What makes 15,000 men and women run for hours, and what makes them run through the streets on a cold day without coats? I was one of those runners. The race is called marathon (馬拉松).
I had never run more than eight miles before, and here I was training. Since the race is in April, I had to run throughout the winter, and in Boston, winters are cold. For most people, just putting on their shirts, sweaters, jackets, and hats is exercise enough. I found myself out on the dark streets, running along ice sidewalks (人行道). Even in gloves, my fingers got so cold that they looked like red carrots. My nose didn’t get warm until lunchtime !
Finally, the big day arrived. The weather was cold, with ice and rain. Bang! The gun sounded, and we started. I didn’t go anywhere at first because I was standing behind so many people. I had to wait for them to move.
At first, the running was easy. The other runners just seemed to pull me along. Somewhere around the 20-mile mark I even said to myself, "This is nothing, why did I train so hard?"
Then I hit "the wall". "The wall" is what marathon runners call the special point. I knew my body reached the point and I thought I couldn’t go any more. I was out of breath and my legs turned into pieces of wood. I was almost falling down. I can’t remember anything about the last five miles of the race.
I kept running though. At last, I heard a voice at the finishing line.
"You look good," my friend Ted said. "How did it feel?"
"Wonderful !" I replied.
For everything, if you devote yourself into it, there will be a way. I finished the race, at least, in my heart, I was the winner.
小題1:Which one best describes the weather on the race day?
| A．Cold and rainy. | B．Cold and sunny. | C．Dry and cloudy. | D．Wet and foggy. |
小題2: How did the writer feel about the race during the first 20 miles?
| A．Difficult. | B．Boring. | C．Easy. | D．Interesting. |
小題3: According to the article, what must someone do to prepare for a marathon?
| A．One must eat certain food and get plenty of sleep. |
| B．One must be willing to eat, sleep, and train twenty-four hours a day. |
| C．One must run along ice sidewalks every day. |
| D．One must be willing to train a lot and doesn’t give up easily. |
小題4:Then I hit "the wall". What do you think "hit the wall" means here?
