1 . Benjamin Alexander, a 38-year-old man from Northampton shire, became the first athlete to represent Jamaica in an alpine skiing event (高山滑雪) at the Winter Olympics.

But his story started in 2015. When he saw friends did the sport so skillfully, he was in awe and decided to take a ski lesson.” That first time, I fell 27 times on the way down the hill. I think a lot of people would have given up at that point.” “But I kind of just took that as the baseline. If I can aim for falling less than 27 times on the next hill, then I am progressing.”

However, it wasn’t until two years later that Benjamin considered seriously competing in the sport. “In 2018, I went to the Winter Olympics as a spectator,” he said. “I noticed that there were only three athletes representing Jamaica. I found that very strange since my mother country is a powerhouse full of athletes in the summer game. So coming into 2019, I just had a plan to say, ‘Let’s see if this crazy idea of going to the Olympics is even possible. Let’s just go and ski for a little while and see what happens.’” he said.

Alexander has no full-time coach. He built a support network that included Stokes and the US skier Gordon Gray, who called Alexander’s technique “terrible” but thought his lack of fear would give him an advantage in competition. A strategic approach and fearless technique have led the engineering graduate and former DJ not only to make sporting history but find success as a black athlete in a historically white sport. Alexander bills himself as a “reinvention expert” and has used skills learned in his other careers to develop his pursuit of skiing success. “I’ve been to 67 countries. I’ve spent a lot of my life on the road.” he said. “I’ve always loved to travel and a big part of my previous role as a DJ was getting myself out there, marketing myself in the right way, figuring out ways to get into venues, clubs and festivals that I wanted to perform at.”

1. What made Benjamin decide to compete in Olympics?

A．His love for his motherland.	B．His friends’ encouragement.
C．His desire to change his life.	D．His enthusiasm for alpine skiing.

2. What is the last paragraph mainly about?

A．The challenges Benjamin met.	B．The advantages Benjamin has.
C．The way of Benjamin’s training.	D．The reason behind Benjamin’s success.

3. What can we learn from Benjamin Alexander?

A．Better late than never.	B．Failure is the mother of success.
C．Never judge a book by its cover.	D．Nothing is impossible to a willing heart.

4. In which column will you read this passage on the Internet?

A．Entertainment.

B．Health.

C．Sports.

D．Culture.

2 . Lauren Price has come a long way from a taxi driver to an Olympic champion. She pursued her Olympic dream all the way to winning the middleweight gold medal at the Tokyo Games.

“When I look back now, I have to pinch (掐) myself at times, because I still think it’s mad that I won the Olympics,” Price told the media.

Raised by her grandparents, she was always encouraged to play sports. “They’ve always backed me. If it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t have achieved anything,” Price said. Her grandma used to say to her, “Reach for the moon and if you fall short, you’ll land on the stars.”

She began with football. But Price was also a high standard kickboxer and was then talent-scouted by a taekwondo coach before she switched to boxing.

“For me the big turning point was as a child being inspired by Kelly Holmes. I remember watching her on TV and I was like, “Oh My God, I want to go to the Olympics,” Price recalled. “I had that dream over the years. I just worked hard. I believe if you put the effort in, you’ll get to where you want to be.”

When Price was breaking into the Welsh boxing team, funding was extremely limited. So she worked as a driver fora taxi company when she was still a teenager. “I was training Monday to Thursday and then I was taxi driving Friday and Saturday nights. I’d start work at five pm and I’d finish at four in the morning, picking up all the drunken passengers,” she remembered. That was a different kind of education. “It’s quite funny now when I look back,” Price smiled.

Ultimately, she excelled as a boxer. Price won every major gold medal going, despite the difficulties of competing against bigger opponents outside of her weight class.

1. Which event did Price compete in at the Tokyo Olympics?

A．Football.

B．Kickboxing.

C．Taekwondo.

D．Boxing.

2. Who inspired Price to go to the Olympics?

A．Her grandmother.

B．An athlete.

C．A coach.

D．A passenger.

3. Which of the following contributed most to Price’s success?

A．Determination.

B．Luck.

C．Education.

D．Talent.

4. In which section of a newspaper can we find the text?

A．Entertainment.

B．Opinion.

C．Sports.

D．Destinations.

4 . Of all the stories of Olympic medalists, the most touching one is that of weight-lifting champion Oscar Figueroa.

During his athletic _________, the 37-year-old man had the chance to _________ in the Olympic games four different times. But he met with plenty of heartbreak and _________ before he finally succeeded.

In the 2004 Olympic games, Figueroa made his first _________. Because he wasn’t satisfied with his result, he looked _________ to competing in the Beijing 2008 Olympic games to prove himself. _________, just two weeks before the event, his hand was _________, which set him back in his weightlifting and _________ him the chance. By the London Olympic games in 2012, Figueroa took home the silver medal.

In spite of all, he’d already _________, he still aimed higher. In 2016, he headed to Rio to __________ the highest prize and he did. After his final lift, he __________ his shoes and put them on the stage, indicating that he would __________ from the Olympics. Amazingly enough, he took home the gold that year!

No matter how hard he felt, he never gave up, serving as a __________ example of hope, perseverance, and determination. Oscar Figueroa is the __________ Colombian man to have even taken home the gold in his field. He said he was __________ for the whole country in the competition in an interview.

1.

A．work

B．job

C．career

D．story

2.

A．compete

B．win

C．join

D．call

3.

A．excitement

B．disappointment

C．shame

D．happiness

4.

A．promise

B．appearance

C．decision

D．plan

5.

A．down

B．up

C．back

D．forward

6.

A．Unbelievably

B．Thankfully

C．Hopefully

D．Unfortunately

7.

A．tested

B．shaken

C．injured

D．caught

8.

A．spent

B．cost

C．took

D．lost

9.

A．experienced

B．expected

C．prepared

D．checked

10.

A．imagine

B．refuse

C．give

D．claim

11.

A．put up

B．took off

C．took on

D．set aside

12.

A．retire

B．benefit

C．graduate

D．suffer

13.

A．special

B．powerful

C．fresh

D．different

14.

A．last

B．best

C．first

D．latest

15.

A．training

B．learning

C．lifting

D．playing

5 . Gu Ailing, the United States-born Olympic skiing gold medalist, who is also known as Eileen Gu, said that she competed for China to inspire the nation’s young girls to get interested in the sport.

The freestyle skier won three medals at the Beijing 2022 Winter Games in February. She shared her thoughts on Tuesday at an event in New York, where she was among those honored as being among Time magazine’s 100 most influential people of 2022, and she discussed her motivation and the possible roles she may play after the Olympics.

Asked whether she had second thoughts about her decision to represent China in the Olympics, considering the current tension between the US and China, Gu said not at all.

“No, I don’t have any regrets,” she said, because every day on her social media she receives messages from hundreds of young girls worldwide who call her their inspiration. “Sports are a shared experience transcending gender, age, race, background and culture,” Gu said, adding that they can bring about cultural exchanges, communication and uplift one another, generating a cycle of positivity.

Gu also announced that she would be the ambassador for the US Winter Olympic Games bid in Salt Lake City in 2030. Gu said, “This is a beautiful example of globalism and the capacity that we can use skiing, we can use sports, we can use the winter sports to connect people.”

1. What do we know about Gu Ailing?

A．She was a China-born Olympic skiing gold medalist

B．She won four medals at the Beijing 2022 winter games

C．She didn’t regret having represented China in the Olympics

D．She was honored as one of the 100 most influential people of 2022 by Thames

2. Why did Eileen Gu compete for China?

A．To win gold medals in the Winter Olympics

B．To motivate China’s young girls to love skiing

C．To promote cultural exchanges, communication and uplift one another

D．To announce that she would be the ambassador for the US Winter Olympic Games

3. What do sports mean to Gu?

A．They are of benefit to health	B．They are entertaining events
C．They make athletes famous	D．They create a positive cycle

4. What is the text?

A．A book review	B．Health magazine
C．Celebrity interview	D．Personal diary

6 . Top Five Youngest Olympics Gold Medal Winners of All-Time

Nadia Comaneci

Nadia Comaneci is from Romania and a five-time Olympic gold medalist. She was merely 14 years old when she secured the Gold at the 1976 Montreal Olympics and was the first gymnast to receive a perfect score of 10. Interestingly, back then, a gymnast had to be 14 to participate but later the age limit went up to 16 years. Therefore, Nadia's record cannot be broken.

Fu Mingxia

Chinese female diver Fu Mingxia is popular for being one of the youngest Olympic diving champions. She won a gold medal at the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games when she was just 13 years and 345 days old. She dominated the sport throughout the 1990s with her extremely difficult dives.

Nishiya Momiji

The event of skatchoarding is making its debut at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. Japan's Nishiya Momiji became the first ever women's Olympic skateboarding champion. The athlete is merely 13 years and 330 days old, one of the youngest individual Olympic gold medal winners.

Klaus Zerta

Klaus Zerta was only 13 years and 283 days old when he won a gold medal at the 1960 0lympics in Rome in the coxed pairs event (赛艇双人有舵手项目). Moreover, he is the youngest confirmed male athlete to win a gold medal in the history of the Summer Olympics.

Marjorie Gestring

Marjorie Gestring of the USA was only 13 years and 268 days old when she won the gold medal at the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games in diving and became the youngest individual Olympic gold medalist. She would have won more gold medals considering her talent if not for the coming of World War Ⅱ.

1. Why can't Nadia's record be broken?

A．Her performance was extremely difficult.

B．She was the first gymnast to get a full mark.

C．The age limit of a gymnast was increased to 16.

D．She has won the Olympic gold medal for 5 times.

2. Who is the youngest individual Olympic gold medal winner?

A．Marjorie Gestring.	B．Klaus Zerta.
C．Nishiya Momiji.	D．Fu Mingxia.

3. How many kinds of sports do the 5 players cover?

A．Five.

B．Four.

C．Three.

D．Two.

7 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

At the age of 21, Chris Nikic became the first person with Down syndrome to complete the Ironman triathlon, which consisted of a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike ride and a 26.2-mile run. The very thought would be enough     1    (put) off those in the greatest physical condition. However, by completing    2    challenge in 14 minutes under the official cut-off time, this sporting hero set a Guinness World Record.

This    3    (impress) accomplishment was made possible thanks to the loving guidance of Nikic’s father, Nik. While     4    (raise) Nikic, Nik was worried about his son’s inactive lifestyle, thus giving him the task of becoming 1%     5    (fit) every day. And the first step    6     (achieve) with a single push-up.

Now, three years later, Nikic has gathered much    7    (strong) and determination to really push his body to the limits. Considering those with Down syndrome have to fight varying physical and learning disabilities, Nikic’s accomplishment is another example of    8    people with this condition overcome barriers and achieve success. The key for him is resilience.

Nikic isn’t stopping there. He has set new goals for 2021, including the plan to participate    9    the special Olympics in Orlando, Florida in 2022. Undoubtedly, with his family, friends and followers by his side, Nikic     10    (continue) to set new records.