Passion and poetry
 
激情如诗：盘点2009体坛动人瞬间(中英文)
 
导读：2009年刚过完一半，我们已经迫不及待地要与大家分享那些值得被铭记的精彩时刻了。姚明、梅西(Lionel Messi)、费德勒(Roger Federer)……你最爱哪一个？

在每一个体育史上的关键时刻，仿佛时间都会放慢脚步，瞪大双眼凝视着这激情瞬间卓然登场。 AT key moments in sports history, time itself seems to slow down and stare, slack-jawed, at the intense action unfolding on the court or field.
它可能是篮球员在离终场仅剩几秒钟时的的一个界内传球，在蜂鸣器响起的一刹那，球朝着篮筐的方向飞去… Perhaps it's a basketball player taking an in-bounds pass with just seconds left on the clock. He squares towards the basket and fires up a shot that's still airborne when the buzzer sounds.

也或许，是一个前锋站在球门前方，而足球就停在他的脚下。他将身体倾向一侧，而后猛地转向另一侧射门，一连串的动作让守门员扑了个空。 Maybe it's a striker standing in the open near the goal, the ball resting at his feet. He leans one way and then goes another, poking the ball just beyond the reach of a lunging goalkeeper.

又或许，是经典网球赛事总决赛中一个选手飞身截击的镜头。所有的粉丝都屏住呼吸，等待那决定性的一击。 Or it could be a tennis player chasing down a volley during the final game of a classic match. Fans are holding their breath and awaiting the thwack that will determine the victor.

上文所说的经典时刻对体育迷们来说意义非凡，就好比一行美丽的诗句之于一位热心读者。和朋友们聊天时，这样的故事讲上再多遍也不会觉得厌烦。 Critical moments like these are to the sports fan what the beautiful lines of a poem are to an avid reader. They're worth retelling again and again, if only in conversations with friends.

当然，要用语言记录下这样精彩的时刻需要天赋，同时也是个极大的挑战。即便如此，这项挑战依然很值得去做，因为运动说到底也是生活中的一小部分。 Putting these moments into words, of course, takes talent and is a great challenge. But it is a challenge worth pursuing because sports, in the end, is just a microcosm of life.

2009年的体育场上，姚明、梅西和费德勒都留下了不错的战绩。 Yao, Messi and Federer leave their marks on the 2009 sports scene

姚明，28岁 Yao Ming, 28

NBA季后赛上姚明对战波特兰开拓者队，相信任何人看到姚明摔倒在赛场上的一幕都会同情这位东方巨人。粉丝们看着姚明步履蹒跚地走向衣帽间，然而过了不久，一件让人震撼的事情发生了：姚明竟然再次回到了赛场！也正是他这种球场上不放弃球队的勇敢决定令火箭队士气大增。 ANYONE who saw Yao Ming tumble to the floor against the Portland Trailblazers in the first round of the NBA Playoffs had to feel for the man. Fans watched as Yao limped towards the locker room, but then something remarkable happened: Yao turned around and checked back into the game. His gutsy refusal to abandon his team in battle helped to propel the Rockets.

梅西，22岁 Lionel Messi, 22

这位巴塞罗那中锋球场生涯唯一的污点就是在2009欧洲杯总决赛上，梅西数场比赛下来表现得形同虚设。庆幸的是，在之后与曼联的比赛中，梅西以一个漂亮的头球将比分停在了1－0。这一进球将被人们牢记在心，象征了一个年轻人为抢球跃身而起，这也是一次生命的挑战。 THE only blemish on Barcelona striker Lionel Messi's record going into the 2009 Champions League final was his tendency to disappear during big matches. But late in the match against Manchester United, his team up 1-0, Messi sent a beautiful header into the net. The goal will be remembered as a symbol of a young man rising to meet a soccer ball - and the challenge of a lifetime.

费德勒，27岁 Roger Federer, 27

2008年，瑞士选手费德勒的日子还不怎么风光，可如今他已经一跃成为世界排名第二的网球选手。2009年，费德勒一举拿下2个大满贯奖杯--其中还包括之前一直无缘的法网公开赛奖杯。这次胜利将他和桑普拉斯紧密联系起来，双双成为荣获大满贯奖杯最多的网球选手（14个大满贯）。当时的费德勒跪倒在地，仿佛为这巨大的胜利惊呆了。而在几周后的温布尔登赛场上，他又再获佳绩，拿下了第15个大满贯。 CURRENT world No 2 men's tennis player Roger Federer of Switzerland spent much of 2008 in a funk. But, so far, in 2009, Federer has won two Grand Slam titles - including the one that had always eluded him: the French Open. The victory tied him with Pete Sampras for most Grand Slam victories (14). Federer fell to his knees, as if humbled by the momentous win, only to get up and win his 15th just weeks later at Wimbledon.

或许，我们不曾射进关键一球赢得比赛，为此跳跃欢呼。但是，想必你曾有过这样一跃而起的惊喜时刻：听到好友归来的消息、拿到心仪已久的工作邀请…… We may never leap into the air after hitting a game-winning shot, but who hasn't been known to jump for joy when receiving news of a friend's return, or a long-awaited job offer?

又或许，我们不曾在电视直播的英超联赛上进球，在汗水中与队友相拥庆祝。但我们同样拥有自己的拥抱和团聚。 We may never score a goal in a televised Premier League match and celebrate in the sweaty embrace of teammates, but we will have our own share of hugs and reunions.

现实生活中，我们大多数人不曾踏足温布尔登球场。但一场场个人旅行也会带领我们前往风光明媚之处，创造属于我们自己的值得回忆与分享的精彩时刻。 And, true, few of us will ever step onto the grass court at Wimbledon. But our own personal journeys will take us through other enchanting places, and provide us with our own moments worthy of recollection and retelling.

阅读工具
 
propel 推进
 
slack-jawed  令人目瞪口呆的
 
tumble 跌倒
 
airborne  空降的
 
blemish  污点
 
buzzer  蜂鸣器
 
elude  躲避
 
funk 怯懦
 
gutsy  勇敢的
 
limp  柔软的
 
locker  带锁的柜子
 
lunging  扑过来
 
microcosm  微观世界
 
momentous  重大的
 
recollection  记忆
 
striker  前锋
 
thwack 重击
星沙英语