Section_ⅠWarming Up & Reading - Pre­reading

　　Do you know Wilma Rudolph who is deaf and dumb? And what did she do to try to get over the difficulties? Please read the following passage to get the answers.

　　They called her "the Black Pearl"， "the Black Gazelle" and "the fastest woman in the world". In 1960, Wilma Rudolph became the first American woman to win three gold medals in one Olympics. She was an extraordinary American athlete. She also did a lot to help young athletes succeed.

　　Wilma Rudolph was born in 1940, in Saint Bethlehem, Tennessee. She was born too early and only weighed two kilograms. She had many illnesses when she was very young, including pneumonia and scarlet fever. She also had polio, which damaged her left leg. When she was six years old, she began to wear metal leg braces (支架) because she could not use that leg.

　　Every week, Wilma's mother drove her to a special doctor 80 kilometers away. Here, she got physical treatments to help heal her leg. She later said, "My doctors told me I would never walk again. My mother told me I would. I believed my mother."

　　Soon, her family's care showed results. By the time she was 9 years old, she no longer needed her leg braces. Wilma was very happy, because she could now run and play like other children. When she was 11 years old, her brothers set up a basketball hoop in the backyard. After that, she played basketball every day.

　　Wilma Rudolph went to her first Olympic Games when she was 16 years old and still in high school. She was the youngest member of the United States team. She won a bronze medal in the sprint (短跑) relay event.

In 1957, Wilma Rudolph started studying at Tennessee State University, where she joined the track team. She did very well at her track competitions against teams from other colleges. In 1960, she set the world record for the fastest