Once I spoke at a high school. After the speech, I was asked to see a special student. An illness had kept the boy home, but he had expressed an interest in meeting me, and it would mean a great deal to him. I agreed. He was Matthew. When he was born, the doctor told his parents that he would not live to see five, then they were told he would not make it to ten. Now he was thirteen. He wanted to meet me because I was a gold-medal weight lifter, and I knew about overcoming obstacles and going for my dreams. I spent over an hour talking to Matthew. Never once did he complain. He spoke about winning and succeeding and going for his dreams. Obviously, he knew what he was talking about. He just talked about his hopes for the future, and how one day he wanted to lift weight with me. When we finished talking, I went to my briefcase and pulled out the first gold medal I won and put it around his neck. I told him he was more of a winner and knew more about success and overcoming obstacles than I ever would. He looked at it for a moment, then took it off and handed it back to me. He said, "You are a champion. You earned that medal. Someday when I get to the Olympics and win my own medal, I will show it to you." Last summer I got the news that Matthew had passed away and a letter Matthew had written me a few days before: Dear Rick, My mom said I should send you a thank-you letter for the picture you sent me. The doctors tell me that I don't have long to live any more. But I still smile as much as I can. I told you some day I was going to the Olympics and win a gold medal. But I know now I'll never make it. But I know I'm a champion, and God knows that too. When I get to Heaven, God will give me my medal and when you get there, I will show it to you. Thank you for loving me. Your friend, Matthew Why did the boy refuse the author's medal? A) . He thought he was not worthy of it. B) Rick looked on the medal as treasure. C) The gold medal was very dear to Rick. D) He didn't want to be pitied by others.
D
Dear Mrs.Denner, Over the past five months, your husband has been causing quite a commotion in our store. Our complaints against Mr.Denner are listed below: July 2:Set all the alarm clocks in house-wares to go off at 5-minute intervals . July 7: Made a trail of tomato juice on the floor leading to the women's restroom. August 4: Took a bag of _ from the candy shelf and handed out to the passing children to eat. September 14:Moved a "CAUTION--WET FLOOR" sign to a carpeted area. September 15: Set up a tent in the camping department and told other shoppers he'd invite them in if they would bring pillows and blankets from the bedding department. September 23:When a clerk asked if they could help him ,he began crying and screamed,"Why can't you people just leave me alone?" October 4: Looked right into the security camera and used it as a mirror while he picked his nose. November 10: While handling guns in the hunting department, he asked the clerk where the antidepressants were. December 3:Darted around the store while loudly humming the "Mission Impossible" theme. December 6:In the auto department, he practiced his "Madonna look" by using different sizes of funnels. December 18:Hid in a clothing rack and when people looked through, yelled "PICK ME!PICK ME!" December 21:When an announcement came over the loud speaker, he assumed a fatal position and screamed "OH NO!IT'S THOSE VOICES AGAIN!" December 23:Went into a fitting room , shut the door, waited a while, and then yelled very loudly,"Hey! There's no toilet paper in here!" Our video surveillance cameras recorded all these. Never once did our reminding and warning work and therefore we are forced to ban him from the store. Regards, Wal-Mart How did the market get to know about Mr.Denner's strange behavior? A) From other shoppers. B) Through the cameras of the market. C) From the shop assistants. D) By talking with Mr.Denner.
B
Paula Radcliffe, chasing a third London marathon title , says she has became a stronger person after her terrible experience at the 2004 Athens Gaines. Radcliffe, who failed to complete the Olympic marathon and the 10,000m last August, said: "Athens made me a stronger person and it made me care less about criticism " "In the past I wanted to please everyone, but now I am going to listen even more to the people around me." She didn't care about criticism made at the weekend by Liz McColgan, who felt Radcliffe should have rested and let her body recover after her failure inprefix = st1 /Athens. "Liz is someone I look up to but she hasn't spoken to me since last year and if she really eared for me, I'm sure she would have contacted me." Instead Radcliffe won the New York City marathon just 11 weeks afterAthens. "In New York I wasn't in my best state but I did know I was good enough to win the Radcliffe insisted her only goal in Sunday's race would be winning a third title and not chasing world records. However, RadcIiffe has not ruled out m the future chasing her "final" world record time and questioned sayings that marathon runners have the ability in their career to produce only four or five world-class times. "I don't think that -- although _ ," said. RadcLiffe. "That changes from person to person." Radcliffe is sure she can better her winning London 2003 performance at some point in the future. Following a successful three-month training period in theUnited States, the 31-year-old will chase a third title on Sunday after her first victory in 2O02 and again 12 months later. Radcliffe clocked a time of 2:18:56 in her first 42.2-kdnmetre race three years ago. Afterwards she set a "mixed course" mark of 2:17:18 five months later In Chicago before lowering that to a time of 2:15:25 m the 2003Londonevent. What can we learn from Radcliffe's story? A) Practice makes perfect. B) Well begun is half done. C) A friend in need is a fried indeed. D) Where there is a will there is a way.
D