Growing up,high school athlete Angelo Whittis never had a stable(稳定的)home-he stayed with various relatives and often slept in friends' cars. Now,thanks to his football coach,the formerly homeless Detroit-area teen has a family both on and off the field.
"Anybody that can go through what this kid has gone through in one lifetime,and still find a way to get up again and get knocked down...I think they're amazing,"said the River Rouge High School football coach Cory Parker.
Whittis's father and his mother were in prison(监狱),so his grandmother and uncle took him in. But both relatives had drinking problems. Whittis moved around from one relative to another and,at times,ended up on the streets.
Whittis is among the over 1.5 million youths nationally who are homeless. The issue is particularly serious in Detroit,a city which has been hard hit by the recession(衰退).
To distract(分散)himself from these challenges,Whittis took up football as an after-school activity. Coach Parker would drop Whittis off at different locations after practice,and soon realized that the boy didn't have a regular place to sleep. Parker opened up his home to Whittis,where the teen still lives with Parker's wife and infant son,who is now a "little brother" to him.
"It meant a lot to me," said Whittis. "I felt like I was special, and at that time in my life, I finally felt like I was somebody."
Now as a senior on the honor roll at River Rouge High School, he performed well in his studies and as an inside linebacker of the school's football team, Whittis is setting his sights on the future —and likely a college football career.
1. The reasons why Angelo Whittis was homeless don't include _________.
A.his parents had been in prison | B.his relatives had drinking problems |
C.the economy of Detroit was worse | D.no relatives would like to take him in |
2. To distract himself from the difficulties, what did Angelo Whittis do?
A.Looked for a kind coach. |
B.Played football after school. |
C.Worked hard in class. |
D.Turned to his friends for help. |
3. How did the coach find Angelo Whittis was homeless?
A.The boy told him about it. |
B.He found the boy always went to different places to sleep. |
C.The coach knew it from his relatives. |
D.The coach guessed it from his performance at school. |
4. The underlined phrase "the honor roll" probably refers to _________.
A.a list of top students | B.a team of good players |
C.a group of poor teens | D.a class of football stars |