In 490 B.C. the Greek messenger, Pheidippides , ran about 40 kilometers from the town of “Marathon”to Athens to announce the victory of Athens over Macedon . Since then ,the 42–kilometer “Marathon”race has become a great test for athletes. However, for many years , only men were allowed to run this race , because the distance was said to be unbearable for women. In 1966, an American women named Roberta Gibb proved that idea wrong.
Gibb had always enjoyed running .One day in 1964 , she saw the Boston Marathon happening as she was running in the woods. Since running meant a lot to her, she began training harder , hoping to join the marathon some day.
Gibb finally applied to run in the 1966 Boston Marathon, but she was not given entrance because the Boston Marathon Association considered that women were not strong enough to run 42 kilometers . Yet, this was no obstacle to Gibb, for she knew she had the physical and mental strength to complete the race .On the day the 1966 Boston Marathon was held , Gibb hid in the bushes and jumped into the race when it began. She finished the race in 3 hours and 21 minutes, defeating two thirds of the men in the race and proving that women could run the marathon.
Although what Gibb did was only to realize her dream, in doing so she showed the world that women could accomplish greater things than many people believed they could.
小题1:why were women forbidden to run the 42–km marathon ?
A．Training was only provided for men .
B．Women could not work as messengers.
C．Women were believed too weak to finish it.
D．It was a race held only for professional athletes小题2:What did Roberta Gibb do to prepare herself for the Boston Marathon ?
A．She dressed herself as a man.
B．She trained herself harder than before.
C．She found a job in the Boston Marathon Association .
D．She hid in the bushes, waiting for the end of the race.小题3:What happened to Gibb in the 1966 Boston Marathon?
A．Her application wasn’t accepted.
B．She was asked to train harder .
C．Her determination amazed people.
D．She was welcome to run the race.小题4:According to the text ,what can we learn from Roberta Gibb’s story?
A．Most women ran slower than men in marathons.
B．Joining marathons is the best way to prove one’s strength.
C．It takes at least two years to train to become a marathon runner.
D．Women may be able to achieve greater things than they’re expected.
