经典英语阅读文章

经典英语阅读文章

　　经典的英语文章适合我们闲时练习英语阅读，下面我为大家带来，希望大家喜欢!

　　篇一：
　　I am an art student and I paint a lot of pictures. Many people pretend that they understand modern art. They always tell you what a picture is 'about'. Of course, many pictures are not 'about' anything. They are just pretty patterns. We like them in the same way that we like pretty curtain material. I think that young children often appreciate modern pictures better than anyone else. They notice more. My sister is only seven, but she always tells me whether my pictures are good or not. She came into my room yesterday.

　　'What are you doing?' she asked.

　　'I'm hanging this picture on the wall,' I answered. 'It's a new one. Do you like it?'

　　She looked at it critically for a moment. 'It's all right,' she said, 'but isn't it upside down?'

　　I looked at it again. She was right! It was!

　　我是个学艺术的学生，画了很多画。有很多人装成很懂现代艺术。他们总是告诉你一幅画的。当然，有很多画是什么意思也没有的。他们只不过是漂亮的图案。我们喜欢它们就像我们喜欢漂亮的窗帘布。我觉得小孩子们往往比任何人都更能欣赏现代绘画。他们观察到的东西更多。我的妹妹只有七岁，但她总能说出我的画是好还是不好。昨天她到我房里来了。"你干什么呢。她问。"我把这幅画挂到墙上，我回答。"这是一个新的。你喜欢吗。她用挑剔的目光一会儿。"这都是正确的，"她说，"但这不是颠倒的吗?"我又看。她是对的!这是!
　　篇二：
　　Late in the afternoon, the boys put up their tent in the middle of a field. As soon as this was done, they cooked a meal over an open fire. They were all hungry and the food *** elled good. After a wonderful meal, they told stories and sang songs by the campfire. But some time later it began to rain. The boys felt tired so they put out the fire and crept into their tent. Their sleeping bags were warm and fortable, so they all slept soundly. In the middle of the night, two boys woke up and began shouting. The tent was full of water! They all leapt out of their sleeping bags and hurried outside. It was raining heavily and they found that a stream had formed in the field. The stream wound its way across the field and then flowed right under their tent!

　　在下午晚些时候，男孩子们把帐篷搭在一个领域中。一旦这是，他们在篝火上烧起了饭。他们都饿了，而且食物闻起来很香。一顿美餐之后，他们讲故事、唱歌的篝火。但过了些时候开始下雨了。孩子们感到累了，所以他们扑灭了火，爬进了帐篷。睡袋既暖和又舒适，所以他们都睡得很香。在半夜里，两个男孩醒来了，开始喊。帐篷里全是水!他们全都跳出睡袋，跑到外面。雨下得很大，他们发现地上已经形成了一个流。那小溪弯弯曲曲穿过田野，然后正好从他们的帐篷!
　　篇三：
　　Editors of newspapers and magazines often go to extremes to provide their readers with unimportant facts and statistics. Last year a journalist had been instructed by a well-known magazine to write an article on the president's palace in a new African republic. When the article arrived, the editor read the first sentence and then refused to publish it. The article began: 'Hundreds of steps lead to the high wall which surrounds the president's palace.' The editor at once

　　sent the journalist a fax instructing him to find out the exact number of steps and the height of the wall.

　　The journalist immediately set out to obtain these important facts, but he took a long time to send them. Meanwhile, the editor was getting impatient, for the magazine would soon go to press. He sent the journalist two urgent telegrams, but received no reply. He sent yet another telegram rming the journalist that if he did not reply soon he would be fired. When the journalist again failed to reply, the editor reluctantly published the article as it had originally been written. A week later, the editor at last received a telegram from the journalist. Not only had the poor man been arrested, but he had been sent to prison as well. However, he had at last been allowed to send a cable in which he rmed the editor that he had been arrested while counting the 1084 steps leading to the 15-foot wall which surrounded the president's palace.

　　报刊杂志的编辑常常为了向读者提供成立一些关紧要的事实和统计数字而走向极端。去年，一位记者受一家有名的杂志的委托写一篇关于非洲某个新成立共和国总统府的文章。稿子寄来后，编辑看第一句话就拒绝予以发表。文章的开头是这样的："几百级台阶通向环绕总统的高墙。"编辑立即给那位记者发去传真，要求他核实一下台阶的确切数字和围墙的高度。

　　记者立即出发去核实这些重要的事实，但过了好长时间不见他把数字寄来，在此期间，编辑等得不耐烦了，因为杂志马上要付印。他给记者先后发去两份传真，但对方毫无反应。于是他又发了一份传真，通知那位记者说，若再不迅速答复，将被解雇。但记者还是没有回复。编辑无奈，勉强按原样发稿了。一周之后，编辑终于接到记者的传真。那个可怜的记者不仅被捕了，而且还被送进了监狱。不过，他终于获准发回了一份传真。在传真中他告诉编辑，就在他数通向15英尺高的总统府围墙的1，084级台阶时，被抓了起来。

经典英语美文阅读

下面是我为大家带来经典英语美文阅读，希望大家喜欢!

经典英语美文阅读：英国史前巨石阵为病人朝拜地

Archaeologists probing the secrets of Stonehenge, Britain's most famous prehistoric monument said on Monday, it may have been an ancient pilgrimage site for the sick who believed its stones had healing qualities.

考古学家们于本周一公布，英国最著名的史前遗址巨石阵可能是古代病人的朝圣地。据推测，巨石阵的石头可能被史前人类当作是具有治疗功效的幸运石。

It has always been a mystery why bluestones, the smaller stones that form part of the circle, were transported around 155 miles from Preseli Hills in Wales to WiltshIre in southem England. Archaeologists from Boumemouth Ur:uversity, who carried out the dig in April the first at Stonehenge since 1964-believe the bluestones were revered as healing stones. "It was the magical qualities these stones which.., transformed the monument and made it a place of pilgrimage for the sick and injured of the Neolithic world," a statement from the archaeologist team ey Wainwright, president of the Society of Antiquaries of London and one of the experts leading the work, told BBC radio that one reason which lead to the conclusion was because anumber of the burials around Stonehenge showed signs of trauma and deformity.

长期以来，人们—直很困惑，为什么人们要把巨石阵里的一种蓝色小石头从155英里以外的威尔士普利斯里山运到英格兰南部威尔特郡这里昵?伯恩茅斯大学的考古学家们推测，可能当时的人们信奉这些蓝色的石头具有神奇疗效。考古学家于今年4月对史前巨石阵进行了自1964年以来的首次发掘。该考古小组在一份声明中说：“巨石阵曾经可能只是个纪念碑，但这些具有魔力的石头被搬来之后，这里就变成了新时器时代伤病者的朝圣地。 ” 伦敦古文物学会主席、考古小组专家杰弗里‘韦恩莱特在接受BBC广播的采访时说，得出这一结论的其中一个根据就是，巨石阵附近埋葬了很多伤残者。

The archaeologists said in the statement that radio-carbon dating put the construction of the circle of bluestones at between 2,400 B.C. and 2,200 B.C.,afew centuries later than originally thought, But they found fragments of charcoal dating from before 7,000 B.C., showing humans were active in the area much earlier than previously thought.

考古学家在一份声明中说，经放射性碳测年法鉴定，环形巨石阵应该建造于公元前2400年至公元前2200年之间，比之前的推测晚了几百年。但考古学家还在此发现了公元前7000年前的木炭碎片，这说明在更早的时期已有人类活跃在这一地带。

During the excavation at the World Heritage Site on Salisbury Plain,the researchers also fourtd a beiker pottery fragment, Roman ceramics and ancient stone hammers. "We now know, mucb to our surprise and delight, that Stonehenge was not just prehistoric monument, it was a Roman and mediaeval monument," said Wainwright, Another of the team leaders, Tim Darvill of Boumemouth University , said the bluestones appeared central to the purpose of Stonehenge although it may have had more than one function. Other theories about Stonehenge are that it was a religious site or that it acted as a calendar.

考古人员还在发掘过程中发现了大口陶器杯的碎片、古罗马陶器以及古石锤，位于索尔兹伯里平原的史前巨石阵现在已被列入世界文化遗址。韦恩莱特说："现在我们知道了'巨石阵不仅是史前的纪念碑，也是古罗马和中世纪时期的祭坛，这个发现让我们十分惊喜。"考古小组的另一位专家、伯恩茅斯大学的蒂姆·达维尔说，巨石阵可能有多种功能，但蓝色小石头应该是其功能的一个重要体现。其他理论认为，巨石阵曾是个宗教场所或是一个日历等等。

经典英语美文阅读：丝绸之路话从头

One of the world's most ancient and historically important trade routes, the Silk Road conjures up exotic images of camel caravans, windswept deserts and such legendary figures as Genghis Khan and Marco Polo. Extending from as far as the Indian kingdoms in the west to present day Xi'an in China in the east, the Silk Road had, by the third centry B.C.,already became a cross roads of Asia.

世界上最古老、历史上最重要的贸易路线之一_丝绸之路，总给人.种富有异国情调的印象：骆驼商队、狂风肆虐的沙漠，还有诸如成吉思汗和马可波罗等传奇人物。丝绸之路绵亘远长，西至印度王国，东到中国现在的西安，早在公元前3世纪，丝绸之路就已经成为了亚洲交通的十字路口。

Skirting the edges of the harsh and inhospitable Taklimakan desert, the Silk Road actually had several different branches, each passing through different oasis. All roads began in Chang'an (Xi'an). The northem route wound its way through places such as Turfan and Kuqa before finally ending at Kashgar. Them route followed the lower thnges of the Taklimakan eventually reaching the same destination. Numerous other routes were also plied through out the years, reaching all the way to

Samarkand, Tashkent, India, and the Caspian Sea.

丝绸之路其实有数条支线，它们分别沿着环境恶劣、不适合人类居住的塔克拉玛干沙漠外缘，穿越不同的绿洲。所有的路线都是始于长安(西安)，北线蜿蜒经过了吐鲁番、库车，最后到达喀什格尔，南线沿着塔克拉玛干下缘前行，并到达同一终点。其他的许多支线也是历代都通行的，通往撒玛尔罕、塔什干、印度，及里海等地。

Silk was not the only commodity traveling the Silk Road. Other goods such as exotic animals, ivory and gold were also transported along the route. It was silk, though, which fascinated the Romans. Agents were sent from Rome to explore the route and to obtain the material at a lower price. The Romans, however, did not give the Silk Road its name. The term was actuallycoined by the 19th-centuryGerman scholar Baron Ferdinand von Richthofen.

丝绸并不是丝绸之路上运送的唯一商品。其他货物如奇珍异兽、象牙，及黄金等也通过丝绸之路运输。不过格外令罗马人着迷的还是丝绸。罗马派遣代理商探测这条路线，并以较低的价格购得丝绸。然而，“丝绸之路”的名称并不是罗马人起的。这个名称是19世纪时一名叫Baron Ferdinand von Richthofen的德国学者首创的。

Not long after the Tang dynasty era (618-907), when trade along the Silk Road had reached its zenith, the fearsomeGenghis Khan and his Mongol armies conquered a vast area spanning much of Central Asia. Accordingly, the Silk Road became an important communication route between different parts of the Mongol Empire. During the ruleof Kublai,more Europeans began venturing towards China along the Silk most famous of these travelers was Marco Polo, whose thoughts and

adventures were later recorded and embellished by an Italian romance writer.

唐代是丝绸之路沿途贸易活动的鼎盛时期，在唐代王朝灭亡后不久，令人闻风丧胆的成吉思汗及其蒙古大军征服了横跨中亚大部分地区的广阔领土。丝绸之路于是成为蒙古帝国各部落间重要的交通线路。忽必烈统治期间，更多的欧洲人冒险沿着丝绸之路来到中国。这些旅行者中最出名的就是马可波罗，他的所见所闻后来被一位意大利传奇小 说家记载下来，并加以润色。

During the 14th century , with the disintegration of the Mongol Empire, the isolationist policies of the Ming Dynasty and the development of the silk route by sea, the Silk Road was forced into decline. Renewed interest in it emerged among Westem scholars only near the end of the 19th century . The existence of ancient cities excited them, and an archaeological free-for-all began. These days, those seeking out treasures of the Silk Road can find them in such far-flung places as London, Delhi, and Berlin.

14世纪时，蒙古帝国瓦解、明朝实行闭关政策，加“海上丝路”的发展，丝绸之路被迫走向没落。直到近19世纪末，才有西方学者重新燃起了对丝绸之路的兴趣。古城的存在让他们兴奋不已于是掀起了一阵考古热潮。现在，想在丝绸之路寻宝的人们，在伦敦、德里、柏林等许多地方，都可以找到他们想要的东西。

英语短文阅读经典美文

英语阅读短文摘抄经典美文

阅读是 学习英语 的基础，对于 英语学习 者来说培养自己的阅读能力十分重要，下面我为大家带来 英语阅读 短文摘抄，欢迎大家阅读!

In 1858, a French engineer, Aime Thome de Gamond, arrived in England with a plan for a twenty-one-mile tunnel under the English Channel. He said that it would be possible to build a platform in the centre of the Channel. This platform would serve as a port and a railway station. The tunnel would be well-ventilated if tall chimneys were built above sea level. In 1860, a better plan was put forward by an Englishman, William Low. He suggested that a double railway-tunnel should be built. This would solve the problem of ventilation, for if a train entered this tunnel, it would draw in fresh air behind it. Forty-two years later a tunnel was actually begun. If, at the time, the British had not feared invasion, it would have been completed. The world had to wait almost another 100 years for the Channel Tunnel. It was officially opened on March 7,1994, finally connecting Britain to the European continent.

1858，法国工程师，托梅二十一公里，计划到了英国一个长21英里隧道的英语频道。他说，这将有可能建立一个平台的中心通道。这个平台将用作码头和火车站。隧道通风良好如果高大的烟囱状海拔。1860，提出了一个更好的计划由一个英国人，威廉低。他提议建一条双轨隧道。这将解决通风问题，因为如果一列火车开进隧道，它就把新鲜空气的背后。四十二年后，隧道真的开始。如果，当时，英国不害怕入侵的话，它会被完成。世界不得不再等将近100年的英吉利海峡隧道。这是3月71994正式开通，将英国与欧洲大陆的。

Jeremy Hampden has a large circle of friends and if very popular at parties. Everybody admires him for his great sense of humour -- everybody, that is, except his six-year-old daughter, Jenny. Recently, one of Jeremy's closest friends asked him to make a speech at a wedding reception. This is the sort of thing that Jeremy loves. He prepared the speech carefully and went to the wedding with Jenny. he had included a large number of funny stories in the speech and, of course, it was a great success. As soon as he had finished, Jenny told him she wanted to go home. Jeremy was a little disappointed by this but he did as his daughter asked. On the way home, he asked Jenny if she had enjoyed the speech. To his surprise, she said she hadn't. Jeremy asked her why this was so and she told him that she did not like to see so many people laughing at him!

杰瑞米汉普登有一大群朋友如果很受欢迎的人。人人都钦佩他那绝妙的幽默感--人人，就是说，除他6岁的女儿珍妮。最近，杰瑞米的一个最亲密的朋友请他在一个婚礼上祝词。这是杰瑞米所喜欢的那种事。他认真准备了讲稿，带着珍妮去婚礼。他包含了很多有趣的 故事 ，并在讲话，当然，这是一个巨大的成功。他刚一讲完，珍妮就告诉他说她想回家。杰瑞米因此感到有点扫兴，但他还是按照女儿的要求做了。在回家的路上，他问珍妮是否喜欢演讲。使他吃惊的是，她说她不喜欢。杰瑞米问她为什么不，她告诉他，她不愿意看到那么多的人嘲笑他!

Firemen had been fighting the forest for nearly three weeks before they could get it under control. A short time before, great trees had covered the countryside for miles around. Now, smoke still rose up from the warm ground over the desolate hills. Winter was coming on and the hills threatened the surrounding villages with destruction, for heavy rain would not only wash away the soil but would cause serious floods as well. When the fire had at last been put out, the forest authorities ordered several tons of a special type of grass-seed which would grow quickly. The seed was sprayed over the ground in huge quantities by aeroplanes. The planes had been planting seed for nearly a month when it began to rain. By then, however, in many places the grass had already taken root. In place of the great trees which had been growing there for centuries patches of green had begun to appear in the blackened soil.

消防队员与森林大火搏斗了近三个星期才把火势控制。不久之前，高大的树木覆盖着方圆数英里的土地。现在，仍然升腾着烟雾，弥漫在荒凉的山丘上温暖地面。冬季即将来临，山丘对周围的村庄具有毁灭性的威胁，因为大雨不仅会冲走土壤，而且还会引起严重的水灾，以及。在大火最后被扑灭后，森林管理当局订购了好几吨特殊类型的草籽生长迅速。这种草籽大量地飞机。飞机撒播近一个月，当它开始下雨。当时，然而，很多地方的草已经生了根。在地方的大树已经生长了许多世纪的补丁绿色开始出现在这片烧焦的土地。

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经典优秀英语美文阅读

英语美文题材丰富,涉及面广,大多蕴涵人生哲理。引导学生欣赏美文,不仅能提高他们的阅读理解能力,而且能使他们得到美的熏陶,从而提高学生对周围事物的认识。下面是我带来的经典优秀英语美文阅读，欢迎阅读!

Twelve Keys for Building Trust　The foundation of any relationship, whether it be with a Business associate, spouse, parent, client or, friend, is trust. Trust is not something that can be built with quick fix techniques. Rather, it is something that is cultivated through consistent habits in your interactions. The following are twelve patterns of behavior that increase trust in your relationships.

1. Be transparent

Do not try to hide things from others. Refuse to have any hidden agendas. You might think you can pull a fast one on someone else. You can’t. Most people have good intuition and even though they may not be able to consciously determine that you are hiding something, they very likely will have an uneasy feeling around you. If they don`t feel comfortable around you, they won't be able to trust you.

Another sinister aspect of having hidden agenda is that it erodes your ability to trust others. You will assume that if you aren’t fully forthcoming, other people aren’t either. When you are trustworthy, however, you will see others as more trustworthy too.

2. Be sincere

This is similar to the previous point. Only say what you mean. Be impeccably honest with your words. Refuse to try and craft your words to manipulate others. Don`t give fake compliments, patronize others or say something just because you think you are supposed to. Again, people have good BS detectors. When others know that you only speak genuinely, it increases their capacity to trust you. Everyone loves authenticity.

3. Focus on adding value

In any relationship, always have the best interest of others at heart. Work hard to give as much or more than you get. When you consistently add value to someone`s life, they not only feel like you are on their side, they also have the urge to reciprocate. In Business relationships, this means always under-promise and over-deliver. In personal relationships, focusing on meeting the needs of the other person instead of taking in order to get your own needs met.

4. Be present

The last thing anyone wants is to have a conversation with someone who isn’t there. Instead of retreating into your head, focus on listening to others. Whenever you are with someone, make them your primary focus. Don’t think about work while you are at Home talking to your spouse. Don’t think about life at Home when you are with a client. When it comes to relationships, presence means quality time and quality time builds trust.

5. Always treat people with respect

Ever since we were little kids, we have been taught to be respectful. However, when our standards get violated or there is no one around to see , we can often engage in petty behavior. This encompasses a wide range of actions from personal attacks during arguments to gossiping behind someone’s back.

Always remember that another person’s inherent worth as a human being entitles them to be treated with dignity. When people know that you will always treat with them respect, it is very natural for trust to flourish.

6. Take responsibility

When you mess up, which you invariably will, be quick to clean it up. Skip the excuses and just take responsibility. Justifying and making excuses may help you in the short term but in the long run, it does nothing for your character or the level of trust you are given. Accountability is a rare trait these days with most people wanting to avoid negative consequences at all costs. Dare to be different and you will win the trust of others.

7. Focus on feedback

Unless you`re a mind reader, the only way you can know how well a relationship is going is by getting feedback from the other person. Be not only willing to accept feedback – actively seek it out. Many people are afraid to give you feedback, especially if its negative, out of fear that they will offend. Ask with sincerity and respond respectfully and others will be far more willing. Take both the positive and negative into account along with your own judgment and adjust your behaviour accordingly.

8. Take criticism well

Learn to handle criticism with grace. Instead of getting defensive, consider the possibility that what the other person is saying might be true. Closing yourself off from criticism has the effect of closing off all communication.

In some cases, the criticism may indeed be inaccurate. In these instances, you have the opportunity to show empathy. Try to understand the problem from the other person’s point of view. Perhaps the criticism is just a thinly veiled attack that stems from a deeper upset they may have with you. In these cases, your willingness to dig deeper without getting defensive will certainly enhance the trust in the relationship.

9. Set boundaries

Be clear about how you expect people to behave around you. Again, do this in a mature manner: be sincere and respectful. When you have clear standards, people know exactly how to behave around you and that gives them certainty. The strength that you communicate by setting boundaries builds trust – when someone knows that they can`t take advantage you that alleviates the fear that someone else will.

10. Be a class act

Hold yourself to a higher a standard. Be quick to apologize when you know you are wrong. Only speak well of others, even those who don`t speak well of you.

Why should you do this? First, imagine what it would do to your sense of self to know that other people only have good experiences with you. Second, imagine how much trust such behaviour engenders in others. Finally, imagine the example you set for others – the conduct of others will improve just by being around you consistently.

11. Your word is your bond

Keep all the promises you make and ensure that you make promises only sparingly. Make your word stronger than any written contract. Refuse to make empty promises and manipulate people.

When a promise you have made is no longer beneficial to you, instead of deciding to not follow through, attempt to renegotiate the deal. When you renegotiate the agreement, ensure that the new commitment provides even more value to the other person.

12. Be consistent

Above all, be consistent in your behavior. Don’t engage in the behavior once in a while when it seems convenient. Your consistency is the key to your trustworthiness. Small actions add up and a track record of high character is invaluable in any relationship. Become intensely principle-centered and trust will follow easily and consistently.

最高期望Pete Rose, the famous baseball player, whom I have never met, taught me something so valuable that changed my life. Pete was being interviewed in spring training the year he was about to break Ty Cobb's all time hits record. One reporter blurted out, "Pete, you only need 78 hits to break the record. How many at-bats do you think you'll need to get the 78 hits?" Without hesitation, Pete just stared at the reporter and very matter-of-factly said, "78." The reporter yelled back, "Ah, come on Pete, you don't expect to get 78 hits in 78 at-bats, do you?"

Mr. Rose calmly shared his philosophy with the throngs of reporters who were anxiously awaiting his reply to this seemingly boastful claim. "Every time I step up to the plate, I expect to get a hit! If I don't expect to get a hit, I have no right to step in the batter's box in the first place!" "If I go up hoping to get a hit," he continued, "then I probably don't have a prayer of getting a hit. It is positive expectation that has gotten me all of the hits in the first place."

When I thought about Pete Rose's philosophy and how it applied to everyday life, I felt a little embarrassed. As a business person, I was hoping to make my sales quotas. As a father, I was hoping to be a good dad. As a married man, I was hoping to be a good husband. The truth was that I was an adequate salesperson, I was not so bad of a father, and I was an okay husband. I immediately decided that being okay was not enough! I wanted to be a great salesperson, a great father and a great husband. I changed my attitude to one of positive expectation, and the results were amazing. I was fortunate enough to win a few sales trips, I won Coach of the Year in my son's baseball league, and I share a loving relationship with my wife, Karen, with whom I expect to be married to for the rest of my life! Thanks, Mr. Rose!

父亲的眼睛

Bob Richards, the former pole-vault champion, shares a moving story about a skinny young boy who loved football with all his heart. Practice after practice, he eagerly gave everything he had. But being half the size of the other boys, he got absolutely nowhere. At all the games, this hopeful athlete sat on the bench and hardly ever played. This teenager lived alone with his father, and the two of them had a very special relationship.

Even though the son was always on the bench, his father was always standing with cheering. He never missed a game. This young man was still the smallest of the class when he entered high school. But his father continued to encourage him but also made it very clear that he did not have to play football if he didn't want to. But the young man loved football and decided to hang in there. He was determined to try his best at every practice, and perhaps he'd get to play when he became a senior.

All through high school he never missed a practice nor a game but remained a bench-warmer all four years. His faithful father was always in the stands, always with words of encouragement for him.

When the young man went to college, he decided to try out for the football team as a "walk-on." Everyone was sure he could never make the cut, but he did. The coach admitted that he kept him on the roster because he always puts his heart and soul to every practice, and at the same time, provided the other members with the spirit and hustle they badly needed.

The news that he had survived the cut thrilled him so much that he rushed to the nearest phone and called his father. His father shared his excitement and was sent season tickets for all the college games. This persistent young athlete never missed practice during his four years at college, but he never got to play in a game.

It was the end of his last football season, and as he trotted onto the practice field shortly before the big playoff game, the coach met him with a telegram. The young man read the telegram and he became deathly silent.

Swallowing hard, he mumbled to the coach, "My father died this morning. Is it all right if I miss practice today?" The coach put his arm gently around his shoulder and said, "Take the rest of the week off, son. And don't even plan to come back to the game on Saturday."

Saturday arrived, and the game was not going well. In the third quarter, when the team was ten points behind, a silent young man quietly slipped into the empty locker room and put on his football gear. As he ran onto the sidelines, the coach and his players were astounded to see their faithful teammate back so soon. "Coach, please let me play. I've just got to play today." said the young man. The coach pretended not to hear him. There was no way he wanted the worst player in this close playoff game.

But the young man persisted, and finally feeling sorry for the kid, the coach gave in. "All right," he said. "You can go in." Before long, the coach, the players and everyone in the stands could not believe their eyes. This little unknown, who had never played before was doing everything right. The opposing team could not stop him. He ran, he passed, blocked like a star.

His team began to triumph. The score was soon tied. In the closing seconds of the game, this kid intercepted a pass and ran all the way for the winning touchdown. The fans broke loose. His teammates hoisted him onto their shoulders. Such cheering you never heard.

He looked at the coach, with tears in his eyes, and said, "Well, you knew my dad died, but did you know that my dad was blind?" The young man swallowed hard and forced a smile, "Dad came to all my games, but today was the first time he could see me play, and I wanted to show him I could do it!"