佚名/Anonymous

“Keep staring!I might do a trick!”

That's the message on a T-shirt of mine. People stare at me all the time so I thought this shirt would be funny. See I'm a dwarf.

Most of the time people aren't trying to be rude—they just haven't seen many dwarfs like me before. I can understand that. But I also want to let them know that I see them staring. Usually the T-shirt makes them laugh at themselves not at me.

I was born with achondroplasia, the most common form of dwarfism. I have an average-size torso, but my arms and legs are shorter and my head is bigger than average. Right now I'm almost four feet tall and that's about as tall as I'm going to get. I'm not going to pretend that my height isn't a challenge. It is. Light switches and counters are usually too high for me.

But everyone faces challenges. You just have to face them with agood attitude. So I have a long barbecue fork to pull things down from pantry shelves. I'm a great climber and I can make a stool out of just about anything. I'll even be able to drive a car with the help of pedal extensions. If all else fails, I ask for help.

Due to the way I see it, I can do just about anything that an average-size person can do. So I'll never play professional sports but I have no problem testing my limits. I have to. For instance, everyone uses stoves. Little people just have to fgure out how to use them in different ways. I use a stool to reach mine at home. It may take me longer and it may be harder but I can still do it.

My T-shirt shows people the real me—a kid with a sense of humor. And maybe that's the real trick showing others that I'm just like them. I play sports and video games, I go to school and I hang out with my friends. I'm just shorter. I mean no one is exactly the same. And anyway, I'm proud of who I am.

“看仔细了！我可要变戏法了！”

这是写在我的T恤衫上的一句话。走在街上，人们的目光一直注视着我，于是，我想这件T恤衫一定很有趣。知道吗？我是个小矮人。

很多时候，人们都尽量避免表现得粗鲁——只是以前他们没有见过像我这样的矮个子。我可以理解，但是我也想让他们知道，我看到了他们对我注视的目光。通常，T恤衫上的字会让他们自嘲，而不是取笑我。

我天生软骨发育不全，这是最常见的一种侏儒症。我的身高符合正常人的平均水平，但是，我的胳膊和腿较短，脑袋比一般人的大。现在，我差不多有四英尺高了，这似乎是我最后的身高。我不想假装身高的问题不是对我的一个挑战，因为它的确是。电灯开关和柜台对我来说，实在是太高了。

但是，每个人都要面对挑战。你需要用一种良好的态度去面对它们。于是，我用长长的烤肉叉把想要的东西从食品室的架子上钩下来。我是一个攀爬高手，我可以用任何东西做跳板。我甚至可以借助踏板来开车。如果任何方法都不奏效的话，我就会寻求帮助。

正是由于我这种看问题的态度，我才能做任何正常人能够做的事情。因此，尽管我从来没有参加过职业的体育运动，但是在考验我的极限时，我没有任何问题。我不得不这样做。比如，人人都使用炉子。我们个子矮小的人就得想出不同的方法来使用它。在家里，我踩在凳子上来使用它。这样的话，可能会花费我更多的时间，或许难度也会更大，但是我依然能够做到。

我的T恤衫向人们展示了一个真实的自我——一个幽默的孩子。也许我这样做的真正意图是展示给人们看，我和他们没有什么区别。我可以运动、打电子游戏，可以上学、和朋友们一起逛街。我只是身材矮小罢了。我是说，这个世界上没有谁和别人是一模一样的。不管怎样，我为我自己感到骄傲。

W词汇笔记

stare['st??]v.凝视；目不转睛

例 I returned to my seat, staring into daylight that was darkness for me.

我回到座位上，盯着对我来说是一片黑暗的白昼。

achondroplasia[ei, k?ndr?'plei?i?]n.软骨发育不全

例 Like most achondroplasia dwarfs, I have two average-height parents, as well as an average-height brother.

像大多数患有软骨发育不全症的侏儒一样，我的父母身高正常，我的兄弟也很正常。

torso['t?:s??]n.（人体的）躯干

例 The muscles of the torso stabilize the spine and provide a solid foundation for movement in the extremities.

躯干肌肉对脊骨起到稳定作用，并且为四肢的运动提供了坚实的基础。

professional[pr?'fe??n?l]adj.职业的；专业的

例 The normalization of the professional work and the information is the basis of urban planning administration.

业务的规范化和信息的规范化是城市规划管理信息系统的基础性工作。

S小试身手

但是，每个人都要面对挑战。你需要用一种良好的态度去面对它们。

译________________________________________

正是由于我这种看问题的态度，我才能做任何正常人能够做的事情。

译________________________________________

这个世界上没有谁和别人是一模一样的。

译________________________________________

P短语家族

Keep staring!I might do a trick!

do a trick：玩把戏；变戏法

造________________________________________

For instance, everyone uses stoves. Little people just have to figure out how to use them in different ways.

figure out：想出；算出

造________________________________________