Liu proves herself again

Who is the best female (女性的) table tennis player in China? It is probably Liu Shiwen. Liu Shiwen was born on April 12, 1991 in Fushun, Liaoning. Her hobbies are watching US TV shows and learning English. Her best table tennis skill is backhand(反手击球) instead of forehand.

On Oct 20, Liu won her fifth singles title(单打冠军) at the Women’s World Cup in Chengdu, Sichuan province. She is the first person in history to win so many titles at this event.

“It’s very important for me,” Liu said. “I won four titles before when I was much younger. I had no fear(恐惧) at all.”

At 28 years old, Liu is now under greater pressure(压力). She won the world championship(锦标赛), but then lost several tour matches(巡回赛). She needed to prove herself once again. She was able to do so in the end. Her secret was to not think about her losses.“I just played the game like it was the world championships or even the Olympics,” Liu said.

Work hard to make it to the top

① While trying to become a top basketball player. Michael Jorden experienced many difficulties. When he had to leave the basketball team for being too short at 5.9 feet, Jordan still didn’t give up. He practiced longer and harder every day, and later he grew to a height of 6.33 feet. He went on to become an NBA star and an Olympic champion(冠军).

② Jordan was not the best player when he was young. He was not a genius(天才). But practice makes perfect. Instead of letting every difficulty bring him down, he worked harder and practiced longer.

③ Jordan not only worked harder than anyone else. He also tried to break his limits(极限) and records, even when he was already at the top. Finally, he became one of the best basketball players in the world. He also redefined(重新定义) basketball together with his team the Chicago Bulls. He played 15 seasons with the team in the National Basketball Association, winning six NBA championships. He could make amazing jumps to score slam dunks(灌篮), almost as if flying through the air. This skill gave him the nickname(昵称) “Air Jordan”.

④ All of this made him a part of pop culture for most of the 1990s. After he retired(退役), he said, “I succeeded! Because I work harder than anyone else.”

Xia Boyu,73, standing in the middle of the bird’s nest (鸟巢体育馆), his prosthetic legs (义肢) looked thin and stood on the ground.

He is the first Chinese person to reach the summit of Mount Qomolangma (珠峰) without legs. This time at the opening ceremony (开幕式), he brought a boy with two missing upper arms. The boy wanted to fly but could not. Xia Boyu encouraged him, using alpenstock (登山杖) as wings, with him to fly. This “grandfather and grandson” in this way, to complete their performance.

In 1975, when he climbed Mount Qomolangma for the first time, Xia’s legs had to be amputated (截肢) because of cold after he left his sleeping bag at a place of 7,600 meters high. In 2014, he tried again, but his plan was cancelled (取消) after an avalanche (雪崩) killed 16 people. In 2015, after visiting the camp, he was hit by an earthquake, which put his plans on hold again. In 2016, Xia Boyu set out again, but had to come back because of a strong snowstorm at 8,750 meters.

When asked if he regretted (后悔) giving his sleeping bag to a friend of his team, he said, “I would have hesitated (犹豫) if I had known the result would be amputation (截肢). But looking at it now, I’ll give it to him again, because I can do it without my feet.”