大學全英語閱讀文章

ForBigBruno,aManWeCanLookUpTo

ByElizabethSandoval

Hisocean-blueeyes,palewhiteskin,andaheadoflightbrownhair,candeceiveyou.Ybu*recertainwhen

youlookathimthatyouarewatchingawhiteman.Butafterjustafewsentences,hisaccentishardtomiss.

BrunoSandovalcametothiscountryfromMexicoalmost50yearsago.Hewasastrong18-year-oldboy,

aimingforsomethingasgreatashissix-foot-tallframe.TheUnitedStatesofferedthat.Hardworkdidnot

frightenhim,sohetookajobinTexasdrivingatractorfor50centsanhour.Hereturnedhometofinishhis

schooling,andthencamebackin1962,thistimetoChicago,whereheworkedforadollaranhourina

warehouse.Thenfor$1.25anhourinanauto-partsfactory.Then$1.50anhourstoringChristmas

decorationsinawarehouse,$1.75anhourasawelderforGeneralMotorsand$2anhourasapunch-press

operatorforGeneralElectric.Hislifecontinuouslyillustratedthathardworkpaysoff.

Ultimately,heputhistalentstoworkintherailyardsasamechanicforChicagoandseveralothercities.

Hemetmymother,Carmen,ataneighborhooddanceandtheymarriedin1967,whenshewas20andhe

was27.Ayearlater,daughterMariearrived.Fiveyearslater,Iwasborn.Bythenmydadownedathree-flat

apartmentbuildinginthecity.Whenhesolditin1976tomoveustoCalifornia(thewarmclimateattracted

him)forajobwithAmtrak,hewasabletopaycashforournewhouse.Brunowouldneverknowamortgage

payment.

Mydadisretirednow.ButwhatIremembermostabouthisworkingdaysisthathenevercomplained

abouthisjob.Hewasupatfiveeverymorningwithoutanalarmclock,andbackatthreeorfourinthe

afternoontomowthelawn,chatwithneighborsandwatchTV.

Mydadmaybestronginstature,buthehasalwayshadagentlespirit.Theneighborhoodkidsusedto

lineupsohecouldliftthemoneatatimeintotheairwithonearm.HewasknownasBigBruno,andhe

remainsthemostpatientmanIhaveeverknown.Heisslowtogetangryandhasaheartofgold.Youseldom

hearinsultsorcriticismsfromhismouth.Hemaynothavearichvocabulary(hisnativeSpanishwillalways

bemorefamiliartohim),butthathasnotstoppedhimfrommakingalotoffriendsthroughouttheyears.

Phonecallafterphonecallcomesfromformerco-workersorneighbors.Mynormallyquietfatherchatsand

laughsloudly,andIimaginethattheyaredoingthesame.Thesemenhavefoundatreasureinmyfather.A

rolemodelandatruefriend.

Theysaythatactionsspeaklouderthanwords,andthekindoflifethatmyfatherhaslivedhas

influencedmemorethananylecturehecouldhavegiven.Idonotrememberatimewhenhesatmeonhis

lapandtaughtmealifelesson,butspendingevenanhourwithhimleavesmewiththefeelingthatheisa

manwhounderstandshisroleintheworld.Hedefinesthatroleasbeingsomeonewhodoeswell,loves

everyoneanddoesn'texpectanythinginreturn.

Attimeshischaracterhasconfusedme.Howcouldlife'supsanddownsnotcauseBigBrunotoraisehis

voiceorgethisfeathersruffled?Shouldn'tamanofsuchphysicalpoweractgruff?Aboutthedegreeofhis

gruffnesstowardmewaswhenwe'dgotothebeachandhe'dputmeonhisshouldersandrunstraightinto

theocean—asIscreamedalltheway.Ididn*tlikethedeep,scarywater.Heneverseemedtofearit.

Mybrother,whowasbornin1980,isnowthespittingimageofmyfather.He'salsonamedBruno,and

atsixfeetseveninchestall,he,too,isagentlegiant.InchurchonarecentSunday,asthepastorspoke

about“runningthegoodrace"andlivingalifethatwouldpleaseGod,mybrotherturnedtomeintears.Our

dadhadcompleteda26-milebikeridethatmorning(he*sinbettershapeat64thanmany24-year-olds).My

brothersaid,“Liz,thafsDad.He'sfinishingthegoodrace.”

BaseballplayerslikeSammySosacanearnmoreinonegamethanmyfatherdidinanygivenyearofhis

life.IcomparethetoilingandsacrificeofSosaandSandovaland,well,thereisnocomparison.Ilookaround

atthosewecallheroes,andIbelievethatthetitleishandedouttoofreelyathletesandsingersandmovie

starscanprovideinspiration,butthetitle“hero”shouldbereservedforamanlikemyfather,whoshowsus

whatitmeanstoworktirelesslyforhislovedones.Thatisalifetobeadmired.Thatisahero.Sohereisa

thank-youtoalltheBrunoSandovalsoftheworld.HappyFather'sday.

SkimmingandScanning

Therearemanydifferentkindsoftextstoreadatuniversity,andtherearenumerouswaystoapproach

them.Ifyoutriedtoploughthroughallyourreadingmateriallinebyline,pagebypage,youwouldprobably

havetodoyourdegreebycorrespondencebecauseyouwouldbelockedinyourroomforthewholefour

years.Butinacoursethatrequiresaheavyloadofbackgroundreading,forexample,law,youcanpractice

somealternativewaysofreadingthatwillstillletyougetthemostoutofyourtexts.

Theshorttalksonreadingstrategiesinthissetofbooksdescribehowyoucanimproveyourreadingand

note-takingskillsandmaximizeyourmemorytoenhanceyourlearning.

Whenyoufaceanewtextyoutendtoreadwordbyword.Thiswayofreadingaffectsthegeneral

understandingofthepassageandcantaketoomuchtimetofinishthereading.Youcanendupreadingevery

wordverywellbutthemainideamaybelost.Toavoidthis,youcanuseskimmingandscanning.

Skimming

Skimmingisusedtoquicklyidentifythemainideasofatext.Ybureadaslittleasyoucan,whilestill

pickingupsomeideaofwhatisbeingdiscussed.Whenyoureadthenewspaper,you'reprobablynotreading

itwordbyword,insteadyou'reskimmingthetext.Skimmingisdoneataspeedthreetofourtimesfaster

thannormalreading.Peopleoftenskimwhentheyhavelotsofmaterialtoreadinalimitedamountoftime.

Useskimmingwhenyouwanttoseeifanarticleorabookmaybeofinterestinyourresearch.

Whenyouskimabook,usethetableofcontentsandtheindextofindtherelevantsections.Firstread

onlytheintroductionandconclusionofachapter,asthiswillgiveyouagoodideaofwhattheauthorissaving.

Ifitlookspromising,simplyreadthefirstandlastsentencesofeachparagraph.Alternatively,youcouldgo

abitfurtherintoeachparagraph,lookingforthetopicsentencebutbeingreadytoskipaheadatanymoment.

Allyouwantarethemainideasoftheparagraph.Youshouldskipoveranymaterialwhichdevelops,further

explains,qualifiesorillustratesorprovidesevidenceforthemainidea.Ybudon'twanttoreadexamples,so

youshouldbealerttosignpostwordsthatintroduceexamples("forexample",Hforinstance",Usuchas”).Skip

anyqualifications(“but”，“ontheotherhand")orcomparison("similarly").Withjournalarticles,readthe

abstract,introductionandconclusionandskimthesubheadings.Whenyouareworkingwithscientifictexts,

applyingthistechniquecanbeeasiersincethistypeofliteratureusuallycontainstopicheadings,

subheadings,abstractsorsummariesthatmightcomeinhandyforthereader.Anotheradvantageofa

scientifictextisthattheyareusuallywritteninblocksofinformationgroupedinparagraphs.Inthiscasethe

bestalternativeistoreadthefirstsentenceofeachparagraph.

However,itisimportantthatthistechniqueisnotusedasashortcuttoreadingthewholetextwherethis

isrequired.Itdoesnotmeanthatyoucansimplyreadthefirstandlastparagraphsandunderstand

everything.Thistechniqueisusedtohelpyougetanideaofwhatyouareabouttoread.Skimmingislike

havingamapbeforeenteringacity.Itislesslikelythatyou'llgetlostifyouhavepreviousinformation.

Scanning

Scanningissimilartoskimmingbutthetwoaredifferentinthefollowingimportantway:skimmingisfor

aquickinputofthemajormessageofatextwhilescanningisformajordetailsthatareimportantfora

particularpurposeofreadingthetext,suchaslocatingoridentifyingspecificfacts,findingnamesorfigures,

andclarifyingsomedoubts.Thafswhyscanningisatechniqueyouoftenusewhenlookingsomethingupin

atelephonebookordictionary.Inmostcases,youknowwhatyou'relookingfor,soyou'reconcentratingon

findingaparticularanswer.

Scanningcanbeapreliminarystepinreadingbecausewithityoucanlocatenewterms,lookthemupin

adictionaryoraglossary(ifyousensethattheywillprovetobeimportantforyourpurposeofreadingthe

particulartext)andsavetimewhenyouactuallybegintoread.Theprocessofscanningshouldnottakemore

thanacoupleofminutes.Afterthatyoumustdecidewhichtermsarethemostimportantandwhichpartof

thereadingdeservesmoreattention.

Donotforgetthatthisisonlyacomprehensiontechniquedesignedtohelpyougetintothereading.In

ordertointerprettheauthor'sintentionsandideas,itisimportanttoreadthewholetextandanalyzeitin

moredetail.

ThePersonalQualitiesofaTeacher

HereIwanttotrytogiveyouananswertothequestion:Whatpersonalqualitiesaredesirableina

teacher?Probablynotwopeoplewoulddrawupexactlythesamelists,butIthinkthefollowingwouldbe

generallyaccepted.

First,theteacher'spersonalityshouldbepleasantlyliveandattractive.Thisdoesnotruleoutpeoplewho

arephysicallyplain,oreyenugly,becausemanysuchhavegreatpersonalcharm.Butitdoesruleoutsuch

typesastheover-excitable,melancholy,frigid,sarcastic,cynical,frustrated,andover-bearing;Iwouldsay

too,thatitexcludesallofdullorpurelynegativepersonality.IstillsticktowhatIsaidinmyearlierbook:that

schoolchildrenprobably“suffermorefromboresthanfrombrutes”.

Secondly,itisnotmerelydesirablebutessentialforateachertohaveagenuinecapacityfor

sympathy—intheliteralmeaningofthatword;acapacitytotuneintothemindsandfeelingsofotherpeople,

especially,sincemostteachersareschoolteachers,tothemindsandfeelingsofchildren.Closelyrelatedwith

thisisthecapacitytobetolerant—not,indeed,ofwhatiswrong,butofthefrailtyandimmaturityofhuman

naturewhichinducepeople,andagainespeciallychildren,tomakemistakes.

Thirdly,Iholditessentialforateachertobebothintellectuallyandmorallyhonest.Thisdoesnotmean

beingaplastersaint.Itmeansthathewillbeawareofhisintellectualstrengths,andlimitations,andwill

havethoughtaboutanddecideduponthemoralprinciplesbywhichhislifeshallbeguided.Thereisno

contradictioninmygoingontosaythatateachershouldbeabitofanactor.Thatispartofthetechniqueof

teaching,whichdemandsthateverynowandthenateachershouldbeabletoputonanact—toenlivena

lesson,correctafault,toawardpraise.Children,especiallyyoungchildren,liveinaworldthatisratherlarger

thanlife.

Ateachermustremainmentallyalert.Hewillnotgetintotheprofessionifoflowintelligence,butitisall

tooeasy,evenforpeopleofabove-averageintelligence,tostagnateintellectually—andthatmeansto

deteriorateintellectually.Ateachermustbequicktoadapthimselftoanysituation,howeverimprobable,and

abletoimprovise,ifnecessary,atlessthanamomenfsnotice.(HereIshouldstressthatIuse“he”and“his”

throughoutthebooksimplyasamatterofconventionandconvenience.)

Ontheotherhand,ateachermustbecapableofinfinitepatience.This,Imaysay,islargelyamatterof

self-disciplineandself-training;wearenoneofusbornlikethat.Hemustbeprettyresilient;teachingmakes

greatdemandsonnervousenergy.Andheshouldbeabletotakeinhisstridetheinnumerablepetty

irritationsanyadultdealingwithchildrenhastoendure.

Finally,Ithinkateachershouldhavethekindofmindwhichalwayswantstogoonlearning.Teachingis

ajobatwhichonewillneverbeperfect;thereisalwayssomethingmoretolearnaboutit.Therearethree

principalobjectsofstudy:thesubject,orsubjects,whichtheteacheristeaching;themethodsbywhichthey

canbestbetaughttotheparticularpupilsintheclassesheisteaching;and—byfarthemostimportant—the

children,youngpeople,oradultstowhomtheyaretobetaught.Thetwocardinalprinciplesofbrutish

educationtodayarethateducationiseducationofthewholeperson,andthatitisbestacquiredthroughfull

andactivecooperationbetweentwopersons,theteacherandthelearner.

Spoon-FedFeelLostattheCuttingEdge

Beforearrivingatuniversity,studentswillhavebeenpowerfullyinfluencedbytheirschooPsapproachto

learningparticularsubjects.Yetthisisonlyrarelytakenintoaccountbyteachersinhighereducation,

accordingtonewresearchcarriedoutatNottinghamUniversity,whichcouldexplainwhysomanystudents

experienceproblemsmakingthetransition.

HistorianAlanBoothsaysthereisagrowingfeelingonbothsidesoftheAtlanticthattheshiftfromschool

touniversity-stylelearningcouldbevastlyimproved.Butlittleconsensusexistsaboutwhoorwhatisatfault

whenthestudentscannotcope.“Schoolteacherscommonlyblamethepoorqualityofuniversityteaching,

citingfactorssuchaslargefirst-yearlectures,thewidespreaduseofinexperiencedpostgraduatetutorsand

thegenerallackofconcernforstudentsinanenvironmentwhereresearchisdominantincareer

progression/1Dr.Boothsaid.

Manyuniversitytutors,ontheotherhand,claimthattheschoolsystemisfailingtopreparestudentsfor

whatwillbeexpectedofthematuniversity.A-levelhistoryinparticularisseentobeteacher-dominated,

creatingapassivedependencyculture.

Butwhilebothsidesarebentonattackingeachother,littleisheardduringsuchexchangesfromthe

studentsthemselves,accordingtoDr.Booth,whohasdevisedaquestionnairetotesttheviewsofmorethan

200first-yearhistorystudentsatNottinghamoverathree-yearperiod.Thestudentswereaskedabouttheir

experienceofhowhistoryistaughtattheoutsetoftheirdegreeprogram.Itquicklybecameclearthat

teachingmethodsinschoolwereprettystaid.

About30percentofrespondentsclaimedtohavemadesignificantuseofprimarysources(fewfeltvery

confidentinhandlingthem)andthishadmostlybeeninconnectionwithprojectwork.Only16percenthad

usedvideo/audio;2percenthadexperiencedfieldtripsandlessthan1percenthadengagedinrole-play.

Dr.Boothfoundstudentsandteacherswerefrequentlyrestrictedbytheassessmentstylewhichremains

dominatedbyexams.Theseputobstaclesinthewayofmoreadventurousteachingandactivelearning,he

said.Ofthestudentsinthesurveyjust13percentfeltithadpreparedthemfairlywell.

Onetypicalcommentsumsupthecontrastingapproach:"AtA-levelwetendedtobespoon-fedwith

dictatednotesandifweweretoldtodoanybackgroundreading(whichwasrare)weweretoldexactlywhich

pagestoreadoutofthebook.”

Totestthisfurtherthestudentswereaskedhowwelltheywerepreparedinspecificskillscentralto

degree-levelhistorystudy.Theanswersrevealthatthestudentsfeltmostconfidentattakingnotesfrom

lecturesandorganizingtheirnotes.Theywereleastabletogiveanoralpresentationandtherewasnogreat

confidenceincontributingtoseminars,knowinghowmuchtoread,usingprimarysourcesandsearchingfor

texts.Evenreadingandtakingnotesfromabookwereoftenproblematic.Just6percentofthesamplesaid

theyfeltcompetentatwritingessays,thestapleA-levelassessmentactivity.

Thepersonalinfluenceoftheteacherwasparamount.Infactindividualteacherswerethecenterof

students*learningatA-levelwithsome86percentofrespondentsreportingthattheirteachershadbeen

moreinfluentialintheirdevelopmentashistoriansthanthestudents5ownreadingandthinking.

Theidealteacherturnedouttobesomeonewhowasenthusiasticaboutthesubject,agoodclear

communicatorwhoencourageddiscussion.Theidealteacherwasabletodevelopstudents5involvementand

independence.Heorshewasapproachableandwillingtohelp.Thebadteacher,accordingtothesurvey,

dictatesnotesandallowsnoroomfordiscussion.Heorshemakesstudentslearnstringsoffacts,appears

uninterestedinthesubjectandfailstolistentootherpointsofview.

Nomatterhowpoorthestudentsjudgedtheirpreparednessfordegree-levelstudy,however,therewas

afairlywidespreadoptimismthattheexperiencewouldchangethemsignificantly,particularlyintermsof

theiropen-mindednessandabilitytocopewithpeople.

Butitwasclear,Dr.Boothsaid,thattheimportanceattachedbymanydepartmentstothird-year

teachingcouldbemisplaced.“Veryoftentutorsregardthethirdyearasthecrucialtime,allowing

postgraduatestodoalotoftheearlierteaching.ButIamcomingtotheconclusionthatthefirstyearat

universityisthecriticalpointofintervention.

I'maLoserBaby!

ByMikeHardcastle

uLoser!nsheshoutedassheandhergirlsdrovebyinherboyfriend'sredJeep.Itwas1988andtheywere

thecoolgirlsinschool.Iwasnotoneofthecoolguys.Imean,Ihadmyowncrowdsoffriends,butIwasfar

fromapopularkidatschool.Iwasingradenineandatthatpointintimeschoolwasmyworld.Ididn'thave

apart-timejob,Ididn'thaveafixedgirlfriend,Ididn'tbelongtoanout-of-schoolclub..allIhadwasschool.

Thestoryonmeandthegirlwhocalledme“Loser!”islong.TilcallherKelly,butthatisn'therrealname.

Wegrewupfourdoorsdownfromoneanother,playedtogethersteadilyuntilgradesixwhenwewentto

middleschool.Thatiswheneverythingchanged.ShegrewveryprettywhileIstayedclumsyandboy-like.

Wedidnotbelongtothesamegroup.Yet,everydayafterschoolshewouldshowupatmyhouseasifschool

didn5texist.Shealwaysactedasifnothinghadchanged.Shetoldmewewerefriendsandthatwewould

alwaysbefriendsandthatnothingthathappenedatschoolcouldeverchangethat.Stupidme,Ibelieved

her!

Aboutthreemonthsintogradeseveneverythingdidchange.Kellycameovertomyhousewithasadlook

onherface.Shedidn'ttalkmuch(andKellywasatalker)aswewatchedTVandatepotatochips.Butwhen

myMomaskedherifshewantedtostayfordinner,Kellyburstintotears.Kelly'sparentsweregettinga

divorceandshewasverysad.Theywerearguingandshejustdidn'twanttogohome.MyMomcalledKelly's

houseandarrangedforhertostaythenightinmysister'sroom.SincemyparentsandKelly'sparentswere

close,myMomofferedtoletKellystayasakindoffamilyfriendship.Kelly'sMomwashappyattheoffer.

Thatnight,Kellywentintomyroom.Shecriedonmyshoulderandtoldmeherworldwasfallingapart.

Shetoldmeallsortsofthingsaboutthekidsshewasfriendswithandthestufftheywereintoandhowthey

wouldneverunderstandthatherfamilywasslittingup.Shesaidthatshewasafraidthatthedivorcewould

damageherimageandthatshewouldn'teverbeabletorecover.ShesaidthatIwastheonlypersonshe

couldtrustatschool,theonlyoneshecouldturnto.Then,inmyroom,Kellykissedme.

TheramousstartedflyingthenextdaywhenKellyandIwalkedintotheschooltogether.AsIsaidbefore,

ourout-of-schoolfriendshipwasnotcommonknowledge.Itseemsthatherfriendsstartedtofeelsorryfor

herbeingwithme.Itwasatthatmomentthateverythingchangedbetweenus.Atlunchshepassedmea

note,"Don'ttellanyonewekissed,"itwarned.Noname,nosignature,anditwastyped(intypingclass).So

nobodywasgoingtofindoutthatitwasfromKelly.Ithrewitaway.Butsomebodysawmetossitinthecan

andpickeditup.Theyputtwoandtwotogetherandbytheendoftheday,everyoneknewaboutthatkiss.

Kellywasveryangry.Inhermind,shehadachoicetomake:tellherfriendsaboutthedivorce,orlet

everyonethinkshesecretlylikedme.Kellytoldthemallaboutherparents*divorceandsaidthatIhadtaken

advantageofherwhenshewasfeelinghelpless.Ilookedlikeacad!Shecameovertomyhousethatdayto

tellmewewerenolongerfriendsandthatasfarasshewasconcernedIwasaBIGnobody!

So,almosttwoyearswentbywithKelly,herfollowerstreatingmebadly.Don'tfeelbadforme.Ihad

friends,evengirlfriendsandIwashappy.Ijustgotusedtobeingcalled“Loser!”byKellyandherfriends.To

theoutsideworlditseemedIcouldcarelesswhattheysaid.Andinaway,Ididn'tcare,butIhateditthat

afriendhadturnedherbackonmeforthesakeofherreputation.Thatburnedme.Secretly,Iwas

determinedtoproveherwrong.ImustshowherthatIwasn'tabornloser.

ThedayshedrovebyintheredjeepwasthelastdaythatKellyevercalledme“Loser”.Twoweekslater,

schoolshutdownforsummerandIstartedtoputmyplanintoaction.Iwasdeterminedtoreturntograde

tenachangedman.AndIdid!Itwasalittlebitofnature,alittlebitofeffort,andalotofluckthatthe

summerintogradetenIugrewupandout".Ilostthatclumsy,boy-likelookthathadpuzzledmesincegrade

sevenandIactuallylookedgood.Imetareallycoolgirl,hadsomefun,metnewfriendsandwentbackto

schoolwithaconfidenceIhadlackedbefore.Ibecameoneofthosekidswhocouldhangoutwithalmostany

crowd.Iwaseverybody*sfriend.ThatwasmynewreputationandIlikedit.

Irefusedtoturnmybackonthefriendswhohadmadethoseearlyyearsbearable,evenfun.Iwas

popular,butIwasstillme!Peoplerespectedmeforthis.AtthesametimeIfitinprettymucheverywhere.

ItoldKellythatsheshouldtrynottomakeherselffeelbetterbyputtingothersdown,andleftitatthat.Tm

gladthatIchangedmyimage,TmgladthatIwenttothetroubletogetridofa“bad”reputation.Ienjoyed

gradetenmorethananyotherschoolyearandIlearnedthatnoreputationiswritteninstone.Ichangedmy

uLosernimagewithoutchangingwhoIwasinside.Ifyouwant,youcandoittoo!

AFlatTire

OneyeartherewerethesetwoguysinDukeUniversitywhoweretakingChemistryandwhodidpretty

wellonallofthequizzesandthemidtermsandlabs,etc.Andtheyweresoconfidentgoingintothefinalthat

theweekendbeforefinals*week(eventhoughtheChernfinalwasonMonday),theydecidedtogouptoUva

(UniversityofVirginia)andpartywithsomefriendsupthere.

Sotheydidthisandhadagreattime.However,withtheirhangoversandeverything,theyoversleptall

daySundayanddidn'tmakeitbacktoDukeuntilearlyMondaymorning.Ratherthantakingthefinalthen,

whattheydidwastofindtheProfessorafterthefinalandexplaintohimwhytheymissedthefinal.Theytold

himthattheywentuptoUvafortheweekend,andhadplannedtocomebackintimetostudy,butthatthey

hadaflattireonthewaybackanddidn'thaveaspareandcouldn*tgethelpforalongtimeandsowerelate

gettingbacktocampus.

Theprofessorthoughtthisoverandthenagreedthattheycouldmakeupthefinalonthefollowingday.

Thetwoguyswereelatedandrelieved.So,theystudiedthatnightandwentinthenextdayatthetimethat

theprofessorhadtoldthem.

Theprofessorplacedtheminseparateroomsandhandedeachofthematestpaperandtoldthemto

begin.Theylookedatthefirstproblem,whichwassomethingsimpleaboutmoralityandsolutionsandwas

worthfivepoints.uCool,^^theythought,"thisisgoingtobeeasy.”

Theydidthatproblemandthenturnedthepage.Theywereunprepared,however,forwhattheysawon

thenextpage.Itsaid:

(95points)Whichtire?

MyMiraculousLife

ByMichaelJordanSegal

Ineverconsidermyselfunique,butpeopleareconstantlytellingme,HY6uareamiracle.^^Tome,Iwas

justanordinary“guy”withrealisticgoals.Iwasa19-year-oldstudentattheUniversityofTexasandwellon

mywaytowardrealizingmy“bigdream"ofonedaybecominganorthopedicsurgeon.

OnthenightofFebruary17,1981IwasdrivingSharon,mygirlfriendofthreeyears,backtoher

dormitorywhenIsuddenlynoticedthatIwasrunningoutofgas.SoIpulledintoanearbyconveniencestore

tobuy$2.00worthofgas."I'llbebackintwominutes,MIyelledatSharonasIclosedthedoor.Butinstead,

thosetwominuteschangedmylifeforever.

IthoughtIwasenteringanemptystore,butsuddenlyIrealizeditwasnotemptyatall.Threerobbers

wereintheprocessofcommittingarobberyandmyentranceintothestorecaughtthembysurprise.Oneof

thecriminalsimmediatelyshovedahandguntomyhead,pushedmedownonthefloor,andshotabulletinto

thebackofmyhead.HeobviouslythoughtIwasdeadbecausehedidnotshootmeagain.Thethreethieves

finishedrobbingthestoreandleftcalmly.

Meanwhile,SharonwonderedwhyIhadnotreturnedandwentinsidetolookforme.Shewasinshock

whenshefoundmelyingonthefloor.ShewasbeginningtounderstandthatIwashurt,butshecouldnot

begintocomprehendorimaginetheseverityofmyinjury.

At1:30a.m.myparentswholivedinHouston,wereawakenedbyatelephonecallfromBrackenridge

HospitaladvisingthemtocometoAustinassoonaspossiblefortheyfearedIwouldnotmakeitthroughthe

night.

ButIdidmakeitthroughthenightandearlyinthemorningthedoctordecidedtooperate.However,he

quicklyinformedmyfamilyandSharonthatmychancesofsurvivingthesurgerywereonly40/60.Ifthis

werenotbadenough,thedoctorfurthershockedmyfamilybytellingthemhatlifewouldbelikeformeifI

wereluckyenoughtosurvive.HesaidIprobablywouldneverwalk,talk,orbeabletounderstandeven

simplerequests.

ButonceagainIsurvivedthethreeandahalfhoursofsurgery.

EventhoughmyfamilybreathedahugesighofreliefthatIwasstillalivethedoctorcautionedthatit

wouldstillbeseveraldaysbeforeIwouldbeoutofdanger.However,witheachpassingdayI