1 . The term “Iron Man” has many connotations, including references to a song, a comic book icon, even a movie. Yet only one definition of the term truly lives up to its name: the Ironman Triathlon held annually in Hawaii, a picturesque setting for a challenging race, which demands amazing physical prowess and the ability to swim, bike, and run a marathon, all in less than 12 hours with no break. Very few individuals are up to the task.

However, Gordon Haller is a notable exception. Growing up in the 1950s, Haller developed an interest in many sports categorized as endurance athletics and welcomed their physical demands. As he pursued a degree in physics he drove a taxi to pay the bills, but competitive training proved his passion. So when he heard about the race in 1978, the first year it was held, he immediately signed up.

The race originated in a somewhat amusing way. The members of the two popular sports clubs, the Mid-Pacific Road Runners of Honolulu and the Waikiki Swim Club of Oahu, had a long-standing and good-natured debate going over who made better athletes: runners or swimmers. However, some local bikes thought both clubs were wrong, claiming that they, in fact, deserved the title. Wanting to settle the dispute once and for all, they decided to combine three separate races already held annually on the island into one massive test of endurance. Thus, the Waikiki Roughwater Swim of 2.4 miles, the Around-Oahu Bike race of 112 miles, and the Honolulu Marathon of 26.2 miles were all put together to form the Ironman Triathlon.

Haller was one of only fifteen competitors to show up that February morning to start the race. He quickly scanned the few pages of rules and instructions, and on the last page he discovered a sentence that would become the race’s famous slogan: “Swim 2.4 miles! Bike 112 miles! Run 26.2 miles! Brag for the rest of your life!” Haller took that to heart, and at the end of the day, he became the first Ironman champion in history. ____

In the approximately thirty years since that very first race, the Ironman has become a tradition in Hawaii and now boasts approximately 1500 entrants every year. The competitors who complete the race don’t have to be the first across the finish line to claim success: just finishing is a victory onto itself.

1. The “Iron Man” in the passage above refers to ________.

A．a folk song	B．a theatre movie
C．a book icon	D．a sport event

2. What do we know about Gordon Haller from the passage?

A．He had a great interest in all kinds of sports.

B．He was a member of the Waikiki Swim Club of Oahu.

C．He became a taxi driver after he graduated from school.

D．He was a champion in the first Ironman Triathlon.

3. What does the underlined word “prowess” in the first paragraph mean?

A．muscles

B．skills

C．balance

D．reaction

4. Which of the following statements can be added to the end of paragraph 4 to effectively emphasize Haller’s achievement?

A．Twelve other people also finished the race that day.

B．No women raced this year, but that was soon to change.

C．There were points in the race when Haller thought he couldn’t possibly finish.

D．Haller’s physical strength enabled him to do what no one else in the past had accomplished.

5. What does the last paragraph of the passage try to tell us?

A．The level of interest the race attracts in the present day.

B．The way the current race is different from the race that Haller ran in 1978.

C．How the victors respond when they cross the finish line.

D．Why 1500 people would be willing to compete in such a difficult race.