名人教你讲英文：Helen Keller — Ill-fated 命运坎坷的海伦凯勒

名人教英文：helen keller — ill-fated 命运坎坷的海伦凯勒

when helen keller fell ill with a terrible fever as a toddler (幼童), she was left blind and deaf. most people had little hope that helen would have a productive life. but helen reached out for education and a full life. in doing so, she forever changed the way disabled people are seen. helen was a trailblazer (先驱). she showed america and the world that physical disabilities (残障) matter less than a courageous heart and spirit.

helen adams keller was born on 27 june 1880. she was born in tuscumbia, alabama, a small country town. her father, arthur henley keller, was a veteran (退伍士兵) of the civil war. he later became a cotton plantation owner and editor of the local newspaper, the alabamian.

arthur keller was a widower (鳏夫) with two sons when he married kate adams. kate helped her husband run the plantation. to supplement (帮补) the family finances, she made her own butter, lard, bacon, and ham. helen was the couple's first child. she was a bright, active baby, who spoke at six months of age. at a year old, she could walk.
when her mother was bathing her one day, helen was fascinated by an object that was far away from her. she slid off her mother's lap and went running to get it. she learned to walk and run at an early age. little helen startled visitors by calling out words like "wah-wah" for water while still a baby.

in february 1882, when helen was nineteen months old, she became sick and feverish. the fever worsened. her parents feared she would die. it was probably either meningitis (脑膜炎) or scarlet fever (猩红热). helen was desperately ill for several days. but the fever went away and she recovered. however, there were frightening indications that she had lost her hearing and her sight. when the dinner bell rang, helen did not respond. when her mother passed her hand in front of helen's face, the child did not seem to notice. it was obvious that she was blind and deaf as a result of the illness.