Trekking (徒步旅行) 500 miles across Spain is no easy task for anyone, but for the wheelchair user Justin Skeesuck, achieving the dream seemed nearly impossible. However, Skeesuck’s lifelong best friend, Patrick Gray, simply didn’t accept that idea. He said, “We’ve done everything together so far. Why don’t we have one more adventure?”
That’s exactly what he did — pushing Skeesuck across northern Spain’s Camino de Santiago. Though Skeesuck has a muscle disease similar to ALS (肌萎缩侧索硬化) and high blood pressure, he first got the idea to go on the journey after he watched a travel show about the trail. He said, “I knew immediately since my heart was just telling me, ‘You need to do this.’”
With Gray on board and the blessings of their family, the two best friends from Idaho set off to make Skeesuck’s dream of going for the journey a reality. However, neither Gray nor Skeesuck realized how physically and emotionally arduous the trip would be. Not only did they have a strict time limit — about six weeks to get from start to finish, but they also faced extremely difficult obstacles (障碍). With Gray pushing Skeesuck in a three-wheel wheelchair, the pair crossed mountains, rivers and a desert. “I’ve never been that physically exhausted in my entire life,” Gray said. The pair came across countless kind people during their trip who were eager to help them finish their journey, but they refused their help with gentle words. 34 days later, the two best friends finished their journey, realizing a dream that helped them learn about themselves and others. “The adventure has taught me for sure that when you do something with faith, and never give up, amazing things can really happen,” Skeesuck said.
Gray recorded their incredible trip in a book — “I’ll Push You: A Journey of 500 Miles, Two Best Friends and One Wheelchair”, which would be published soon. Skeesuck and Gray are also working on a children’s book that will tell the story of their adventure. They hope that the book will give kids strength when they deal with difficulties.
【小题1】What can we learn about Patrick Gray from Paragraph 1?
A.He is a wheelchair user. |
B.He has been to Spain several times before. |
C.He wanted to challenge what was thought impossible. |
D.He didn’t think trekking 500 miles was an adventure. |
【小题2】What does the underlined word “arduous” in Paragraph 3 mean?
A.Relaxing. | B.Disappointing. |
C.Challenging. | D.Satisfying. |
【小题3】What can we infer about the pair’s journey from Paragraph 3?
A.They set off on foot. | B.They finished it ahead of time. |
C.They received a lot of help. | D.They met with no difficulties. |
【小题4】Why did the two friends write a children’s book on that journey?
A.To encourage kids to face difficulties bravely. |
B.To earn some money by selling books. |
C.To persuade kids to take a trip to Spain. |
D.To show kids the beautiful natural scenery. |