁窗l(fā)笑，大多數(shù)時候我是一頭霧水。

我把所有的課余時間都花在學(xué)習(xí)上，想努力趕上我的同學(xué)們。他們大多數(shù)晚飯前早就做完了作業(yè)，而我卻常常窩在房間里直到吃晚飯，而且吃完飯后還得接著回房間，做作業(yè)做到半夜。

一天晚上，我遇上了一道數(shù)學(xué)應(yīng)用題。我絞盡腦汁，還是做不出來，于是請父親幫忙。我們花了半個多小時仔細(xì)分析這道題，可還是毫無進(jìn)展。比薩餅的香味從廚房飄了進(jìn)來?？煲酝盹埩恕?/p>

我父親決定再試最后一次。

“斯蒂芬，把這道應(yīng)用題再讀一遍?！彼f道。

我大聲讀了一遍，他又說道:“那么，你要用加法還是減法?”

我遲疑不定，回答:“加法?”

“不對，斯蒂芬，你得用減法，減法，減法!”

他沖我瞪起雙眼，眼珠鼓得都快掉出來了，砸在我小桌子上的那一拳，差點(diǎn)兒把綠色的小臺燈震翻。

我嚇得不住哆嗦。我真想沖到我的床底下，躲在那里永遠(yuǎn)不出來。

上學(xué)也好不到哪兒去。同學(xué)們嘲笑我，辱罵我，多半都是因為我戴著助聽器，還有我說話的方式和他們也不一樣。

我記得那時心里常想:“我到底做錯了什么?”

我不僅很難融入集體，而且在認(rèn)時間、數(shù)錢和閱讀方面也有困難。雖然我很喜歡交朋友，平時表現(xiàn)得也像是個無憂無慮的孩子，但實際上我覺得自己是一個長著黃色齙牙的丑孩子，身上總是掛著助聽器的線，一頭連著裝助聽器的盒子，一頭連著我的耳朵。別的家長不愿讓我和他們的孩子一起玩，怕我的耳聾會影響他們。多么可笑的擔(dān)憂啊!

因為我學(xué)習(xí)十分吃力，四年級時我差點(diǎn)就要留級了。老師們也不知道該拿我怎么辦才好。

但就在這時，命運(yùn)之手拉了我一把。

我獲準(zhǔn)升級了，來到我的五年級老師喬丹夫人的班級。她隆重地進(jìn)入了我的生活。

正是這位老師，在恰當(dāng)?shù)臅r候以適當(dāng)?shù)姆绞秸f了那么簡簡單單的三個字，就永遠(yuǎn)地改變了我的一生。

我的五年級老師喬丹夫人身材高大，頭發(fā)花白，一雙棕褐色的眼睛晶瑩閃亮，洪亮的嗓音回蕩于小教室的四壁之間。這所學(xué)校是位于紐約州萊瑟姆的藍(lán)溪小學(xué)(就在奧爾巴尼市外)。

那是一個陽光明媚的下午，她向全班提了一個問題。我坐在第一排，通過唇語讀懂了她的問題，于是馬上舉起了手。

我簡直不敢相信——盡管我心里十分忐忑，但是我覺得異常自信，因為——終于有那么一次——我確信我知道正確答案。

但是，當(dāng)她叫我回答問題時，我突然害怕了。這是個好機(jī)會，我要給這位厲害的老師留下印象，向她證明我值得她愛。也許還能給我的同學(xué)們留下一點(diǎn)兒印象。

我可不想毀掉這個好機(jī)會。我深吸了一口氣，然后略有些緊張地回答了她的問題。

她激動的反應(yīng)讓我們所有人都大吃一驚。

她右腳在地上使勁一跺，手指迅速地劃了一個圈，最后徑直指向我。她的眼睛閃閃發(fā)亮，笑容綻放在臉上，她大聲喊道:“答對了，斯蒂芬!”

在我年幼的生命里，我第一次感覺自己像個一舉成名的明星。我的心中洋溢著自豪，咧著嘴笑開了花。我在椅子上坐直身子，又挺了挺胸膛。我感覺自己信心倍增。

就這么簡簡單單的三個字，喬丹夫人說的時候卻是激動萬分，而正是這句話，徹底地改變了我的童年生活。這是多么的不可思議啊!

“答對了，斯蒂芬!”

就只要這么簡簡單單的三個字，就讓我相信，無論前方有多少障礙要去克服，我終將在這個世界上贏得一席之地。自那天之后，我的成績和語言能力都突飛猛進(jìn)。同學(xué)們突然對我另眼相看，我的人生觀也發(fā)生了翻天覆地的轉(zhuǎn)變。

About the Author Stephen Hopson

Stephen is a man of intense passion who is known as a risk-taker with a capital R. In 1996， he stunned (使震驚) his family， friends and colleagues by giving up a lucrative six-figure Wall Street career to follow his divine calling of becoming an inspirational speaker and author. At that time， he had not spoken to a live audience since graduating from college 15 years earlier nor did he have any writing credentials (文憑，證明書).

Stephen got his start in public speaking by speaking for food at Kiwanis (基瓦尼俱樂部)， Rotary (扶輪社俱樂部)， Lion's (獅子社俱樂部) and many other service organizations. He joined Toastmasters (主持人俱樂部) and went on to win numerous speech contests including the 1997 New York Toastmasters Humorous Speech Contest.

Today， he speaks around the country and is contributing author of three books including best-selling Chicken Soup for the College Soul (July 1999)， Heartwarmers (April 2000) and Magical Souvenirs: True Spiritual Adventures from Around the World (March 2002).

Not only has Stephen been published in 3 books， but he's also written several articles， mostly in storytelling format， about his life's experiences. In August 2006， he earned the \"expert author status\" at EzineArticles. In February 2006， he became the first deaf pilot in the world to earn an instrument rating—a license to fly as pilot in command through inclement(險惡的) weather.

Vocabulary

1.retain [rI5teIn] vt. 付定金聘定

2.interpreter [In5tE:prItE(r)] n. 譯員，口譯者，通譯

3.vain [veIn] adj. 徒勞的，無用的

4.flow [flEu] n. 流暢;連貫;一連串;大量

5.swirl [swE:l] vi. 打旋，旋動

6.fit in: 相處融洽，適應(yīng)環(huán)境;使適應(yīng)

7.clueless [5klu:lIs] adj.<口>一無所知的;無知的;愚蠢的

8.hole up: 躲藏，隱蔽

9.for the life of: 無論如何

10.drift [drIft] vi. 漂流;漂

11.hesitantly [5hezItEntlI] adv. 猶豫地，躊躇地，遲疑不決地

12.bulge [bQldV] vi. 膨脹;凸出

13.pop [pCp] vi. (眼睛)突出，瞪出;(耳朵)鼓膜鼓起，脹痛

14.slam [slAm] vt. 使勁扔;使勁推;猛擊;砰地放下

15.knock over: 打翻;打倒;撞倒

16.taunt [tC:nt， ta:nt] vt. 嘲笑;奚落

17.call sb. names: 辱罵;謾罵

18.gregarious [^rI5^eErIEs] adj. 合群的;愛交友的

19.bucktooth [5bQktu:W] n. <醫(yī)>齙牙

20.hang around: = hang about，(和某人)在一起，廝混

21.rub off on: 因接觸(或相處)而對……產(chǎn)生影響

22.fast [fB:st] adv. <古>接近著，靠近著

23.hold back: 使留在原級(或原階段、原水平等)

24.intervene [7IntE5vi:n] vi. 插進(jìn);介入;介于中間;發(fā)生于其間

25.salt and pepper: 黑白相間的

26.boomerang

[5bu:mErAN] vi. (如同回飛鏢般)扔出去飛回原處

27.uncharacteristically[Qn5kArIktE5rIstIkElI] adv. 不典型地，不表示特性地

28.startle [5stB:tl] vt. 使驚嚇;使嚇一跳 ;使驚奇

29.whirl [(h)wE:l] vt. 使回旋，使旋轉(zhuǎn);使急轉(zhuǎn)

30.puff [pQf] vi. 膨脹;腫脹

31.turnabout [tE:nE7baut] n. (觀點(diǎn)、態(tài)度、方針等的)轉(zhuǎn)變，突然變化