One of my favorite testimonies on this topic came from Ray Allen, a ten-time All-Star in the National Basketball Association and the greatest three-point shooter in the history of that league. Some years back, ESPN columnist Jackie MacMullan wrote an article about Allen as he was approaching his record for most three-point shots made. In talking with Allen for that story, MacMullan mentioned that another basketball commentator had said that Allen was born with a shooting touch—in other words, an innate gift for three-pointers. Allen did not agree.

“I’ve argued this with a lot of people in my life,” he told MacMullan. “When people say God blessed me with a beautiful jump shot, it really pisses me off. I tell those people, ‘Don’t undermine the work I’ve put in every day.’ Not some days. Every day. Ask anyone who has been on a team with me who shoots the most. Go back to Seattle and Milwaukee, and ask them. The answer is me.” And, indeed, as MacMullan noted, if you talk to Allen’s high school basketball coach you will find that Allen’s jump shot was not noticeably better than his teammates’ jump shots back then; in fact, it was poor. But Allen took control, and over time, with hard work and dedication, he transformed his jump shot into one so graceful and natural that people assumed he was born with it. He took advantage of his gift—his real gift.

词汇

1）at one level or another  某种水平上，或多或少地

2）cognitive  adj. 认知的; 认识的

3）buy into  买进，接受

4）lottery  n. 彩票

5）firsthand  adj./adv. 第一手的[地]

6）testimony  n. 证词，证明，证据

7）shooter  n. 射手

8）commentator  n. 评论员

9）a shooting touch  投篮手感

10）innate  adj. 天生的，特有的

11）three-pointer  三分球

12）jump shot  跳投

13）piss somebody off  使…生气，使…厌烦

14）undermine  v. 逐渐削弱，从根基处破坏

15）noticeably  adv. 显著地，明显地

16）dedication  n. 奉献，献身精神