高中课外英语趣味阅读文章(2)
高中课外英语趣味阅读(三)
Heart of a winner
FROM choosing to become a footballer rather than an academic (大学生) specializing in Latin, from choosing to leave West Ham to join Chelsea, Frank Lampard has made some good decisions.
He seizes the initiative (主动) in games and has become Chelsea’s heartbeat and a regular for England’s national team.
The 29-year-old midfielder has scored ten goals this season. He struck four goals to help Chelsea beat Derby 6-1 on March 12.
Lampard comes from a family with strong football traditions. His father and uncle were good players in England.
Football was not the only thing he studied. Lampard enjoyed a private school education and read Latin. He did well at school, passing all of his exams. "Sometimes I think that if I hadn’t made it as a footballer, I’d quite like to have been a lawyer," he said.
The education shows in his ability with words whether talking to the press or giving an after-dinner speech.
Lampard is very active with charity (慈善). "When I was young I was pretty selfish," Lampard said. "I just wanted to play football and be successful. As I got older, and success came, I realized I should help others."
Lampard’s charitable work began in 2005 after he received a letter from Lucy, a 10-year-old girl who suffered from cancer (癌症). Lampard ensured her she could be a guest of honor with Chelsea, he dedicated one of his goals to her and gave her a Chelsea shirt bearing his No 8.
As her condition became worse, he invited Lucy on to the pitch for the celebrations when Chelsea was crowned (加冕) champions of English Premier League.
"Everyone was celebrating, but he still made the effort to find Lucy," said Lucy’s mother. "He cuddled her and sat with her for a long time."
The girl died three days later. That night, Lampard was awarded an award from the Football Writers’ Association. "I would like to dedicate this whole award to a girl named Lucy," he said when receiving the honor. "The character and strength she showed made me put everything in perspective (正确地)."
