英语听力原文(8到14)

8

Renovator of Lives

Sitting at her desk, Betty Hines ripped open a letter marked

read.

the signature, and her mind

filled with memories of Mendez and her first days

at

a

Detroit high school. She had battled with Mendez almost from the beginning, dogging

the truant junior to shape up. It was the same challenge she had faced with so many

students.

In 1984 Hines came to Southwestern High School as the new principal. The windows

rattled in the wind. The roofs leaked. Every room seemed to need repair.

Worse, students roamed the halls, some wearing gang colors. Classrooms were often

empty due to truancy and a 38-percent dropout rate. After first surveying the school,

Hines returned to

her office, pulled out

a writing pad and began writing.

teach them if they're not here. We can't get them here if we don't offer training they

can use. Once here, we must provide a safe, clean, caring environment.

just want to redecorate a school. She wanted to renovate the lives of her students.

Hines first organized parent, student and teacher groups to improve the site. It took

four years, but every window was eventually replaced, and repairs were made to the

damaged areas.

She also tackled the attendance problem, marked by the regular absence of nearly 30

percent

of the students.

She initiated incentive programs,

including internships with

local businesses, and she guaranteed to teach useful skills to all those who maintained

a certain grade level. Today, attendance is at 90 percent.

When Hines realized that the majority of students getting scholarship assistance were

athletes, she started banging on corporate doors and applying for grants. Since 1988,

scholarship awards totaling nearly $$9 million have gone to her students for academic

achievements.

In the earliest days, however, there were few incentives for kids to stick with school.

To get them back, she sometimes drove through the community to find them.

She hounded a

gang member in

just this way. One afternoon she

went

to the boy's

home to see if he was doing his schoolwork, only to find he wasn't there. Without a

second thought, she drove through every street. When she spotted him

his buddies, she pulled up.

took him home to his mother where the three talked for more than an hour. Afterward,

the

boy

slowly

began

to

improve.

He

still

needed

constant

supervision,

but

the

principal never flinched.

The night he graduated, he caught Hines completely off guard. He took his diploma,

then embraced her. He buried his head on her shoulder, sobbing without shame as his

classmates erupted in cheers.

Now, Betty Hines has built a teaching staff that mirrors her beliefs about renovating

the lives of students who have been worn down or broken. Hines explains,

something in every young person that can be cultivated into greatness.

9

Young Muhammad Ali

The 12-year-old boy had ridden his new bicycle to an annual meeting at the center of

the city, during which businessmen would give children balloons and ice cream. To

the boy's dismay, his new bike was stolen at the meeting.

In

tears,

the

child

told

someone

he

wanted

to

report

the

crime.

He

was

led

to

the

nearest

policeman,

who

was

Officer

Joe

Martin,

also

a

boxing

coach

at

the

local

boxing club. The boy told Martin he would beat the person who stole his bike.

Martin told him,

weighed in at 89 pounds, became a member in Joe Martin's club and remained there

throughout a six-year amateur boxing career. It was the first step on a path that was to

lead him to become one of the most famous boxers of all time. For the boy's name

was Cassius Clay.

Looking back on those early

years, Christine Martin, Joe's wife, remembers driving

groups

of

teenagers

to

boxing

matches,

rolling

from

town

to

town

in

a

wagon.

In

those days, the black boys couldn't go into the restaurants, so she didn't take any of

the boys in. She'd just go in herself and get what they wanted.

Christine

said,

was

a

very

easy-to- get-along-with

fellow.

Very

easy

to

handle.

Very

polite.

Whatever

you

asked

him

to

do,

that's

what

he'd

do.

He

was

a

wonderful person.

Gradually he was gaining weight and developing every bit of his talent.

At

Central

High

School

in

those

days,

Clay

was

known

as

the

kid

who

wouldn't

smoke, who wouldn't drink even soda, who was very shy, especially around girls. His

first kiss, it is said, made him faint. He was remembered, above all, as a kid obsessed

with boxing.

Teachers all believed that if he had not been a boxer, he would not have stood out in

any way.

he

was

supposed

to.

But

Clay

was

never

referred

to

his

teachers

as

a

behavioral

problem in school.

Looking back on those early years, long after he had changed his name and way of

life, Clay was to recall:

confidence. I thought white people were superior. I was a kid named Cassius Clay.

After he won an Olympic gold medal as an 18-year-old in 1960, he was met by the

mayor

and

about

200

friends

and

fans.

He

rode

in

a

30-car

motorcade

to

a

welcome-home party at the Central High School. He had earned 100 victories in 108

amateur bouts, including many national titles and now the Olympic gold medal. After

that, Ali was to become a professional in boxing.

At the age of 21, Ali was inspired by a human rights activist to become a member of

the Muslim faith and given the name Muhammad Ali. It was not just

a name, but a

title meaning

10

Look Great for Free

Michael and Susan can't even buy a pair of shoes these days without being recognized.

Since

they

appeared

on

the

TV

show

Makeover

earlier

this

month,

undergoing

$$300,000

worth

of

plastic

surgery

and

then

marrying

each

other

at

the

Disney World Wedding Pavilion, the couple have become minor celebrities. But three

months ago, their life was quite different.

In

their

apartment

on

Valentine's

Day,

the

couple

explained

how

and

why

they

decided to join their wedding day with the remodeling of their bodies, and why they

decided to do it on national television. As much as they loved each other for what was

inside, both were unhappy with their own looks. They felt they suffered when others

judged

them

on

their

appearances.

After

losing

more

than

100

pounds,

Susan,

a

42-year- old drama teacher at a high school, was embarrassed by excess

skin on her

stomach. Michael said he had always hated his nose, calling it big and beak-like. Both

were looking into the costs of plastic surgery, but learned they would have to save up

for a long time to have one or two procedures. They agreed to apply for an appearance

on

extensive plastic surgery and broadcasts their experiences. After they were accepted

for the show, Michael privately told producers he would ask Susan to marry him in

the live broadcast.

They parted for nearly two months because of operations and workouts. They would

not

see each other again until their wedding ceremony. Then the two would

appear

looking dramatically different. Susan said that while it was hard not to see Michael

for

seven

weeks,

the

wait

enhanced

her

anticipation

of

the

big

day.

something very romantic and old-fashioned about being separated from your spouse

until the wedding day,

Doctors

completed

Michael's

surgeries

in

a

single,

eight-hour

session.

Meanwhile,

Susan spent three days under the knife. While they were healing from the operations,

the pair made wedding plans and stuck to a strict physical exercise plan at the gym.

shopping for a wedding dress with the bandages still on her stomach.

The

whirlwind

ended

with

a

December

wedding

in

Disney

World,

decorated

with

$$25,000 worth of red roses. About 100 family members and friends came, and there

were 10 bridesmaids and groomsmen. Michael showed off his new look, to a cheering

and baffled wedding audience, before Susan walked down the aisle. Those gathered

gasped when Michael lifted her bridal veil.

ABC

paid

for

the

wedding,

the

wedding

dress,

the

plastic

surgery,

the

doctor

appointments, and room and board costs. Michael estimated the final cost was more

than

$$1

million.

whole

thing

was

an

adventure,

said

Michael.

don't

get

enough adventures in life, and it totally enhanced the wedding experience for me.

Neither

have

regrets

about

the

operations

or

the

wedding,

or

being

shown

on

television in their underwear undergoing plastic surgery. Indeed, they hope their story

is an inspiration to others.

11

Speed Dating in Australia

It's a warm summer evening, perhaps a little too warm for the 20 men and 20 women

who are mingling nervously outside a smart South Perth restaurant.

All are holding

tight to their glasses of drinks. Except for a few friends who have come together, none

of the 40 men and women know each other.

Ann Taylor enters to break the ice and gets things started. A woman with a smile, Ann

has all the motherly charms of a village matchmaker. And that's what she is. For this

is a speed dating party and Ann is an executive of Euro Speed Dating, a new Perth

company dedicated to bringing people together.

The concept of speed dating is intriguing. It's quick, it's economical and the menu's

pretty

extensive.

Men

and

women

call

Ann

to

book

in

for

one

of

their

weekly

functions. She caters to three age-groups: 25

－

35, 35

－

45 and 45

－

55. There are no

economic, academic or social restrictions or requirements.

At the restaurant, the couples are each seated at tables for two or three minutes, trying

to

get

to

know

one

another.

At

the

end

of

the

three

minutes,

a

bell

is

rung

and,

depending on the rules of the night, either the man or the woman moves to meet the

person

at

the

next

table.

Each

person

is

given

a

little

with

every

participant's name on it. If you meet someone who gave you a flutter you tick his or

her name. Or names.

I went along last Tuesday to a 25

－

35 get-together. What kind of people would I meet?

Young,

progressive,

or

aggressive

professionals

who

treat

their

love

lives

with

the

efficiency of a business meeting. Do nice girls and boys do this sort of thing? Well,

I'll let them speak for themselves.

There was Vanessa, a most attractive 23-year-old engineer who has lived in Perth for

most of her life. She said,

means they are people I meet all the time. If I was going to have a relationship with

one of them it would have happened already.

Then there was Bevan, a 30-year-old labourer who was seen rising shakily to his feet

after two hours sitting down in a smallish chair.

and it's a great concept. Plus, I ticked four names. Hope at least one of them ticks me

too. I have to say it got a bit boring at the end though,

That's

not

surprising.

Two

hours

of

asking

and

answering

variations

of

the

same

questions,

gets pretty wearing at the end. But how much can you know about a person in three