4. I was the last person expected to make the winners’ podium. (Para. 13) 1) Explain the implied meaning of the sentence.
Key: Compared to those very promising skaters, I was not regarded as the best and I was thought unlikely to win.
2) Translate this sentence into Chinese. Key: 没有人会想到我能登上领奖台。
5. But I had trained like crazy, and when the favorites faltered, I was ready. (Para. 13) 1) Explain the implied meaning of the sentence. Pay special attention to the italicized part. Key: I had exerted myself in training, and was therefore ready to seize the opportunity presented by the failure of the leading competitors. 2) Translate this sentence into Chinese.
Key: 但是，之前我拼了命地训练，当最有希望获胜的运动员比赛失利时，我已做好了夺冠的准备。
Section C Comprehension Questions ▇ Comprehension questions (Paras. 1-2)
Q1: Why did Kristi Yamaguchi receive near-perfect marks despite the fall?
A1: Though she fell to the ice, she made a spirited recovery and completed her performance remarkably.
Q2: What spirit did Kristi Yamaguchi display on the skating rink?
A2: She displayed the spirit of determination and courage that a top athlete should possess.
Q3: What does the author imply by saying that Kristi’s gold medal is ―a tribute to her determination and courage‖?
A3: If she had not possessed the fine quality of determination and courage, she would have admitted defeat at the time of the tumble. The gold medal tells us that strong willpower does lead one to success at a critical moment.
Q4: Why does the author begin his article by telling us the story of Kristi Yamaguchi?
A4: He intends to show us the image of an outstanding athlete. Kristi is typical of such athletes who, apart from athletic skills, possess outstanding personality traits such as determination and courage. Besides, by beginning his article with a story, he can make his writing more interesting, entertaining and readable.
▇ Comprehension questions (Para. 3)
Q: What do Kristi and Bonny have in common?
A: Before they became successful, both of them had dreams and they pursued their dreams courageously until they came true.
▇ Comprehension questions (Paras. 4-5) Q1: Who is Dominique?
A1: She is one of the first female black gymnasts to represent the U.S. in the Olympics and she is a world-class athlete.
Q2: Why does Loretta Dawes say it’s not easy to bring up a world-class athlete?
A2: To help children realize their dreams, parents must provide support and, therefore, they must sacrifice the time of being together with their children.
Q3: How do you understand Loretta Dawes’s advice ―Believe in your child‖?
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A3: Having a dream is the beginning of success. Parents should then have complete confidence in their children’s potentials to realize their dreams.
▇ Comprehension questions (Paras. 6-8)
Q1: What do Carl Lewis, Al Oerter and Janet Evans have in common?
A1: They all tried their best to compete again after having won quite a few gold medals.
Q2: Why did Janet Evans challenge the 800-meter freestyle in spite of her previous failure in the 400-meter freestyle?
A2: Because she was burning with the desire to do her best and ―be up there on that winners’ stand one more time.‖
Q3: What’s the main idea of these three paragraphs?
A3: Top athletes are always enthusiastic about their career. The Olympic Flame burns inside them both in times of victory and in times of failure. It always drives them not only to BE the best but also to DO their best.
▇ Comprehension questions (Paras. 9-10)
Q1: Why does the author cite the example of a world-class athlete who predicted he could only come in fifth?
A1: The author wants to give us a negative example to illustrate the point that athletes should always aim high.
Q2: Why does the author cite the example of Flo Jo?
A2: Flo Jo presents a positive example. By making a comparison between the two examples, the author makes it clear that setting a higher goal can help a person tap his or her potential and achieve success.
▇ Comprehension questions (Paras. 11-12)
Q1: What happened to Gail Devers in the 1992 Summer Olympics?
A1: She tripped over the last barrier in the 100-meter hurdles but pulled herself to her knees and crawled to the finish line.
Q2: What did Derek Redmond do after he fell to the track in the 400-meter semifinal? A2: He struggled to his feet and hobbled to the finish line with the help of his father.
▇ Comprehension questions (Paras. 13-15)
Q1: When Paul Wylie won a silver medal, why was everybody but himself surprised?
A1: Nobody had ever expected this unknown athlete to win a medal. But he himself was not surprised because he had trained hard and had been ready for success when the more competent athletes performed poorly.
Q2: What do the skaters, cyclists and boxers do to accomplish their goals? A2: They undertake long-time, relentless training every day. Q3: What is the main idea of this part of the text?
A3: Luck strikes those who are prepared to take advantage of it.
Part IV Optional Classroom Activities
▇Read the map on Page 107 of your textbooks, which shows the host cities of the Olympics from 1896—2012.
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Task One: Study the map carefully and complete the following table with the information it provides. In each column, write down the names of the Olympic host cities and countries in that region. Place them in sequence together with their dates. The first one has been done for you. Europe Africa America Asia Oceania 1896 Athens, Greece ▇ Answers for reference: Task One: Europe Africa 1896 Athens, Greece 1900 Paris, France 1908 London, Britain 1912 Stockholm, Sweden 1920 Antwerp, Belgium 1924 Paris, France 1928 AmsterAmerica 1904 St. Louis, USA 1932 Los Angeles, USA 1968 Mexico City, Mexico 1976 Montreal, Canada 1984 Los Angeles, USA 1996 Atlanta, USA Asia Oceania 1964 Seoul, 1956 Melbourne, Korea Australia 1988 Tokyo, 2000 Sydney, Japan Australi2008 Beijing, a China 23
1936 1948 1952 1960 1972 1980 1992 2004 2012 dam, Netherlands Berlin, Germany London, Britain Helsinki, Finland Rome, Italy Munich, Germany Moscow, Russia Barcelona, Spain Athens, Greece London, Britain Task Two: Work in groups of threes or fours and discuss the following questions: 1) How are the host cities distributed in these five continents? 2) What factor(s) may have caused such distribution?
3) Which Olympic years are missing in your table? Why were there no Olympic Games in those years?
▇ Answers for reference:
1) Out of the total 27 host cities, 16 are in Europe, 6 in America, or more exactly, in North America, 3 in Asia, and the last 2 in Oceania, or rather Australia.
2) Many factors might have caused this distribution, but the major factor should be a nation’s economic power as well as its political influence. All the host cities are located in better developed countries. That is why no country in Africa and South America has ever hosted the Olympic Games, while 60% of the host cities are distributed in Europe. Apart from economic power and political influence, there might be other factors such as climate, social environment, and transportation.
3) Two Olympic years are missing: 1916 and 1940, because in 1916 the First World War was going on, and 1940 witnessed the Second World War.
Part V Enhance Your Language Awareness
Section A Useful Expressions Useful Expressions from Text A Chinese Equivalences nationalistic feelings 民族主义情绪 discipline myself 严于律己 24