Liu Xiang, a 21-year-old Chinese athlete, got the gold medal of the fascinating men’s 110m hurdles before a crowd of 70,000 at the Olympic Stadium in the 28th Olympics in Athens late Friday local time. He clocked an excellent 12.91 seconds to equal the world record set by Britain’s Collin Jackson in 1993.

It is the first gold Chinese men’s athlete has ever won from the track and field in the Olympics history. China has won over 100 gold medals from the summer Olympic Games since 1984 but its male athletes only got one medal from Olympics’ most popular sport, the track and field.

The Shanghai native, with his father a truck driver and mother an out-of-work housewife, loved sports when he was very little. Liu was selected to the Junior Sports School of Putuo District of Shanghai to practice jumping as a fourth grader in the primary school. But after a bone test showing that he will not be able to become a tall man, Liu was asked to give up sports one year later, although he had won the national champion at that level.

In 1998 when he attracted coach Sun Haiping’s attention as a 15-year-old jumper, Sun was a well-known hurdle coach and he believed a star was born at the first sight of Liu. He visited Liu’s parents several times and finally persuaded them to let Liu transfer to the 110m hurdles.

After only three years, Liu launched his career in style in the IAAF Grand Prix in Lausanne in 2001 by breaking the world youth and Asian record with a time of 13.12.

But the first warning he sent to the world was his bronze-winning feat（战绩）at the world indoor championships in Birmingham, England, last year.

In 2004, Liu won the silver in the world indoor championships in Budapest in March. Two months later, he proved the winner in a race against American great Allen Johnson in the IAAF Grand Prix in Osaka, Japan, where he clocked a new Asian record and world’s season best time of 13.06 seconds.

He went on to win two Johnson-absent races in Lille, France, on June 26 and Zagreb, Croatia, three days later. He put up an exciting show at the Golden Gala meet in Rome on July 3, when he and Johnson clocked an identical time of 13.11. Race officials had to examine a photo finish to declare Johnson the winner. Liu did a better job of clearing the hurdles than Johnson, but Johnson’s stronger start ended up making the difference. The race boosted（提高） Liu’s optimism(乐观) for the Olympics, although Johnson bettered his season best time by 0.01 second in Lausanne, Switzerland, on July 6.

The world has put the Olympics a Johnson-Liu duel but surprisingly Johnson crashed out of the Games after falling at the ninth hurdle at round 2. Johnson’s early exit paved the way for Liu’s win. He finally took the gold medal and put a Chinese man’s name on the record book.

       (chinadaily.com.cn /Xinhua)  Updated:2004-08-28  02:57

According to Paragraph One, which of the following is TRUE?

       A. Liu Xiang is the fastest of the mentioned athletes.

        B. Liu Xiang has set a new world record in the event of the men’s 110m hurdles.

       C. Both Liu Xiang and Jackson got a gold medal at the Athens Olympics.

       D. In the Olympics history, Liu Xiang is the fastest in this event.

Before the 28th Olympics in Athens,         .

       A. no Chinese athlete got a gold medal from the track and field at the Olympics

       B. there was already a Chinese male medal winner in the track and field at the Olympics

       C. Terrence Trammell got a gold medal from the men’s hurdles at the Sydney Olympics

       D. Zhu Jianhua got a bronze medal from the men’s hurdles in the 1984 Los Angeles Games

In the last paragraph, the underlined word “duel” most probably means “       ”.

       A. competition       B. friendship   C. partner       D. company

From the passage, we can conclude that          .

       A. Liu Xiang had no gift for jumping when he was a little boy

       B. Liu Xiang set a new world youth record when he was 17 years old

       C. Liu Xiang has succeeded because of his coach Sun

       D. Johnson might have won the gold medal if he had not dropped out

Liu Xiang, a 21-year-old Chinese athlete, got the gold medal of the fascinating men's 110m hurdles(跨栏) before a crowd of 70 000 at the Olympic Stadium in the 28th Olympics in Athens late Friday local time. He clocked an excellent 12.91 seconds to equal the world record set by Britain's Collin Jackson in 1993.?

It is the first gold Chinese men's athlete has ever won from the track and field in the Olympics history. China has won over 100 gold medals from the summer Olympic Games since 1984 but its male athletes only got one medal from Olympics' most popular sport.

The Shanghai native, with his father a truck driver and mother an out-of-work housewife, loved sports when he was very little. Liu was selected to the Junior Sports School of Putuo District of Shanghai to practice jumping as a fourth grader in the primary school. But after a bone test showing that he will not be able to become a tall man, Liu was asked to give up sports one year later, although he had won the national champion at that level.

In 1998 when he attracted coach Sun Haiping's attention as a 15-year-old jumper. Sun was a well-known hurdle coach and he believed a star was born at the first sight of Liu. He visited Liu's parents several times and finally persuaded them to let Liu transfer to the 110m hurdles.?

After only three years, Liu launched his career in style in the IAAF Grand Prix in Lausanne in 2001 by breaking the world youth and Asian record with a time of 13.12.

But the first warning he sent to the world was his bronze-winning feat(战绩)at the world indoor championships in Birmingham, England, last year.?

In 2004, Liu won the silver in the world indoor championships in Budapest in March. Two months later, he proved the winner in a race against American great Allen Johnson in the IAAF Grand Prix in Osaka, Japan, where he clocked a new Asian record and world's season best time of 13.06 seconds.

He went on to win two Johnson-absent races in Lille, France, on June 26 and Zagreb, Croatia, three days later. He put up an exciting show at the Golden Gala meet in Rome on July 3,when he and Johnson clocked an identical time of 13.11.Race officials had to examine a photo finish to declare Johnson the winner. Liu did a better job of clearing the hurdles than Johnson, but Johnson's stronger start ended up making the difference. The race boosted(提高) Liu's optimism for the Olympics, although Johnson bettered his season best time by 0.01 second in Lausanne, Switzerland, on July 6.

The world has put the Olympics a Johnson-Liu duel but surprisingly Johnson crashed out of the Games after falling at the ninth hurdle at round 2.Johnson's early exit paved the way for Liu's win. He finally took the gold medal and put a Chinese man's name on the record book.?

(China daily. com. cn/Xinhua) Updated:2004-08-28 02:57

According to Paragraph One, which of the following is TRUE?

A. Liu Xiang is the fastest of the four mentioned athletes.

B. Liu Xiang has set a new world record in the event of the men's 110m hurdles.

C. Both Liu Xiang and Jackson have got a gold medal at the Olympics.?

D. In the Olympics history, Liu Xiang is as fast as Britain's Collin Jackson.

Before the 28th Olympics in Athens, _______.

A. no Chinese athlete got a gold medal from the track and field at the Olympics

B. there was already a Chinese male medallist in the track and field at the Olympics

C. Terrence Trammell got a gold medal from the men's hurdles at the Sydney Olympics

D. Zhu Jianhua got a bronze medal from the men's hurdles in the 1984 Los Angeles Games

In the last paragraph, the underlined word “duel” most probably means “_______”.?

A. contest       B. friendship   C. Partner       D. company?

.From the passage, we can conclude that _______.?

A. Liu Xiang had no gift for jumping when he was a little boy?

B. Liu Xiang set a new world youth record when he was 17 years old?

C. Liu Xiang has succeeded because of his coach Sun?

D. Johnson might have won the gold medal if he had not dropped out??

Liu Xiang, a 21-year-old Chinese athlete, got the gold medal of the fascinating men’s 110m hurdles before a crowd of 70,000 at the Olympic Stadium in the 28th Olympics in Athens late Friday local time. He clocked an excellent 12.91 seconds to equal the world record set by Britain’s Collin Jackson in 1993.

It is the first gold Chinese men’s athlete has ever won from the track and field in the Olympics history. China has won over 100 gold medals from the summer Olympic Games since 1984 but its male athletes only got one medal from Olympics’ most popular sport, the track and field.

The Shanghai native, with his father a truck driver and mother an out-of-work housewife, loved sports when he was very little. Liu was selected to the Junior Sports School of Putuo District of Shanghai to practice jumping as a fourth grader in the primary school. But after a bone test showing that he will not be able to become a tall man, Liu was asked to give up sports one year later, although he had won the national champion at that level.

In 1998 when he attracted coach Sun Haiping’s attention as a 15-year-old jumper, Sun was a well-known hurdle coach and he believed a star was born at the first sight of Liu. He visited Liu’s parents several times and finally persuaded them to let Liu transfer to the 110m hurdles.

After only three years, Liu launched his career in style in the IAAF Grand Prix in Lausanne in 2001 by breaking the world youth and Asian record with a time of 13.12.

But the first warning he sent to the world was his bronze-winning feat（战绩）at the world indoor championships in Birmingham, England, last year.

In 2004, Liu won the silver in the world indoor championships in Budapest in March. Two months later, he proved the winner in a race against American great Allen Johnson in the IAAF Grand Prix in Osaka, Japan, where he clocked a new Asian record and world’s season best time of 13.06 seconds.

He went on to win two Johnson-absent races in Lille, France, on June 26 and Zagreb, Croatia, three days later. He put up an exciting show at the Golden Gala meet in Rome on July 3, when he and Johnson clocked an identical time of 13.11. Race officials had to examine a photo finish to declare Johnson the winner. Liu did a better job of clearing the hurdles than Johnson, but Johnson’s stronger start ended up making the difference. The race boosted（提高） Liu’s optimism(乐观) for the Olympics, although Johnson bettered his season best time by 0.01 second in Lausanne, Switzerland, on July 6.

The world has put the Olympics a Johnson-Liu duel but surprisingly Johnson crashed out of the Games after falling at the ninth hurdle at round 2. Johnson’s early exit paved the way for Liu’s win. He finally took the gold medal and put a Chinese man’s name on the record book.

       (chinadaily.com.cn /Xinhua)  Updated:2004-08-28  02:57

1. According to Paragraph One, which of the following is TRUE?

       A. Liu Xiang is the fastest of the mentioned athletes.

        B. Liu Xiang has set a new world record in the event of the men’s 110m hurdles.

       C. Both Liu Xiang and Jackson got a gold medal at the Athens Olympics.

       D. In the Olympics history, Liu Xiang is the fastest in this event.

2. Before the 28th Olympics in Athens,         .

       A. no Chinese athlete got a gold medal from the track and field at the Olympics

       B. there was already a Chinese male medal winner in the track and field at the Olympics

       C. Terrence Trammell got a gold medal from the men’s hurdles at the Sydney Olympics

       D. Zhu Jianhua got a bronze medal from the men’s hurdles in the 1984 Los Angeles Games

3. In the last paragraph, the underlined word “duel” most probably means “       ”.

       A. competition       B. friendship   C. partner       D. company

4. From the passage, we can conclude that          .

       A. Liu Xiang had no gift for jumping when he was a little boy

       B. Liu Xiang set a new world youth record when he was 17 years old

       C. Liu Xiang has succeeded because of his coach Sun

       D. Johnson might have won the gold medal if he had not dropped out

Asian athletes have had a spare time in the first two days of the World Indoor Championships in Birmingham, England. But Chinese hurdler(跨栏运动员) Liu Xiang surprised everyone by taking the bronze medal in the men's 60-meter hurdles.

Liu became the first Chinese male athlete to get a world indoor medal in the 18-year history of the championship and was the only Asian medallist this time. 

"Karaoke (卡拉OK)! That's what I'm going to do. I'm going to get a big group of my friends together and sing. I love both Western and Chinese music but especially Michael Jackson," said Liu after clocking 7.52 seconds in the final to take his place on the podium (领奖台).

"Frankly speaking, I didn't think I was in the shape to win a medal," Liu said. "On my arrival here, my aim was just to fight my way into the final. After I did that, I thought I might just get into the top six. I knew British hurdler Colin Jackson was going to be here and he's the world record holder indoors and out."

"There was also Cuba's reigning (统治的) Olympic champion Anier Garcia and Allen Johnson, from the United States." It was Johnson, the reigning world outdoor champion, who was successful in 7.47 seconds with Garcia second and Jackson finished back in fifth. 

Now Liu will never underestimate his chances again and is aiming for glory in Paris later this year.

"There is the World Championship outdoors in the summer and I have now got to think that I can get a medal. I can never again think that I can't get a medal," he said. Liu's success here marks his rapid transition into the senior ranks.

"The university gives me a lot of flexibility. My courses are very easy and the teachers are very helpful," said Liu.

They might have to be even more accommodating(乐于助人的) now if Liu starts taking on celebrity status, although an invite to his homecoming karaoke party may help.

The first sentence "Asian athletes have had a spare time in the first two days…" means "________".

A. Asian athletes can do things at their will in the first two days

B. Asian athletes haven't any achievements in the first two days

C. Asian athletes could match athletes from other continents

D. Asian athletes are tired of competing in the first two days

The underlined sentence means "________".

A. I was not satisfied with my performances

B. winning a medal can't show what I have done

C. I didn't think I was able to win a medal

D. I haven't told anyone about my achievements in the hurdles

Liu ________ the World Championship outdoors in Paris later this year.

A. is busy preparing for

B. has great pressure on

C. is more confident of his ability in

D. pays little attention to

Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A. Liu Xiang was the youngest athlete to take part in the competition in England.

B. Liu Xiang was the first Asian medallist to get a world indoor medal.

C. Liu Xiang is not only a good athlete but a music-lover.

D. Liu Xiang finds it hard to get along with teachers in university.

把下列单词填入每个句子的空白处（注意所填单词的形式变化）：

journal  fare  transport  cycle  persuade  stubborn  insist  properly  determine  altitude  attitude  shorts  camp   record   topic   familiar   brave   plain

1 I live near our school. Sometimes I _________ to school.

2 I ________ that the rude shop assistant should apologize to me.

3 My daughter is so ________ that she cannot easily change her mind.

4 You only have to pay 20 yuan; children travel at half _________.

5 I signed up for the 2007 English Summer _________.

6 The notice is written in German. Is anyone _________ with the German language?

7 The boy was ________ enough to keep chasing after the thief with a knife.

8 Liu Xiang broke the world _________ for the men’s 110-meter hurdle.

9 If you get to Beijing, there are two kinds of ________ for you to choose—by air or train.

10 When you write it is important to use words _________.

11 Fighting against terrorism(恐怖主义) has become an important ______ throughout the world these years.

12 Can you think of ways to _________ him to give up the plan?

13 When people are travelling they often write about their travels, which is called travel _______.

14 The Everest has an ________ of 8844.34 meters, according to the latest survey.

15 After putting on a T-shirt and ________, he went out to play tennis.

16 If you want to pass the exams, you’d better change your ________ towards them.

17 The soil of the Northeast _______ is fertile(肥沃的) and fine corn, sorghum, and rice grow there.

18 Upbringing(培养) plays an important part in _________ a person’s character.