The Making of a Great Athlete
Not so long ago, most people didn’t know who Shelly-Ann-Francis-Pryce was going to become. She was just an average high school athlete. There was every indication that she was just another Jamaican teenager without much of a future. However, one person wanted to change this. Stephen Francis observed then eighteen-year-old Shelly Ann at a track meet and was sure that he had seen the beginnings of true greatness. Her times were not exactly impressive, but even so, he sensed there was something trying to get out, something the other coaches had overlooked when they had assessed her and found her lacking. He decided to offer Shelly-Ann a place in his very strict training sessions. Their cooperation quickly produced results, and a few years later at Jamaica’s Olympic games in early 2008, Shelly-Ann, who at that time only ranked number 70 in the world, beat Jamaica’s unchallenged queen of the sprint.
“Where did she come from?” asked an astonished sprinting world, before concluding that she must be one of those one-hit wonders that spring up from time to time, only to disappear again without signs. But Shelly-Ann was to prove that she was anything but a one-hit wonder. At the Beijing Olympic she swept away any doubts about her ability to perform consistently by becoming the first Jamaican woman ever to win the 100 meters Olympic gold. She did it again one year on at the World Championships in Berlin, becoming world champion with a time of 10.73--- the fourth fastest time ever.
Shelly-Ann is a little woman with a big smile. She has a mental toughness that did not come about by chance. Her journey to becoming the fastest woman on earth has been anything but smooth and effortless. She grew up in one of Jamaica’s toughest inner-city communities known as Waterhouse, where she lived in a one-room apartment, sleeping four in a bed with her mother and two brothers. Waterhouse, one of the poorest communities in Jamaica, is a really violent and overpopulated place. Several of Shelly-Ann's friends and family were caught up in the killings; one of her cousins was shot dead only a few streets away from where she lived. Sometimes her family didn’t have enough to eat. She ran at the school championships barefooted because she couldn’t afford shoes. Her mother Maxime, one of a family of fourteen, had been an athlete herself as a young girl but, like so many other girls in Waterhouse, had to stop after she had her first baby. Maxime’s early entry into the adult world with its responsibilities gave her the determination to ensure that her kids would not end up in Waterhouse's roundabout of poverty. One of the first things Maxime used to do with Shelly-Ann was taking her to the track, and she was ready to sacrifice everything.
It didn't take long for Shelly-Ann to realize that sports could be her way out of Waterhouse. On a summer evening in Beijing in 2008, all those long, hard hours of work and commitment finally bore fruit. The barefoot kid who just a few years previously had been living in poverty, surrounded by criminals and violence, had written a new chapter in the history of sports.
But Shelly-Ann’s victory was far greater than that. The night she won Olympic gold in Beijing, the routine murders in Waterhouse and the drug wars in the neighbouring streets stopped. The dark cloud above one of the world’s toughest criminal neighbourhoods simply disappeared for a few days. “I have so much fire burning for my country,” Shelly said. She plans to start a foundation for homeless children and wants to build a community centre in Waterhouse. She hopes to inspire the Jamaicans to lay down their weapons. She intends to fight to make it a woman’s as well as a man’s world.
As Muhammad Ali puts it, “Champions aren't made in gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them. A desire, a dream, a vision.” One of the things Shelly-Ann can be proud of is her understanding of this truth.
1. What did Stephen Francis do after he observed Shelly-Ann at a track meet?2. What is the significance of Shelly-Ann’s victory?
3. Please underline the inappropriate part in the following statement and explain why.
Shelly-Ann has become the fastest woman in the world because she not only works hard but also lives in a secure environment.
4. In your opinion, what contributes to the making of a great athlete? Besides Shelly-Ann, please use another example to illustrate your point. (No more than 40 words)
2 . Inspiration
“Mama, when I grow up, I’m going to be one of those!” I said this after seeing the Capital Dancing Company perform when I was three. It was the first time that my
As I look back on that day now, it surely
Though I was absolutely thrilled with the change, it did not come without its fair share of challenges. Through the strict rehearsal period of dancing six days a week, I found it vital to
Today, when I look at the unbelievable company that I have the great
| A．hobby | B．plan | C．dream | D．word |
| A．rarely | B．certainly | C．probably | D．consistently |
| A．lacks | B．adds | C．makes | D．brings |
| A．while | B．since | C．until | D．when |
| A．cared | B．expected | C．asked | D．decided |
| A．motivated | B．relaxed | C．tired | D．astonished |
| A．put | B．mix | C．build | D．pick |
| A．boundaries | B．problems | C．barriers | D．efforts |
| A．talent | B．honor | C．potential | D．responsibility |
| A．victory | B．trend | C．tradition | D．desire |
Charlie Chaplin was an extraordinary performer
The alchemist picked up a book that someone in the caravan had brought. Leafing through the pages, he found a story about Narcissus.
The alchemist knew the legend of Narcissus, a youth who knelt daily beside a lake to contemplate his own beauty. He was so fascinated by himself that, one morning, he fell into the lake and drowned. At the spot where he fell, a flower was born, which was called the narcissus.
But this was not how the author of the book ended the story.
He said that when Narcissus died, the goddesses of the forest appeared and found the lake, which had been fresh water, transformed into a lake of salty tears. “Why do you weep?” the goddesses asked “I weep for Narcissus,” the lake replied.
“Ah, it is no surprise that you weep for Narcissus,” they said, “for though we always pursued him in the forest, you alone could contemplate his beauty close at hand.”
“But ... was Narcissus beautiful?” the lake asked.
“Who better than you to know that?” the goddesses said in wonder. “After all, it was by your banks that he knelt each day to contemplate himself!”
The lake was silent for some time. Finally, it said:
“I weep for Narcissus, but I never noticed that Narcissus was beautiful. I weep because, each time he knelt beside my banks, I could see, in the depths of his eyes, my own beauty reflected.”
“What a lovely story,” the alchemist thought.
1. How did Narcissus get drowned?2. What happened to the lake after Narcissus died?
3. Please decide which part is false in the following statement, then underline it and explain why.
➢ The lake wept because it could not see Narcissus’ beauty any more.
4. What can you learn from the story? How are you going to apply it to your daily life?
Long-distance running is a great for beginners. To start with, you should draw up a training plan. Set
In the 18th and 19th centuries, most English people
On the school basketball team Paul used to be nobody but a replacement
Then during one match, when one player accidentally hurt his knee, Paul
8 . A Leap (跳跃) to Honor
Leaping on a narrow balance beam (平衡木) is not easy. But Lola Walter, a 13- year-old gymnast, is an expert at it.
To perfect her skills, Lola trains for four hours a day, five days a week. At the state championships in March, she finished seventh out of 16 girls.
That’s especially impressive. Since she is legally blind, born with a rare condition that causes her eyes to shift constantly. She often sees double and can’t
When she was little, her mom
Though learning gymnastics has been more
She likes the determination it takes to do the sport. Her biggest
To be a top-level gymnast, one must be brave. The beam is probably the most
Lola doesn’t want to be
Lola never thinks about quitting. She is presently at level 7 while the highest is level 10 in gymnastics. Her
Lola is proud of all her hard work and success. She says it’s helped her overcome problems in her life outside gymnastics, too. Her advice for others is “just believe yourself”.
1.| A．suppose | B．guess | C．tell | D．predict |
| A．doubted | B．noticed | C．imagined | D．remembered |
| A．difficult | B．enjoyable | C．boring | D．unsatisfactory |
| A．talent | B．condition | C．nature | D．quality |
| A．challenge | B．advantage | C．doubt | D．program |
| A．unfair | B．harmful | C．fearful | D．inconvenient |
| A．off | B．on | C．to | D．against |
| A．greeted | B．paid | C．served | D．treated |
| A．pains | B．problems | C．injuries | D．stresses |
| A．standard | B．goal | C．view | D．range |
9 . Colleen and her husband were part of a group walking the Overland Track. It was the fifth day of a 6-day walk. The guide, who was waiting for them at the nearest camp, had
"When I realized what was happening, I was heading to a deep ditch (沟壑), my pack on my back." Colleen's fall was only
Colleen hit her head badly and went into
Her husband took her pack along with his own and together they struggled for the final three kilometers to the camp. Once they reached the camp, the guide gave her first aid and called for the rescue helicopter immediately.
Colleen was
Later, Colleen recalled with emotion, "After this personal experience of near-death and being saved, I realized that in some situations there's absolutely no
| A．interviewed | B．warned | C．asked | D．taught |
| A．curious | B．independent | C．cautious | D．patient |
| A．opposite | B．ahead | C．faraway | D．above |
| A．broken | B．caused | C．followed | D．protected |
| A．shock | B．action | C．silence | D．panic |
| A．lay | B．settled | C．bent | D．crashed |
| A．straight away | B．after all | C．at times | D．without hesitation |
| A．forced | B．guided | C．rushed | D．invited |
| A．possibility | B．privilege | C．alternative | D．necessity |
| A．familiar | B．wonderful | C．deafening | D．unexpected |
10 . What's in a name?
Some words sound like what they mean. And they could influence everything from fictional depictions of aliens to your first impression on a job application. But most words have no apparent connection to what they signify. As the linguist Steven Pinker puts it, we call a dog “dog” because everyone else does.
That rule applies to most words, but not all. The words pop and murmur sound like they sound. Try to shout the word whisper. Weird, right?
Beyond the debates, there are far-reaching implications for human interaction.
Luckily, surveys suggest that the link exists only in the mind of the person making it.
“What's in a name?” William Shakespeare asked us in Romeo and Juliet. “That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” Well, perhaps not.
| A．It is generally believed that names define who we are. |
| B．People lend to expect one to have specific trails based on how one's name sounds. |
| C．English language has developed a rule of names reflecting people s good qualities. |
| D．It would overwhelm our senses if every word we spoke came with a deeper meaning. |
| E．Such terms show sound iconicity, or a similarity between a word's form and meaning. |
| F．There is no evidence that the Kates of the world are more extroverted than the Antics. |
| G．Pexman will also examine how people's names could affect their chances of being chosen after an interview. |
