11. perpendicular [?p??p?n?d?kj?l?(r)] adj. 垂直的;成直角的
12. turn over: (因害怕、激動等) (胃里)翻動
13. nauseate [?n??zie?t] vt. 使惡心;使作嘔
14. throb [θr?b] vi. (心臟等)強烈地跳動;搏動;抽痛
15. adrenaline [??dren?l?n] n. 【醫(yī)】腎上腺素
16. vein [ve?n] n. 靜脈;血管
17. blur [bl??(r)] n. 模糊;模糊的東西
18. g-force: G力(由速度或方向的改變所作用于人體或物體的力)
Teachers and supervisors are meant to inspire young people, to challenge them in their thinking while encouraging them to exceed any self-imposed2) confines. For 18-year-old Netherlands native Lotte Lutjes, that was not the case, repeatedly being told "nobody cares and it wont get you anywhere".
"My school generally just doesnt really encourage art and creativity, so as someone who has a passion for those things, I felt unwanted or wrong a lot," Lutjes said in an interview. "Whenever Id mention wanting to do something creative after I graduated, Id always be told not to, or Wow thats such a shame, youre so smart. My supervisor once told me, Please just dont. Go do biology or something useful and keep that other stuff on the side3)."
Unbothered, or rather, keen to shake it off4), Lutjes turned her love of Taylor Swift into actionable inspiration. With assistance from her grandmother (and one trusty sewing machine), she turned some of her favorite Taylor outfits into custom creations all of her own.
"I had seen my grandma sew but I never thought Id be able to learn it," Lutjes said. "I visited my grandma regularly and shed help me out and teach me. I also started experimenting on my own and surprisingly, stuff actually worked. I also decided to start taking sewing lessons closer to home, as my grandma lives two hours away. I still do a lot of experimenting though, I never really know if somethings actually going to turn out the way I had planned."
So why Taylor? According to Lutjes, its all in Taylors message.
"Taylor just has this amazing way of teaching people to follow their heart and dreams, no matter what other people think," she said. "Ive had some issues with that in the past, but thanks to her I feel so much more empowered5). She taught me that there will be people trying to tear you down6), tell you you cant do this and that, youll never make it etc. but as long as you want it and are willing to fight for that goal, you will get there somehow."
Thankfully, her hard work paid off in March 2016 when Taylor herself took notice of the teens handiwork, reblogging one of her looks on Tumblr7) with the caption8) "Lol9) I thought that was me".
Her persistence is particularly noteworthy10) considering that in addition to a lack of inspiring leaders, Lutjes suffers from a disease, a common neurological11) disorder that makes it difficult for her to walk or stand for long periods of time. As a result, sewing garments turned out to be the perfect hobby—especially considering the fact that some of these outfits take months to make.
"The outfits are something different though, as its not just making them and, oh its done, next," Lutjes said. "I can wear them and feel proud and confident, something that can be quite a lot harder when your body doesnt cooperate, and you sometimes feel like it hates you. I also feel less limited now that Ive seen what I can do, disability or not."
As for other young people who might be living with a disability, Lutjes has a message: "Dont let anyone tell you what to do or like youre less valuable than others." She said, "Your passions and actions define you, not your disability. If you love something, go for it and dont let anyone tear you down."
1. from scratch: <口>從頭做起;白手起家
2. self-imposed [?self?m?p??zd] adj. 自己強加的,自愿承擔(dān)的
老師和導(dǎo)師應(yīng)該激勵年輕人,應(yīng)該在質(zhì)疑他們想法的同時鼓勵他們突破自我設(shè)定的各種界限。但對土生土長的18歲荷蘭女孩洛特·盧特耶斯來說,事實卻并非如此,因為老師一次又一次地告訴她:“沒有人會在意,做那些也不會讓你取得什么成就?!?/p>
“我們學(xué)校通常就是不會去真正鼓勵藝術(shù)與創(chuàng)造力,所以,作為一個熱愛藝術(shù)與創(chuàng)造的人,我常常覺得自己不受歡迎,或做得不對,”盧特耶斯在一次采訪中說道,“每當(dāng)我提到自己想在畢業(yè)以后做一些有創(chuàng)意的事情時,總會有人告訴我不要這么做,或?qū)ξ艺f‘哇,真可惜啊,你那么聰明。我的導(dǎo)師曾經(jīng)對我說:‘請你還是別做那些了。去研究生物學(xué)或是去做一些有用的事兒吧,把那些當(dāng)做副業(yè)就好了。”
盧特耶斯對這些話并不在意,或者更確切地說,她一直渴望擺脫這一切,于是,她將自己對泰勒·斯威夫特的愛轉(zhuǎn)化為切實可行的靈感。在奶奶(和一臺靠譜的縫紉機)的幫助下,她把自己最喜歡的泰勒·斯威夫特穿過的幾套服裝變成了她自己專屬的定制設(shè)計作品。
“我曾經(jīng)看過奶奶做縫紉,但從沒想過自己也能學(xué)著做,”盧特耶斯說道,“我常常去看奶奶,她會幫我一把,教我如何做縫紉。我也開始自己嘗試,令人意想不到的是,這些玩意還真的有譜。我還決定開始在離家更近的地方上縫紉課,因為奶奶住的地方離我家有兩個小時的路程。雖然我現(xiàn)在仍然在做大量的嘗試,但我永遠都不會真正知道某件衣服最終是否真的能做成我原本計劃的那樣?!?/p>
那為什么要選擇泰勒呢?按照盧特耶斯的說法,所有這一切都源自泰勒傳達的理念。
“泰勒就是能用那么一種神奇的方法來告訴大家,要聽從自己的內(nèi)心、追逐自己的夢想,不管別人是怎么看的,”她說道,“以前,我也有過一些這方面的問題,但多虧了她,我才覺得自己如今更加自信自立了。她讓我明白,總會有人試圖貶低你,告訴你你做不了這個、做不了那個,你永遠都不會成功之類的話,但只要你想獲得成功,并愿意為那個目標奮斗,你總會想辦法獲得成功的?!?/p>
幸運的是,她的辛勤努力在2016年3月得到了回報——泰勒本人注意到了這位少女的手工作品,在Tumblr上轉(zhuǎn)發(fā)了她的其中一款扮相,還配上了文字:“哈哈哈,我還以為那是我呢?!?/p>
盧特耶斯缺乏能激勵自己的引領(lǐng)者,此外,她還患有一種疾?。ㄟ@是一種常見的神經(jīng)系統(tǒng)紊亂,使她難以長時間地走路或站立),有鑒于此,她的堅持不懈就特別值得注意了。因此,縫制衣服最終成為她最理想的愛好——尤其是考慮到那些服裝有好幾套都要花好幾個月來縫制這一實際情況。”
“然而縫制這些服裝是一件不同尋常的事情,因為它不只是把它們縫制出來,哦,完成了,下一件吧,”盧特耶斯說,“我可以穿上它們,而且感覺非常驕傲、充滿自信。當(dāng)你的身體不配合時,事情就會變得困難得多,有時你會覺得你的身體好像討厭你似的。我還感覺自己沒有那么受限制了,因為不管有沒有殘疾,我都已經(jīng)清楚了自己能做什么。”
對于身體可能有缺陷的其他年輕人,盧特耶斯有幾句話想要告訴大家:“不要讓任何人告訴你你應(yīng)該做什么,或是對你說你不如別人之類的話?!彼f:“你的熱情和行動決定了你能成為一個什么樣的人,而非你的缺陷。如果你熱愛某件事,那就去努力做吧,不要讓任何人貶低你。”