俄国作家列夫·托尔斯泰曾说过：“决心即力量，信心即成功。”决心的力量远比我们想象中的大得多。美国著名田径运动员、1936年柏林奥运会 1500米银牌得主glenn v.cunningham便是一个很好的例证。

    the little country schoolhouse was heated by an old-fashioned, pot-bellied stove. a little boy had the job of coming to school early each day to start the fire and warm the room before his teacher and his classmates arrived.

    one morning they arrived to find the schoolhouse engulfed¹⁾ in flames. they dragged the unconscious little boy out of the flaming building more dead than alive. he had major burns over the lower half of his body and was taken to the nearby county hospital.

    from his bed the dreadfully burned, semi-conscious little boy faintly heard the doctor talking to his mother. the doctor told his mother that her son would surely die— which was for the best, really—for the terrible fire had devastated²⁾ the lower half of his body.

    but the brave boy didn't want to die. he made up his mind that he would survive. somehow, to the amazement of the physician, he did survive. when the mortal³⁾ danger was past, he again heard the doctor and his mother speaking quietly. the mother was told that since the fire had destroyed so much flesh in the lower part of his body, it would almost be better if he had died, since he was doomed to be a lifetime cripple with no use at all of his lower limbs.

    once more the brave boy made up his mind. he would not be a cripple. he would walk. but unfortunately from the waist down, he had no motor⁴⁾ ability. his thin legs just dangled there, all but lifeless.

    ultimately he was released from the hospital. every day his mother would massage⁵⁾ his little legs, but there was no feeling, no control, nothing. yet his determination that he would walk was as strong as ever.

    when he wasn't in bed, he was confined to a wheelchair. one sunny day his mother wheeled him out into the yard to get some fresh air. this day, instead of sitting there, he threw himself from the chair. he pulled himself across the grass, dragging his legs behind him. 

    he worked his way to the white picket⁶⁾ fence bordering their lot. with great effort, he raised himself up on the fence. then, stake⁷⁾ by stake, he began dragging himself along the fence, resolved that he would walk. he started to do this every day until he wore a smooth path all around the yard beside the fence. there was nothing he wanted more than to develop life in those legs.

    ultimately through his daily massages, his iron persistence and his resolute determination, he did develop the ability to stand up, then to walk haltingly⁸⁾, then to walk by himself—and then—to run.

    he began to walk to school, then to run to school, to run for the sheer joy of running. later in college he made the track team.

    still later in madison square garden⁹⁾ this young man who was not expected to survive, who would surely never walk, who could never hope to run—this determined young man, dr. glenn cunningham, ran the world's fastest mile! 

    那所小小的乡村小学依靠一个旧式的圆肚火炉取暖。一个小男孩负责每天早晨提前到校，在他的老师和同学们来到之前，生好炉子，把教室烘得暖暖的。

    一天早晨，老师和同学们来到学校之后，发现校舍被一片火海吞没。他们从着火的校舍里把那个不省人事、几乎已经死了的小男孩拖了出来。他的下半身严重烧伤，人们立刻把他送到附近的乡村医院里。

    这个被严重烧伤、处于昏迷状态的小男孩躺在他的病床上，模模糊糊地听到医生正在和他的母亲说话。医生告诉母亲她的儿子必死无疑了——那样也许最好，真的——因为可怕的大火已经毁坏了他的下半身。

    可是，这个勇敢的小男孩不想死。他决心活下来。令那位医生感到惊讶地是，不知何故，他真的活下来了。在他的危险期过去之后，他又听到那位医生在和他的母亲低声交谈。他的母亲被告知，大火烧坏了他下半身太多的肌肉，他还不如死了算了，因为他下肢根本就无法运动，注定只能一生残疾。

    这个勇敢的小男孩再一次下定了决心。他不会成为一个残疾人。他要走路。但是不幸的是，他腰部以下的部位，完全不能动弹。他的两条细腿只是悬在那儿，没有一点儿生命的迹象。

    终于，他出院了。他的母亲每天都会给他的两条细腿做按摩，但是，他完全感觉不到，也不能控制双腿，什么也不能做。可他要走路的决心仍然像以前一样坚定。

    他没躺在床上的时候，就坐在一辆轮椅里。在一个阳光明媚的日子里，他的母亲用轮椅把他推到户外的院子里呼吸新鲜空气。这一天，他没有像往常一样坐在那儿，而是从轮椅上扑到了地上。身后拖着自己的两条腿，他爬过了草坪。

    他一直爬到围着他家院子的白色尖桩篱栅处，使出浑身的力气，扶着篱栅站了起来。然后，他拖着自己的双腿沿着那道篱栅一个篱笆桩一个篱笆桩地挪动，下定决心自己一定要能走路。从那天开始，他每天都这样做，后来，在那道篱栅的旁边，被他磨出了一条绕院子一圈的光滑小路。他唯一希望的事情就是在他的双腿里注入生命。

    终于，在他的每日按摩、钢铁一样的意志和坚定的决心的共同作用下，他真的能够站起来了；接着，他开始一瘸一拐地行走；然后，他可以稳稳当当地自己走路；再后来，他甚至可以跑步了。

    他开始走路去学校，然后是奔跑着去学校，因为奔跑会给他带来纯粹的喜悦。后来，在上大学之后，他还参加了田径队。  
    再之后，在麦迪逊广场花园，这个先是被认为无法生还、继而又被判定不能行走更没有希望跑步的年轻人——这个有决心的年轻人，格伦•坎宁安博士，跑出了世界最快的速度！
     

1.       engulf vt. 吞没，淹没；使陷入

2.       devastate vt. 破坏

3.       mortal adj. 致死的，致命的

4.       motor  adj. 【生理】(把神经中枢的冲动传递给肌肉或器官而)引起运动的

5.       massage vt. 对……按摩；对……推拿

6.       picket n. (拴牲口、作篱笆等用的)尖木桩，尖板条

7.       stake  n. 桩；篱笆桩

8.       haltingly adv. 跛地，蹒跚地

9.       madison square garden: 麦迪逊广场花园，位于纽约曼哈顿区，是美国著名的室内体育馆。1879年5月被正式命名为麦迪逊广场花园。这里最初以举办各大田径赛事而闻名，同时还是一座拥有5600个座位的戏院，曾被称为“派拉蒙”，是纽约市举办各种音乐会、拳击比赛的重要场所。glenn cunningham在这里参加过多达31常的室内一公里赛跑，并在其中的21场都取得了不错的成绩。