1 我喜欢查尔斯·巴克利，就像他是我的亲兄弟一样。我们是很好的朋友，不过我所在的犹他爵士队和 他所在的菲尼克斯太阳队比赛时，我们在篮板下你撞我、我推你的时候例外。虽然我们是好朋友，但我们
71 Athletes 的爱好并不一定相同：查尔斯酷爱高尔夫，要是可能的话，他中场休息时都会打，但我却认为把优良的牧 场改造成高尔夫球场是一种浪费。我们能很好地相处的一个原因是我们俩都是想什么就说什么，不会担心 别人会怎么想，这也意味着我们时常会意见相左。有一个例子能说明我的意思：我不同意查尔斯在他代言 的耐克广告中说的话。在那则广告里，他强调说：“我不是行为的榜样。”查尔斯，你完全可以否认自己是 行为榜样，但是我认为这不是你自己可以决定的。我们并未选择成为大家的行为榜样，是大家选择了我们。
我们唯一能选择的就是做一个好榜样，还是做一个坏榜样。
2 我认为成了著名运动员后，我们不能只接受随之而来的荣誉和金钱，却拒绝承担作为榜样的责任。明明 知道孩子们、甚至一些成人们正关注着我们，期望我们树立榜样，我们不能拒绝承担责任。我的意思是，首 先为什么我们有机会做广告呢？因为有人会效仿我们去买某种运动鞋或某种麦片，因为我们在用这些东西。
3 我喜欢成为榜样，并努力去做个好榜样。但这并不意味着我总是做得很好。我决非圣贤，我会犯错 误，而且有时还会做一些非常幼稚的事情。我并非每天早上醒来都具备了做榜样的好心情。有些日子，我 并不想同每个遇见的球迷都摆姿势合影，不想抱起婴儿拥抱、亲吻（无论他们有多可爱）。这种时候，我就 尽量避开公众。
4 但做个好榜样并不需要十全十美，而且人们也不应该期盼完美的行为榜样。如果由我来判定一个篮球 运动员是否是个好榜样，那么我想知道的是：在球场之外，他是否给人们的生活带来了积极的影响？他自 己付出了多少时间或金钱去帮助那些景仰他的人？他显示出作为一个优秀的人应具有的诸如诚实和毅力等 有价值的品格了吗？但我不会问他的生活方式是否和我的完全相同，或者他是否以我处理事情的方式来应 付每一种状况。
5 查尔斯在他的广告中所说的有一点我很赞同，那就是：“我能扣篮并不意味着我应该养育你们的 孩子。”但是，有时父母们也需要一点帮助。有时候，如果父母能对孩子说：“你想想卡尔·马龙、斯科 蒂·皮蓬、查尔斯·巴克利或大卫·罗宾逊会那样做吗？”这是很管用的。如果有人这样提到我的名字，
对我来说这是一种荣誉。当然，父母应该成为孩子们的行为榜样。然而，让我们来看看实际情况吧，孩子 们有许多其他的行为榜样——老师、电影明星、运动员，甚至其他的孩子。作为运动员，我们不能取代父 母，但是我们能协助他们去强化他们努力教给孩子们的那些思想。
6 父母们一定不能做得太过火。他们有时把我们奉若神明，使我们感觉像在走钢索，这么窄的立足点我 们最终必定会摔下来。这不是一件让我感到特别自豪的事，但是在犹他州，曾经有父母对我说过这样的话：
“你要知道，卡尔，我们全家都对你崇拜得五体投地。在家里，我们把你的照片和基督画像一起并排挂在墙 上。”这就太过分了。难怪有些运动员不愿做行为榜样。谁会愿意被拔得那样高呢？那是能达到的标准吗？
设想一下，有人把你真人般大小的照片挂在墙上，而且每晚睡觉前都要对着你的照片倾诉一番，那是很可 怕的。
7 时刻处在公众的注视之下有时令人难以忍受。我十分同情迈克尔·乔丹，他不得不对付有关他赌博 的负面报道。我想大多数人都无法想象，分分秒秒、日复一日都被如此密切地注视着是什么滋味。曾经有 人对我说，我个人的情况还不至于那么糟糕，因为出了犹他州就没人认得我了。但事实并非如此。自从我 作为“梦之队”的一员参加了奥运会的比赛后，无论到哪里我都会成为人们注意的焦点。这有时使人受到 很大的限制。例如，我有好几次想买一辆哈雷·戴维森牌的大摩托车，想骑着它逛逛街。首先，爵士队会 大发脾气，说这太危险。其次，每个人都会盯着我，看我是否戴了头盔，是否按照限定的速度行驶，是否 安全转弯等，不一而足。一旦我没有达到他们的期望，就会有人说：“这给其他骑摩托车的人树立了个什 么榜样啊？”
8 但是，做一个行为榜样利大于弊。想到某个孩子之所以决定在学业上再做一番尝试而不是辍学，想到 某个孩子碰到有人向他兜售毒品时，他能从毒贩子身边走开，这其中也有你的一小部分功劳时，那感觉好
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极了。但是我要鼓励父母们去做一件事，那就是提醒他们的孩子无论他们景仰哪位运动员，他们应知道十 全十美的人是没有的。这样一来，如果孩子们心目中的英雄犯了错误，他们也不会觉得世界末日到了。
9 我决不会因为某个人说了心里话而批评他。如果查尔斯认为他自己不是行为榜样，这是他的权利。但 我认为他是一个行为榜样，而且是一个好榜样。如果他能戴上NBA的冠军戒指，我也许会把他当作我自己 的行为榜样。
Exercises
Post-Reading
Reading Comprehension
1 1 Introduction (Para. 1)
Athletes are chosen to be role models, but they can choose to be good or bad ones.
2 Athletes should be role models. (Paras. 2-5) The writer’s arguments:
A Athletes shouldn’t refuse the responsibility of being a role model while accepting all the glory and the money that comes with being a famous athlete. (Para. 2)
B I try to be a positive role model, but that doesn’t mean I’m perfect. (Para. 3) C Qualities of a positive role model: (Para. 4)
i He influences people’s lives in a positive way.
ii He gives of himself, in time or money, to help those who look up to him.
iii He displays the values like honesty and determination.
D Athletes cannot take the place of parents, but can help reinforce what parents try to teach their children. (Para. 5)
3 People sometimes expect so much that some athletes don’t want to be role models. (Paras. 6-7) A Sometimes people put athletes on a pedestal. (Para. 6)
Example: I’ve had parents in Utah put my picture on the wall beside Jesus Christ.
B Constantly being watched by the public can be hard to tolerate at times. (Para. 7) Examples:
i Michael Jordan had to deal with the negative publicity he received about gambling.
ii Ever since I played on the Dream Team, I can’t go anywhere without being the center of attention, and I can’t even buy a motorcycle I really want.
4 Conclusion (Paras. 8-9)
The good things about being a role model outweigh the bad.
A It’s a great feeling to think you’re part of the reason that a kid decided to try to be good.
B Parents should remind their kids that there are no perfect human beings.
C CharlesBarkleyisagoodrolemodel.
2 1 F 2 T 3 F 4 T 5 F 6 F 7 F 8 F 9 T 10 F 11 T 12 F
73 Athletes 3 1 Some athletes don’t want to be role models because they’d like to have more privacy and freedom. They don’t want to be watched by the public all the time. Another reason is that peopleexpecttoomuch,andwantperfection.Butitisimpossibletoachievethat.Sosome
athletes don’t want to be role models, nor do they like too much pressure in their lives.
2 Sample
• I don’t think it’s right for the public to watch star athletes constantly, because athletes are humans, just like us. They, too, need privacy. They, too, will sometimes make mistakes. If they are constantly being watched by the public or exposed to the mass media, they will feel tense and pressured, and even be driven crazy. Life could become hell. It is unfair to them.
• I know nobody likes to be watched all the time. Anyway, in fact, athletes are watched by the public almost all the time, especially those famous ones. People enjoy their performances, treat them as heroes and like to know everything about them. Any news about them will bespreadquicklywiththehelpoftheInternet.Becauseofthepublicinterest,themass
media always have their focus on star athletes as well as movie stars and singers. Thanks to this, famous athletes get endorsements, perhaps much more than their pay as professional athletes. Anything has two sides. They can’t receive all the benefits without being the center of attention.
Vocabulary
1 1 A necessity B necessary C necessarily 2 A disagreement B disagreed C disagreeable 3 A decisive B decision C decide
4 A choosy B choice C chose
5 A led B lead C leading
6 A perfect B perfection C perfected 7 A determination B determine C determined 8 A assist B assistance C assistant
9 A imagination B imaginative C imaginary D imaginable E imagined
10 A scared B scary C scared
11 A tolerable B tolerant C tolerance D tolerate 12 A expectant B expected C expectations
2 1 is bound to 2 follow their lead 3 takes it too far 4 take the place of 5 dropped out 6 have a fit 7 measure up to 8 look up to 9 Let’s face it 10 you name it
3 1 outgrown 2 outdo 3 outwitted 4 outweigh 5 outlived Translation
1 One of the reasons they became good friends was that they enjoyed the same sports and music.
2 We will learn by our own experience what is best, and not by following the footsteps of others.
3 He will play in two tournaments in Japan, which means he’ll miss the World Cup in his home country.
4 She wondered whether to say she missed him very much or to continue to keep silent. She had to think about their relationship again.
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5 Her mind was soothed by memories of her dad and of the days when she was a little girl living with Dad in the country.
6 No matter how insignificant the findings were at the time, it is important to record all of them properly.
7 Constantly being criticized by parents can seriously hurt the children and won’t reinforce what the parents try to teach.
8 The danger of going too farwasalwayspresentbecausehewastalkingtoomuch.Buthecouldn’t
help it.