Among professional basketball players, Jeremy Lin's background is not typical. He graduated from Harvard University, which sends few players to the NBA, and he is the only Chinese-American NBA player. But when you watch him on the court, there is no doubt that he belongs there. He moves with speed and grace that demonstrate years of faithful practice, which is fueled by a love for basketball.
The Family Effect
Lin's enjoyment of basketball actually began in Taiwan, where his father started watching it. Lin's father moved to the U.S., and his interest in the sport only grew. He passed on this love of basketball to his son, introducing him to the game at the age of five.
The young Lin spent much of his youth playing basketball for fun, learning from his father and older brother. But his family taught him about more than basketball. After games, his parents would discuss not only his score but also his conduct toward other players. This taught Lin that character was more important than playing well, a lesson he still remembers.
Rise of a Star
In high school, Lin dreamed of playing in the NBA but did not really expect to do so. When he applied for college, he was not offered a single sports scholarship. However, after his admission to Harvard, he was offered a place on its college basketball team. During Lin's time at Harvard, his basketball career began to take off.
He scored 1,482 points making him one of the highest scorers in Ivy League history. Eventually, the recognition he received led him to suspect that his NBA dream could come true. When he first graduated, no professional teams offered Lin a contract, but he was invited to play in the NBA Summer League. He played well and ended up eagerly signing a contract with the Golden State Warriors.
Life in the NBA
At first, playing in professional games filled Lin with excitement. He treasured opportunities to meet players he had been watching on TV for years. He was thrilled by the opportunities he had to ride in private planes and give interviews. But slowly, the excitement wore off and was replaced by anxiety. Lin was afraid of playing badly and disappointing his fans. He constantly compared himself to other players and gave himself no time to rest up. For the first time in his life, he no longer enjoyed playing basketball.
After a few very difficult months, Lin turned to his Christian faith to help transform his attitude. He realized that much of his anxiety and stress come from self-centered desires like wanting to be famous. Instead, Lin chose to see basketball as a way of serving God. As he said in an interview, "I"m not working hard and practicing day in and day out so that I can please other people. My audience is God."
Lin is confident that God loves him whether he plays well or not. This assurance gives him peace in spite of the pressure he faces. Now Lin tries to play each game with joy and gratitude for the opportunities he has been given.
Grammar Tips:
I'm not working hard and practicing day in and day out so that I can please other people.
"day in and day out" -every day, day after day. Speaking every day situation people often use"day in and day out"
We will have to work day in and day out to get this assignment done in one week.
Having a puppy is fun, but it's also a huge job. You have to take care of it day in and day out.
Vocabulary Tips:
NBA = National Basketball Association.
court -球场 area for sport activities.
*He was seriously injured when he fell on the court in today's game.
Name + court = 什么球场，在球场前加上“名词”
basketball court蓝球场, tennis 网球 court, volleyball排球 court, badminton 羽毛球 court.
faithful-忠实可靠，诚实可信。 faith-信心，信赖
*The butler's faithful service won him respect from the whole family.
*This faithful old clock never fails us.
conduct (v) con'duct -实施，执行
conduct (n) 'conduct -行为举止，品行。behavior.
*As a public figure, the district attorney's conduct is carefully watched.
enjoyment - like it very much.
admission- accept and get in, enter, a fee paid for get in. 进入许可，入场费用。
*Many students applied for admission to this prestigious college.
*Admission to the exhibition is restricted to invited guests.
*The admission to the museum is $5. 入场费。
take off -quickly go up, fast to success.飞机起飞，突飞猛进，大受欢迎，一飞冲天，窜升，
*The actress acting career took off after she got married.
*The sales of our new product took off because of our commercials.
thrill- very happy, very exciting.使惊喜，使欢欣，。
*The triumph of our basketball team thrilled the whole school.
*The baby was thrilled by the sight of this big teddy bear.常用被动语态。
rest up-彻底的，好好的休息，get good rest to regain one's strength.
*Patty is too weak now. She needs to rest up before she starts working again.
*After finishing this novel, the author decided to rest up for a few months.
self-centered - 以自我为中心的。self-自己 centered-以某个对象为中心。
*Children are often self-centered so they need their parents' guidance.
*This famous director is a self-centered and ambitious person.
assurance-把握，信心。有信心的。fency word for "promise"
*George's parents have always been very supportive of his career, and that assurance gives him tremendous power.
Chat Room:
pass down-承传，传给下一代。give to..
Pass down to him.
"like father, like son " or " like mother, like daughter" 有其父 （母），必有其子 （女），像他老爸（妈）
"The apple doesn't fall far from the tree." means "like father, like son"
take after someone -某项才能等很像某人（父，母亲）
------------------------------------------------------------
financial aid-助学金
financial aid include loans/grants/scholarships.
loans-助学贷款。
grants-need-based 政府给的奖助金，不要还的，以需求为主，给家境清寒子弟的。
scholarships -奖学金，
need-based -以需求为主的。
merit-based - 以成绩表现优异为主merit-优质 good grades or good performance.
sports scholarship - is merit-based scholarship.
-------------------------------------------------------------
This assurance gives him peace in spite of the pressure he faces.
in spite of -虽然。。尽管
in spite of =despite，当用 "despite" 时，前后不加“in" and "of"
This assurance gives him peace despite the pressure he faces.
In spite of the rain, the streets were full of people on Independence Day.
Despite the rain, the streets were full of people on Independence Day.
spite- 恶意，怨恨
out of spite -出于恶意。
.
No comments:
Post a Comment