拓展材料文本
Ryan's Dream
When my son Ryan was six years old and in the first grade, his teacher, Nancy, talked to the class about developing countries and how they could help people, particularly children, in other parts of the world. The teacher told the class that seventy dollars would buy a well in developing countries. When Ryan heard people died because they didn’t have clean water, he was deeply affected. He came home that day and insisted he needed seventy dollars for class the next morning.
We thought it was very nice that he wanted to do something important, but Ryan was only six years old, so we didn’t take it seriously.
The next day, Ryan came home very upset and insisted he needed that money. Mark and I discussed it, and then explained to Ryan that seventy dollars was a lot of money, but if he was really interested in doing extra chores, he could earn it. He happily agreed. Well, Ryan worked and worked. He never stopped working. He even did chores for the neighbors and his grandparents.
After four months, Ryan was approaching his goal. We realized my son was really serious and decided to help him find an organization that might specifically build wells. When we found the organization, a director told us it would cost a lot more than $70 to build a well; in fact, it would cost $2,000. Ryan wasn't concerned and replied simply, “That’s okay. I’ll just do more chores!”
News about what Ryan was doing got out, and soon we were getting calls from the media. We began to receive at least one donation a week. People all around were catching Ryan’s dream and were inspired to give. It wasn’t long before Ryan had raised more than enough money for his well. Finally Ryan’s well was built beside a primary school in Uganda, Africa.
One night Ryan said he would love to actually see his well one day. I replied, “Ryan, you will see your well.”
On July 27, 2000, we arrived in Angolo, Uganda. As we got close, a small group of children saw us and began calling out, “Ryan! Ryan!” Ryan was astonished that they knew his name. “Everybody from a hundred kilometers knows your name, Ryan,” our companion announced.
A village elder spoke words of appreciation: “Look around at our children. You can see they’re healthy. This is because of Ryan and our friends in Canada. For us, water is life.”
Ryan continued to raise money for drilling equipment so that all districts can have clean, life-giving water.
Ryan is 11 years old and still going strong. There is a Ryan’s Well Foundation. His dream has changed the lives of so many people, most of whom we will never meet. That special day in Uganda was one of the happiest days of my life, and it will live in my heart forever. Ryan ended that special day the same as usual, with his nightly prayer:“I wish for everyone in Africa to have clean water.” Ryan has shown me what the power of dreams can do.
出处：http://www.ell.cn/ReadNewspaper.asp?NewsID=128 (Part 1)
http://www.ell.cn/ReadNewspaper.asp?NewsID=170 (Part 2)