The sun had just risen. The annual marathon in my town is usually held during a heat wave.
My job was to follow the runners in an ambulance to render medical attention. The driver Doug and I were in an
air-conditioned ambulance behind approximately one hundred athletes waiting for the race to start. "We're
supposed to stay behind the last runner, so drive slowly," I said to the driver, Doug, as we began to creep forward.
"Let's just hope the last runner is fast!” He laughed. As they began to pace themselves, the
runners were running way ahead. It was then that my eyes were drawn to a woman in blue running shorts and a
baggy white T-shirt. She clenched her fists tightly. She pushed her self forward, ready to begin the race. "Doug,
look!” We knew we were already watching our “last runner.” Her feet were turned in, yet her left leg was turned
out. Her legs were so crippled and bent that it seemed impossible for her to be able to walk, let alone run a
marathon.
Doug and I watched in silence as she slowly moved forward. We did not utter a word. We
would move forward slightly, then stop and wait for her to gain some distance. Then we would slowly move a
little more. As I watched her struggle to put one foot in front of the other, I found myself cheering for her and
urging her forward. I wanted her to stop, and at the same time, I prayed that she would not. Finally she was the
only runner left in sight. Tears streamed down my face as I sat on the edge of my seat and watched with awe,
amazement and even reverence as she pushed forward with sheer determination through the last miles. When the
finish line came into sight, trash lay everywhere and the cheering crowds had long gone home.
Yet, standing straight and ever so proud waited a lone man. He was holding one end of a
ribbon of crepe paper tied to a post. She slowly crossed through, leaving both ends of the paper fluttering behind
her. There was a look of triumph in her before she collapsed and lay limp on the ground. Hurray! She made it.
Without a moment's delay, I dashed forward and rendered aid to my first and only casualty for the day.
I do not know this woman's name, but that day she became part of my life - a part I often
depend on. For her, it wasn't about beating the other runners, or winning a trophy, it was about finishing what she
had set out to do, no matter what. When I think things are too difficult or too time consuming, or I get those l-just-
can't-do-it feeling, I always think of the last runner. Then I would realize how easy the task before me really is.
Answers
Answer:
1. Heat wave.
2. To end his job early.
3. Clenching her fists tightly and pushing herself forward.
4. Inside an air-conditioned ambulance.
5. Completing the race.
6. (a) render (b) clenched
Explanation:
1. The word which indicates that the marathon was held on a very hot day is heat wave from the first paragraph.
2. Doug hoped that the last runner is fast because his job was to stay behind the last runner and if the last runner is fast, then he would near the finish line quick and get off his job early.
3. Even when the race had just started the woman was running with clenched fists and pushing herself forward to begin running, this tells us how she was determined to finish the race since the beginning.
4. The writer and Doug were in an air-conditioned ambulance throughout the race.
5. It refers to the woman's completion of the race.
6. Synonyms are -
- a) render
- b) clenched.
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The answer is, 1. Heat wave.
2. To end his job early.
3. Clenching her fists tightly and pushing herself forward.
4. Inside an air-conditioned ambulance.
5. Completing the race.
6. (a) render (b) clenched
- From the first paragraph, the word heat wave indicates that the marathon was held on a very hot day.
- Doug hoped the last runner was quick because his objective was to stay behind him, and if the last runner was speedy, he'd arrive to the finish line quickly and be able to leave early.
- The woman was running with clenched fists and pushing herself forward to begin running even before the race had started, demonstrating her determination to finish the race from the outset.
- Through out the race, the writer and Doug were in an air-conditioned ambulance.
- It alludes to the woman finishing the race.
- Synonyms include: a) render.
b) clenched.
#SPJ2