1 . How does a person become an Olympic champion? In reality, a combination of biological, environmental, and psychological elements, as well as training and practice, all go into making a super athlete.

Perhaps the most important element involved in becoming an outstanding athlete is genetic. Most Olympic competitors are equipped with certain physical characteristics that make them different from the average person. Olympic weightlifters, for example, have a large number of fast- twitch fibers (快速收缩肌肉纤维) in their muscles. These allow them to lift hundreds of kilos from the ground and over their heads in seconds. Surprisingly, a large, muscular body is not the main requirement to do well in this sport. It is more important to have a large number of fast-twitch fibers in the muscles.

The legs of an outstanding marathon runner, on the other hand, might contain up to 90 percent slow-twitch muscle fibers. When we exercise long or hard, it’s common to experience tiredness, muscle pain, and difficulty breathing. These feelings are caused when the muscles produce high amounts of a substance called lactate and can’t remove it quickly enough. Athletes with many slow-twitch muscle fibers seem to be able to clear the lactate from their muscles faster as they move.

Some athletes’ abilities are naturally enhanced by their environment. Those raised at high altitudes (海拔高地) in countries such as Kenya have blood rich in hemoglobin (血红素). Large amounts of hemoglobin carry oxygen around the body faster, enabling these athletes to run better. Although genes, environment, and even culture play a part in becoming an outstanding athlete, training and practice are needed to succeed. Marathon runners may be able to control tiredness and keep moving for long periods of time, but they must train to reach their goals. Weightlifters and gymnasts perfect their skills by repeating the same motions again and again until they become automatic. Greg Louganis, winner of four Olympic diving gold medals, says divers must train the same way to be successful: “You have less than three seconds from takeoff until you hit the water, so it has to be reflex (对刺激的本能反应). You have to repeat the dives hundreds, maybe thousands, of times.” Training this way requires an athlete to be not only physically fit but psychologically healthy as well. Otherwise, they couldn’t handle the training loads.

1. Having a lot of slow-twitch muscle fibers is particularly important for ________.

A．long-distance cyclists	B．gymnasts
C．table-tennis players	D．weightlifters

2. When lactate (para. 3) builds up in their muscles, people feel __________.

A．strength

B．pain

C．excitement

D．dizziness

3. Which of the following statements would diver Greg Louganis probably agree with?

A．Athletes cannot perform well unless they are under pressure.

B．A professional athlete should think carefully about each movement.

C．It’s important to practice and train hard, but not take things too seriously.

D．It’s important to joke with your teammates before you perform any sport.

4. What is this passage mainly about?

A．The size of a super athlete.

B．Ways to qualify for the Olympics.

C．Different muscle types of a super athlete.

D．Factors that make someone a super athlete.

2 . Directions: After reading the passages below, fill in blanks to make the passages coherent and grammatically correct. For the blanks with a given word, fill in each blank with the proper form of the given word；for the other blanks, use one word that best fits each blank.

There is a photo hanging above my desk. Whenever I look at that photograph, it takes me back to those early years     1     every new experience was important for me.

I can still remember the shouts of the spectators as I     2     (go) out onto the sports field with my classmates. Two days     3     (early), I had qualified for the finals of the 100 metres. Now looking around,     4     was determined to win.

While I was walking across to the start, I began     5     (feel) more and more nervous. I looked around and saw my proud parents waving enthusiastically. My heart was beating fast when I lined up with the other eager competitors. I look some deep breaths and waited for the signal. Then the starting signal     6     (give) and I set off down the track.

I ran as fast as I could, not looking at anything but the finishing line. By the time I crossed the line, I was so exhausted that I     7     hardly breathe. As soon as I heard the result announced, I realized I     8     (win)! Overjoyed, I collapsed on the soft grass with a broad smile     9     my face.

“Well done!” said     10     headmaster later, as I was presented with the winner’s certificate. I had never felt so happy and proud in my life.