It had been a difficult move. I’d left my
family and friends in Indiana, the beloved state where I’d lived most of my
life. My new home in Florida was thousands of miles away from anything I knew.
It was hot—all the time. Jobs were hard to come by, but I was up for almost any
challenge.
At last, I taught in a special school where students
have severe learning and behavioral difficulties.
Another teacher and I had spent weeks teaching the
children appropriate behavior for public outings. Unexpectedly, only a few
students, including Kyle, had not earned the privilege of going. He was determined
to make his disappointment known.
In the corridor(走廊) between
classrooms, he began screaming, cursing, spitting, and swinging at anything
within striking distance. Once his outburst died down, he did what he’d done
when he was angry at all his other schools, at home, even once at a juvenile
detention(拘留)center. He ran.
People watched in disbelief as Kyle dashed straight
into the heavy morning traffic in front of the school.
I heard someone shout, “Call the police!”
But I ran after him.
Kyle was at least a foot taller than me. And he was
fast. His older brothers were track stars at the nearby high school. But I
could run long distances without tiring. I would at least be able to keep him
in my sight and know he was alive.
After several blocks of running directly into oncoming
traffic, Kyle slowed his pace.
He took a sharp left. Standing next to a trash bin,
Kyle bent over with his hands on his knees. I must have looked ridiculous. But
his was not a look of fear. I saw his body relax. He did not attempt to run
again. Kyle stood still and watched me approach. I had no idea what I was going
to say or do, but I kept walking closer.
He opened his mouth to speak when a police car pulled
up, abruptly filling the space between Kyle and me. The school principal and an
officer got out. They spoke calmly to Kyle, who willingly climbed into the back
of the vehicle. I couldn’t hear what was said, but I didn’t take my eyes off
Kyle’s face, even as they drove away.
I couldn’t help but feel that I had failed him, that I
should have done or said more, that I should have fixed the situation.
I shared my feelings with a speech therapist who was
familiar with Kyle’s history. “No one ever ran after him before, Rachel,” she
said. “No one. They just let him go.”
Things changed the day he ran and I ran after him,
even though I didn’t have the right words, even though I wasn’t able to save
him from the mess he was in. It was the day I didn’t throw my hands in the air
and decide he was too fast, a waste of time and effort , a lost cause. It was
the day my mere presence was enough to make a profound difference.
1.From the passage we know that _____.
A. the author left her family to Florida because jobs
were hard to come by in Indiana.
B. students were allowed to go out after they passed
some specific tests.
C. the author worked in a school where students were
excellent.
D. no teacher had ever run after Kyle before except
the author .
2.Which of the following description about Kyle is not
true?
A. He had some behavioral difficulties and once moved
from one detention to another.
B. He used to run out to let out his anger when he was
in school,home or juvenile detention.
C. Different from his brothers, he learned in a
special school while not a normal high school.
D. He was moved by his teacher who treated him with
more patience and understanding.
3.Which is the correct order of the trace?
①He burst out
when he knew he couldn’t go out.
②I decided to
run after him.
③Kyle stoppped
beside a trash bin.
④A police car
came and Kyle left with it.
⑤He rushed
into the heavy morning traffic.
⑥Kyle slowed
his pace.
⑦I walked
toward Kyle.
A. ①⑤②⑥③⑦④
B. ①⑤②④⑥⑦③
C. ⑤④②⑥③⑦①
D. ①②⑥⑦③④⑤
4.What is the best title of the passage?
A. Kyle, a Boy with Learning and Behavior Difficulties.
B. The Teacher Who Ran.
C. A School with Special Students.
D. A Terrible Conflict.
