Anonymous
心灵寄语
有人说：“人因梦想而伟大！”其实，更重要的是如何将梦想变为现实。若只是凭空幻想而不去行动，或者一遇到困难就裹足不前，梦想终究只是梦想。只有坚定不移地朝着梦想前进，总有一天梦想会成真！
In 1883，a creative engineer named John Roebling was inspired to build a spectacular1 bridge connecting New York with Manhattan Island. However bridge building experts throughout the world thought that this was an impossible feat and told Roebling to forget the idea.
Roebling could not ignore the vision he had in his mind of this bridge. After much discussion， he first managed to convince his son Washington， an up-and-coming2 engineer， that the bridge in fact could be built. Working together for the first time， the father and son developed concepts of how it could be accomplished and how the obstacles3 could be overcome. They hired their crew and began to build their dream bridge.
The project started well， but when it was only a few months underway a tragic accident on the site took the life of John Roebling. Washington was injured and left with a certain amount of brain damage， which resulted in him not being able to walk or talk or even move. Everyone had negative comments and felt that the project should be scrapped4 since the Roeblings were the only ones who knew how the bridge could be built. In spite of his handicap5，Washington was never discouraged and still had a burning desire to complete the bridge and his mind was still as sharp as ever.
All he could do was move one finger and he decided to make the best use of it. By moving this， he slowly developed a code of communication with his wife. He touched his wife"s arm with that finger， indicating to her that he wanted her to call the engineers again. Then he used the same method of tapping her arm to tell the engineers what to do.
For 13 years Washington tapped out his instructions6 with his finger on his wife"s arm， until the bridge was finally completed. Today the spectacular Brooklyn Bridge stands in all its glory as a tribute to the triumph of one man"s indomitable7 spirit and his determination not to be defeated by circumstances. 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.
Often when we face obstacles in our day-to-day life， our hurdles8 seem very small in comparison to what many others have to face. The Brooklyn Bridge shows us that dreams that seem impossible can be realised with determination and persistence， no matter what the odds are. Even the most distant dream can be realized with determination and persistence.
佚名
1883年，富有创造精神的工程师约翰·罗布林雄心勃勃地意欲着手建造一座大桥，横跨纽约市区和曼哈顿半岛。然而，全世界各地的桥梁专家们却认定这个计划纯属天方夜谭，劝说罗布林趁早放弃这个想法。
但是罗布林无法放弃他头脑里这座桥的影子，他首先说服了自己的儿子华盛顿——一个很有前途的工程师，告诉他这座大桥可以建成。首次合作的父子俩开始构思着建桥方案，并一起研究如何克服种种困难。最终，他们成立了项目小组，开始建设他们的梦想之桥。
工程一开始很顺利，然而大桥开工仅几个月，施工现场就发生了灾难性的事故。父亲约翰·罗布林在事故中不幸身亡，华盛顿身受重伤，脑部受损，这导致他丧失了走路、说话的能力，甚至连动都不能动。许多人都以为这项工程会因此而泡汤，因为只有罗布林父子才知道如何把这座大桥建成。尽管如此，华盛顿从没气馁过，他还是怀着满腔热情地想要建成这座大桥，而且他的思维还是如同过去一样敏锐。
他唯一能动的就是一根手指。于是他打算好好利用这一点。通过这根能动的手指，他渐渐开发了一套和他妻子交流的代码。他用那根手指敲击他妻子的手臂，告诉她召集所有的工程师。接着，他又通过同样的方式由妻子把他的设计意图转达给工程师们。
整整13年，华盛顿就这样用一根手指指挥工程，直到雄伟壮观的布鲁克林大桥最终落成。今天，雄伟壮观的布鲁克林大桥巍然屹立，这恰恰是对华盛顿那种坚强不屈的精神和永不服输的决心的赞辞；也是对工程师们和他们团队精神的赞辞，同时也是对他们信赖一个被半个世界认定是疯子的赞辞。
我们在日常生活中所遇到的困难与许多其他人遇到的困难相比，的确不算什么。布鲁克林大桥的建成告诉我们，只要有坚定的信念和持之以恒的决心，不管成功的可能性有多少，那些似乎无法实现的梦想终会实现，即使是最遥不可及的梦想都有可能变成现实！
词汇空间 ocabulary
1.spectacular adj. 壮观的，雄伟的
2.up-and-coming adj. 很有前途的，积极进取的
3.obstacle n. 障碍，阻碍
4.scrap v. 丢弃，抛弃
5.handicap n. 残疾，残缺
6.instruction n. 命令，指令
7.indomitable adj. 不屈服的，不可战胜的
8.hurdle n. 障碍，难关
文化链接 Culture Background
布鲁克林大桥（Brooklyn Bridge）
纽约的布鲁克林大桥横跨纽约东河，连接着布鲁克林区和曼哈顿岛，大桥全长1834米，桥身由上万根钢索吊离水面41米，是当年世界上最长的悬索桥，也是世界上首次以钢材建造的大桥，落成时被认为是继世界古代七大奇迹之后的第八大奇迹，被誉为工业革命时代全世界七个划时代的建筑工程奇迹之一。它是世界桥梁史上的丰碑。建成时，桥墩高达87米，是当时纽约最高建筑物之一。那时候纽约的三大市标就是帝国大厦、自由女神像和布鲁克林大桥。
妙语拾珠
The Brooklyn Bridge shows us that dreams that seem impossible can be realised with determination and persistence， no matter what the odds are. Even the most distant dream can be realized with determination and persistence.
布鲁克林大桥的建成告诉我们，只要有坚定的信念和持之以恒的决心，不管成功的可能性有多少，那些似乎无法实现的梦想终会实现，即使是最遥不可及的梦想都有可能变成现实！