B R _ Stories about Overcoming Obstacles1

Stories about Overcoming Obstacles B R _ Stories about Overcoming Obstacles1 Read the following stories about four figures in history to see how they overcame their obstacles, and guess who they are.

Stories about Overcoming Obstacles B R _ Stories about Overcoming Obstacles2 1.The story of her is the story of a child who, at the age of 18 months, was suddenly shut off from the world, but who, against overwhelming odds(失败的可能性), waged(发动) a slow, hard, but successful battle to reenter that same world. The inarticulate little deaf and blind girl grew into a highly intelligent and sensitive woman who wrote, spoke, and labored incessantly for the betterment of others.

B R _ Stories about Overcoming Obstacles3 Stories about Overcoming Obstacles 2. At the age of five, she became a paraplegic (截瘫患者), but she never lost heart. Although she missed the chance to go to school, she finished all the courses of primary and secondary schools, she learned English, Japanese, German and Esperanto (世界语) all by herself, and she assiduously (勤勉地) studied university and postgraduate courses for master’s degree. In 1983, she began to engage in literary creative work.

Stories about Overcoming Obstacles B R _ Stories about Overcoming Obstacles4 3. He became the 32nd president of the United States in March 1933 at the depth of the Great Depression, and was reelected for an unprecedented three more terms. Despite an attack of poliomyelitis (小儿麻痹症), which paralyzed (使瘫痪) his legs in 1921, he was a charismatic (有超凡魅力的) optimist whose confidence helped sustain the American people during the strains of the economic crisis and the world war.

Stories about Overcoming Obstacles B R _ Stories about Overcoming Obstacles5 4. —1942 —1962 —1966 —1979 Born in Oxford, England. Received a bachelor’s degree in physics and then enrolled as a research student in general relativity at the University of Cambridge. Earned his Ph.D. degree at the University of Cambridge. Stayed at the University of Cambridge to do post-doctoral research. Diagnosed as having Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)(肌萎缩性脊髓侧索硬化). Appointed Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge, a post once held by Isaac Newton.

B R _ Group Discussion Group Discussion A. Discuss in groups the obstacles that you have been faced with in your life. B. Discuss in groups the ways in which you overcame such difficulties. C. Discuss in groups the problems that you still have in overcoming these obstacles.

Brainstorming B R _ Brainstorming Imagine that you have received unlimited funds to start your own foundation. Brainstorm: 1. How would you like to start it? 2. Who would benefit from your foundation, and how? 3. What special programs would your foundation offer, and why?

Olympics B R _ Olympics1 Organized and governed by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the Olympic Games are the most important international sports event in the world held every four years. 1. Olympic symbol: five interlocked rings — red, blue, yellow, black and green — on a white field, representing the continents of the world joined in friendship.

B R _ Olympics2 2. Olympic motto: Swifter, Higher, Stronger. 3. IOC headquarters: Lausanne, Switzerland. 4. Main events in Olympic history: B.C.~392 A.D. Ancient Olympic Games were held in Olympia. — 776 — 1896 — 1912 — 1924 — 2008 Modern Games began. Women are allowed to compete in the Games. Winter sports were added to the Games. Beijing will host the 29th Olympic Games.

Pole Vault B R _ Pole Vault The pole vault (PV) is an event in track and field where athletes compete to clear the highest possible crossbar (横木)by using a vaulting pole. The basic concept is to convert horizontal energy (the run) into vertical energy (thus clearing a higher bar).

Some Suggestions to Overcome Obstacles B R _ Some Suggestions about Overcome Obstacles 1 If there hadn’t been any obstacles in the past, you would have scored outstanding successes in your studies or career. It’s the obstacles you have faced all your life that have kept you from enjoying a perfect life. Overcoming obstacles is thus a necessity of success. Here are some suggestions .

Some Suggestions to Overcome Obstacles B R _ Some Suggestions about Overcome Obstacles 2 • Get started. Often, once you begin, you’ll find the task is easier than you expect. 2. Break your task into smaller tasks. Take one big task and break it into smaller tasks. For instance, do part of your assignment each time rather than the entire one. 3. Work with the time you have. Don’t wait until you have time to do the entire thing. Instead, even if you only have five minutes, get started.

4. Set small deadlines. B R _ Some Suggestions about Overcome Obstacles 3 After meeting each deadline, give yourself a reward. For example, play video games when you finish an hour of studying. 5. Eliminate distractions. Turn off the TV. Don’t answer the phone. 6. Ask for help. Sometimes, the reason you don’t start is because you don’t know what to do. If that’s the case, ask for help. 7. Begin now. What one thing can you do right now that will move you closer to your goal?

G R _ Further Understanding-main Further Understanding For Part 1 Description For Part 2 Questions and Answers For Part 3 Chart Completion For Part 4 Discussion

G R _ Scanning2 2. Scan the whole text to find out all the words and phrases that are related to sports or stadium. And think about their Chinese equivalents. 全国少年奥林匹克运动会 National Junior Olympics personal best 个人最高记录看台 stand(s) 赛跑决赛 final race 撑竿跳高项目 pole vault event 田径比赛 track and field competition

G R _ Scanning3 体操运动员 gymnast 健美运动员 body builder weightlifting 举重横杆 bar 充气垫 inflated landing mat 撑竿跳高运动员 vaulter 俯卧撑 finger-tipped push-up

G R _ Scanning4 跑道 runway 全国记录 National record 撑竿 pole 起跳 take-off 刷新一项世界纪录 set a new world record

Part Division of the Text G R _ Part Division of the Text 1 Parts Para(s). Main Ideas 1 1~11 Michael faced the most challenging competition in his pole-vaulting career. 12~35 2 Michael’s childhood was marked with dreams and tough training. 3 36~90 Michael topped his personal best, won the championship and set a new world record.

G R _ Part Division of the Text 2 Parts Para(s). Main Ideas 4 91~95 What was most unusual about Michael’s victory was that he was blind.

TRUE HEIGHT D R _ Text 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. The stands were still filled with about 20,000 people, even though the final race had ended an hour earlier.

D R _ Text 2 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. 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.

D R _ Text 3 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. 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! D R _ Text 4 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.

D R _ Text 5 Besides being an honor student and only child, Michael Stone continued to help his parents with their farm chores. Mildred 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!” 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. D R _ Text 6 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.

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. D R _ Text 7 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.

D R _ Text 8 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. 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.

D R _ Text 9 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. 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.

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, D R _ Text 10 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.

D R _ Text 11 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 6½ inches: a National and International Junior Olympics record. 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 9½ inches. It was simply because Michael Stone is blind.

D R _ Sentence 1 It combines the grace of a gymnast with the strength of a body builder. Translate the sentence into Chinese. 它融合了体操运动员的优雅与健美运动员的力量。

D R _ Sentence 2 He would be running sown a country road. As he raced between golden wheat fields, he would… Why is Michael’s dream of flying described in details? Because Michael has a very deep impression about the dream. There are two evidence for that: 1) His mother read him numerous stories about flying when he was growing up. 2) He always dreamed of flying.

D R _ Sentence 3 Where he flew would always coincide with his mother’s stories. Paraphrase the sentence. In his dreams, he would always fly over those places described in his mother’s stories.

D R _ Sentence 4 His dad, on the other hand, was not a dreamer. What is function of the phrase “on the other hand”? The phrase is used for comparing different things or ideas. What can you infer from the phrase? Michael’ s parents are totally different types of people and they play the different roles in Michael’s success.

D R _ Sentence 5 Nothing to be ashamed of, but Michael would not allow himself the thought of not winning first place. Paraphrase the first part of the sentence. He would not be ashamed of getting himself the second place, but… What can you learn from the sentence? Michael holds a very attitude toward the competition. On the one hand, he wouldn’t think it is a shame of winning the second place, on the other hand, he would try his best to win the first place.

D R _ Sentence 6 Then it all hit him like a wet bale of hay. Paraphrase the sentence. If something strikes you like a wet bale of hay, it comes as a sudden, forceful and unpleasant surprise. Use some adjectives to describe how Michael felt at that time. He felt anxious, tense, nervous, etc.

D R _ Sentence 7 The silence was deafening. Is this sentence contradictory with “silence” and “deafening”? No. “Deafening” here is used to modify “the silence”. It is not an ordinary silence, but a deafening one. This shows both Michael and the crowd are very tense at that moment.

D R _ Sentence 8 Only this time he knew he wasn’t dreaming. What does “only” mean here? “Only” here means “but”.

D R _ word _ sweat sweat: 1. v. produce sweat The white shirts were sweated through. He was sweating after working so hard. 2. n. liquid which comes out from the body through the skin to cool it I was covered in sweat after running to catch the bus.

grace: n. D R _ word _ grace 1) quality of being smooth and elegant, esp. in movement or structure We admired the grace with which the fashion models walked across the room. She danced with a grace that surprised us. 2) kindness; willingness to do what is right She had the grace to say that he was right. 他勉强地承认他错了。 He agreed that he was wrong with bad grace.

D R _ word _ mere mere: adj. nothing more than She lost the election by a mere 20 votes. 光说无济于事。 Mere words won’t help.

fantasy: n. (creation of ) imagination D R _ word _ fantasy1 The story is a fantasy. He lives in a world of fantasy. CF: fantasy, fancy & imagination fantasy 通常指无限制的，不受意志支配的，完全脱离现实的空想。例如： An amusement park full of figures from fairy tales may be called Fantasy Land. 一个游乐园，如果充满了神话故事中的人物塑雕，则堪称虚幻境界。

fancy 强调凭空想象客观世界不存在之事物，这种凭空想象并非完全脱离现实，只是离现实较远。例如： D R _ word _ fantasy 2 Her mind went where fancy took it. 他总是不着边际地胡思乱想。 imagination 是个常用词，最少有贬义，它所表示的想象或想象力可以指对过去的事物的重新构想；也可以指对不存在或不能存在之事物的构想。例如： Does she have the imagination to figure out what happened? 她真的富有想象力，能够推想出发生的事情吗？ These plans reveal a complete failure of imagination. 这些计划显得毫无想象力。

D R _ word _ numerous numerous: adj. very many He has a numerous acquaintance among politicians. During the Depression, numerous people wandered from town to town looking for work.

D R _ word _ passion passion: n. strong feeling, esp. of love The poet expressed his burning passion for the woman he loved. 他特别喜欢吃冰淇淋。 He has a passion for ice cream.

D R _ word _ detail detail: n.small, particular fact or item Everything in her story is correct down to the smallest detail. 不要遗漏一点细节。 Don’t omit a single detail. Collocation：详细说明 go/enter into details in detail 详细地

recur: vi. D R _ word _ recur 1) come or happen again If the pain recurs, take this medicine. 你知道循环小数吗？ Do you know the recurring decimals? 2) (of ideas, events etc.)come back My first meeting with her often recurs to my memory. Thoughts of home and family recurred to the lonely traveler. 3) go back (to sth.) in words or thought Let us recur to what you said yesterday. Do you mind if I may recur to your idea.

D R _ word _ coincide coincide: v. 1) (of ideas, opinions, etc.) to be in agreement His tastes and habits coincide with those of his wife. The judges did not coincide in opinion. 2) happen at the same time of during the same period of time They could not go to the theatre together because his free time never coincided with hers. The art exhibition coincides with the 50th anniversary of his death.

core: n. D R _ word _ core 1) most important or central part of anything The core of the problem is their objection to educational reform. 让我们直入事务的本质。 Let’s get to the core of the matter. 2) hard central part containing the seeds of certain fruits, such as the apple An apple core is the part of an apple left after the flesh has been eaten. Collocation： to the core: 彻底地; 完全地 She is French to the core. 她是个地道的法国人。

alternate: D R _ word _ alternate1 1. adj. 1) every other or second He works on alternate days. The show was sponsored by different clients on alternate weeks. 2) (or two things) happening by turns 这是晴雨交替的一周。 This is a week of alternate rain and sunshine. She wears a shirt with alternate stripes of blue and white.

B R _ Stories about Overcoming Obstacles1