8 . I’m 52, and as surprising as it may seem. I’m a gymnast. In a sport for young girls, I have found an unlikely path to joy. When I enter the gym, no matter how much stress I might be feeling, my mind clears and I forget my life. I think of nothing but what I am doing.
When I was 9, I went every Saturday to a gymnastic academy. The coach had gray hair and wore ballet shoes and had boundless enthusiasm. He would say, “You are going to be a gymnast.” And I believed him. I vividly remember the first time I did a roundoff back handspring by myself, the weightlessness of it. I lived for Saturday mornings. I only ever did gymnastics recreationally—I didn’t even know real gyms existed—but I always loved it.
That long dormant (蛰伏的) love came roaring back in my forties. It happened in an instant, at parents’ day for my daughter’s beginning gymnastics class. The bars were just sitting there, and I had this overwhelming urge to grab hold and swing. But I couldn’t make it through the warmup (热身运动) at the first adult class I went. I felt bad during conditioning. I was the oldest person there. But that spark of memory glowed with possibility. I went back to class again, and again. It was hard and it was humbling. But soon I was doing back handsprings like I used to.
There is nothing like the thrill of getting a new skill, that combination of speed, mechanics, timing, muscles, guts. There is an ineffable (不可言喻的) element, too, something like faith. By the time we reach middle age, most of us have had to deal with our fair share of unwelcome surprises, like illness, family crisis or the death of a beloved parent. But gymnastics has brought the most delightful surprises-I keep getting better, surpassing what I thought were limits, amazing myself by what I can do. At a time in life when many things feel like they are sliding down the slope towards old, gymnastics is a gift of fluency and competence in motion. I’m in the best shape of my life. I’m a better gymnast now than I was at 16.
1. What inspired the author to love gymnastics when she was young?
| A．Her Saturday routine. | B．The coach’s enthusiasm. |
| C．Her wish to be a gymnast. | D．Pleasure from gymnastics. |
2. What made the author go back to gymnastic classes in her forties?
| A．Her duty as a responsible parent. |
| B．The desire to fit in with her daughter. |
| C．The strong urge to play with the bars. |
| D．Her sweet memory of doing gymnastics. |
3. Which of the following can describe the author’s personality?
| A．Faithful and easygoing. | B．Humble and competent. |
| C．Passionate and persistent. | D．Ambitious and considerate. |
4. What does the text mainly talk about?
| A．The dream of a fitness woman | B．A middle-aged person’s pursuit. |
| C．The story of a successful gymnast. | D．A sport-lover’s unusual experience. |
