When I win at my favourite games, my opponents tend to say: ‘OH, you’re so competitive!’ But when I lose, they smile good-naturedly and say: ‘Bad luck! Good game!’
This suggests that accurate sporting expressions should go something like this:
I am sporty.
You are competitive.
They can’t bear to lose.
Or:
I gave it a go.
You did your best.
He tried desperately hard.
I’m not saying I don’t have a competitive personality. We all do. On walks, I like to be out in front. In traffic jams, I find myself focusing on cars in other lanes, and fret if they edge ahead of me. I tense up while waiting for trains, determined to be first aboard. The other day, I was one of the first to board a train, grabbing a perfect spot in first class. Yes, I had won! Just halfway, I went to get a free drink for a first-class seat from the buffet. But I had left my ticket on my table. I worked out that, if I moved very swiftly, I could nip (快走) through two carriages, and nip back without anyone taking my place at the front of the queue.
So I rushed back, picking up my ticket, and turned back. I was at the beginning of the second carriage, when, to my horror, I noticed, another figure, roughly my size, shooting towards the buffet from the other direction.
Desperate to arrive before he did, I started walking faster. But at exactly the same moment, he started walking faster, too. Trying to retain my dignity, I broke into a running. Whatever happened, I was determined to win! But, annoyingly, at the same time as I sped up, so did he. The race was on.
Finally, in my rush, I knocked into a suitcase and stumbled slightly. Still with my eyes on my challenger, I noticed that-strange but true-exactly the same thing had happened to him.
It was only as we both lifted ourselves up in exactly the same way that I realised that, throughout the race, I had been looking at a reflection of myself in the sliding door!
My competitor for first place in the buffet queue was...me.
【小题1】Which sporting expression can replace “Bad luck! Good game!” in paragraph 1?| A．I gave it a go. | B．You did your best. |
| C．You are competitive. | D．He tried desperately hard. |
| A．Get anxious. | B．Become relaxed. | C．Feel disappointed. | D．Remain excited. |
| A．He never fails to beat anyone in his life. |
| B．He has a gift for games and competitions. |
| C．He is sporty but often aggressive to others. |
| D．He is highly competitive and desperate to win. |
| A．Sad competitor? I can surely beat myself |
| B．Bad loser? No, but I can be a first-class fool |
| C．Competitiveness works? Not in my case |
| D．More haste? It will only result in less speed |
