3 .     1    . The legendary volleyball coach Lang Ping gave the answer in the recent documentary (纪录片) The Iron Hammer.

The documentary displays Lang’s inspiring journey from her gold medal victory as a volleyball player in the 1984 Olympics to her amazing career as a successful coach for both Team USA from 2005 to 2008 and China since 2013. She was 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. As she said, “    2    ”.

    3    . Troubled by severe injuries to her cervical vertebra, 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. In 2005, she struggled with balancing raising her daughter Lydia Bai Lang, who lived in the US, and her coaching career. She eventually decided to work for USA Volleyball that year.     4    “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 American athlete commented in the documentary,     5    .

A．Who is Lang Ping?

B．Lang is the hardest to defeat.

C．I believe volleyball was my life.

D．What makes one a great person?

E．Glory and challenges go hand in hand.

F．Lang Ping is like Michael Jordan in our minds.

G．This decision aroused a lot of negative comments in China.

4 . Chinese athletes were highlighted by a series of inspirational wins in the International Ski Federation’s World Cup circuit recently. China’s Gu Ailing, a Chinese freestyle talent, made history by becoming the first ever back-to-back freeski World Cup winner in two different events at the same venue after claiming the slopestyle title in Calgary, Canada, on Feb.15, 2020. The day before, Gu had stormed to her first Cup gold in the halfpipe competition.

Gu again thrilled the crowds on Feb.15 in the slopestyle with another impressive display of technical riding, landing a string of difficult tricks, including a massive right 900° twist with a tail grab in her second run that earned her 89.18 points to dominate the 18-strong field.

“Honestly, my mind is blown,” Gu told the FIS website after the competition. “Coming in I didn’t have any expectations. I try not to take anything for granted. Honestly, I could not have expected two wins from these events.”

“I really just came in trying to do my best and ski the way I knew I could. Skiing my best is really the best part of this, and being rewarded for it just makes it even better.”

Born to a Chinese mother and an American father in San Francisco, US, Gu, better known as Eileen in the States, completed a naturalization process last June to represent China in international competitions.

Now she has her sights set on doing her mother’s home country proud at the 2022 Beijing Games.

A talented skier who has won many national junior titles in the US, Gu became a hit last month after winning two golds and a silver — in halfpipe, Big Air and slopestyle — at her first appearance in Winter Youth Olympics in Lausanne, Switzerland.

With Gu now on board in freeski, China’s snow sports team, which also features world-class aerial skiers and halfpipe snowboarders, is determined to challenge Western dominance on the snow in 2022.

1. How did Gu Ailing created history in her career?

A．She won two gold medals in the World Cup.

B．She showed her talent in skiing performance.

C．She displayed an impressive technical riding.

D．She made a massive right 900° twist twice.

2. What mainly made Gu perform well in the match?

A．Her powerful determination.	B．Her parents’ positive support.
C．Her deep love for competition.	D．Her relaxing and careful mind.

3. Where was Gu born?

A．In China.	B．In America.
C．In Canada.	D．In Switzerland.

4. When did Gu become known in sports?

A．On Feb.15, 2020.	B．On Feb.14, 2020.
C．In January 2020.	D．In June 2019.

5 . “Tennis一I'm saying goodbye." With these words, Russian tennis superstar Maria Sharapova, 32, has announced her retirement.

“How do you leave behind the only life you've ever known?" she asked herself. Several reasons played a role in Sharapova leaving the tennis court for good.

Over the last couple of years, she's dealt with an injury in her right shoulder and inflammation (炎症) in her forearms that may have prevented her from returning to top form. In more recent news, the death of her longtime friend, US basketball legend Kobe Bryant, also played a factor in her decision to retire.

“As I think you've seen throughout my career, my perseverance has been my greatest tool, my greatest strength," Sharapova said in an interview.“But I've started feeling like it was becoming a weakness, because the stubbornness that was keeping me going was keeping me going for wrong reasons."

Sharapova rose to fame at age 17 when she won Wimbledon in 2004. She won a total of four Grand Slam singles titles; the 2006 US Open, the 2008 Australian Open, and the 2012 and 2014 French Open. She also earned the Fed Cup title in Russia in 2008 and an Olympic silver medal in singles in 2012, among many other accomplishments. For 16 straight years from 2004, Sharapova was the world's highest-earning female athlete, according to Forbes. Off the court, she made millions of dollars from companies such as Evian and Nike, as well as starting her own candy company.

"Tennis showed me the world - - and it showed me what I was made of," Sharapova wrote on Facebook on Feb 26, alongside a photo of herself as a young girl with a tennis racquet, “It's how I tested myself and how I measured my growth. And so in whatever I might choose for my next chapter, my next mountain, I’ll still be pushing. I'll still be climbing. I'll still be growing.”

1. What contributed to Sharapova' s retirement?

A．Her stubbornness.

B．Her friend's suggestions.

C．Her injuries.

D．Her growing age.

2. What does the underlined word “stubbornness?" in paragraph 4 mean?

A．Tool.

B．Perseverance.

C．Strength.

D．Reason.

3. What does Paragraph 5 mainly tell us?

A．Sharapova is the highest-earning female.	B．Sharapova donated a lot to Evian and Nike.
C．Sharapova's companies run successfully.	D．Sharapova is a woman of many achievements.

4. What can we learn from the last paragraph?

A．Playing tennis taught Sharapova how to advance in life.

B．Sharapova will continue pushing herself as a tennis player:

C．Climbing mountains is Sharapova's new interest.

D．A picture posted online showed Sharapova's growth.

6 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入 1 个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

When Michael Jordan's feet left the ground, time seemed     1    (stand) still. The player who became known as “Air Jordan” changed basketball with his graceful moves and jumps. Jordan's skills were     2    (impress), 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     3     his success is learning from his     4     (fail). Losing games taught him to practise     5    (hard) 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.

7 . 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.

2. Why was Gunasekaran more determined to do better?

A．To prove himself.	B．To make a living.
C．To win himself honor.	D．To defeat his competitor.

3. How can Gunasekaran make it to the Tokyo Paralympics?

A．By sharpening his blade.	B．By winning the trials.
C．By tying more hurdles.	D．By training professionally.

4. What does the underlined word “hurdle” probably mean in the last paragraph?

A．Difficulty.

B．Race.

C．Jump.

D．Achievement.

8 . Lou Gehrig (1903-1941) was a baseball player with the New York Yankees for 17 seasons. He was a powerful hitter known as “The Iron Horse”. Gehrig was a strong, tough and very moral man. His father was often out-of-work because he was an alcoholic and his mother was a maid. His two sisters and only brother died young.As a young boy, Gehrig helped his mother with her work. However, he never let his tough start hold him back. He started playing for the Yankees in 1923 after attending Columbia University, setting many major league records during his career. This included the most consecutive games played (2130 games), a record only broken 56 years later in 1995.

Sadly, at the age of 36, he started to tire mid-season and his speed and cooperation ability faded. He resigned. Soon after he was diagnosed with a form of motor neuron disease named amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). He delivered his farewell-to-baseball speech to his teammates and fans on 4 July of the same year at the Yankee Stadium.

After his speech, the crowd stood and clapped for almost two minutes. The New York Times reported that it was “one of the most touching scenes ever witnessed on a ball field”. Gehrig died two years later of the disease. This increased awareness of the disease and its symptoms; in North America it is still commonly known as “Lou Gehrig’s disease”. The Lou Gehrig Memorial Award is given each year to the Major League Baseball player who best exhibits Gehrig’s integrity and character.

1. When did Lou Gehrig give his speech?

A．in 1903.

B．in 1923.

C．in 1939.

D．in 1940.

2. Who are the audience for Lou’s speech?

A．His family.

B．His friends.

C．His opponents.

D．His supporters.

3. Why is the illness known as “Lou Gehrig’s disease”?

A．Lou Gehrig named the disease.

B．This disease is related to playing baseball.

C．People get to know the disease due to Lou Gehrig.

D．The disease had never appeared before Lou Gehrig caught it.

4. What word can best describe Lou Gehrig according to the passage?

A．Determined and persistent.	B．Emotional and patient.
C．Wealthy and humorous.	D．Gentle and generous.

9 . Directions: Read the following passage. Summarize the main idea and the main point(s) of the passage in no more than 60 words. Use your own words as far as possible.

My Sporting Hero: Roger Federer

Almost every sportsperson who has reached the top of their field was inspired by an athlete who came before them. Often, it is one from their own sport, but sometimes that inspiration can come from an entirely different discipline. Scotland footballer Jen Beattie tells us about her sporting hero: Roger Federer.

From an early age, I have been a big tennis fan. I have always loved watching Wimbledon, and when I was growing up, Roger Federer was the men’s champion every year. He had some impressive finals--the one against Andy Roddick in 2009 in particular--but he always seemed to prevail. Federer was ridiculous at the time, winning 12 Grand Slams between 2003 and 2007. And I could just watch that backhand of his in action over and over again.

I love the way Federer carries himself on the court. His calmness is something I have always admired. In my football career, I have played in big, important matches for my club and particularly for my country. When I am walking onto a football pitch, I know I have the full team behind me. I always have ten other players who have my back to help me find solutions. Federer just has to figure them out on his own, which is very different.

There are any number of variables you can throw into the mix when examining what makes a sporting legend. A big one for me is the quality of the opponents you have to overcome. To win 20 Grand Slam titles in the arguably greatest era of men’s tennis, as well as reaching another 11 finals, marks Federer out as a legend.

After Federer won Wimbledon in 2012, the Slams started to dry up for him. He lost the 2015 U.S. Open final to Novak Djokovic. In 2016, time seemed to be catching up with him, with knee and back injuries ruining his season. At that stage, the chances of Federer returning to top form seemed remote. And yet there he was in 2017, winning the Australian Open and Wimbledon, and then as the defending champion in Melbourne in 2018.

That belief and confidence he must have had within himself to deep going, and even change little aspects of his game to not just prolong his career but actually improve as a player, is so impressive. Not many people look to do that when the end is in sight.

Perhaps that is a natural thing some top athletes will figure out as they go along. Federer, however, has done that on an unbelievable level. To be 40 and still able to operate at the level he is now is a testament to his greatness.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

10 . 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.

2. Why did Lang Ping go to work for USA Volleyball in 2005?

A．To make a big fortune.

B．To take care of her family.

C．To avoid negative comments.

D．To establish her reputation abroad.

3. What does the underlined sentence in paragraph 4 probably mean ?

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.

4. Why is Michael Jordan mentioned at the end of the passage?

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.