患癌兒童的綺麗夢想

安徽 周艷霞

盡管患有罕見的癌癥，8歲的奧本對動物和攝影堅定不移的熱愛依然存在，這種熱愛在他與這種可怕的疾病做斗爭時給了他希望，并讓他最終實現了攝影夢。

At 8 years old, Oban already has big, exciting plans for his future. But those plans were threatened just two years ago when he was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer. Because it was spreading so quickly, it turned into a blood cancer which can severely impair the body's ability to fight off illnesses and diseases.

Still, his unwavering love for animals and photography persisted and gave him hope as he battled this terrible disease.

“I love animals and nature because of my experiences in school,” Oban said. That's why, when it came time to plan an adventure through Make-A-Wish, Oban chose to spend his wish on a wildlife adventure! With his family, the 8-year-old visited Florida to explore the majestic wildlife the area holds.

“When he was first diagnosed, we just wanted him back to where he was in one way,shape, or form,” Tom Birmingham, his dad, said. “And we could never imagine—we're 10 months out of treatment, and here we are and you'd have no idea what he went through.”

Best of all, they had an incredible guide—National Geographic's wildlife photographer, Carlton! Together, they went through a place that deer, birds, and tons of other creatures call home.

“I was blown away by Oban's knowledge coming in here as an 8-year-old,” Carlton said. “To be there talking about the Florida panther (黑豹) and Oban being able to recite facts about the panther from articles that I was a part of that he read and he knew the back story and he'd learned about me and what I do.”

While on their adventure, Carlton was able to teach Oban all about being a wildlife photographer, including how to get the perfect angles and shots. Plus, Oban had the opportunity to see some of the animals he loved so much up-close and in-person!

“To be able to share these experiences first-hand in such a direct way, one-on-one and not just through the pages of a magazine or a TV documentary,” Carlton said. “This is the reason why we do this.”

Oban may be too young to be a wildlife photographer like Carlton for now, but this intelligent and empathetic little boy is well on his way to making that colorful dream a reality.

“It helps to photograph endangered animals you can't see otherwise,” Oban said.

Reading Check

1. Which can replace the underlined word “unwavering” in paragraph 2?

A. Brave. B. Direct.

C. Sensitive. D. Firm.

2. What contributed to Oban's love for animals and nature?

A. Photographer Carlton.

B. His school experiences.

C. His father's encouragement.

D. An adventure through Make-A-Wish.

3. How did Carlton feel after learning about Oban's knowledge about the Florida panther?

A. Astonished and motivated.

B. Excited and confident.

C. Curious and scared.

D. Happy and interested.

4. What message does the author want to convey to readers most?

A. Practice makes perfect.

B. Follow your dream.

C. Great minds think alike.

D. Sharp tools make good work.

Language Study

Ⅰ. Difficult sentence in the text

Because it was spreading so quickly, it turned into a blood cancer which can severely impair the body's ability to fight off illnesses and diseases. 因為它擴散得如此之快，它變成了一種會嚴重損害人體抵抗疾病能力的血癌。

【點石成金】本句是一個主從復合句，because引導原因狀語從句，which引導定語從句。 to fight off illnesses and diseases是不定式短語作后置定語，修飾前面的名詞the body's ability。

Ⅱ. Text-centered chunks

be diagnosed with 被診斷出

turn into 變成

fight off 戰勝（疾病）；竭力擺脫；擊退；抵抗

because of 因為；由于

in one way 在某種程度上；從某種意義上來講

have no idea 不知道；不清楚

go through 經歷；經受（尤指苦難或艱難時期）；翻閱

blow away 吹走；驅散；使印象深刻

learn about 了解