I grew up poor living with six brothers， three sisters—a group of foster kids， my father， and a wonderful mother. We had little money and few worldly1) goods， but plenty of love and attention. I was happy and energetic. I understood that no matter how poor a person was， he could still afford a dream.

My dream was athletics. By the time I was sixteen， I could crush2) a baseball， throw a ninety-mile-per-hour fastball3) and hit anything moving on the football field. I was also lucky: My high-school coach was Ollie Jarvis， who not only believed in me， but taught me how to believe in myself. One particular incident with Coach Jarvis changed my life forever.

It was the summer between my junior and senior4) years， and a friend recommended me for a summer job. This meant a chance for money in my pocket， certainly， money for a new bike and new clothes， and the start of savings for a house for my mother. The prospect of a summer job was enticing5)， and I wanted to jump at6) the opportunity.

Then I realized I would have to give up summer baseball to handle the work schedule， and that meant I would have to tell Coach Jarvis I wouldn't be playing. I was dreading this， spurring7) myself with the advice my mother preached to us， \"If you make your bed， you have to lie in it.8)\"

When I told Coach Jarvis， he was as mad as I expected him to be. \"You have your whole life to work，\" he said，\" but your playing days are limited. You can't afford to waste them.\"

I stood before him with my head hanging， trying to think of the words that would explain to him why my dream of buying my mom a house and having money in my pocket was worth facing his disappointment in me.

\"How much are you going to make at this job， son?\" he demanded.

\"$3.25 an hour，\" I replied.

\"Well，\" he asked， \"is $3.25 an hour the price of a dream?\"

That question， the plainness of it， laid bare for me the difference between wanting something right now and having a goal. I dedicated myself to sports that summer， and within the year I was drafted9) by the Pittsburgh Pirates and offered a $20，000 contract. But I turned it down， since I already had a football scholarship to the University of Arizona， which led me to an education， two consensus10) selections as All-American linebacker11) and being chosen seventh overall in the first round of the NFL12) draft. I signed with the Denver Broncos in 1984 for $1.7 million， and bought my mother the house of my dreams.

我在一個貧困的家庭長大，有六個兄弟、三個姐妹——一群領(lǐng)養(yǎng)來的孩子——以及爸爸和很棒的媽媽。雖然我們沒什么錢，家里也沒什么東西，但是我們家卻充滿了關(guān)愛。我幸?？鞓罚Τ渑?。我知道不管一個人有多窮，他仍然可以擁有自己的夢想。

我的夢想就是體育運動。我16歲的時候，就可以將一只棒球擊破，就能以90英里的時速扔出一個快球，并砸中球場上任何一個移動中的物體。我的運氣也很好。我的中學教練是奧利·賈維斯，他不僅信任我，而且還教我如何對自己充滿信心。正是發(fā)生在我和賈維斯教練之間的一件事情永遠改變了我的生活。

那是在我高二升高三的那個夏天，一個朋友推薦我去打一份暑期工。這意味著我的口袋里會有零花錢，當然，也意味著我會有錢買輛新自行車，添置些新衣服，還意味著我能開始攢錢為母親買套房子。這份夏日工作的前景極具誘惑，我想立馬抓住這個機會。

但我意識到，如果我去打這份工，就必須得放棄暑假的橄欖球訓練，那也意味著我必須得告訴賈維斯教練我不能去打球了。我害怕去告訴教練，于是用母親經(jīng)常教導我們的話來給自己打氣：“事情是你犯下的，后果就必須自己承擔?！?/p>

當我把這件事告訴賈維斯教練的時候，如我預想的那樣，他非常生氣?！澳氵€有一輩子的時間可以去工作，”他說，“但你打球的日子卻是有限的。你根本浪費不起。”

我低著頭站在他面前，絞盡腦汁思考著如何才能向他解釋清楚：我想給媽媽買房子、想讓我的兜里有錢，為了這個夢想，即使我令他失望也值得。

“你做這份工作能掙多少錢，孩子？”他問道。

“每小時3.25美元。”我回答說。

“噢，”他問道，“一個夢想就值一小時3.25美元嗎？”

那個問題，簡單得不能再簡單了，就赤裸裸地擺在我面前，讓我看到了立刻想得到某樣東西和擁有一個長遠目標之間的天壤之別。那年暑假，我全身心地投入到橄欖球訓練中。就在那一年，我被匹茲堡海盜隊選中，他們還給我提供了一份價值兩萬美元的合約，但我拒絕了。因為，我已獲得了亞利桑那州州立大學的橄欖球獎學金。這份獎學金讓我獲得了受教育的機會，讓我兩次全票當選為“全美中后衛(wèi)球員”，還讓我在美國國家橄欖球聯(lián)盟隊選拔賽的首輪比賽中入選第七名。1984年，我以170萬美元的身價加盟丹佛野馬隊，并為媽媽買了一座房子，實現(xiàn)了我的夢想。

Vocabulary

1.worldly [5wE:ldlI] adj. 物質(zhì)的，非精神的

2.crush [krQF] vt. 擊碎，壓破

3.fastball [5fB:stbR:l] n. 【棒】(投手投出的)快球

4.美國的初中學制兩年，高中學制四年，junior相當于國內(nèi)的高二，senior相當于國內(nèi)的高三。

5.enticing [In5taIsIN] adj. 引誘的，有吸引力的

6.jump at: 熱切地抓住(機會)

7.spur [spE:] vt. 激勵，鼓舞

8.諺語，直譯為“自己鋪的床就該自己躺上去”，實際是說“對自己的所作所為負有責任，自作自受”。

9.draft [dra:ft] vt. 挑選；最后一段的draft為名詞，意為“選拔，挑選”。

10.consensus [kEn5sensEs] n. [常作定語或用以構(gòu)成復合詞]一致同意；一致(或多數(shù)人的)意見

11.linebacker [5laIn7bAkE(r)] n. <美>【欖】中后衛(wèi)

12.NFL: abbr. National Football League的縮寫，即美國國家橄欖球聯(lián)盟。