1 . There are many famous athletes at home and abroad, one of whom is Michael Jordan. He became
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In the 1950s, the Egyptian government wanted to build a new dam across the Nile. However, the proposal led to protests. So a committee was established
2 . 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. |
3 . A national hero and a world number one in badminton, Lee Chong Wei is surely one of Malaysia’s best-known athletes. He has received numerous medals. Lee and Nicol David, who is also a Malaysian player, received the title of Datuk due to the outstanding achievements they had brought to the country.
Having a strong will, Lee continually challenged himself to rise above the competitors, narrowly missing out on the gold medal and taking the silver at the 2012 London Olympics. He managed to win his ninth Malaysian Open title in 2013, breaking a record set by Malaysian athlete Wong Peng Soon in 1954; and in 2014, he had his fifth Japan Open title.
Regrettably in late 2014, Lee Chong Wei was forbidden(禁止) to compete for eight months after testing positive for drugs. The World Badminton Federation (WBF), after investigations (调 查) and a hearing, said that they did not think Lee Chong Wei tried to cheat on purpose, so he was allowed to continue to play. His world ranking suffered as a result of the punishment but he’s making his way back up.
In 2016, Lee Chong Wei won his 11th Malaysian Open and fifth Malaysian Masters titles. He also beat Lin Dan in the semi-finals and World No.1 Chen Long in the finals of the Asian Badminton Championship to win the prize. He has become the World No.1 player and continued to act as a source of encouragement to future Malaysian athletes wishing to make a name in the world.
1. How did Lee play at the London Olympics?| A．He came in second. | B．He finished third. |
| C．He won a gold medal. | D．He broke a record. |
| A．He failed a drug test. | B．He hit a player on the head. |
| C．He cheated on purpose. | D．He fought with the coach. |
| A．Lin Dan. | B．Chen Long. | C．Wong Peng Soon. | D．Nicol David. |
| A．Life. | B．Education. | C．Sports. | D．Health. |
| A．A national hero failed a drug test | B．Lee Chong Wei became World No.1 badminton player |
| C．The influence of Lee Chong Wei | D．The ups and downs of World NO.1 Malaysian badminton player |
Jordan says that the secret to his success is learning from his failures. “I can accept failure; everyone
5 . When Jackie Robinson walked onto Ebbets Field in Brooklyn, New York, on April 15, 1947, he changed baseball forever. As the first African American to play in the Major League in modern times, many believe he changed the country forever.
Robinson was born in 1919. He lived in a time when rules controlled what African Americans could do. He was a top athlete, playing football, basketball and baseball. But playing for a major League team was off limits to Robinson because of his race.
Branch Rickey, president and manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers, signed Robinson in 1947. He believed that Robinson not only had the skills, but the courage to face the challenge of becoming modern baseball’s first black player.
It wasn’t easy. Robinson sometimes faced boos (嘘声) from fans. But he became a star, anyway. In 1962, he became the first African-American player chosen to enter the Baseball Hall of Fame. In 2005, he was awarded a Congressional Gold Medal, the highest award Congress can give to an American.
By breaking baseball’s color barrier (界限), Robinson opened the door for many to follow his footsteps, not only in baseball, but in other areas of life as well. After he stopped playing the game, Robinson worked as a manager for a coffee company. He wrote a newspaper column (专栏). He also started a bank.
1. What could not be done by African-American before Jackie Robinson?
| A．Playing football and baseball. | B．Watching Major League games. |
| C．Running a company. | D．Playing in the Major League. |
| A．Brave and skilled. | B．Proud and strong. |
| C．Unlucky but confident. | D．Poor but clever. |
| A．Two. | B．Three. | C．Four. | D．Five. |
| A．He changed many Africans’ ideas. |
| B．He had an effect on many black people’s lives. |
| C．He encouraged black people to fight against whites. |
| D．He started a hot discussion about the color barrier. |
6 . Snowboarding genius Su Yiming made a name for himself by winning China’s first Olympic gold in the sport on Tuesday. By cleanly stomping back-to-back 1800 tricks, the teenager landed the biggest prize so far in his young career—gold in the men’s Big Air at the Beijing Winter Olympics. The notable achievement realized a childhood dream to reach the peak of the sport, which he began to learn at the age of 4.
Now with two shinning medals hung around his neck, the 17-year-old described his superb Olympic debut ( 首秀) as an unbelievable experience that has made all his sacrifices worthwhile. “This feels so surreal that I’ve finally accomplished what I’ve dreamed of since I was little,” said an emotional Su.
Over the past four years, Su has combined his talent with hard work to produce one of the swiftest rises to prominence the sport has ever seen. When the Shougang Big Air venue hosted its first international event, Su was an unknown qualifier, who didn’t even make the final runs. Just over two years later, Su is the name on everyone’s lips at the venue’s Olympic debut—drawing the whole nation’s attention to the sport he loves.
“The biggest motivation (动力) for me is my love for snowboarding,” Su said, when asked about the secret to his success. “In snowboarding, I feel like I can show my own style and creativity. Every time I ride my board, it’s always a joyful moment. I hope through my experience, I can inspire more young people to get interested in the sport.”
Su, a former child actor who featured in action movies, said the Olympic gold will encourage him to seek for more breakthroughs—even beyond his athletic career. “I enjoy snowboarding just as much as I enjoy acting,” said Su, who turns 18 on Friday. “I think I still have a lot of possibilities to explore in my future career either in snowboarding or in acting. But now I just want to enjoy the moment and celebrate it as the best possible birthday gift.”
1. What does the underlined word “landed” in Paragraph 1 mean?| A．Arrived. | B．Gained. | C．Created. | D．Dreamed. |
| A．His acting experience. | B．His talent and hard work. |
| C．His being fond of snowboarding. | D．His life dream of achieving success. |
| A．Talented and thoughtful. | B．Lovely and famous. |
| C．Creative and kind-hearted. | D．Hard-working and devoted. |
| A．Upset. | B．Hopeful. | C．Anxious. | D．Satisfied. |
7 . Close your eyes and think of a hero. He must be handsome, brave and ride a beautiful horse. You could be thinking of Alex Hua Tian.
The 18-year-old aims to represent China at 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. He is the first Chinese horse rider to be registered by the International Equestrian Federation(国际马术联合会). If he rides for China in 2008, he will not only be one of the youngest riders ever to compete in the Olympics but also the first Chinese rider to do so.
Hua Tian has been training since he was four. This young man comes from a family with a long tradition of horse riding. His mother Sarah Hua was born to an upper-class British family. She herself is a gifted horse rider. In 2006, Hua Tian gave up his British nationality. Now he has a Chinese passport and it will be possible for him to compete in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
The high school boy studies at the famous Eton College in Britain. Though busy with his professional tour and his riding training, Hua Tian is quite a good student.
“School life at Eton is very strict. This means that when I train, I feel happy and free,” Hua Tian said.
He has decided to quit Eton in September this year in order to prepare for the 2008 Olympic Games.
Hua Tian’s horse is called “Monkey King.” “The horse was born in the Year of the Monkey and especially my favorite story is Monkey King.” he explained.
“I will be very, very proud if I can represent China in the Olympics,” he said. Hua has taken part in several-big events in Britain and Hong Kong. Perhaps the magic power of the Monkey King will help him achieve his Olympic dream.
1. Which of the following statements is TRUE?| A．Hua Tian’s mother doesn’t do well in horse riding. |
| B．A hero must be handsome, brave and ride a beautiful horse. |
| C．Hua Tian might take part in the Olympic Games as a Chinese. |
| D．Hua Tian will be the only youngest player in the Olympic Games. |
| A．is too boring, so he went to do training |
| B．is too strict, so he feels happy and free |
| C．is only too boring, but he relaxes a lot when he is training |
| D．is only too strict, but he feels happy and relaxed when training |
| A．the horse was born in the Year of the Monkey |
| B．Monkey King is the hero of his favorite story |
| C．Monkey King has the magic power to win the game |
| D．he won several games with the help of Monkey King |
| A．the horse —Monkey King | B．his mother —a gifted horse rider |
| C．being born to an upper class family | D．being proud as a Chinese |
| A．The Olympic Games | B．Horse Riding |
| C．A Good Choice | D．Hero on a Horse |
8 . Tennis great Billie Jean King is a great athlete and a pioneer in sport and she won four singles titles at the US Open between 1967 and 1974. Now, the same tennis officials with whom she often competed with have paid her a special honor. US Open organizers named their venue (会场) the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center at the beginning of this year’s championship. The decision came as a surprise to the star.
Billie Jean King had her first tennis lesson at the age of 11, and became interested in it. Six years later she made herself known winning the first of 20 titles at Wimbledon in the doubles championship. King went on to become the first female athlete to earn $100,000 in a year. But her greatest achievements may have been off the game. She devoted herself to fighting for equal status (地位) for women and women in sports that went far away from tennis.
A unique chance arrived and it proved a perfect way for King to further change the place of women in sports in 1973. She was challenged to play a man-tennis great Bobby Riggs. The men organizing the event expected it would provide great fun and the event was reported by sportscaster (体育评论员) Howard Cosell. But King found he focused on her appearance, never mentioning her athletic achievements. King saw it as a crossroad in her fighting for women’s equality in sports. She did win, further opening chances for girls in sports.
But some young female athletes now don’t take these chances seriously. When asked what they knew about Billie King, they looked puzzled. “They’ve got many chances to play and it’s a good thing. However, we still have a long way to go for girls and women in sports and that’s what I want-- I want the dream to be equal” She said.
1. Billie Jean King fought with tennis officials for ______.| A．better pay for herself | B．more chances to compete |
| C．the equality (平等) for women in sports | D．a special honor from them |
| A．her competition with Bobby Riggs in 1973 |
| B．being the first athlete to get a yearly income of $100,000 |
| C．the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center |
| D．her victory in the doubles championship |
| A．To attract more audience for the interests of the organizer. |
| B．To increase Billie King’s fame in the sports field. |
| C．To make the sport tennis popular: |
| D．To further open chances for women in sports. |
| A．has always been respected and honored in sports from the start |
| B．thinks that the status women have got in sports is high enough |
| C．is disappointed at not being recognized by young female athletes |
| D．thinks inequality between men and women in sports still exists |
| A．beautiful female athletes were not quite common |
| B．women athletes were looked down upon at that time |
| C．Billy King remained unknown at that time |
| D．he didn’t know much about Billie King. |
Lang Ping is a master in volleyball and she also sets good examples for others. She brought honour and glory to her country both as a player
“Living Legends of Sports” are athletes
Lang Ping, a former Chinese volleyball player, is now the coach of the Chinese national women’s volleyball team. She brought honour and glory to her country both as a player and as a coach,
