C

      Why do people run? That is, why do thousands get up early and put their knees and ankles and hearts and lungs through the hell of 10,000 meters on the roads? For those who stick with it and are lucky, they get into another world: a state of physical and mental grace reached when their blood is racing through every vein (血管).

    And in Austin, those who long to get better, even when they know it’s impossible, hang on Gilbert’s every word. 

    Gilbert’s methods are simple. It’s all about form: how the arms move and the feet land. He pushes his students hard. When they feel like they’re about to die, they look at Gilbert’s scars (伤疤) — the burns along his right arm, and then to his right leg, where the flames ate down to the bone. Whatever they feel, how bad, really, could it be? 

    “He gets people to believe in themselves,” says Lisa Spenner, one of the fanatics, who are crazy about Gilbert. “He treats everyone like they’re amazing.” If Gilbert is their savior, they are his saviors too. “Eventually, I realized I had to help people. When I help people, I feel good,” he says. 

    Gilbert’s right leg was so badly burnt that the knee was stuck at a 90-degree angle. The doctor said it would take six months to heal. Frustrated, Gilbert got on a bike. The biking led to walking, which finally led to running a year after he had been left to die. 

    In truth, runners don’t race other runners. They race against themselves to conquer their wills. So Gilbert spent the spring and summer of 2007 trying to do that, racing men faster than he is, knowing it would make him better. 

    Gilbert’s students, of course, keep rooting for him, though sometimes they wonder, “How much better can he get?” After all, they see him as more than just a runner and a coach. He’s a flesh-and-blood symbol: the daily struggle to show what you’re made of.

28. What’s the purpose of the first paragraph?

    A. To explain to us why people run in the morning.

    B. To tell us how important it is for people to run.

    C. To lead to the topic of the passage.

    D. To tell us that we may be running the wrong way.

29. The underlined word “fanatics” in the fourth paragraph can be replaced by  “_____”.

    A. students         B. friends         C. fans          D. relatives

30. What do we learn about Gilbert after reading the passage? 

    A. He used to work as a fireman.

    B. He has determination and strong will-power.

    C. He learnt running from a coach.

    D. He was advised to ride a bike when he was badly burnt.      
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