在日常生活中，盲人面临诸多不便，更别说跑步了。但是有一位盲人，不仅长年坚持跑步，而且成功跑完了半程马拉松。
The blind runner who finished half marathon
by Christian Cotroneo
When Thomas Panek lost his eyesight more than 25 years ago, the avid runner doubted he would ever pursue his lifelong passion again. "I was too scared to run," he said.
eyesight /ˈaɪsaɪt/ n. 视力
avid /ˈævɪd/ adj. 热衷的
doubt /daʊt/ v. 怀疑
pursue /pəˈsjuː/ v. 追求
lifelong /ˈlaɪflɒŋ/ adj. 终生的（由life和long组成）
passion /ˈpæʃ(ə)n/ n. 酷爱
scared /skeəd/ adj. 害怕的
Indeed, although Panek had been lacing up since high school, the idea of running blind seemed altogether too daunting. But he did manage to keep his dream alive – with help from human guides who assisted him on each run.
indeed /ɪnˈdiːd/ adv. 的确
lace /leɪs/ up 系鞋带（在这里指代跑步）
altogether /ˌɔːltəˈɡeðə(r)/ adv. 完全地
daunting /ˈdɔːntɪŋ/ adj. 令人生畏的
manage to do something 成功做某事
alive /əˈlaɪv/ adj. 活着的、继续存在的
Even so, the real joy of the run – the thrill of independence that comes from conquering a course on your own terms – eluded him. "When you're tied to another person, it's no longer your own race," the 48-year-old said. "The independence isn't quite there."
joy /dʒɔɪ/ n. 欢乐、快乐
thrill /θrɪl/ n. 兴奋
independence /ˌɪndɪˈpendəns/ n. 独立
conquer /ˈkɒŋkə(r)/ v. 征服
course /kɔːs/ n. 赛场、赛道
on one's own terms 按某人想要的方式
elude /ɪˈluːd/ v. 避开、使得不到
But Panek found a friend – indeed, man's best friend – who would help him reignite that sense of purpose. He started running with a guide dog named Gus. Not only did Panek rediscover his love for running, but, along the way, he founded Guiding Eyes for the Blind, an organization dedicated to providing service dogs for the visually impaired.
reignite /ˌriːɪɡˈnaɪt/ v. 重新点燃
purpose /ˈpɜːpəs/ n. 决心、意志
rediscover /ˌriːdɪˈskʌvə(r)/ v. （在失去之后）找回、重新发现（由discover加上表示再次的前缀re-）
along the way 在做某事的过程中
found /faʊnd/ v. 创办
dedicate /ˈdedɪkeɪt/ v. 奉献、致力
service dog 给残疾人提供特殊帮助的狗（这里指导盲犬）
visually /ˈvɪʒuəli/ adv. 视觉上（由visual加后缀-ly变成副词）
impair /ɪmˈpeə(r)/ v. 损害、削弱
On March 16, Gus glided across the finish line with his human at the New York City Half Marathon. In that moment, they both breezed into the history books. Panek, who finished the course in a little more than two hours and 20 minutes, became the first blind runner to complete the race led by dogs.
glide /ɡlaɪd/ v. 滑行、掠过
marathon /ˈmærəθ(ə)n/ n. 马拉松（全长42.195公里）
breeze /briːz/ v. 轻松地走
Brandishing their respective medals, Panek and Gus – who retired after the race – shared a breathless embrace. "It's a little emotional for me because he's been there with me the whole time," Panek said.
brandish /ˈbrændɪʃ/ v. 挥舞
respective /rɪˈspektɪv/ adj. 分别的、各自的
medal /ˈmed(ə)l/ n. 奖牌、纪念章
breathless /ˈbreθləs/ adj. 气喘吁吁的、令人屏住呼吸的（由breath加上表示否定的后缀-less并变成形容词）
embrace /ɪmˈbreɪs/ n. 拥抱
emotional /ɪˈməʊʃ(ə)n(ə)l/ adj. 情绪激动的（由emotion加后缀-al变成形容词）
But Panek was quick to point out that it wasn't just Gus who provided the wind beneath his running shoes. In all, three guide dogs helped him see his way to the finish line. Siblings Westley and Waffle picked up the early legs of the course, each running between five and eight kilometers of the 21-kilometer race.
beneath /bɪˈniːθ/ prep. 在…下面（wind beneath his running shoes是从wind beneath one's wings化用而来，指支持他跑步的人或物）
in all 总共
sibling /ˈsɪblɪŋ/ n. 兄弟、姐妹
pick up 带某人去某地
leg /leɡ/ n. 一段比赛
Along the way, the whole team got plenty of support from event host New York Road Runners. "We have a great history with Tom and the team at Guiding Eyes for the Blind, and we were so excited to be a part of his historic finish with Gus at yesterday's United Airlines NYC Half," explained race director Jim Heim of New York Road Runners.★ "We offer a comprehensive program and accommodations for athletes with disabilities, and we've worked closely with Guiding Eyes for the Blind to ensure Tom and his team of guide dogs had a safe and enjoyable experience."
support /səˈpɔːt/ n. 支持、帮助
host /həʊst/ n. 主办方
historic /hɪˈstɒrɪk/ adj. 历史性的、有历史意义的（由history加后缀-ic变成形容词）
airline /ˈeəlaɪn/ n. 航空公司（United Airlines就是美联航，在这里出现这家公司是因为它冠名了这场比赛）
★ 这句话里出现了Tom，它是Thomas的昵称
comprehensive /ˌkɒmprɪˈhensɪv/ adj. 全面的、无所不包的
program /ˈprəʊɡræm/ n. 计划、方案
accommodation /əˌkɒməˈdeɪʃ(ə)n/ n. 住宿
athlete /ˈæθliːt/ n. 运动员
disability /ˌdɪsəˈbɪləti/ n. 残疾、失能
ensure /ɪnˈʃʊə(r)/ v. 确保
enjoyable /ɪnˈdʒɔɪəb(ə)l/ adj. 令人愉快的（由enjoy加后缀-able变成形容词）
With retirement looming, it would be the faithful yellow lab's last race. But for Panek, the road ahead remains long and bright – not only for him, but for anyone with a disability who still hopes to run down a dream.
retirement /rɪˈtaɪəmənt/ n. 退休（由retire加后缀-ment变成名词）
looming /ˈluːmɪŋ/ adj. 即将到来的
faithful /ˈfeɪθf(ə)l/ adj. 忠诚的（由faith加后缀-ful变成形容词）
lab 在这里是labrador的缩写，指拉布拉多犬
run down 追寻
（如果您发现某些行的最后一个单词被分成两半了，请把您使用的浏览器升级到最新版本就能正常显示了。）
网友评论