We’re all winners

Jamal retied his running shoes for the third time. All month he’d been talking about his first 5K race and how he was going to come in first in his age group. Several of his friends from school had come out to watch or run the race too.

“You ready?” Christian asked.

“Yeah, no problem.” Jamal did a few warm-up stretches to cover up the fact that his hands were shaking. He’d trained for this race, but there were so many people both in the race and watching. What if he didn’t win his age group? What if he tripped and fell?

A whistle blew and the starter called everyone to the staring line.

“I’ll try to keep you in sight,” Christian said, “but you’re a lot faster than I am.” He leaned closer. “I’m kind of just hoping I can finish the race without having to stop.”

Jamal clapped Christian on the back. “Don’t go out too fast and you’ll be fine. It doesn’t matter what place you finish in. The run is for a good cause.” The school was raising money for a teacher who had lost his house in a hurricane.

Christian nodded. “Right. Let’s do this for Mr Martin.”

Jamal took his spot on the starting line and noticed Mr Martin next to him.

“Thanks for getting so many of your classmates to come out today, Jamal,” Mr Martin said. “No matter what place you come in, you’re a winner in my book.”

The starting buzzer sounded and Jamal took off, thinking of Mr Martin’s words. After the first mile, Jamal glanced back and saw Christian grabbing his side. He must have had a cramp. Mr Martin was still next to Jamal, matching his pace with each step.

“We’re all winners, right?” Jamal asked Mr Martin between breaths.

Mr Martin looked back at Christian and a few other students lagging behind. “Every single one of you.”

Jamal nodded and ran back to Christian and the others. “Arms up over your heads and take long slow breaths,” Jamal said.

His friends listened.

“Good. Now swing your arms again and focus on your breathing.” Jamal continued to coach his friends until he saw the finish line. “There’s the end. Come on, guys. Let’s finish this together.”

They crossed the finish line as a group and found Mr Martin waiting for them.

“Why did you come back for us, Jamal?” Christian asked, still out of breath. “You could’ve won.”

“We’re all winners,” Jamal said smiling at Mr Martin.

1. Why were Jamal and his friends running in a 5K

race? a. They were competing against students from

another school. b. They were practising to run a marathon. c. They were running to raise money for someone

in need. d. They knew there was a cash prize for the fastest

runner in each age group.

2. Who is Mr Martin? a. a teacher at Jamal’s school b. Christian’s father c. a professional athlete d. Jamal’s track coach

3. Why did Mr Martin thank Jamal?

4. Before the race, Christian said to Jamal:

“I’ll try to keep you in sight, but you’re a lot faster than I am.” What did Christian mean by this? a. He thinks he’ll be able to beat Jamal in the

race. b. He will try to keep up with Jamal. c. He does not want to race. d. He thinks Jamal won’t try very hard.

5. What kind thing did Jamal do for his friend Christian during the race? Match each vocabulary word on the left with the definition on the right.

Choose the word(s) closest in meaning to the underlined word(s).

Exercise 1

Paul claimed that he knew nothing of the matter. He insisted that he was (1) framed by someone. He kept on (2) accusing the detectives of nabbing the wrong person. He felt like he was in a nightmare.

Yesterday, the police had come knocking on Paul’s door and arrested him. They claimed that he was the (3) primary suspect in a bank robbery. He was taken to the police headquarters where he was (4) grilled by two officers. They wanted to know where the stolen money was and who his accomplice was. The (5) interrogation lasted four hours. Finally, an officer managed to find out that Paul had an alibi during the time of the robbery and he was finally released.

1. A betrayed B set up C slandered D accused

2. A cursing B blaming C scolding D attacking

3. A sole B lone C only D main 4. A queried B tested C enquired D questioned

5. A test

B survey

C interview D cross-examination

Exercise 2

Ben sat up and looked out of his window. Yes, it was still dark but he could not sleep any more. He (1) swung his legs over the side of his bed. The floor boards felt cold beneath his bare feet. He (2) fished around for his sneakers and his clothes.

Downstairs, Ben took (3) cautious steps as he did not want to wake the whole family. The light from the refrigerator (4) cast an eerie glow on the kitchen, making it look like a scene from a horror movie. Ben (5) scrounged around for something that was suitable as a late night snack. He finally settled on some cheese and crackers. He was unaware that he was being watched.

1. A swept B threw C swayed D dangled

2. A tossed B probed C grabbed D selected 3. A wary

B timid C careful D conservative

4. A shed B threw C shook D hurled

5. A tracked B picked C foraged D searched