It was my first year teaching in a special class, and
I wasn’t sure what to expect at our yearly Special Olympics sports meeting. My
had some challenges, from learning disabilities to
cerebral palsy (腦癱).
Mark was one with the latter. Restricted to a ,
he had to fight his spasms (抽搐) just to control his
movements. , he always had a positive attitude
and greeted everyone with a huge smile. His classmates him
and always took the time to make sure he was included in group activities, especially
Mike, Andy and Lucas, three boys who were good at
. Obviously, Mark wanted to be like them,
unrestricted by the limitation of his ,
and watching them moving on the playing field seemed to fill him with .
When the day came, Mike, Andy and Lucas placed well in
their sports events, and gave the calm audience something to cheer about. Mark
sat in his wheelchair on the sidelines, them
on. The final event of the day was the 400-meter race. was
invited to either walk or run, according to their ability, around the length
of the track.
When Mike, Andy and Lucas reached the finish line,
they and turned to look behind them.
At the of the crowd on the track,
determined not to be left behind, was Mark. All his classmates had him.
He was alone on the track with over half the distance left to
. Mike, Andy and Lucas looked at each other, and a silent passed
between them. Slowly, they jogged towards
their friend, cheering him on he had
done for them moments before.
The progress was ,
but in the end the three star runners and Mark the
finish line together to the enthusiastic cries of their teachers and
classmates. Seeing the look on Mark’s face and hands upraised, I came to
understand what the Special
Olympics.
Years later, I’m
still cheering them on.
1.A. students B. friends
C. partners D. classmates
2.A. bed
B. machine
C. desk D. wheelchair
3.A. Thus
B. However C. Otherwise D. Besides
4.A. protected B. satisfied
C. loved D. cared
5.A. expression
B. practice C. studies D.
sports
6.A. interests B.
habits C. body
D. mind
7.A. trust B.
admiration C. fear D. worry
8.A. bringing B. cheering
C. holding D. moving
9.A. Someone B.
Everyone C. Anybody D. Nobody
10.A. average B. different
C. entire D. extra
11.A. fell B.
rested C . hurried
D. paused
12.A. end B. front
C. center D. top
13.A. left B. ignored
C. passed D. helped
14.A. run B. jog
C. cover D. walk
15.A. demand B.
relief C. action
D. thought
16.A. back B. along
C. again D. on
17.A. while
B. although C. since
D. as
18.A. slow
B. great C.
boring D. relaxing
19.A. crossed B.
arrived C.
rushed D. got
20.A. left B. made
C. kept D. found