Freestyle skier Gu Ailing, 18, is one of the superstars of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games.
Born to an American father and a Chinese mother, Gu decided
People say she is
Gu says she wants to encourage more girls in China to try skii ng and other extreme sports, many of which only
Sixth-grader Zoey York is fast becoming famous in the sporting world of Brazilian jiu-jitsu (柔术), winning national competitions and earning lots of honors.
In September 2020, when Zoey was 10, her brother took a jiu-jitsu class just
In the gym where Zoey trains, she is
“I couldn’t ask for a
3 . At a snow park in Zhangiakou, Hebei, Chinese teenage snowboarder Su Yiming won a silver in the men’s snowboarding competition on February 7, 2022. It was the first time that a Chinese snow boarder had ever competed in this event at any Olympics.
Su was introduced to snowboarding at the age of 4 by his parents who were both snowboarding fans. Su fell in love with the sport the first time they took him to a ski center. Later he kept on practicing after class. To save up more time for snowboarding, he would get up at 5 a. m. and finish his homework early. Su just saw snowboarding as a hobby in the beginning. However, on July 31, 2015, when he knew that 2022 Winter Olympics would be held in Beijing, his mind tuned to professional (职业性的) competition. He dreamed of joining in the Winter Olympics. And he decided to go professional.
In 2018. Su became a member of China’s national snowboarding team. In 2020 and 2021, he took home gold medals (奖牌) in all national competitions. In January 2021, he became the first Chinese male snowboarder to finish the Cab 1800-one of the most difficult snowboarding skills.
Behind his success is Su’s hard work. He has made full use of every chance to train more. Usually he arrived at the training center earlier than his teammates. In that way, he could practice more. He even broke several snowboards in one week because of heavy training.
1. How did Su feel the first time he tried snowboarding?A.Disappointed | B.Interested. | C.Worried. | D.Moved. |
A.Because his parents were snowboarding fans. |
B.Because he could finish the most difficult skill. |
C.Because he joined China’s national snow boarding team. |
D.Because 2022 Winter Olympics would be held in Beijing. |
A.Taking home gold medals. |
B.Training hard day and night. |
C.Being the first to finish the Cab 1800. |
D.Getting much help from his teammates. |
A.Sports. | B.Travel. | C.Health. | D.Science. |
4 . On Sunday, Tigst Assefa of Ethiopia shocked the running world by breaking the women’s world record for the marathon by over two minutes. Assefa finished the Berlin Marathon in just 2 hours, 11 minutes, and 53 seconds.
But Assefa’s record was far beyond what most people expected. After all, it was only her third time running a marathon.
“I wanted to break the marathon world record,” she said, “But I couldn’t imagine that it would result in a time under 2:12.”
When Assefa was younger, she started by running short races, called sprints. Then she became a middle-distance runner, running the 800 meters (half mile) race. Her best time in the 800 meters was 1 minute and 59 seconds.
Last March, she ran her first marathon. Then last September, she entered the Berlin Marathon. She won, and set a new women’s record for the course, finishing in 2:15:37.
This year, she ran almost four minutes faster than she did last year. In both races, Assefa ran faster in the second half of the race than she did in the first half.
Her time of 2:11:53 was over two minutes faster than the old women’s record (2:14:04), which was set in Chicago in 2019 by Brigid Kosgei of Kenya.
When she finished the race, Assefa kneeled down and kissed the pavement before raising her arms in victory.
Though Assefa made it look easy, she said winning the race “…was the result of hard work.” Assefa was coached by Gemedu Dedefo, who has helped train many Ethiopian star runners.
1. What is Assefa’s latest record for the marathon?A.2:11:53. | B.2:14:04. | C.2:15:37. | D.1:59:00. |
A.It is what she expected. | B.It is a piece of cake for her. |
C.It is due to great effort. | D.It is because of her coach. |
A.Talented. | B.Friendly. | C.Humorous. | D.Warm-hearted. |
A.Dedefo Helps to Train Many Star Runners |
B.Kosgei Holds the Women’s Marathon Record |
C.Assefa Sets a Good Example to Other Runners |
D.Assefa Breaks the Women’s Marathon Record |
5 . There were already signs that Michael Jordan was very talented as a young boy. Harvest Smith, a good friend, played basketball with him every day then, and thought he was the best player on their ninth-grade team.
The summer after ninth grade, Jordan and Smith both went to the Pop Herring’s basketball camp to run for the high school team. All the other students looked much stronger than Jordan, because they were two or three years older than him. To Smith, it was quite clear that Jordan was better than him. But on that day the results were announced. Smith’s name was on the list. Jordan’s was not.
It was the worst day of Jordan’s young life. He kept reading the list, hoping that he had missed it, or that there was something wrong with the list. That day he went home and cried. “We knew Jordan was good,” Fred Lynch, a coach said later, “but we thought the jayvee (学校运动队第二队) was much better for him.” Jordan became the best player on the jayvee that year. There were matches in which he could get forty scores. He was so good that the jayvee matches became quite popular.
Smith found that Jordan had been very competitive before he was cut, and after that he seemed even more competitive than ever. His coaches found it, too. “One day, the jayvee had a match. When I came into the gym, the match was just ending up. Their scores fell behind a lot. All the other nine players had given up, but one kid still played very hard. It was Jordan, and I quickly learned he was always like that.”
Some time later, Laney High School had a very good basketball team, and its rising star was Michael Jordan.
1. Why did Jordan go to the Pop Herring’s basketball camp?A.To stay with his best friend. | B.To join the high school team. |
C.To prove he was the best player. | D.To be a rising basketball star. |
A.His name wasn’t on the list of the high school team. |
B.His friend was chosen by the high school team. |
C.He was badly hurt when he played basketball. |
D.There was something wrong with the name list. |
A.Everyone on the team liked Jordan. | B.There were not any matches that year. |
C.The jayvee matches became quite popular. | D.Jordan got all the scores in the matches. |
A.Jordan got an overnight success. | B.Jordan was still on the jayvee some time later. |
C.Jordan became a basketball star in the world. | D.Jordan was a member of the high school team. |
6 . Few people have achieved fame for coming in last place. That is why Michael Edwards, or “Eddie the Eagle”, became a rather unexpected hero. Unlike most athletes, Eddie did not come to the 1988 Calgary Olympic Winter Games for a medal. He came simply to compete. In doing so, he realized his dream.
At first, Eddie tried to make the British national ski team but failed. Then he chose the riskiest event, ski jumping. No British skier had ever competed in that sport, but having no competitors meant that Eddie had a better chance of qualifying (取得资格) for the 1988 Olympic Games. It also meant there was no support for him. Eddie had no coach, equipment, or financial support, but what he had was determination. Not afraid of what he lacked, Eddie set out to learn his chosen sport, training himself for nearly 2 years. And he managed to meet the qualification for Olympic ski jumping, and landed himself in the 1988 Olympic Games. Eddie was determined to compete, and while he came in last, he did manage to land his jumps, and he still holds the British record in that sport. Coming in last place actually made him the star of the Olympics and the true embodiment (化身) of the Olympic spirit.
Many of us may have experienced similar limitations during our own youth that prevented us from following our dreams. Eddie’s rejection (拒绝) from the British national ski team is a story that many of us can relate to. Rejection can be devastating, but we can struggle to find the courage to put ourselves back out there, or the creativity to find another way.
1. What was Eddie’s dream?A.To become a hero. | B.To join the national ski team. |
C.To take part in the Olympics | D.To develop his ski jumping skills. |
A.It was popular among British skiers. |
B.It meant a better chance to win a medal. |
C.He would get the support he needed in this event. |
D.He would be more likely to be included in the Olympics. |
A.His caring little for fame. | B.His professional performance. |
C.His breaking the British record. | D.His determination to follow his dream. |
A.Unforgettable. | B.Disastrous. | C.Sudden. | D.Confusing. |
A.Bravery. | B.1998 Olympic Games. |
C.An unexpected hero. | D.ski jumping. |
7 . Without three key players, including the former captain, how did 55-year-old Jenny Lang Ping and her girls spent the 20 days before winning against Japan with 3-1? Getting the world title at the 2015 FIVB Women’s World Cup is
Facing this, Jenny Lang Ping, who is called “Iron Hammer”, never
A.possible | B.unbelievable | C.confusing | D.unique |
A.mean | B.explain | C.admire | D.master |
A.honour | B.source | C.medal | D.glory |
A.place | B.number | C.detail | D.arrangement |
A.worked out | B.lost heart | C.checked out | D.gave up |
A.sweating | B.tracking | C.increasing | D.encouraging |
A.challenge | B.survival | C.match | D.tour |
A.success | B.fitness | C.failure | D.strategy |
A.narrowed | B.gathered | C.showed | D.focused |
A.short | B.flat | C.slim | D.far |
A.flight | B.end | C.fight | D.solution |
A.Below | B.Behind | C.Between | D.Beside |
A.gracefully | B.alone | C.bravely | D.still |
A.stress | B.agreement | C.determination | D.legend |
A.made | B.played | C.decided | D.realized |
8 . Jim Thorpe is one of the greatest athletes of all time. He had amazing athletic abilities and was well-known during his lifetime, yet that did not make Thorpe a stranger to adversity.
Thorpe was an American Indian from Oklahoma who developed his extraordinary athletic skills in his youth through hard labor. It was also in his youth that he learned to endure hardship brought upon by racial prejudice. Many would say his childhood was not easy. He grew up poor and at age 9 his twin brother passed away and a few years later he lost both of his parents.
But that did not stop him from doing what he loved and pursuing his dreams. Nothing seemed to stop him, not even stolen shoes. Just hours before Thorpe was going to compete in the 1912 Olympics, somebody stole his shoes. Thorpe improvised (临时拼凑) by getting shoes out of the garbage. The shoes were two different sizes. He wore an extra pair of socks on one foot to even them out.
He still went on to win two gold medals—winning each event he competed in except for one, the javelin (标枪). The javelin was the only event he didn’t win, probably because he had never competed in that event before. It is interesting to note that Thorpe had tried to throw the javelin once before in the Olympic trials. At the time, he didn’t know that he could throw it with a running start. He threw it standing still and was placed second.
At the Olympics,he also took part in the decathlon (十项全能运动). He finished first in two events, third in four events, and fourth in two more. Thorpe ended up finishing third in the world. He was undoubtedly a dominating force that couldn’t be stopped and just kept on going.
I think Paul Dughi said it best, “It’s hard to imagine now that pro athletes get paid millions of dollars just to wear a particular brand of shoes. For Jim Thorpe, it didn’t matter what kind he wore.”
1. What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 1 mean?A.The adversity Thorpe met with led to his success. |
B.Thorpe’s success was no guarantee of a better life. |
C.Thorpe’s career brought him both gains and losses. |
D.Thorpe suffered many hardships despite his success. |
A.To prevent the foot from injury. | B.To make the shoe fit the foot. |
C.To stop the shoe from being stolen. | D.To show his problem-solving skills. |
A.Loss of his own sports shoes. | B.A casual attitude towards the event. |
C.Lack of experience in the event. | D.A shortage of talent for the event. |
A.Loyal and enthusiastic. | B.Genuine and creative. |
C.Tough and strong-minded. | D.Selfless and good-tempered. |
Today I will introduce two of the “Living Legends of Sports” to you, One is Lang Ping, and
Michael Jordan is famous as “Air Jordan”,
Although they are in different sports, they are both
10 . Kobe Bryant is no doubt a legend. How did he do it? Simply put his work principle. He showed up to training every day, no excuses. Without a doubt, it is quite evident that Kobe’s desire for success was directly correlated with his work principle.
Kobe Bryant’s work principle is what helped him become the legend he is today. But what also must be understood about Kobe Bryant is that he was relentless (不停的;严格的). He had a mental toughness and steely focus that was driven by his over-the-top competitiveness.
In short, Kobe wanted to be the best, and would do whatever it took to achieve this mental goal. If he had a weakness in one area, he would commit to mastering that weakness. If there was a lack of strength in his shot, he would get to work exhausting all options to correct that lack of strength, researching and then applying the routines that instructed him on how to get stronger. Similarly, if his weakness was a lack of speed, he would put in the time and effort to overcome the limitation. And there lies his secret to success. The willingness to learn and then apply what he learned to move himself closer to his goals.
“When I am retired, I don’t want to have to say I wish I would have done more. I don’t want that.”— Kobe Bryant.
As such, Kobe Bryant’s success principle can be summarized as a relentless focus on the end result. The great news is the ability to be relentless is in all of you.
1. According to the author, what makes Kobe Bryant a legend?A.Kobe Bryant’s attitudes and will. | B.Kobe Bryant’s money and power. |
C.Kobe Bryant’s devoted fans. | D.Kobe Bryant’s methods of training. |
A.By time order. | B.By analyzing cause and effect. |
C.By giving example. | D.By explaining words meaning. |
A.Success results from consistent efforts. | B.Always prepare for a rainy day. |
C.Actions speak louder than words. | D.The early bird catches the worm. |
A.Positive and considerate. | B.Self-disciplined and hard-working. |
C.Confident and humble. | D.Selfless and energetic |