As a player, Lang Ping was
2 . 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. |
3 . 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. |
Stephen Curry,
THE ROAD TO SUCCESS
Near the small town of Grottoes, Virginia, a narrow dirt road goes from the house of Stephen Curry's grandfather to the woods nearby. A far cry from the bright lights and shiny courts of the National Basketball Association (NBA), it was along this road that Stephen's grandfather built a simple basket by attaching a piece of plastic to a telephone pole.
Like his father, basketball star Dell Curry, Stephen spent many childhood hours playing on this muddy basketball court. He probably didn't realise it at the time, but it was where he learnt to be creative and flexible as a player. You see, with every shot, the weak plastic backboard gave way. The bumps and rocks that lined the road under the basket caused the ball to bounce in all directions. Knowing where the ball would go wasn't easy. He had to adjust his own playing style as a result. Shooting with great accuracy was another thing he learnt. Only shots perfectly aimed at its centre went into the heavy, thick basket. In this way, practising day in and day out helped Stephen sharpen his skills.
Despite his father's successful career, Stephen was thought by many people, including his high school teammates and coaches, to be too short, too thin and too weak to follow in his father's footsteps. But Stephen carried on. Playing basketball was his dream. He would not give up. He finally ended up playing college ball at a small, littleknown school, Davidson College, not too far from where he lived. His creativity and perseverance made him Davidson's star player.
Selected for the NBA in 2009, Stephen joined the Golden State Warriors. He performed beyond everyone's expectations with his accurate shooting and continuous efforts. In 2015, Stephen won his first NBA championship, and he led the Warriors to their first championship since 1975.
After receiving the Most Valuable Player award for two years in a row, Stephen explained his philosophy, “I never really set out to change the game... What I wanted to do was just be myself... I know it inspires a lot of the next generation, a lot of people who love the game of basketball to value the skill of it, value the fact that you can work every single day to get better. You've got to be able to put in the time and the work. That's how I got here. That's how I continue to get better every single day. ” Inspiring others to believe in themselves, Stephen Curry is living proof that what other people think of you does not have to influence what you become. Through selfbelief, hard work, perseverance and some help from an old hoop, he has shown that anything is possible.
1. What is the theme of the text about?| A．The Most Valuable Player award has a long history. |
| B．Success comes from confidence, hard work and perseverance. |
| C．Stephen is the first NBA championship. |
| D．Stephen Curry followed in his father's footsteps. |
| A．When Stephen was little. |
| B．When Stephen went to college. |
| C．When Stephen's father was a child. |
| D．When Stephen's grandfather was little. |
| A．Stephen's poor skills. |
| B．The muddy road. |
| C．The weak plastic backboard. |
| D．The bumps and rocks under the basket. |
| A．He joined NBA in 2015. |
| B．He was elected the Most Valuable Player in 2009. |
| C．He won the Most Valuable Player for 3 times. |
| D．He won his first NBA championship in 2015. |
| A．Nothing is impossible for a willing heart. |
| B．More haste, less speed. |
| C．It's never too old to learn. |
| D．Rome was not built in one day. |
7. 细读课文并找出人物描写的句子
6 . Jesse Owens thought deeply of what he went through after the Berlin 1936 Olympic Games and said, “People say it was shameful for an Olympic champion to run against a horse, but what was I supposed to do? The fall from glory was hard to take and it surely troubled me. But at least it was an honest living. I had to eat.”
The fourtime gold medal winner refused to accept an invitation to compete in Sweden immediately after the Games with fellow 1936 stars, and he received good commercial (商业的) offers back in the USA. Shortly after his athletic career ended, the commercial offers dried up and with no chance to remind the public of his good skills in sports, his life became difficult.
After getting married and having his first daughter, he had to earn money. He first took part in the local races and won easily because of his special talent. He then raced against motorbikes, cars, trucks and finally horses. In the following years, he worked as a lift operator, petrol station assistant, playground doorkeeper and manager of a dry cleaning firm.
It was in the 1950s that things started to change for Owens and his family. He began to give speeches to corporations and bodies including the Ford Motor Company and the US Olympic Committee. He opened his own public relations business, travelling across the USA to stress the importance of behaving in a fair and respectful way towards the opposing team or player. In 1976, President Gerald Ford awarded Owens the Presidential Medal of Freedom. In 1979, President Jimmy Carter presented the Olympic champion with the Living Legend Award. In 1990, George H. W. Bush posthumously awarded Owens the Congressional Medal of Honor.
1. What can we learn about Jesse Owens in the first paragraph?| A．He was sensitive to others’ words. |
| B．He was worried about his future life. |
| C．He chose another way to make a living. |
| D．He found it hard to forget about his past experiences. |
| A．He fell behind other stars. |
| B．He lost his skills in sports. |
| C．He failed to live a normal life. |
| D．He didn’t receive commercial offers. |
| A．Behaving well. | B．Working hard. |
| C．Acting quickly. | D．Thinking positively. |
| A．Jesse Owens’ opinion on making decisions. |
| B．Jesse Owens’ success in sports and speeches. |
| C．Jesse Owens’ life after the Olympic Games. |
| D．Jesse Owens’ honors awarded by presidents. |
LIVING LEGENDS
Help us choose some “Living Legends of Sports”. They must be athletes who are masters in their sports and also set good examples for others. Here are our first two choices.
Lang Ping
As a player, Lang Ping brought honour and glory to her country. As a coach, she led the China women’s volleyball team to medals at world championships and the Olympics. As a person, Lang Ping is loved by fans at home and abroad. When the Chinese team was preparing for the 2015 World Cup, her determination was tested. The team that Lang Ping had built was falling apart. One of the best players had been injured, and the team captain had to leave because of heart problems. Losing two important players was a big challenge, but Lang Ping did not lose heart. She had faced difficulties before, and she knew that her young players could win if they worked together as a team. Two weeks later, they were world champions! Then in 2016, Lang Ping led her volleyball team to Olympic gold in Brazil.
Michael Jordan
When Michael Jordan’s feet left the ground, time seemed to stand still. The player who became known as “Air Jordan” changed basketball with his graceful moves and jumps. Jordan’s skills were impressive, but the mental strength that he showed made him unique. In the final seconds of a game, Jordan always seemed to find a way to win. Jordan says that the secret to his success is learning from his failures. “I can accept failure; everyone fails at something. But I can’t accept not trying.” Losing games taught him to practise harder and never give up. In life, Jordan has learnt to share his success with others. The Boys and Girls Club which he started in Chicago has been helping young people since 1996.
Send your suggestions for “Living Legends of Sports” to LLS@sports.net.
1. What’s the main idea of the text?| A．It’s about living legends, Lang Ping and Michael Jordan. |
| B．It’s about volleyball games. |
| C．It’s about basketball games. |
| D．It’s about the Boys and Girls Club. |
(1)
(6)
3. How was Lang Ping’s determination tested in the 2015 World Cup?
| A．One of the best players had been injured. |
| B．The team captain had to leave because of heart problems. |
| C．The volleyball team she had built was falling apart. |
| D．Lang Ping lost heart. |
| A．Lang Ping is stubborn. |
| B．Lang Ping is determined. |
| C．Lang Ping is easygoing. |
| D．Lang Ping is careful. |
| A．Jordan’s determination in the basketball field. |
| B．Jordan’s success in the basketball field. |
| C．Jordan’s handsome figure (身材)． |
| D．Jordan’s quick moves in playing basketball. |
| A．A guidebook. | B．A magazine. |
| C．A poster. | D．An advertisement. |
8 . George Headley would have been a dentist in the USA rather than one of the greatest cricketers (板球运动员) if he had got his papers from Panama on time. The Indian legend was born in Colón, Panama and a period of unemployment in Jamaica caused him to begin the process of seeking a career elsewhere.
The delay, however, gave Headley time to make his first-class debut (首次亮相) for Jamaica against the visiting Lord Tennyson’s XI from England. These were his scores in the three first-class games in the series: 16, 40, and 71. The rest, as they say, is history. Yet, consider what might have occurred if his documents had arrived on time and he had migrated to America. There would have been a missing chapter in cricket.
Headley’s ta le brings to the fore the role that happenstance (偶然情况) plays in life. In the song A Different Comer, George Michael lamented (哀叹) that a romantic union went wrong and suggested that it might have been better if circumstances had worked to prevent their first meeting: “Take me back in time; maybe I can forget. Turn a different corner and we never would have met.”
Our lives are the result of much planning and deliberate action. But they are the result of chance as well. “The harder I practice, the luckier I get” is a quote normally used by sportsmen to discount the occurrence or consequence of luck. Athletes like to think that whatever success they’ve had is only down to them. To admit otherwise is to devalue the skills and efforts.
The changes in luck are a large part of why we watch sports. It fosters uncertainty, which, in turn. enhances interest in the process and the result. On any given day, the underdog can be at the champion. Whenever that occurs, luck is likely to have played some significant part, and sport is better for it.
1. What decision did George Headley make before getting his papers?| A．To complete his official documents in Panama. | B．To sharpen his cricket skills in Jamaica. |
| C．To get a degree in medicine in the USA. | D．To work as a dentist in the USA. |
| A．It affected his debut performance. | B．It became a turning point in his life. |
| C．It benefited the England cricket team. | D．It led to a missing chapter in cricket. |
| A．To stress the importance of chance. |
| B．To explain the necessity of planning ahead. |
| C．To show the significance of the first impressions. |
| D．To illustrate a love-hate relationship with friends. |
| A．Practice makes perfect. | B．Little people can make a big difference. |
| C．Efforts and chances are equally important. | D．Nothing is impossible to a willing heart. |
9 . He is a lesson to every boy who ever picked up a basketball and dreamed that it would change his life.
The lights were never brighter and the crowds were never bigger for a home-grown sports hero than they were a quarter-century ago for Ray Hall. But his athletic achievements, as impressive as they are, are to my mind not what is most admirable about the man. Known as “Sugar Ray” in his teens, Hall was rated among the country’s top 25 high school basketball players. An inner-city kid from a solid family, Hall took on the challenge of lifting Canisius College—still recovering from its failure—back to respectability, rejecting more favourable offers. His status brought more pressure than any 18-year-old should have to handle. However, I watched him mature into the player who led Canisius back to daylight.
After college Hall played professionally in Italy and Greece for over 10 years until a car accident at 32 ended his basketball career. The news that he would never play again shocked Hall but unlike so many others he was ready for life after basketball. When I met Hall—still fit at 46—for lunch Monday, he wore a cut-sharp gray suit, designer tie and blazing white shirt that screamed Success. “That was always the question—when the cheers end, where do you go? Who do you turn to?” he said. “It starts and ends with that person in the mirror.”
Hall got the concept of academics—first from his parents. He graduated from Canisius a semester early. “No matter how good an athlete you are, you are just one injury away from losing it all,” he said. “But if you take care of things academically, you are prepared until you leave this Earth.”
For the past 14 years, he has been in a computer sales job at Ingram Micro. He married his college sweetheart. They have three kids and a nice house in the suburbs. He figured out early what others learn too late: Athletics is part of a journey, not the destination. Congratulations, Ray, you made it. In more ways than one.
1. According to the writer, which of the following best describes Ray’s success?| A．Unlike other athletes, he was academically superior. |
| B．He defeated his injury and returned to the playground. |
| C．He enjoys a successful job and a happy family. |
| D．He has gained impressive athletic achievements. |
a. He was rated among the best high school basketball players.
b. He was in a car accident.
c. He graduated from Canisius College.
d. He started his computer sales job.
e. He gave up his athletic career.
| A．a, c, b, e, d | B．a, c, e, b, d |
| C．c, a, b, d, e | D．c, a, e, b, d |
| A．Ray was from an academic family. |
| B．Ray was very mature in his teens. |
| C．Ray was once desperate facing the cruel reality. |
| D．Athletics was not Ray’s final goal in life. |
| A．To describe the difficulties of being a professional athlete. |
| B．To explain the importance of choosing the right college. |
| C．To emphasise the need for a good education. |
| D．To warn against playing professional basketball. |
| A. rebounds B. smoothly C. qualified D. court E. performance F. closely G. playing H. incredible I. legendary J. crushed K. willing |
A Giant on and off the Court
At first glance, it’s easy to see why Yao Ming made it to the NBA — he’s 7 feet 6 inches. But there have been a few 7 ft 6 in centres in the past and how many of them were 8-time All-Star and 5-time All-NBA? The answer is — none.
This
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His overwhelming presence and
Yao’s
