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大学英语综合教程course2 unit5

Unit 5

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Can you imagine a person without legs can dive, drive and compete in sports? We are going to listen to a recording about just such a legless superman in Australia. Complete the following statements according to what you have heard.

The following words in the recording may be new to you:

modify vt. 改动> deformed a. 畸形的champion n. 冠军> cricket n. 板球certificate n. 证书> ovation n. 热烈鼓掌handicapped a. 残疾的bully vt. 威吓,欺侮

severely handicapped.

hello test

Keys

1. a normal life

2. the tennis championship; certificates

3. has visited; spoken

4. an internationally famous inspirational speaker Script

John Coutis has only half a body. He has no legs, no bottom, but leads a normal life. He is married, drives a car and gets around on a modified skateboard.

Born with a severe disability, the doctor claimed that he could not survive a second day, as his legs were not only deformed but his size was no bigger than a coke bottle. At 16, his legs had to be removed. At 19, due to the spread of cancer cells, doctors believed he had only one or two years to live. But John refused to die and started his struggle with the cancer. He not only won the tennis championship in the Australian Handicapped Sports Meet, but also obtained certificates in cricket and football. In June 2006 he married a beautiful girl, Rene, who brought him a son. He now has a happy family. He says he has two goals, to be the best husband and to be a good father.

Now 38, John is an internationally famous inspirational speaker on overcoming handicaps. He has traveled throughout Australia and all over the world. He has climbed the Great Wall and spoken in 105 cities in China alone, inspiring people of all ages to achieve. He had been invited to such conferences as the World Masters of Business Seminars and received standing ovations for his inspirational speeches. He plays an important role in Australian schools and youth leadership programs by being invited to speak on topics such as anti-bullying, overcoming challenges and treating people as you wish to be treated.

His miraculous experiences tell us that nothing is impossible

R T Look at the following two sayings and then see if the story of Michael Stone bears out the points they make.

The greater the obstacle, the more glory in overcoming it.

— Molière When it is dark enough, you can see the stars.

— Charles A. Beard

读一读以下两则名言,想一想迈克尔·斯通的故事是否印证了其间的道理。

障碍越是巨大,逾越它也就越感自豪。

——莫里哀

只有天空漆黑时,你才可以看到星星。

——查尔斯·A·比尔德

True HeightDavid Naster

R T 1. His palms were sweating. He needed a towel to dry his grip. The sun was as hot as the competition he faced today at the National Junior Olympics. The pole was set at 17 feet. That was three inches higher than his personal best. Michael Stone confronted the most challenging day of his pole-vaulting career.

真正的高度

大卫·纳史特

他手心在出汗。他需要用毛巾把握竿的手擦干。太阳火辣辣的,与他今天在全国少年奥林匹克运动会上所面临的竞争一样火热。横杆升到了17英尺。比他个人的最高纪录高出3英寸。迈克尔·斯通面临的是其撑竿跳高生涯中最具挑战性的一天。

2. The stands were still filled with about 20,000 people, even though the final race had ended an hour earlier. The pole vault is truly the highlight of any track and field competition. It combines the grace of a gymnast with the strength of a body builder. It also has the element of flying, and the thought of flying as high as a two-story building is a mere fantasy to anyone watching such an event.

尽管赛跑决赛一小时前就已经结束,看台上仍然观众满座,足有20,000人上下。撑竿跳高确实是所有田径比赛中最精彩的项目。它融合了体操运动员的优雅与健美运动员的力量。它还具有飞翔的特征,对观看该项目比赛的观众来说,飞跃两层楼的高度简直是一件不可思议的事情。

T 3. As long as Michael could remember he had always dreamed of flying. Michael's mother read him numerous stories about flying when he was growing up. Her stories were always ones that described the land from a bird's-eye view. Her excitement and passion for details made Michael's dreams full of color and

beauty. Michael had this one recurring dream. He would be running down a country road. As he raced between golden wheat fields, he would always outrun the locomotives passing by. It was at the exact moment he took a deep

breath that he began to lift off the ground. He would begin soaring like an eagle.

迈克尔自从能记事起就一直梦想着飞翔。从小到大,母亲给迈克尔念过无数关于飞翔的故事。她的故事总是从高空俯瞰描述大地。她对细节的激情和酷爱使得迈克尔的梦境色彩缤纷、绚丽无比。迈克尔总是重复做着一个梦。他在乡间大路上飞奔。当他奔跑在金色的麦田之间时,总是把开过的机车一路甩在身后。就在他深深吸上一口气的瞬间,他开始从地面一跃而起,就像一头雄鹰那样开始翱翔。

4. Where he flew would always coincide with his mother's stories. Wherever

he flew was with a keen eye for detail and the free spirit of his mother's love. His dad, on the other hand, was not a dreamer. Bert Stone was a hard-core realist. He believed in hard work and sweat. His motto: If you want something, work for it!

他飞越的都是母亲故事里描述的地方。无论他飞向何方,他都怀着母爱所赐予他的自由精神,用敏锐的目光观察入微。可他的父亲却不是个梦想家。伯特·斯通是个彻头彻尾的现实主义者。他信奉的是努力与苦干。他的格言是:要想有所收获,就得努力工作!

R T 5. From the age of 14, Michael did just that. He began a very careful training program. He worked out every other day with weightlifting, with some kind of running work on alternate days. The program was carefully monitored by Michael's coach, trainer and father. Michael's dedication, determination and discipline was a coach's dream. Besides being an honor student and only child, Michael Stone continued to help his parents with their farm https://www.doczj.com/doc/dc11021109.html,dred Stone, Michael's mother, wished he could relax a bit more and be that "free dreaming" little boy. On one occasion she attempted to talk to him and his father about this, but his dad quickly interrupted, smiled and said, "You want something, work for it!"

从14岁起,迈克尔就是这么做的。他开始按非常周密的计划训练。他每隔一天进行举重训练,其他的日子做些跑步训练。训练计划由迈克尔的教练、训练员兼父亲严加督导。迈克尔的投入、执着、自律正是每一个教练所梦寐以求的。迈克尔在学校是位优秀生,在家是个独生子,但他仍帮助父母在自家的农场上干些杂活。迈克尔的母亲米尔德里德·斯通希望他能更放松些,还是做那个“自由幻想”的小男孩。有一次,她试图跟他及其父亲好好谈一下,可当父亲的马上就打断了她,笑着说:“要想有所收获,就得努力工作!”

R T 6. All of Michael's vaults today seemed to be the reward for his hard work. If Michael Stone was surprised, excited or vain about clearing the bar at 17 feet, you couldn't tell. As soon as he landed on the inflated landing mat, and with the crowd on its feet, Michael immediately began preparing for his next attempt at flight. He seemed unaware of the fact that he had just beaten his personal best

by three inches and that he was one of the final two competitors in the

pole-vaulting event at the National Junior Olympics.

迈克尔今天跃过的所有高度显然都是对他刻苦努力的回报。迈克尔·斯通在成功跃过17英尺的横杆时是感到惊讶、激动还是得意,人们无从知晓。迈克尔身体刚刚落在充气垫上,观众还没坐下,他马上就开始准备下一次飞跃。他似乎并未意识到自己刚刚把个人最好成绩提高了3英寸,已经是全国少年奥林匹克运动会撑竿跳高项目最后两名决赛者之一。

7. When Michael cleared the bar at 17 feet 2 inches and 17 feet 4 inches, again he showed no emotion. As he lay on his back and heard the crowd groan, he knew the other vaulter had missed his final jump. He knew it was time for his final jump. Since the other vaulter had fewer misses, Michael needed to clear this vault to win. A miss would get him second place. Nothing to be ashamed of, but Michael would not allow himself the thought of not winning first place.

当迈克尔成功跃过17英尺2英寸和17英尺4英寸高度的横杆时,他仍没有流露出丝毫感情。他仰面躺着,听到观众在叹息,他知道另一位撑竿跳运动员最后一跳没有成功。他知道自己最后一跳的时刻到了。由于那位运动员失败次数较少,迈克尔这一跳只有成功才能获胜。这一次跳不过就会使自己落到第二名。那也丝毫无愧,但迈克尔决不让自己产生哪怕一丝与冠军无缘的念头

R T 8. He rolled over and did his routine of three finger-tipped push-ups. He found his pole, stood and stepped on the runway that led to the most challenging event of his 17-year-old life.

他翻了个身,照例指尖撑地做了三下俯卧撑。他找着了撑竿,站起身,踏上那引向其17年生命中最具挑战性的一跃的跑道。

R T 9. The runway felt different this time. It startled him for a brief moment.

Then it all hit him like a wet bale of hay. The bar was set at nine inches higher than his personal best. That's only one inch off the National record, he thought. The intensity of the moment filled his mind with anxiety. He began shaking the tension. It wasn't working. He became more tense. Why was this happening to him now, he thought. He began to get nervous. Afraid would be a more

accurate description. What was he going to do? He had never experienced these feelings. Then out of nowhere, and from the deepest depths of his soul, he pictured his mother. Why now? What was his mother doing in his thoughts at a time like this? It was simple. His mother always used to tell him when you felt tense, anxious or even scared, take deep breaths.

这一回,那跑道显得有些异样。刹那间,他感到一阵惊吓。一种惶惑不安的感觉向他袭来。横杆升到高出他个人最高纪录9英寸的高度。他想,这一高度与全国纪录只差1英寸了。这一刻紧张异常,他感到焦虑不安。他想摆脱紧张情绪。没有用。他更紧张了。在这种时刻怎么会这样呢,他暗暗思忖着。他有点胆怯起来。说是恐惧也许更为恰当。怎么办?他以前从来不曾有过这种感觉。这时,不知不觉地,在内心最深处,出现了他母亲的身影。为什么

是在这一刻?记忆中,母亲在这种时刻会怎样做呢?很简单。母亲过去总跟他说,当你觉得紧张、焦虑、甚至害怕的时候,就深深地吸气。

R T 10. So he did. Along with shaking the tension from his legs, he gently laid his pole at his feet. He began to stretch out his arms and upper body. The light breeze that was once there was now gone. He carefully picked up his pole. He felt his heart pounding. He was sure the crowd did, too. The silence was deafening. When he heard the singing of some distant birds in flight, he knew it was his time to fly.

于是他深深吸了一口气。在摆脱腿部肌肉紧张的同时,他轻轻地把撑竿放在脚边。他开始舒展双臂和上身。刚才飘过一阵轻风,此刻消失了。他小心翼翼地拿起撑竿,只觉得心怦怦在跳。他相信观众们的心也在怦怦跳动。场上鸦雀无声,令人透不过气来。当他听见远处飞鸟啼鸣时,他知道,自己飞身起跃的时刻到了。

R T 11. As he began sprinting down the runway, something felt wonderfully different, yet familiar. The surface below him felt like the country road he used to dream about. Visions of the golden wheat fields seemed to fill his thoughts. When he took a deep breath, it happened. He began to fly. His take-off was effortless. Michael Stone was now flying, just like in his childhood dreams.

Only this time he knew he wasn't dreaming. This was real. Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion. The air around him was the purest and freshest he had ever sensed. Michael was soaring like an eagle.

他沿着跑道起跑冲刺,那感觉奇特无比,妙不可言,而又似曾相识。脚下的地面就好似过去常常梦见的乡间大路。金色麦田的景象映现在他的脑海中。他深深吸了一口气,于是奇迹发生了。他飞起来了。他的起跳轻松自如。迈克尔·斯通此刻就像儿时梦境中的那般在飞行。不过这一次他知道自己不是在做梦。这一次他真的在飞。周围一切都似乎在缓缓移动。他感到周围空气从未像这样纯净清新。如同一头雄鹰,迈克尔在翱翔。

12. It was either the eruption of the people in the stands or the thump of his landing that brought Michael back to earth. On his back with that wonderful hot sun on his face, he knew he could only see in his mind's eye the smile on his mother's face. He knew his dad was probably smiling too, even laughing.

What he didn't know was that his dad was hugging his wife and crying. That's right: Bert "If You Want It, Work For It" Stone was crying like a baby in his wife's arms. He was crying harder than Mildred had ever seen before. She also knew he was crying the greatest tears of all: tears of pride. Michael was immediately surrounded by people hugging and congratulating him on the greatest accomplishment of his life. He later went on that day to clear 17 feet 61/2 inches: a National and International Junior Olympics record.

或许是看台上人们爆发出的欢呼声,或许是他着地时嘭的一声响使迈克尔回到现实之中。他仰面躺着,明媚的骄阳映照着他的脸。他知道自己只能想像母亲的笑靥,他知道爸爸或许也在微笑,甚或欢声大笑。他不知道的是,他爸爸正与妻子相拥而泣。没错,这位“要想有所

收获,就得努力工作”的伯特·斯通在妻子怀里孩子似地泪流满面。米尔德里德从没见他那样哭过。她也知道,他流淌的是最难得的泪水:骄傲的泪水。迈克尔一下子被围住了,人们拥抱他,祝贺他所取得的一生中最辉煌的成就。那天稍后,他接着越过了17英尺6英寸半,创下了全国和世界少年奥林匹克撑竿跳高的新纪录。

13. With all the media attention and sponsorship possibilities, Michael's life would never be the same again. It wasn't just because he won the National Junior Olympics and set a new world record. And it wasn't because he had just increased his personal best by 91/2 inches. It was simply because Michael Stone is blind.

随着媒体的关注以及可能随之而来的各种赞助,迈克尔的生活肯定会不同以往。这不仅仅是因为他获得了全国少年奥林匹克冠军并刷新了一项世界纪录,也不是因为他将自己的最高纪录提高了9英寸半,而是因为迈克尔·斯通是个盲人。

Study the new words and expressions of Text again.

(黑正体表示“一般要求”(四级)的词汇;黑正体后加★表示“较高要求”(六级)的词汇;黑正体后加▲表示“更高要求”的词汇;黑色正体后加☆表示“超纲词汇”;黑色正体后加△表示“专有名词”。)

1. sweat

vi. 出汗

n. 汗水

After the 1000-meter race sweat was running off the athletes.

Sweat was dripping from his forehead.

The long climb made us sweat.

Already they were sweating as the sun beat down upon them.

He was sweating heavily when he returned from his run.

2. towel

n.毛巾,手巾

He used a towel to dry himself.

3. pole-vault☆

vi , n. 撑竿跳高

4. vault☆

n.撑竿跳高(= pole vault);撑物跳跃

Pole vault combines the grace of a gymnast with the strength of a body

builder.

5. grace☆

n.quality of being smooth and elegant, esp. in movement or structure 优美,优雅;雅致

Classically trained dancers have an extraordinary grace of movement.

The dancers moved with an elegance and grace on the stage that fascinated all the audience.

6. gymnast☆

n.体操家,体操运动员

The gymnast performed on the balance beam with an easy grace.

7. body builder☆

n.健美运动员

His father used to be a body builder.

8. mere

a.nothing more than 仅仅,只不过

It's a mere 200 meters from my house to the college.

How can you expect her to work out such a complicated math problem? She is

a mere child.

9. fantasy

n.imagination, esp. when allowed complete freedom 幻想

I still have the fantasy that one day I will win the National Lottery.

Having watched so many animated cartoons, some children can't tell fantasy from reality.

10. numerous

a.very many 许多的,无数的

During the Depression, numerous people wandered from town to town looking

for work.

Numerous scholars before Copernicus had suggested that the earth went round the sun, but he was the first person to bear it out mathematically.

11. a bird's-eye view

a good view from a high position

Now you can have a bird's-eye view of the new stadium from here.

12. excitement

n.the state of being excited 兴奋,激动

The whole nation is filled with excitement for its first astronaut.

I can't say I slept well, for the excitement of the previous day made me very wakeful.

13. passion

n.strong feeling, esp. of love 热情

He loved her still, with the same passion as he always had.

She had never before loved anyone with such passion.

She had a passion for dancing which interfered with her schoolwork.

14. recur★

https://www.doczj.com/doc/dc11021109.html,e or happen again 再来;再发生

The theme of love recurred in many of his books.

The school authorities warned the student that he will be expelled if this cheating recurs.

15. outrun☆

vt. run faster or better than; go beyond 跑得比…快;跑得比…好;超过

The track star outran all of his competitors.

16. locomotive★

n. a railway engine 机车;火车头

We have to wait for another hour in the station because the locomotive has

broken down.

17. soar

vi. fly high in the sky; rise rapidly or to a very high level 高飞,翱翔;骤升,猛增The girl watched the gliders soaring effortlessly above her.

Under President Bill Clinton the stock market soared, a lot of money was made, and times were good.

18. eagle

n.鹰

Eagles cleaved the sky.

鹰击长空。

19. coincide★

vi.happen at the same time; be in agreement 同时发生;一致

20. coincide with

与…同时发生;与…一致

His arrival in Tokyo coincided with the beginning of the war.

The art exhibition coincides with the 50th anniversary of his death.

He gave great encouragement to his students, especially if their passions happened to coincide with his own.

100 degrees centigrade coincides with 212 degrees Fahrenheit.

Our interests coincide.

21. hard-core☆

a.顽固不化的

He has hard-core opposition to the government's educational policies.

22. core

n.the most important part 核心

The core of our appeal is the freedom of speech.

23. realist☆

n.a person who deals in a practical way with situations as they actually are 现实主义者

He himself is a realist and optimist.

24. motto▲

n.格言,座右铭

"Where there is a will, there is a way" is my motto.

25. weightlifting★

n.举重(运动)

Weightlifting is arguably the most spectacular of all Olympic sports.

26. alternate★

a.every other or second; happening by turns 交替的;轮流的

He experienced alternate bouts of depression and cheerfulness within the

course of the day.

We spend alternate Sundays with my husband's parents.

27. coach

n.(体育运动的)教练

Phil Jackson is the coach of the LA Lakers.

28. dedication★

n. the act of giving oneself, time, effort, etc. (to sth.) 奉献,献身

The director thanked his staff for their dedication and passion.

Dr. Johnson's great dedication to the project is an inspiration to us all, and will never be forgotten.

He dedicated his whole life to teaching in the primary school.

dedicate ★vt. 献身于,致力于

29. chore▲

n.家庭杂务

As a child one of my chores was to feed our pet.

30. on one / two / several occasion(s)

有一(两,几)次

On several occasions, I attempted to talk with my parents about my taking a

part-time job, but my mother instantly interrupted me by asking me questions about my studies.

He drinks far too much. On one occasion I saw him drink a whole bottle of vodka.

31. vain

a.too pleased with one's own abilities or looks 虚荣的,自负的

Too much praise can make a person vain.

She was vain of / about her own appearance.

32. bar

n.横杆;条;块

He gave the baby a bar of chocolate.

33. inflate

v. fill (sth.) with air (使)充气,(使)膨胀

With a supply of compressed air, the large balloon inflated in a matter of

seconds.

大气球注入压缩空气后几秒钟便膨胀了起来。

34. mat

n.垫子;席子

I paid 5 dollars for that small mat.

35. on one's feet

standing up

It's nice to sit down after being on my feet all day.

36. unaware☆

a.not having knowledge or consciousness (of sth.) 不知道的,未意识到的

The little child was unaware of the coming danger.

37. competitor

n.竞争者,对手

Mike is a tough competitor and will probably do well in business.

More than 100 competitors took part in the race.

38. emotion

n.any strong feeling, e.g. love, fear, or anger 激情,感情,情绪

Love, joy, hate, fear and jealousy are all emotions.

Jack is a man of great emotion, easily given to tears.

His voice was full of emotion as he told us the story of his cherished mother.

39. groan★

vi.make a long deep sound because you are upset, annoyed, or in pain 叹息,呻吟

The students groaned when the professor got out the exam booklets.

She is always groaning about how much work she has to do.

With the creaking sound of burning, we seem to hear the groans of the trees. Alice let out a groan when she saw the bill.

40. be ashamed of

feeling foolish or uncomfortable because of (sth.) 因…感到难为情

She was so ashamed of cheating on / in the test that she went and told the

teacher.

You should be ashamed of yourself, telling lies at your age.

41. finger-tipped☆

https://www.doczj.com/doc/dc11021109.html,ing or operated by the finger-tips 用手指尖的

Every day he does his routine of three finger-tipped push-ups before getting

up.

42. push-up☆

n.(AmE) 俯卧撑

How many push-ups can you do within one minute?

43. runway▲

n.跑道

The plane glided down the runaway and then stopped.

44. startle

vt.give a sudden shock or surprise to 使大吃一惊

You startled me — I didn't hear you come in.

Goodness, how you startled me appearing out of nowhere like that!

45. bale▲

n. (一)大捆,(一)大包

I sat on a bale of straw near the fire.

46. hay

n.干草

The enemies set fire on the pile of hay.

47. intensity

n.the state of being intense 强烈,剧烈,紧张

In order to finish the job in time, we have to work with greater intensity.

Looking at her with intensity, the man said, "Will you marry me?"

The mayor didn't realize the intensity of people's feelings on the housing issue.

48. anxiety

n.a feeling of worry or fear 忧虑,担心

The increase in the tax on heating fuel is causing a lot of anxiety among elderly

people. Many people expressed their anxieties about the economic chaos in the

A good cry can be a healthy way to relieve your anxiety.

49. tension

n.worry or nervousness 紧张,不安

Tensions between the two countries have risen since the outbreak of the

border clash last week.

Smiling and laughing has been shown to relieve tension and stress.

50. tense

a.feeling worried or nervous; making people worried or nervous (令人)紧张的Facing so many teachers, John got very tense and made several mistakes in

his recitation.

The flight had been postponed five hours and all of the passengers were getting tense.

51. along with

together with 连同

Along with hundreds of others he had invested money in stocks and bonds.

I keep my checks in the top drawer, along with my other important documents.

52. stretch out

伸展

She stretched out a hand and lifted the glass to her lips.

There were beggars everywhere, pathetically stretching their hands out to passers-by.

53. upper

a.at or near the top of sth. 上部的

This exercise can strengthen your back and other upper body muscles.

Yesterday morning a fierce fire swept through the three upper floors of the building.

54. breeze

n.微风,轻风

The gentle breeze blows my hair.

55. deafen☆

vt.make (sb.) unable to hear, esp. for a short time 使聋

The noise in the street almost deafened my ear.

56. sprint☆

vi.run at one's fastest speed, esp. for a short distance 疾跑,冲刺

He had to sprint to catch the bus.

57. take-off★

n.起跳;(飞机)起飞

When all the instruments had been checked out, the pilot signaled that he was

ready for takeoff.

58. effortless☆

a.needing little or no effort 容易的,不费力气的

Jumping over that fence was just effortless for him.

n.the act, way, or process of moving 运动;移动

The police were trying to control the motion of the crowd.

The rocking motion of the ship upset my stomach.

60. eruption☆

n.爆发

There have been several volcanic eruptions this year.

Laughter erupted from the audience.

61. thump▲

n.(noise made by) a heavy blow 重击(声)

We heard a loud thump and then a scream from upstairs.

62. bring (sb.) back to earth

使回到现实中

Emily's voice brought him back to earth.

Jack had been spending all his time chatting on line with his key-pals until his parents had a word with him and brought him back to earth.

63. in one's mind's eye

在想像中

In his mind's eye, she is still a shy girl.

In my mind's eye, I can still see the house where I was born.

64. hug★

vt.hold tightly in the arms, esp. as a sign of love 拥抱

Have you hugged your child today?

Amy hugged her teddy bear tightly to her chest.

Come here and give me a big hug.

My little boy always gets a kiss and a hug before he goes to bed.

65. congratulate

vt.祝贺

His teachers congratulated him on winning the first prize in the speech contest.

My son has been promoted to CEO. We must write to congratulate him.

66. media

n.大众传播媒介

They are wondering whether bias in the news media contributed to the

candidate's defeat.

Much of what children learn comes directly from the mass media.

67. sponsorship☆

n.资助;赞助

The company has decided to withdraw from some of its sports sponsorship.

这家公司已决定撤销部分体育项目的赞助。

The company sponsored several TV programs.

Proper Names

David Naster△

大卫·纳史特

the Olympics= the Olympic Games△

奥林匹克运动会

Michael△

迈克尔(男子名)

Bert△

伯特(男子名,Albert, Herbert, Bertram的昵称,亦作Burt)

Mildred△

米尔德里德(女子名)

One of you asks the first six questions and the other answers. Starting from question 7, change roles. When you have finished, the teacher may want to put some of the questions to you to check your progress.

1. Why is the competition at the National Junior Olympics described as the most challenging in Michael's pole-vaulting career?

2. Why do numerous people like to watch pole-vaulting?

3. What was Michael's childhood dream? How come he had this dream?

4. Why is Bert Stone referred to as a hard-core realist?

5. Give an example to show that Michael's parents differed in their approaches to child rearing.

6. What did Michael begin to do from the age of 14?

Now switch roles.

7. How did Michael feel about his successful attempt at beating his personal best by three inches?

8. At what moment did Michael begin to feel nervous?

9. What helped Michael overcome his nervousness?

10. What made Michael associate his final jump with his childhood dream?

11. How did Michael think his parents might feel about his success? And what was his father's reaction to his feat?

12. Why would Michael attract a lot of media attention?

Keys

1. Because the pole was set at 17 feet which was three inches higher than his personal best.

2. Because pole-vaulting combines the grace of a gymnast with the strength of a body builder.

3. His childhood dream was to fly. His mother read him numerous stories about flying when he was growing up.

4. Because he believed in hard work and sweat. His motto is: If you want something, work for it!

5. Michael's mother wished he could relax a bit more and be that "free dreaming" little boy. On one occasion she attempted to talk to him and his father about this, but Michael's father quickly interrupted, smiled and said, "You want something,

work for it!"

6. He began a very careful training program.

7. He seemed unaware of the fact that he had just beaten his personal best by three inches. He was very calm.

8. He began to feel nervous when the bar was set at nine inches higher than his personal best.

9. What his mother had taught him about how to deal with tension or anxiety helped him overcome his nervousness.

10. The singing of some distant birds in flight made him associate his final jump with his childhood dream.

11. He could imagine the smile on his mother's face. He thought his father was probably smiling too, even laughing. However, in fact, his father hugged his wife and cried like a baby in his wife's arms.

12. Because he was blind.

Organizationally the text can be divided into four parts. Part One narrates the most challenging competition in Michael's career. In

Keys

Paras. 1-2 Michael faced the most challenging competition in his pole-vaulting career.

Paras. 3-5 Michael's childhood was marked with dreams and tough training. Paras. 6-12 Michael topped his personal best, won the championship and set a new world record.

As the text consists of the main story and a flashback, the narration has to switch from the ongoing competition to earlier events and then return to the ongoing competition. How, then, does the author manage to make these parts in the text flow smoothly?

One way is to repeat a key word in the last sentence of a paragraph in the first sentence of the next paragraph. Now find out the key

word that helps join Part One and Part Two, and then copy down the two sentences that contain it.

1.

Another way is to pick up a key idea from a previous paragraph and repeat it in the sentence introducing the next paragraph. Now find the key idea that helps join Part Two and Part Three, and then copy down the sentence that uses it.

2.

Keys

1. It also has the element of flying, and the thought of flying as high as a two-story building is a mere fantasy to anyone watching such an event. As long as Michael could remember he had always dreamed of flying.

2. All of Michael's vaults today seemed to be the reward for his hard work. Read aloud Paragraphs 9 and 10 until you have learned them by heart. Then try to complete the following passage from memory.

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