Gloria arrived in Barbados on 26 January, 2008 after rowing * across the Atlantic for three months and a half．Gloria was in one of 36 small wooden rowing boats that set off on 7 October, 2007 from Tenerife Island on the Atlantic Rowing Challenge Race*．Each boat was exactly the same design and each one had food for the journey *．There were two people in each boat and their challenge was to row across the Atlantic, a journey of about 3, 360 kilometres．

　　Gloria began the journey with her husband in a small boat．However, after 14 days he became very afraid of the huge ocean and was not able to go on, so he left her with the help of a helping boat．This did not make Gloria give up．Instead, she decided that she would continue by herself．So, for the next hundred days, she rowed her small boat alone and fought against the waves and the winds, and her own fears．

　　When she finally arrived in Barbados, Gloria was not willing to leave her boat although her husband and family were there to greet her．She sat so long in the boat that she could hardly stand, her husband had to carry her off the boat．After that, the first thing she did was to drink a toast * to her small boat, the very special lady．This lady carried her safely through many storms on her long journey and she loved it．

　　Gloria is really a brave woman．She has become the tenth woman in the world to row across the Atlantic．Like the others, she has experienced great joys and terrible things．But a brave person is not always brave,“Sometimes I wanted more than anything to be warm and dry in bed and safe from the storm around me．I wanted to stop being brave,”she said．

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　　“Is she still alive?Where is she?I want to see her at once!”

　　Jiang Dejia, a Junior 2 student in Shifang Yinghua Middle School in Deyang, said this when she was rescued from the rubble(瓦砾)of a school building hit by the May 12 earthquake．

　　“She”is a Jmlior 3 girl from the same school, called Liao Li, who was also buried in the rubble．

　　Jiang and Liao didn’t know each other before the earthquake．But they encouraged each other to keep going during the two scary days．

　　Later Liao was rescued too．

　　“We were on the edge of death but friendship got us through．I’ll never forget it as long as I live．”said Jiang．

　　Hundreds of thousands of students like Jiang and Liao were in the same situation on May 12．On that day, the biggest earthquake in China for more than 30 years hit Wenehuan, Sichuan．Several thousand middle school students and teachers ended up buried．Buildings went down and cities were leveled(夷平)．

　　As from Friday the earthquake has killed about 23, 000 people across the country．The number is very likely to grow．

　　While people in those areas are facing death and disease, they know the whole nation is standing firmly behind them．

　　Only two hours after the quake．Premier Wen Jiabao got on a plane to Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan Province．Premier Wen has been in the worst－hit areas to lead rescue work．

　　Soldiers and policemen were not able to get into Wenchuan at first because of rainy weather and blocked roads．About one day after the quake．the first army group reached the epicenter(震中)on foot．Since then, soldiers have been digging with their fingers to try to find people alive．Helicopters(直升机)have been called in to airdrop food, water and medicine for people in the quake-hit areas．Medical teams have been sent in．People are racing against time to save lives．

　　People outside of Sichuan．including overseas Chinese and people in other countries, are offering money, blood and materials(物资)to help．

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　　One of the most important events in the modern Olympic Games is the Marathon race．The race came from one of the great events in Greek history．

　　In 490 B．C．about 10,000 Greeks fought 　　1　　 the Persian (波斯人的) army at a place called Marathon．It is said that the Persians were ten times as many as the Greeks．But, with the brave attack of the Greeks, the Persians were badly beaten and 　　2　　 away from the plain (平原) of Marathon．When the Persians had run away a soldier, who was the most famous runner in Athens, was ordered to carry the good news to the city 　　3　　 full speed．

　　Although he had fought through the battle and received many wounds, the soldier at once started off towards the 　　4　　 city．It was twenty-six and a quarter miles 　　5　　 the plain of Marathon to the marketplace of Athens, 　　6　　 the elders of Athens had gathered (聚集) waiting for news．He ran and ran over hills and 　　7　　 plains．As he went on, his lips became dry and his breathing hard．But he thought of the 　　8　　 of the people of Athens on hearing the news, and he ran harder than ever．

　　The elders of Athens heard a great shout and saw a soldier 　　9　　 towards them．“Rejoice!Rejoice!We won!” gasped the soldier, and he fell down 　　10　　．

　　In honor of this noble soldier and athlete, we have in the modern Olympic Games the Marathon race, in which the athletes run this same distance．

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