Determination 坚强的意志

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Determination 坚强的意志
In 1883,
a creative engineer named John Roebling was inspired by an idea
to build a spectacular bridge connecting New York with Manhattan Island.

1883年，一个名叫约翰· 罗布林的建筑师，要建一座连接纽约与曼哈顿岛的大桥，

However bridge building experts throughout the world thought
that this was an impossible feat and told Roebling to forget the idea.

可是所有的专家们都认为这是不可能的事情，并且告诉罗布林打消这个念头。

Roebling could not ignore the vision he had in his mind of this bridge.

罗布林每时每刻都在头脑中构想着这座桥的设计。

He first managed to convince his son Washington,
an up and coming engineer,
that the bridge in fact could be built.

他决定说服他的的儿子，一个未来出色的工程师，相信事实上大桥一定能建成。

Then together they developed concepts of how it could be accomplished
and how the obstacles could be overcome.

然后父子俩一起合作，构想着如何建造大桥和如何克服将会遇到的障碍。

With great excitement and inspiration,

带着极大的冲劲和灵感，

they hired their crew and began to build their dream bridge.

他们雇佣了人员，准备开始建造他们梦想的大桥。

The project started well,

工程开始进展顺利，

but when it was only a few months underway a tragic accident
on the site took the life of John Roebling.

可是仅几个月后，一场惨重的事故夺走了罗布林的生命。

Washington was injured and left with a certain amount of brain damage,

他的儿子华盛顿.罗布林也受了重伤，而且大脑一定的损伤 ，

which resulted in him not being able to walk or talk or even move.

导致他丧失了行走和语言的能力，甚至全身无法活动。

In spite of his handicap Washington was never discouraged
尽管华盛顿残疾了，但他仍然没有失去信心，

and still had a burning desire to complete the bridge

内心里仍渴望完成大桥的建造，

and his mind was still as sharp as ever.

他的信念和从前一样坚定不移。

All he could do was move one finger and he decided to make the best use of it.

他全身只有一个手指能够活动，于是他决定要很好的利用这根手指。

By moving this,
he slowly developed a code of communication with his wife.

用这根活动的手指，他慢慢地和妻子达成了一种交流的代号。

Then he used the same method of tapping her arm to tell the engineers what to do.

他再用同一方法轻拍她的胳膊，让她告诉工程师去做什么。

It seemed foolish but the project was under way again.
这似乎有点可笑，但工程又在进行中了。

For 13 years Washington tapped out his instructions
with his finger on his wife’s arm,
until the bridge was finally completed.

13的时间，华盛顿就是用他的手指拍打妻子的胳膊指挥着工程，直到大桥最后建成。

Today the spectacular Brooklyn Bridge stands in all its glory
as a tribute to the triumph of one man’s indomitable spirit
and his determination not to be defeated by circumstances.

今天，美丽壮观的布鲁克林大桥的辉煌成就归功于一种精神的胜利，一种不屈不挠的精神，以及击不垮的坚定信念；

It is also a tribute to the engineers and their team work,
and to their faith in a man who was considered mad by half the world.

它也归功于众多的工程师和建设者们，归功于他们对被大多数人称之为疯子的人的信任。

Often when we face obstacles in our day-to-day life,

当我们面对日常生活中的障碍时，

our hurdles seem very small in comparison to what many others have to face.

与其他很多人所面对的障碍相比，我们所面临的其实很小。

The Brooklyn Bridge shows us that dreams that seem impossible can be realised with determination and persistence,

no matter what the odds are.

布鲁克林大桥的故事告诉我们，似乎当拥有决心和毅力的时候，不管几率有多大，没有什么梦想是不能实现的。

Even the most distant dream can be realized with determination and persistence.

即使是最遥远的梦想，也是可以用决心和坚持来实现的。