Black Mamba a Legend That Will Never Die

It’s hard to believe Kobe is gone.

The NBA superstar,     1     great talent and win-at-all-costs spirit made him one of the most distinguished athletes in history, was the rare celebrity who didn’t need a last name.

Still youthful at 41, Bryant—who died in a helicopter crash on January 26 in California—looked     2     he could suit up any minute and drop 30 points on a rival(竞争对手)NBA team. It doesn’t seem that long ago that he was scoring 60 points in his final NBA game.

With a higyly decorated career spanning 20 years - all with the Lakers - Bryant is all but     3     (assure) of being a first-ballot inductee(第一候选人)into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, alongside Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett, later this year.

Bryant,     4     18-time All-Star, was famous for his astonishing scoring ability and his championship pedigree(总冠军血统). He teamed up with fellow All-Star Shaquille O’Neal     5     (win) three consecutive NBA titles from 2000 to 2002, and later won two more rings, in 2009 and 2010.

Known as the “Black Mamba”, Bryant finished his career with 33,643 points in the regular season, which put him at No. 3 among NBA’s scoring leaders, behind only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (38,387) and Karl Malone (36,928)     6     LeBron James surpassed him just one day before Bryant’s untimely death.

“Kobe was so much more than an athlete. He was a family man, which was     7     we had most in common. Whenever we got together, I would hug his kids and he would embrace     8    .” O’Neal wrote on Twitter.

“Kobe was one of the most extraordinary players in the history of our game with accomplishments that are truly legendary(传奇般的),” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement. “But he     9     (remember) most for inspiring people around the world to pick up a basketball and compete     10     the very best of their ability.”

6 . What’s the meaning of the “dark horse”? It is someone who wins when no one expect it.

Han Xiaopeng took China’s first gold on snow. He became an Olympic “dark horse” by winning the gold medal in men’s freestyle skiing aerials (自由式滑雪空中技巧) at Turin in Italy. He made two almost perfect jumps for the highest score. Han had never won a world gold medal before, let alone in the Olympics!

“I never thought this would happen,” said Han Xiaopeng, “I feel like I’m in a dream.” It’s China’s second gold medal at the Turin Olympic Winter Games. But more important, Han’s gold was the country’s first ever in a snow sport. In 2002, China’s Yang Yang won the gold for speed skating at the Winter Olympic in Salt Lake City, US.

That Han’s win was unexpected doesn’t mean that he didn’t work hard.

Han grew up in Jiangsu Province. Before he started his training on snow, he used to be an acrobat (杂技演员) at a circus. In 1995, a coach found his talent. The coach, Yang Er’qi, said Han had the agility (灵活性) and courage to be a ski jumper. When Yang first took the 12-year-old boy to northern China, he couldn’t swim, skate or ski. But he wasn’t afraid of the high platform and kept on training.

Han almost left the sport after hurting his knee months before the Salt Lake Games. In that Olympics he only got 24^th. “I was hopeless at that time, but my family and the coach stood behind me, helping me through,” he recalled.

Han Xiaopeng worked so hard that he won the gold medal in the Olympics at last. Because of his success, more and more people in China are becoming interested in skiing. We are proud of him.

7 . The next time you find an excuse to abandon your goals, think of Chris Nikic. On November 7, 2020, Chris made ________ as the first person with Down Syndrome(唐氏综合征) to attempt and complete an Ironman. ________ by the WTC, the demanding competition ________ athletes to swim 2.4 miles, bike 112 miles, and run a full 26.2-mile marathon-in under 17 hours.

Chris’s road to this ________ accomplishment has been anything but easy. However, he is no stranger to ________ challenges. Born with two holes in his heart, he had open-heart surgery at just five months old and was too weak to walk ________ until he was four. Every expert his parents spoke to ________ the limitations rather than the possibilities. For years they listened and gradually ________ these limits. Until in 2017, he set his ________ on completing the triathlons(铁人三项). His training ________ with one push-up! And he made an amazing ________ with his dad to get 1％ better each day. Eventually, for the year leading up to the Ironman, Chris ________ four to eight hours each day along with his training partner.

Now, Chris also has his sights set on the ________ in the 2022 Special Olympics and continuing to ________ money for Down syndrome. His amazing ________ is an example for not only disabled children but to all kids around the world.

Basketball fans around the world are mourning the death of American superstar Kobe Bryant who     1     (kill) in a helicopter crash Sunday in California, along with his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven    2     people. The helicopter    3     (carry) Bryant and the others crashed into a hilly area in foggy conditions outside Los Angeles. Bryant won five NBA championships and two Olympic gold medals. He was    4     (wide)considered one of the greatest basketball players of his generation. When he retired from the NBA in 2016, Bryant was the third-leading player    5     (score) in NBA history with 33,643 points. He is widely expected to be elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame this year. So far his athletic ability    6     (motivate)millions of fans to play basketball.

The basketball world and the Los Angeles community reacted to Bryant's death with a pouring of sadness, disbelief and support.

In a statement, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said Bryant was one of the greatest stars in the game.     7     he added, He will be remembered most for inspiring people around the world to pick up a basketball and compete     8     the very best of their ability.

Michael Jordan said Bryant was “like a little brother”to him. Words can’t describe how     9     (pain)I am feeling, the former Chicago Bulls star said. Thousands of people gathered to remember the star outside the Staples Center in Los Angeles,     10     the Los Angeles Lakers play their home games.

9 . It was May 23,2016. Arnot, the 32-year-old mountain guide, reached the top of Qomolangma without the use of oxygen (O₂) equipment. It was achieved after seven years, three previous attempts, and fourteen straight hours of climbing.

After 15 minutes at the top, Arnot began her descent (下坡). Eight hours later, she reached the camp at 7, 600 meters and became the first American woman—and only the seventh woman ever—to successfully reach Mount Qomolangma without oxygen equipment.

“There are so many reasons for her impressive achievement, especially the physical and emotional efforts that she’s put forth over the years to make this happen,” says the professional climber and photographer Richards. “The mental courage that it requires is something very few people have.”

Arnot didn’t start climbing until she was 19 years old. Money was tight in her family, and climbing mountains never occurred in her mind. After graduating from college, Arnot was invited by her friend to climb a mountain. “It totally changed my life,” says Arnot. “I always know that if you want something, you can achieve it, but knowing what you want is a whole different thing,” she says. “I am athletic but not competitive. After my first climbing, I knew immediately that mountains are what I want — as that is where I felt home for the first time in my life.”

After that first climb, she devoted herself to learning how to climb and move through mountain. It was during her second trip to Qomolangma in 2009 that she first set her sights on a no-oxygen attempt. However, while hiking into Qomolangma Base Camp that year, she hurt her leg and wasn’t able to climb without oxygen. In 2013 she nearly made it to the top, but was forced to take oxygen at 8, 504 meters while helping another climber.

When Arnot finally stood atop Qomolangma, she called her best friend, “I reached the top and I’m not using any oxygen.” Then, tears began to stream down from her eyes. So much of Arnot’s life has been about pushing the limits of her abilities, and in this case, she’s also pushed up against the outer limits of the human spirit.

10 . Thomas Panek has completed 20 marathons, however, he made history on Sunday at the New York City Half Marathon.

While visually impaired（视觉障碍）runners usually use human guides, Mr Panek became the first person to complete the race supported by guide dogs. A trio of Labradors - Westley, Waffle and Gus - each accompanied (陪伴) him for a third of the race. The team finished in two hours and 21 minutes.

Mr Panek, who lost his sight in his early 20s, showed that while he appreciated the support of human volunteers, he missed the feeling of independence. In 2015, Mr Panek established the Running Guides programme which trains dogs to support runners.

When selecting his companions for the race, Mr Panek chose siblings Waffle and Westley to join Gus, who is his full-time guide dog. “The relationship is really important. You can’t just pick up the harness (挽带) and go for a run with these dogs,” Mr Panek said. “You’re training with a team no matter what kind of athlete you are, and you want to spend time together in that training camp.”

Each dogs sets its own pace — Westley runs an eight minute mile, while his sister Waffle can cover the same distance in six minutes—and helps Mr Panek avoid obstacles such as kerbs（路缘）and cones (锥体). Each dog wears a special harness and set of running boots, to protect their paws.

Gus was chosen to run the final leg of the race and cross the finish line with Mr Panek. He retired from his duties as a guide dog at the end of the race.

According to Mr Panek, guide dogs give visually impaired people the freedom to “do whatever it is a sighted person does, and sometimes, even run a little faster than them”.