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Success in Unexpected Places 《攻其不备》：不容忽视的传奇故事

课文朗读

课文讲解

繁體中文譯本

Just like the main character in his best-selling book, The Blind Side, author Michael Lewis took an unusual path to reach success. Lewis attended college at Princeton University and majored in art history. After working for an art dealer in New York, Lewis decided he wanted to make some real money and began applying for jobs with Wall Street firms.

就像麦克．路易斯的畅销书《攻其不备》的主角一样，路易斯走出的成功之路也很不寻常。他念的是普林斯顿大学，主修美术史。离开纽约一家艺术品贸易公司后，他决定要赚大钱，所以开始应征华尔街公司的工作。

Lewis, however, was rejected by every single firm he applied to, so he went to London to pursue a master’s degree in economics. Lewis got his big break when he found himself seated next to the manager of a large Wall Street firm at a dinner party. He did his best to impress the manager, and ended up landing a job. Lewis set to work excitedly, but he eventually realized the job was not what he had expected. He was stunned by the greed of his coworkers and the dishonesty of the company. After several years, he quit his job to write his first book, Liar’s Poker, which tells about his experiences on Wall Street.

然而，路易斯遭到所有应征公司的拒绝，他便前往伦敦攻读经济学硕士。在一场晚宴上，路易斯发现他坐在一间华尔街大公司经理的旁边，觉得自己得到一个绝佳的机会；路易斯竭尽所能让那位经理留下深刻印象，结果他得到一份工作。路易斯兴奋不已地开始工作，但他最终发现这份工作不如他所预期。同事的贪婪和公司的虚伪让他大吃一惊。过了几年，他辞去工作，写了他的第一本书《老千骗局》，讲述他在华尔街的经历。

Lewis’s life took another turn when he ran into an old friend from elementary school, Sean Tuohy. Tuohy’s amazing story led to Lewis’s most famous book, The Blind Side, which was even made into a major Hollywood movie.

当路易斯巧遇他的国小同学──尚．杜伊的时候，路易斯的人生又再次发生意想不到的转变。杜伊令人惊叹的故事让路易斯写下他最有名的一本书《攻其不备》，后来甚至改编成好莱坞一部重要的电影。

Vocabulary

单词发音

best-selling [ˋbɛstˋsɛlɪŋ] adj. 最畅销的

art dealer  艺术品商人

pursue [pɚˋsu] v. 追求

break [brek] n.【口】机会；好运

stun [stʌn] v. 使大吃一惊

greed [grid] n. 贪心；贪婪

Idiom

片语发音

apply for 申请  to request or seek assistance, employment, or admission

get a break 时来运转  obtain a favorable opportunity; get special consideration or treatment

land a job 找到了工作  to find a job and be hired

take a turn 转弯; 起变化

run into 偶然碰见  to meet or find by chance

课文朗读

课文讲解

The Blind Side is not about Sean Tuohy, but rather an African-American teenager named Michael Oher. Oher had an unimaginably difficult childhood. He grew up in a poor community in Memphis, Tennessee. His mother was addicted to alcohol and drugs, and his father was frequently in jail. Oher failed first and second grade and attended eleven different schools in nine years. Despite being placed in foster care at the age of seven, Oher spent a lot of time being homeless out on the streets.

《攻其不备》这本书描写的不是尚．杜伊，而是名叫麦克．欧尔的非裔美国青年。欧尔有段令人无法想象的艰苦童年时期，他在田纳西州孟菲斯市里的一个贫困小区成长，他的母亲酗酒吸毒成瘾，父亲则经常入狱。欧尔小学一、二年级都曾留级，甚至在9年间换了11所不同的学校。尽管欧尔在7岁时被安排寄养，但很多时候他还是流落街头，无家可归。

One night, Sean Tuohy’s wife, Leigh Anne, noticed Oher cold and shivering, walking down the street late at night. Oher was difficult to miss. He is a towering six-foot-five and weighs well over three hundred pounds. Seeing he had nowhere to go, Leigh Anne invited Oher to spend the night on the couch at her house.

在一个深夜，尚．杜伊的妻子──黎安，注意到欧尔一个人在街上游荡，冷得发抖。欧尔很难让人不注意到他，他有6呎5的高大身材，重达300多磅。黎安看见欧尔无处可去，就邀他到她家的沙发上睡一晚。

Sean Tuohy, a wealthy white businessman, was shocked that his wife had brought Oher home, but Leigh Anne insisted that he be allowed to stay. To Leigh Anne’s surprise, Sean let Oher stay even longer, and he quickly became good friends with the Tuohys’ son and daughter. Before long, the Tuohys decided to adopt him.

尚．杜伊是个富裕的白人商人，他很讶异他的妻子会带欧尔回家，但黎安很坚持欧尔可以在家里过夜。令黎安惊讶的是，杜伊让欧尔待了更长的时间，而欧尔很快地便成为杜伊子女的好朋友。不久之后，杜伊一家就决定领养欧尔。

Meanwhile, at school, Oher joined the football team, and used his tremendous size and strength to dominate opponents. Oher’s incredible football talent earned him a scholarship to college, and from college, he made it to the National Football League (NFL) and became a millionaire at age 22.

同时，欧尔加入了学校的美式足球队，运用他庞大的体型和力量压制对手。他在美式足球上的惊人天赋，为他赢得了就读大学的奖学金，从大学的比赛，他一路打进了国家美式足球联盟，并在22岁时成为百万富翁。

Vocabulary

单词发音

foster [ˋfɔstɚ] adj. 养育的，收养的

shivering [ˋʃɪvərɪŋ] adj. 颤抖的

towering [ˋtaʊərɪŋ] adj. 高大的

adopt [əˋdɑpt] v. 收养

tremendous [trɪˋmɛndəs] adj. 巨大的，极大的

opponent [əˋponənt] n. 对手；敌手

scholarship [ˋskɑlɚ͵ʃɪp] n. 奖学金

Idiom

片语发音

be addicted to sth.  沉迷于; 对……上瘾

before long （时间）不久之后   soon

课文朗读

课文讲解

Michael Lewis’s book has received mixed reviews from critics. It’s been praised for its sharp dialogue, interesting characters, and well-crafted storyline, but on the other hand, many people feel Oher’s own voice is missing, as he is rarely quoted. Others criticize The Blind Side for being too much like a fairy tale, because, once Oher is taken in by the Tuohys, everything seems to go smoothly.

麦克．路易斯的这本书从评论家得到毁誉参半的评价，一些人称赞书中犀利的对话，有趣的角色和精心编排的故事情节；另一方面，很多人觉得欧尔没有自己的声音，因为他说的话很少被引述。另外一些人则批评《攻其不备》太像个童话故事，因为欧尔一被杜伊家领养之后，一切好像就进行得很顺利。

Despite the criticism, both the book and the movie have been very successful. The movie itself grossed over US$200,000 and won several coveted awards, including the Oscar for best actress for Sandra Bullock, who played Leigh Anne Tuohy.

批评归批评，这本书和电影都非常成功。电影本身总获利超过两亿美元，并荣获多座令人梦寐以求的奖座，包括奥斯卡最佳女主角奖，由饰演黎安．杜伊的珊卓．布拉克获得。

And even critics of the The Blind Side still recognize the important life lessons it teaches. For instance, Oher and the Tuohys accepted each other even though they were of different races and came from vastly different backgrounds. Another theme of the book is that by helping others, you can also help yourself, just as the Tuohy family did with Oher.

就连批评《攻其不备》的人，也赞同书中教导的重要人生课题。举例来说，虽然欧尔和杜伊一家分属不同的种族，来自截然不同的文化背景，但他们接受彼此。这本书的另一个主题则是你帮助了别人，也等于在帮助自己，就像杜伊一家帮助欧尔一样。

Lewis chose The Blind Side as the title of his book not only because it’s a football term, but also because it describes the way the world might have ignored Michael Oher’s talents if the Tuohys had not intervened. So don’t turn a blind eye to this story. Read the book or watch the movie, and prepare to be inspired!

路易斯选择「The blind side」一词作为书名，不仅是因为这是个美式足球的术语，更是因为它描述了如果没有杜伊一家的介入，这个世界很可能忽视麦克．欧尔的天赋。所以不要对这个故事视而不见，读读这本书或是看看这部电影，准备受到启发吧！

－by Baxley Aldworth

Vocabulary

单词发音

critic [ˋkrɪtɪk] v. 评论家; 吹毛求疵的人

well-crafted 制作精良的 skillfully constructed

storyline [ˋstorɪ͵laɪn] n. 故事情节

quote [kwot] v. 引用；引述

smoothly [smuðlɪ] adv. 顺利地

gross [gros] v. 获得……总收入（或毛利）; to earn as a total income or profit before deductions

coveted [ˋkʌvɪtɪd] adj. 渴望得到的；梦寐以求的

vastly [ˋvæstlɪ] adv. 非常

intervene [͵ɪntɚˋvin] n. 干涉; 介入

Idiom

片语发音

take in 接受 to grant admittance to; receive

blind side 没有防范的一面 Rugby  the side of the field between the scrum and the nearer touchline; the side on which one's vision, especially the peripheral vision, is limited or obstructed

turn a blind eye to something 对…装作不见 to ignore something and pretend you do not see it

The Blind Side - Official Trailer [HD]