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Unit 6 The Spirit of Sports
Lesson 23
Exercise 1.2
Two years ago,there was a serious earthquake
in my country.
Many people lost their homes.
In my school, we decided to organize a 5--
kilometer run to collect money for the people
who were injured in the earthquake.
Students singed up for the run
and asked their relatives,friends,and neighbors
to support them.
These people agreed to give
some money-50 cents or a dollar,
for example,
for every kilometerthat the students completed.
Joe Johnson was my classmate.
He was the heaviest student in my class
because he seldom did any exercise
and he ate plenty of junk food.
He never walked to school.
He always took the bus.
When our teacher asked him
if he was going to take part in the run,
he said he would think about it.
A few students laughed
and I think Joe felt embarrassed.
I felt a bit sorry for him.
The next day, as I was cycling to school,
I saw Joe walking in the street.
I stopped and asked him why he was walking.
He said he was training.
He said he was going
take part in the 5--kilometer run.
"Good for you, Joe!" I said.
Later, I told my friends about Joe.
Most of them just laughed and said that
they didn't think he would complete the run.
I wasn't sure,
but I decided that I would help Joe.
So, for the two weeks before the run,
I was his trainer.
He walked to school for a few days.
Then he started to jog--slowly!
Joe got a lot of support from his friends
and relatives.
People didn't know if he was going to
complete the run,
but they wanted to encourage him,I guess.
On the day of the run,
Joe lined up with the other students.
The race began.
The other students ran off
and soon left Joe behind.
Well, it took him hours to finish
and he didn't expect to catch up
with the other students,
but he tried to do his best.
And finally he completed the 5-kilo-meter run.
Everyone was very happy
and said."Well done,Joe!"
What is more, Joe collected more money
than any other student!
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