Vocabulary

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Video

 

 
 
 
 

Transcript

How do some people live through the impossible?

Is it divine intervention? Luck? Or could it be something else, something incredible?

Well, that is what we’ll try and find out.

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Tucson, Arizona, July 26, 2006. Tom Boyle, a supervisor at a local aerospace company, is driving home with his wife.

The couple are about to exit a parking lot when another car pulls alongside them. What happens next actually changes Tom in ways that seem to defy the very laws of nature.

Tom Boyle, Rescuer: “The driver, he had taken it upon himself to peel out of the parking lot. And as he did that, he sucked in a bicyclist underneath the vehicle.

I jump out of the car. I go running after the Camaro. And as I approached the Camaro, there was a boy underneath on a bicycle yelling for help and asking people to please get the car off him.

I just reacted.”

As the boy’s cries ring out, Tom has no time to think. A powerful force comes alive inside him — a force that allows Tom to do the impossible.

Tom Boyle, Rescuer: “It just got me so, I guess, nervous and compelled to help that I just lifted the side of the car. As I started lifting the car, I could hear the bicyclist telling me higher, higher, mister. Please, go higher.

So I did.

I just held it as long as I possibly could, and I just thought, don’t let go.

And fortunately we got him out.

I’m 6’3″ (six-foot, three inches (188 cm)). At that time I was 275 pounds (125 kilograms). And the most I’ve ever lifted I think was 800 pounds.

As I lifted the car, I’d never thought about how much it weighed. I just thought about saving this kid.”

Jeff Wise, Author, Extreme Fear: “Now, Tom’s a big guy, a solid guy, but we’re talking about a car, OK? This is a car that weighs about 3,000 pounds (1,361).

And yet he just jacks it up, bare hands, lifts this thing up. Human beings can’t normally just lift cars.”

Michael Dennin, Ph.D. Physicist, Univ. of California, Irvine: “These situations where people manage to do superhuman feats of strength like lift a car off someone, as often happens in science, these are rare events. We don’t have detailed measurements.

And so really understanding the true biophysics and physiology of all the details that go in remain a bit of a mystery and an interesting area for us to explore going forward.”

Scholar one: “We don’t use most of our muscles’ capability throughout the day. It’s capable of much more but for some reason only under these extreme circumstances.

Scholar two: “If we can learn how to control our minds and use it at will, that would be like being a superhuman, a superhero.”

Shane Hobel, Founder, Mountain Scout Survival School: “That will, that power is being driven both not only by the adrenaline but more importantly, it’s that energy.

It’s that type of thing. In China it’s called fajing — animal explosive energy. It’s a burst of absolute decision. It’s that unknown, that unexplained energetic place that we all know about. We talk about it. We have feelings and vibes about these things.

Tom Boyle, Rescuer: “So this was a once in a lifetime moment for me. I’ve never done anything else like this again. I think you could tap into some amazing power. I truly do. It’s there. We just have to have a reason to use it.”

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Questions

Science. This documentary was about the sport of weightlifting. True or false?

Physics, Biophysics. Is Tom Boyle a professional wrestler or bodybuilder?

Chemistry, Biochemistry. A criminal had assaulted and injured a pedestrian. Is this correct or incorrect?

Anatomy, Physiology. Did the video show Tom performing first aid on the injured cyclist?

Hormones, Testosterone, Adrenaline. The only thing that Tom though about was being a hero. Is this right or wrong?

Brain, Mind. Did only journalists talked about this phenomenon?

Conscious, Subconscious, Superconscious. Does Tom regularly pick up cars?

Stress, Anxiety, Depression, Panic. Scientists know exactly how and why people can perform superhuman feats. Yes or no?
 
 
 
Bones, Skeleton. Have you ever performed “superhuman” feats? Do you know of anyone who performed superhuman feats?

Muscles. What could explain superhuman feats?

Heart, Lungs. Do you and your friends wish you could perform superhuman feats?Give some practical examples.

Blood, Vessels, Veins, Arteries. What might happen in the future?

Stomach, Liver, Intestine. What could or should people and scientists do?