胡敏读故事记单词托福词汇236

（单词翻译）

　　Former football glory
For one season in the national football league , I was in the zone.
It's not one of those things that you can explain.
That one year as a running back with the miami dolphins , I was zig zagging past defendors almost effortlessly.
I had zest¹ and pizzazz.
I had a right sense of humour , that the press just loved.
Then after that season , it was like I couldnt play anymore.
I don't know what happened.
I knew i wasn't my ususal zealous³ self.
The zeal² i had previously⁴ possessed⁵ for football was gone.
I didn't hate it.
I just wasn't in love with the game anymore.
The zenith of my career came and went like a lightning bolt.
At one time just the mention of football produced a smile on my face , later the best I could do was yawn.
After two more years in the NFL , in which I yielded no memorable⁶ performances at all.
I quit and went back home.
I suppose I could have rung my hands and cried , letting out a big yelp⁷ of depression , but that wouldn't have helped anything.
I was lucky and that I had made some good money during the three years that I had spent as a professional athlete.
I wasnt stupid like someguys .
They spent all the money even before it arrives.
I wasn't going to do that.
I had my mother to take care of.
she took care of me when I was young by stringing together bits of yarn⁸ to make mittens⁹ for children.
She looked after me dearly and always encouraged my football career.
She was the yolk¹⁰ at the centre of our family's egg.
It was now time for me to take care of her and her old age.
I bought her a nice house in a rural area , by some beautiful mountains.
She loves it and so do I.
We live a simple life.
Its a long way from the fame of glory from the NFL.
But I will take it.
Sure sometimes I yearn¹¹ for my glory days on the grid¹² iron.
But I know that will never be again.
I can be happy that I atleast made a wrinkle , however small in the world of professional sports.
I will always be mentioned in the history books and thats good enough for me.