In 2012，Kim Stemple，a special—education teacher，found herself in a Boston hospital being treated for one of several diseases she had been diagnosed with. The normally lively Stemple was naturally getting very depressed. And then a friend gave her a medal.
Before she got too sick to exercise，Stemple had been a marathon runner. The medal came from a racing partner who had just finished a half marathon in Las Vegas and hoped the keepsake(纪念品）would act as a kind of replacement of refreshment.
After Stemple hung the medal from her hospital IV pole，other patients said they wanted medals too. That got Stemple thinking. “A medal is a simple way to give a positive message，”she told pilotonline. com. And so was born her charity-We Finish Together，which collects medals from strangers一runners, dancers，swimmers，singers, and even spelling bee winners—and donates them to all sorts of people in need.
Receivers have included hospital patients and homeless people，and old soldiers. Part of the process involves the donor writing a personalized note on the ribbon(丝带）.“This gives them a connection to someone," says Stemple. “If they receive a medal, they know someone cares. ”
A simple medal is really important? Yes,says Joan Musarra, who suffers from a serious illness.“I opened my package containing my new medal and the notes of positive,warm thoughts.I was deeply moved,“she wrote to Stemple.“At that moment,I was sitting on much to me to feel that I am not alone.”
【小题1】Before Stemple was diagnosed with serious diseases, what kind of person is she?| A． A pessimistic person. | B．A warm hearted person. |
| C．An ebullient person. | D．A leader of a charity. |
| A．Medicine. | B．Encouragement. |
| C．Memory. | D．Enjoyment. |
| A．The birth of We Finish Together. |
| B．The healing effects from the medals. |
| C．Support from people in all walks of life. |
| D．People’s desire for sports medals. |
| A．The medal Stemple received is worth a lot of money. |
| B．Kim Slemple recovered from her diseases at last. |
| C．The medal Musarra received made a big difference to her. |
| D．Many patients wanting medals used to be competitors. |
