Terry Fox: An Inspiration (II)

An unfinished marathon that never stops running · 未竟的希望马拉松

On April 12, 1980, after many months of training, Terry Fox dipped his leg into the Atlantic Ocean and began his Marathon of Hope. Almost no one showed up to see him begin his journey. For the first days of his marathon, Terry Fox was alone—a lonely young man determined to reach his goal.

He got up early and started running at 4:30 a.m. Only 500 kilometres into his run, Terry began to feel sick. He could easily have given up right there. But this was no typical young man. He was fighting back and doing something for others. How could he quit? The word "quit" did not seem to be part of his vocabulary.

As the days wore on, Canadians began to sense that something big was happening out there on the lonely road. As people saw Terry slowly hopping along in his strange running gait, they stopped and donated money for cancer research. By the time he reached central Canada, Canadians had come to love and admire this brave young man. They seemed to understand the courage it required. When he hit Toronto, thousands of people lined the streets to watch him. Money began to pour in, and all seemed well for the Marathon of Hope.

But even heroes like Terry Fox don’t always beat the odds. As Terry reached Thunder Bay, Ontario, his health took a rapid turn for the worse. Finally, he checked into a hospital and was given the bad news for the second time in his life. The cancer had returned. It was in his lungs now. He seemed to know that he wouldn’t live much longer. He had to give up his marathon on September 1, 1980, and begin cancer therapy once again.

Terry died a few months later. He was only 22 years old. In his short life, he raised $24 million for cancer research — one dollar for every Canadian.

Many years after his death, people from nations all over the world have held Terry Fox marathons and raised hundreds of millions of dollars.

Terry Fox: An Inspiration (II) — A hero's unfinished run became a nation's forever hope

On April 12, 1980, after many months of t(1)__________, Terry Fox dipped his leg into the Atlantic Ocean and began his Marathon of Hope. Almost no one showed up to see him begin his journey. For the first days of his marathon, Terry Fox was alone—a lonely young man d(2)__________ to reach his goal.

He got up early and started running at 4:30 a.m. Only 500 kilometres into his run, Terry began to feel sick. He could easily have given up right there. But this was no t(3)__________ young man. He was fighting back and doing something for others. How could he quit? The word "quit" did not seem to be part of his v(4)__________.

As the days wore on, Canadians began to sense that something big was happening out there on the lonely road. As people saw Terry slowly hopping along in his strange running gait, they stopped and d(5)__________ money for cancer research. By the time he reached central Canada, Canadians had come to love and a(6)__________ this brave young man. They seemed to understand the c(7)__________ it required. When he hit Toronto, thousands of people lined the streets to watch him. Money began to p(8)__________ in, and all seemed well for the Marathon of Hope.

But even heroes like Terry Fox don’t always beat the odds. As Terry reached Thunder Bay, Ontario, his health took a rapid turn for the worse. Finally, he checked into a hospital and was given the bad news for the second time in his life. The cancer had returned. It was in his l(9)__________ now. He seemed to know that he wouldn’t live much longer. He had to give up his marathon on September 1, 1980, and begin cancer t(10)__________ once again.

Terry died a few months later. He was only 22 years old. In his short life, he raised $24 million for cancer research — one dollar for every Canadian.

Many years after his death, people from nations all over the world have held Terry Fox marathons and raised hundreds of millions of dollars.

📌 重点单词 · Key Vocabulary

🔗 重点词组 · Key Phrases

💡 语法小贴士 · Grammar Tips

🏃 文化拓展 · The Marathon of Hope

本文是真实历史人物 Terry Fox 故事的下篇。1980 年 4 月 12 日，21 岁的 Terry 把右腿假肢浸入大西洋海水，从纽芬兰圣约翰斯出发，开始"希望马拉松"——他的目标：跑遍加拿大，为癌症研究筹集资金，让每一个加拿大人都捐出 1 加元。出发那天，几乎无人到场送行，他便在孤独中起跑。

143 天里，他每天用假肢跑完相当于一个全程马拉松的距离，共跑了 5373 公里。途经安大略省 Thunder Bay 时，癌细胞已扩散至肺部，他被迫于 9 月 1 日止步——此时他已为癌症研究募得 2400 多万加元，正好是"每个加拿大人一美元"。1981 年 6 月，Terry 去世，年仅 22 岁。加拿大为他降半旗致哀——这是加拿大历史上极少为非政要人士降半旗的纪录之一。

他的未竟之志由世界接棒：如今每年 9 月，Terry Fox Run 在全球数十个国家举行，累计为癌症研究募款超过 8 亿加元，他被加拿大人票选为"史上最伟大的加拿大人"之一。把上篇（I）与下篇（II）连起来读：上篇讲他"为什么跑"——因为病床上的孩子们需要一个奇迹；下篇讲他"怎样跑完生命最后一程"——即使倒下，马拉松也从未停止。正如人们所说：Terry 没能跑完他的马拉松，但他的马拉松，至今仍在世界的每一条路上继续。