The Chinese women’s soccer team rekindled their famous fighting spirit to end a 16-year wait to lift the Asian Cup. Having trailed (落后) 2-0 in the final in Navi Mumbai, India, on the night of February 6, 2022, the team summoned all of their determination and resolve to battle back and tie the game before Xiao Yuyi fired home a dramatic 93rd-minute goal from Wang Shanshan’s assist to secure the title.

The victory earned China a record ninth Asian Cup title, which atoned for their disappointing performance at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. China’s Tokyo 2020 participation ended with a shocking 8-2 defeat at the hands of the Netherlands, showing just how far Chinese women’s soccer had fallen behind the game’s elite nations. The huge turnaround in fortunes made the win extra special for fans.

“Although the players come from different cities, we need to come together. We never let our heads drop when we were 0-2 down. The players overcame both their opponents and themselves,” said the head coach Shui Qingxia.

The Steel Roses’ victory completely dominated discussion on Chinese social media. The topic “Chinese women’s team wins Asian Cup” was viewed over 1.1 billion times by February 7, but that was just one of 10 trending topics related to the women’s team on Weibo. Countless thrilled people commented that “The whole team is worthy of every praise.” After their victory, media and experts urged for greater support for the development of the women’s game. A number of Chinese companies have already taken it upon themselves to reward them, with dairy giant Mengniu Group gifting the team 10 million yuan after its heroics.

Now the work is to continue to revive past glories, as well as improve the standard of the domestic leagues and youth training to give the country a better chance of producing more great players. This victory certainly showed that such targets can be realized. The women’s soccer team has great spirit and skill. They are our role models!

【小题1】What do we know about the Chinese women’s soccer team from paragraph 1?

A．They won the Asian Cup for the first time.

B．They turned defeat into victory in the game.

C．They made a miracle at the Tokyo Olympics.

D．They earned China a leading role in world soccer.

【小题2】What do the underlined words “atoned for” in paragraph 2 probably mean?

A．replied to.	B．resulted from.
C．made up for.	D．took the place of.

【小题3】What is paragraph 4 mainly about?

A．The public response to the Steel Roses’ victory.

B．The development of the Chinese women’s soccer.

C．Effects of Chinese social media on soccer athletes.

D．Companies’ support for the Chinese women’s team.

【小题4】What does the author think of the goal of producing more great players?

A．It is ambitious.	B．It is achievable.
C．It is impractical.	D．It is controversial.