1 . Alysa Liu is an ice skater In 2016, the then 10-year-old girl became the youngest intermediate figure skating (花样滑冰) champion in U. S. history. In 2018, Liu became the youngest to compete in and win the U. S. junior championships.
In January, 2019, she made history again at the Geico U. S. Womens Figure Skating Championships. At the championships, things were initially going well for the defending U. S. champion Bradie Tennell. But later Tennell had a falling in her performance. Meanwhile, Liu became the first and youngest U. S. woman to land three triple axels (三周半跳) in competition.
Though Liu made them look easy, triple axels are extremely challenging. The skater has to jump from the outside edge of one skate, turning in the air. “Double” or “triple” refers to the number of rotations (旋转) the skater completes before landing. The term is a little misleading given that the skater has to do an extra half rotation, meaning that for a triple, the skater is actually completing 3.5 rotations. To be successful, the skater has to have both incredible body strength and control.
When asked about her great performance, Liu thought it was not worth showing off. And she was enthusiastic about preparing for bigger games. But Liu was ineligible to compete at the 2019 World Figure Skating Championships in Japan due to the minimum age requirement of 15. However, that didn’t bother her.
Liu fell in love with ice skating during her first lesson at a center. She showed such talent that Laura Lipetsky, who was teaching the group lessons, asked her father to let her receive private lessons. Lipetsky said, “She wanted to learn, and I wanted to guide.” The two have been inseparable since then. In 2017 Laura sent Liu to the University of Delaware for a certain analysis that researchers have created to help outstanding American skaters improve their jump techniques.
Liu has been homeschooled since the age of 10. She gets her homework done between daily practices, and usually eats dinner in the car on her way home. Though that might appear to be a lot for someone so young, Liu takes it happily.
1. What achievement did Alysa make at the age of 13?| A．She won the U. S. junior championships. |
| B．She was allowed to compete in the 2019 championships in Japan. |
| C．She became an intermediate figure skating champion. |
| D．She defeated the defending U. S. champion Bradie Tennell. |
| A．The requirements for figure skating. | B．The difficulty of carrying out triple axels. |
| C．The skills needed in skating rotations. | D．The differences between double axels and triple axels. |
| A．Lacking time. | B．Lacking confidence. |
| C．Having no qualification. | D．Showing little enthusiasm. |
| A．She was good at teaching group lessons. |
| B．She instructed Liu’s father in figure skating. |
| C．She made a contribution in Liu’s progress in sports. |
| D．She didn’t obtain great support from Liu and her father. |
