1 . Jessica Long, from Baltimore, Maryland, USA is a champion by all definitions of the word. She is one of the world’s most decorated swimmers. Jessica was the youngest athlete to win a Paralympics (残奥会) medal. But her path to becoming a champion has been anything but easy.
Jessica was born in Irkutsk, Russia with a severe and rare disease — fibular hemimelia (腓侧半肢畸形). This means that part of her leg bones was missing or abnormal. Because of that, her young mother placed her in a Russian orphanage (孤儿院), fearing she could not care for Jessica.
Fortunately, she was adopted by an American family when she was 13 months old. She required 25 different surgeries to help her leg condition. But unfortunately, both of her legs had to be removed when she was just 18 months old. Jessica learned to walk with artificial legs. As a child, she took to sports including gymnastics, cheerleading, ice skating, biking and rock climbing.
She began swimming at her grandparents’ house when she was 6. She started competitive swimming about 4 years later. She did really well in swimming. Shortly after she started competing, Jessica was selected as Maryland’s Female Swimmer of the Year with a Disability. Even though Jessica was annoyed with her physical limitations, she was encouraged to enter her first Paralympic Games in Athens, Greece. She won three gold medals in swimming at 12! But she did not rest on her success.
Jessica has gone on to win 23 medals for Team USA at the Paralympics! While she began her career out of anger and annoyance, she now has a positive force on a mission to inspire the next generation of Paralympians! Her attitude and growth have been keys to her success. Jessica always believed she could do anything. As she says, “The only disability in life is a negative attitude.”
1. What happened to Jessica when she was a baby?A.She was abandoned in the wild. | B.She had 25 operations on her leg. |
C.She had her legs cut because of a disease. | D.She was adopted by a Russian family. |
A.At the age of 4. | B.At the age of 6. |
C.At the age of 10. | D.At the age of 12. |
A.She was the youngest athlete in US history. |
B.She has set a good example to Paralympians. |
C.She has won 23 gold medals in Paralympics. |
D.She took part in several sports in Paralympics. |
A.Difficult the first time, easy the second. |
B.Never hit a man when he is down. |
C.A common danger causes common action. |
D.Nothing is impossible to a determined heart. |
Chinese freestyle skier Eileen Gu was already a
If I'm 80 years old and looking back at my life, I don't think
To be able to inspire them-that's a really big thing for me. And I also just want
3 . Qian Hongyan waited on the starting block, supporting herself using her hands and torso (躯干). When the starting signal sounded, Qian pushed herself in. She won the silver medal in the women’s 100-meter breaststroke (蛙泳) SB5 final in the 11th National Games for Persons with Disabilities held in Xi’an, Shaanxi province in 2021.
Qian, from Luliang of Yunnan province, had both of her legs cut off after getting into an accident in 2000 when she was 4 years old. Her family were extremely poor. With little resources available, her grandfather cut up an old basketball to replace her lower body. Since then, she became well-known for moving around while balanced on an orange ball, earning her the nickname “basketball girl”.
Qian’s passion for swimming dates back to 2007, when she was invited by the local disabled people’s federation to watch the 2008 National Paralympic Games in Kunming, capital of Yunnan. At 11 years old, she joined the provincial swimming team for people with disabilities. However, without legs, it was difficult for Qian to keep her balance in water. “Swimming without legs is like rowing a boat without a rudder (船舵). I tended to swing due to a poor sense of direction.” Qian said. To help her overcome the difficulty, her coach designed a special training plan for her. Every day, she practiced for at least four hours. She made great efforts to enhance her arm strength and balance.
In 2009, she won three gold medals in the provincial contests in Yunnan, as well as one gold medal and two silvers at national events. In 2014, she won another gold medal in the 100m breaststroke final in the Yunnan Provincial Paralympic Games. In the 2016 Rio Paralympic Games, she placed ninth in the 100m breaststroke.
Qian’s journey to create a future for herself, despite losing both legs in a tragic accident, has become the story that inspired thousands of disabled people in China.
1. How did Qian earn her the nickname “basketball girl”?A.She liked playing basketball. | B.She had no legs like a basketball. |
C.She kept balanced on an old basketball. | D.She got into an accident when playing basketball. |
A.She received a special training plan. |
B.She joined the provincial swimming team. |
C.She tended to swing with a poor sense of direction. |
D.She was invited to watch the 2008 National Paralympic Games. |
A.Her efforts. | B.Her skills. | C.Her achievements. | D.Her influences. |
A.Painstaking efforts pay off. | B.Help cures disabilities. |
C.Disabilities lead to success. | D.Love helps the disabled |
4 . Li Ning is called the prince of gymnasts. When he
1999 to make a
But it was this sense of failure
Li Ning's sports clothes came
A.resigned | B.began | C.retired | D.started |
A.battles | B.competitions | C.wars | D.fights |
A.included | B.got | C.received | D.had |
A.Before | B.After | C.If | D.When |
A.list | B.plan | C.circle | D.speech |
A.such as | B.on behalf of | C.together with | D.in honor of |
A.since | B.even though | C.when | D.now that |
A.from | B.through | C.for | D.with |
A.disappointed | B.confused | C.satisfied | D.content |
A.which | B.what | C.that | D.who |
A.produced | B.began | C.ended | D.continued |
A.working | B.arguing | C.dealing | D.competing |
A.unusual | B.common | C.ordinary | D.normal |
A.made out of | B.made into | C.made up of | D.making up for |
A.off | B.onto | C.from | D.after |
A.pay | B.cost | C.take | D.spend |
A.interesting | B.popular | C.valuable | D.hopeful |
A.disadvantage | B.control | C.power | D.advantage |
A.cheaper | B.better | C.more expensive | D.more attractive |
A.few | B.many | C.much | D.little |