1 . During school life, Muhammad Tariq Khan developed an interest in playing badminton. Unfortunately, the school did not have a coach, so he had to self-learn the sport. His dedication helped him become an under 12 Pakistan Champion at the age of 10.
Coming from a working-class family, Khan had to work in a factory to earn money for his family. But driven by his passion, Khan found out ways to watch other players play matches on the badminton court and he learned various techniques used by experienced players. Meanwhile, Khan practiced badminton by hitting the shuttlecock (羽毛球) against the walls of his home. Seeing his passion for the sport, his family bought him a net, a few wooden rackets, and a pack of shuttles to practice at home. Later, Khan often practiced in an open court. To maintain strength, he went on daily morning sprints (短跑) by the riverside to be fit.
His intense practice sessions had made him so skilled that he courageously attacked and played against the top-ranked players. Soon he became a known player. Although he had a supportive family, he could not take up badminton as a full-time career. In order to help his father with finances and shoulder responsibility for his brothers and sisters, he had to switch his focus to build a long-lasting and stable career to sustain his family. After completing his degree in Bachelor of Commerce from Sindh University in 1964, he joined the Pakistan International Airlines in 1967. As an adult, he acknowledged the importance of his duties and performed them with great enthusiasm. Despite his daily office routine, Khan did not leave his passion for sports and played regularly.
The journey of Khan’s achieving his goals is indeed challenging. His family had spent their initial days in a refugee (难民) camp. Khan ever walked long distances from college to his house to avoid using public transport to save cash to buy shuttlecocks.
Today he has been recognized by many reputable Pakistani platforms for his contribution to badminton. His personality is inspirational for many young individuals, who can learn from him the art of balancing life pressures and sticking to a passion!
1. What does Paragraph 2 mainly tell us about Khan?| A．His family and working experience. | B．His dream of being a professional runner. |
| C．His experience of learning to play badminton. | D．His passion for watching badminton matches. |
| A．He left his passion for badminton. | B．He wanted new challenges. |
| C．He lost his parents’ support. | D．He had to support his family. |
| A．Stimulate readers’ deep interest. | B．Add some back ground information. |
| C．Summarize the previous paragraphs. | D．Introduce a new topic for discussion. |
| A．Responsible and determined. | B．Modest and creative. |
| C．Ambitious and adventurous. | D．Cooperative and honest. |
2 . Indian Army soldier Anandan Gunasekaran lost his left leg in a mine explosion in 2008. But that didn’t stop him from pursuing his dream of making it big as an athlete.
With an artificial leg, Gunasekaran made himself and the country proud by bagging three gold medals at the Military World Games in China in October 2019.
After he lost his leg in 2008, he didn’t inform his family. Then, half a year later, he landed in his hometown with an artificial leg and his family was in shock. “They said that I should quit my Army job and stay at home and take care of the farm,” he says. But he told them that he had just lost his leg, not his ambition to run faster than ever before and bring honor to his unit and the Army.
“Mind is the biggest thing in your body. You shouldn’t lose it. If you are determined, you can do anything. I am one example of that,” says Gunasekaran.
As an athlete since his teenage years, Gunasekaran says that he got a “new life” after he got the blade (刀锋) that he could run with confidence. “I started training as I used to before my leg was blown off, but I was more determined to do better as I knew that there would be many who would doubt my ability,” he says.
After the military games in China, this blade runner now is nursing bigger dreams. He wants to win medals at the Tokyo Paralympics in 2020 and bring honor to his country.
He has one more hurdle to cross before he can make it to the Tokyo Paralympics. “I have to participate in the trials and win there to make it to the Paralympics,” he says. He is already training with that goal in mind. “My job is to work hard. I will do that.”
1. What was Gunasekaran’s dream after losing one leg?| A．Staying in the army. | B．Taking care of the farm. |
| C．Being a great athlete. | D．Having an artificial leg. |
| A．To prove himself. | B．To make a living. |
| C．To win himself honor. | D．To defeat his competitor. |
| A．By sharpening his blade. | B．By winning the trials. |
| C．By tying more hurdles. | D．By training professionally. |
| A．Difficulty. | B．Race. | C．Jump. | D．Achievement. |
3 . What makes one a great person? The legendary volleyball coach Lang Ping gave the answer in the recent documentary The Iron Hammer, titled after her nickname for her powerful strikes.
The documentary features Lang' s inspiring journey from her gold medal victory as a volleyball player in the 1984 Olympics to her unparalleled(无可比拟的）career as a successful coach for both Team USA from 2005 to 2008 and China since 2013.She led the US to a silver medal finish and China to a gold medal triumph in the 2008 and 2016 Olympic Games, making her the first person to win Olympic volleyball gold as a player and coach.
Lang Ping revealed the secret to such remarkable achievements in the documentary. “I believe volleyball was my destiny," she said.
But glory and challenges go hand in hand. Troubled by severe injuries to her cervical vertebra(颈椎），back, waist and knees, caused by intense exercise and hard work, the 60-year-old has undergone more than 10 surgeries. “No parts of my body function well," she joked.
But illness is certainly not the only difficulty Lang has faced throughout her career. In 2005, she struggled with balancing raising her daughter Lydia Bai Lang, who lived in the US, and her coaching career, according to China Sports Daily. She eventually decided to work for USA Volleyball that year and this decision aroused a lot of negative comments back in China.
“I'm proud of being Chinese.” Lang responded in an interview.Later,she returned to head the Chinese women 's volleyball team in 2013, leading the team successfully defending its World Cup crown with a perfect record of 11 straight wins last year.
There is no doubt that Lang is one of the greatest players and coaches in history. As an athlete commented in the documentary, “Lang Ping is like Michael Jordan in our minds.”
1. What does this passage mainly talk about?| A．Ways to become a great person. |
| B．Reasons for Lang Ping's success. |
| C．Lang Ping and her successful career. |
| D．Great athletes and their achievements. |
| A．To make a big fortune. |
| B．To take care of her family. |
| C．To avoid negative comments. |
| D．To establish her reputation abroad. |
| A．Success comes at a price. |
| B．Challenges are as important as glory. |
| C．Athletes are likely to get their hands injured. |
| D．Lang Ping has trouble in achieving her goals. |
| A．To honor the legendary pop star. |
| B．To draw the attention of readers to another field. |
| C．To illustrate there are lots of great people in the world. |
| D．To acknowledge Lang Ping's status and achievements. |
