After giving a talk at a high school, I was asked to
pay a visit to a special student. An illness had kept the boy home, but he had
expressed an interest in meeting me. I was told it would mean a great deal to
him, so I agreed.
During the nine-mile drive to his home, I found out
something about Matthew. He had muscular dystrophy (肌肉萎縮癥). When he was born, the doctor told his parents that
he would not live to five, and 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 power
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 or ask, “Why me?” He spoke about winning and succeeding and
going for his dreams. Obviously, he knew what he was talking about. He didn’t
mention that his classmates had made fun of him because he was different. He
just talked about his hopes for the future, and how one day he wanted to lift
weights with me. When we had finished talking, I went to my briefcase and
pulled out the first gold medal I had 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 received a letter from Matthew’s parents
telling me that Matthew had passed away. They wanted me to have a letter he had
written to me a few days before:
Dear Dick,
My mum said I should send you a thank-you letter for
the picture you sent me. I also want to let you know that 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 someday that I would go to the Olympics and
win a gold medal, but I know now I will never get to do that. However, 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
1.The boy looked forward to meeting the author because
_________.
A.he was one of
the author’s fans
B.he wanted to
get to the Olympics and win a medal
C.he was also
good at weight lifting
D.he admired
the author for his courage very much
2.From the passage we learn that _________.
A.Matthew was
an athlete
B.Matthew was
an optimistic and determined boy
C.The author
used to have the same disease as Matthew had
D.Matthew
became a champion before he died
3.Matthew didn’t accept the author’s medal because
_________.
A.he thought it
was too expensive
B.he was sure
that he could win one in the future
C.he thought it
was of no use to him as he would die soon
D.he would not
be pitied by others
4.What would be the best title for this passage?
A.A sick boy. B.A special
friend. C.A real
champion. D.A famous
athlete.