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 \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★
vi.come 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
\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.