A Divine Plan
At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learningdisabled children, the father of one student
delivered a speech that would never be forgotten by those who attended. He began with a question.
"Everything God does is done with perfection. Yet, my son, Shay, cannot learn and understand things
as other children do. Where is God's plan reflected in my son?"
The audience was stilled by the question. The father continued,"I believe that when God brings a child
like Shay into the world, an opportunity to realize the Divine Plan presents itself. And it comes in the way
people treat that child."
Then he told the following story:
Shay and I walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were playing baseball. Shay asked,"Do
you think they will let me play?"
I knew that most boys would not want him on their team. Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat
properly, much less connect with the ball. So I approached one of the boys on the field and asked if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance from his teammates. Getting none, he took matters into
his own hands and said, "We are losing by six runs(得分). The game is in the eighth inning(回合). He can be on our team and we will try to put him up to bat in the ninth inning."
In the bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still behind by three. At the
top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and played in the outfield.
In the bottom of the ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. They had the potential to win. Would the
team actually let Shay bat at this juncture and give away their chance to win the game?
Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat. At last, understanding what the boy's intentions had been, the
boys from both teams helped Shay win the game for the team and Shay was cheered as the hero.
"That day," said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,"the boys from both teams
helped bring a piece of the Divine Plan into this world."
1. Why did the father think most of the boys wouldn't let Shay join them?
A. Because it was a very important game and they couldn't afford to lose it.
B. Because they knew Shay was physically disabled.
C. Because they didn't get on well with Shay.
D. Because they knew Shay was anything but good at playing baseball.
2. The sentence "Although no hits came his way, he was obviously very happy just to be on the field."
should be put at the end of ________.
A. Paragraph 5
B. Paragraph 6
C. Paragraph 8
D. Paragraph 9
3. What can we infer from the passage?
A. Shay's team would have lost the game without him.
B. The opponent team let Shay score purposely.
C. It was quite by accident that Shay scored.
D. Shay's team let him play because they didn't take the game seriously.
4. The underlined word "juncture" can be explained by ________.
A. a critical point
B. a particular place
C. a dilemma
D. an important game
