张兰萍现在已经教书33年了，但是让她显得特殊的是她那对拐杖。
Zhang Lanping has been teaching for 33 years now, but what makes her special is her pair of crutches.
这名勇敢的老师来自甘肃省，在仅一岁的时候，她就受到了小儿麻痹症的折磨，这是一种由脊髓灰质炎病毒造成的传染病。
The courageous teacher from Gansu province was afflicted by poliomyelitis, an infectious disease caused by poliovirus, when she was only one-year-old.
张老师没能痊愈，因此，她不得不在余生拄着拐杖。
Zhang was not able to fully recover and therefore has to use crutches for the rest of her life.
但是，这并未削弱张老师的精神。在还是学生的时候，张老师就全身心地学习知识，她相信这能使她成为一名成功的教师。
This condition, however, has not diminished Zhang's spirit. As a student, Zhang devoted herself to acquiring knowledge, which she believes would make her a successful teacher.
毕业后，张老师申请成为一名大学老师，但是由于身体残疾，她被拒绝了。
After graduation, Zhang applied as a college teacher but she was turned down because of her physical disability.
不过张老师并未放弃，最后她被甘肃省自己的家乡--当时教师资源短缺，录用为小学老师。
Zhang did not give up and was finally accepted as a primary school teacher in her hometown in Gansu province, which then experienced a shortage of teachers.
对于体格健全的人而言，去学校只需六分钟，但是张老师拄着拐杖从家里到上班地点要花上一个小时。
For able-bodied people, it takes only six minutes to reach school, but Zhang has to spend one hour from home to her work place using crutches.
1997年，张老师从自己的存款中取出了1000元（148美元），搭建了一个她命名为“启迪”的阅读角。而张老师的努力也没有白费，她的学生的学习成绩是该地区最优秀的。
In 1997, Zhang spent 1,000 RMB ($148) from her savings to put up a reading corner she named "Enlightenment." Zhang's efforts have not been in vain as the academic performance of her students is among the best in the district.