Ma Long has had a good student image since childhood Ma, born in Anshan, Liaoning, the “hone of table tennis”, was sent by his father to practice table tennis when he was 5 years old, and he went to Shenyang at the age of 11. At 15, Ma Long joined the national team. Although he was the least talkative boy of the players, his perseverance (坚持不懈) was as great as his overall strength in table tennis. In 2006, at 18, Ma Long, together with his teammates, won a team world championship.
Behind early fame of the genius is Ma Long’s almost paranoid (偏执的) strictness towards himself. His daily routine throughout four seasons was a two—point line between the dormitory and the training hall, and he was the first to arrive and the last to leave on a daily basis. He had been doing so for ten years, monotonously and repetitively. His coach Liu Guoliang once said, “I went to the table tennis hall on a Sunday morning for an unannounced inspection to see how many players were training on Sunday. Only one person in the men’s first team was there… A genius is not your fear, but your fear is that a genius works harder than you do.” Such a genius is Ma Long.
However, after joining the team for nearly a decade, he suffered various types of failure, and thus was questioned by everyone. At that time, Zhang Jike, another top player, returned to the national team. From then on, Zhang was so invincible that he achieved the personal Grand Slam (大满贯) within only 445 days, which was done in the shortest time in record. Seeing Zhang’s achievements, Ma Long, at the lowest point, had the idea of retiring. But he was unwilling to just “disappear”.
Then came the Suzhou 2015 World Championship, Ma Long crowned his career, winning the singles champion, and it had been ten years since he won a world championship last time. This title seemed to give him new prospect and all of his efforts paid off.
4. What can we know about Ma Long in Paragraph 1?
A.He was an outgoing and sociable person. |
B.He won the first world singles championship at 18. |
C.He started to practice at S in the absence of his parents. |
D.He stood out for his determination and professional skills. |
5. What can we infer about Ma Long according to Liu Guoliang?
A.Years of training witnessed his loneliness. |
B.He was worn—out and under inspection every day. |
C.Hardship and fears swallowed him without mercy. |
D.The road to fame was never smooth but rather tough. |
6. What does the underlined word “invincible” in Paragraph 3 mean?
A.Approachable | B.Matchless. | C.Selfless. | D.Unbearable. |
7. What is the suitable title for the text?
A.Ma Long: Pain Is Worthy of a Champion |
B.Ma Long: Victory Deserves Focus of Attention |
C.Ma Long: Glory Is Bound to Fade Away |
D.Ma Long: Chance Favors the Intelligent |