輪椅上的籃球姐妹花

蔣建平

一出生就被遺棄在孤兒院門口的兩姐妹喬伊和米里亞姆，最后成為英國最有前途的輪椅籃球明星運動員。

1. orphanage /fnd/ n. 孤兒院

2. spina bifida ?脊柱裂

3. tournament /tnmnt/ n. 錦標賽

Since birth， Joy and Miriam were left at the gate of an orphanage. For the disabled sisters， who both have spina bifida， it may have seemed that all hopes were lost at that time. But after being adopted by a British couple， they have become two of the country's most promising wheelchair basketball stars.

In 2005， the Haizes adopted them. Then， they moved to the UK when Joy was six and Miriam was seven. The girls discovered the wheelchair basketball through a chance conversation， which Mr Haize had with a friend in 2011. They hadn't known wheelchair sports before， but Joy was hooked from the beginning.

While Miriam loved the sport， it took her a little longer to become a serious athlete. “I used to have really low self-respect，” she said. “It's only when Joy got into the Under 25s European Championships in 2013 that I started to take basketball seriously. It gave me a path to follow.” Miriam was then chosen to play at both regional trials and the Sainsbury's School Games in 2014. Of course， she earned herself a place at the famous GB Futures training camp. “GB Futures helped me a lot. It helped me take basketball to another level and learn more about the game and its history. It also helped me become more independent，” said Miriam. Meanwhile， Joy is currently the youngest player on the GB women's team—but she is making her mark on the international stage， having represented Great Britain in tournaments all over the world.

The teenagers are now eager to encourage others to explore the world of wheelchair sports. “You should have confidence in yourself. That's the one thing to help you succeed. Having setbacks helped me grow into a person and player. ?No matter what people said to us， we just tried our best，” said the girls.

1. What happened to Joy and Miriam when they were born？

A. They were abandoned to an orphanage.

B. They were adopted by a British couple.

C. They lived with parents in an orphanage.

D. They moved to the UK with their parents.

2. The sisters first got to know the wheelchair basketball from ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? .

A. GB Futures training camp B. their PE teacher by chance

C. a conversation in a TV program D. a talk between their father and his friend

3. What suggestion did the disabled sisters give to others？

A. Believe in yourself ！ B. All roads lead to Rome.

C. Put your heart into work！ D. A good beginning is half done！

Sentence for writing

No matter what people said to us， we just tried our best.

【信息提取】no matter作“無論;不管”解，用以引導讓步狀語從句。no matter what/who/when/how分別表示“無論何事”“無論何人”“無論何時”和“無論多么”，這個從句可以置于主句之前，也可以置于主句之后。

【句式仿寫】不管你怎么說，他都不會相信你。