At the age of eight, Glenn Cunningham was severely injured in a fire. He had major bums over the lower half of his body and was taken to a nearby county hospital.
From his bed, the semi-conscious (半昏迷的) little boy heard the doctor talking to his mother. The doctor told his mother that he would surely die— which was for the best, really—for the terrible fire had destroyed the lower half of his body.
But somehow, to the amazement of the physician, he did survive. The mother was told that her son was bound to spend his lifetime in a wheelchair.
But this brave little boy was determined that he would walk and even run. But unfortunately, from the waist down, Glenn had no motor ability. His thin, scarred legs just hung there, all but lifeless. Yet his courage that he would walk was as strong as ever.
One sunny day his mother wheeled him out into the yard to get some fresh air. This day, instead of sitting there, he threw himself from the chair. Glenn worked his way to the fence, dragging(缓慢移动) his legs behind him. Then, step by step, he began dragging himself along the fence, determined that he would walk. He started to do this every day until eventually he did develop the ability first to stand up, then to walk with help, then to walk by himself—and then amazingly—to run. Glenn began to run to school. He ran everywhere as fast as he could. Later in college, Glenn joined the track team where he received the nickname(绰号) "the Kansas Flyer".
1938 witnessed this young man's another amazing achievement. This young man, who was not expected to survive, who would surely never walk, and who could never hope to run, ran a mile in 4 minutes and 4.4 seconds, the world's fastest indoor mile! His perseverance paid off.
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