A
In 1981, a three-year-old boy, He Junquan, was playing on a power pole. A terrible accident happened, and the child was rushed to the hospital. After the boy woke up from a difficult surgery, he asked his daddy what had happened; the daddy answered, “Your arms were broken, so the doctor had to take them off.” The little boy then asked, “How will I be able to study? To write? To eat?” The father didn’t answer; he couldn’t say a word. His heart was broken.
It seemed there was no hope for the boy, but his family never imagined what the young boy would find to change his life. As a young boy, he was out near a pond one day and noticed a duck. He thought to himself, “That duck can swim, can’t he? And he has only two legs. So why can’t I swim, since I have two legs as well?” That thought completely changed his outlook. He began to try swimming over and over. It took many tries many times over, but He Junquan did not give up.
His swimming career began in 1995, when a local disabled persons’ federation recommended that he enter a swimming trial in Hubei province. Just a year later, the 18-year-old young man entered national disabled persons’ games and won two silver medals. From then on, it seemed nothing could stop him. In 2000, he headed to Sydney, where he collected three medals: gold, silver and bronze. In 2004, he took home four gold medals from the Athens Paralympics. In 2008, He had the great honour of competing in his home country, winning a gold, two silver and a bronze.
Success has not been easy for He Junquan, however. To compete with other disabled athletes who still have arms, He Junquan has to swim fast enough to stay a full arm’s length in front of the other swimmers. Why? At the end of the race, he has to hit the final wall with his head, rather than with his arms, as other athletes do. “The pain in my head lasts for about two weeks after each competition because of the force of my head hitting the touch pad,” He Junquan told a China Daily reporter. That does not wet his spirits, however. “An accident at an early age deprived me of my arms, but my Paralympic dream gave me a pair of wings, which encouraged me to conquer all difficulties.”
21. What gave He Junquan the idea that he could swim?
A. His father’s encouragement. B. The loss of his two arms.
C. A swimming duck. D. His Paralympic dream.
22. According to the passage, how many gold medals did Junquan win?
A. 6 B. 9 C. 10 D. 13
23. What did Junquan say was the main inspiration for his success?
A. An accident at an early age. B. The duck he saw as a child.
C. His Paralympic dream. D. His father’s encouragement.
24. What does the underlined phrase “wet his spirits” in the last paragraph mean?
A. Cover his head with water. B. Make him lose heart.
C. Keep his spirits up. D. Change his mind.
