Most mornings, Marcus Jackson is up by 6:15. A fourteen-year old in Harry Potter-style glasses, he wastes little 36 before rushing down the stairs of his home. As Mom 37 breakfast, he heads straight for a kitchen drawer and 38 out a Pingpong paddle and ball. For the next five minutes, Marcus practices serves off the refrigerator.
“ I can hit the ball really 39 so that the other person hardly even sees it fly 40 the table,” he says. He’s so good at his game that he holds the number-one ranking in table tennis for boys under 15 in 41 .
He 42 his success to a set of practice that goes 43 morning contests with his parents’ Kenmore refrigerator. Since he was six-and-a-half years old, Marcus has spent two hours a day, six days a week, 44 with his dad, Morris, who won the national table-tennis 45 in 1988. He also receives lessons from Cheng Yinghua and Jack Huang, two former Chinese National Team members.
When Marcus was eight, he 46 himself to be a force in the sport by winning the United States Table Tennis Association National Championships (Under-ten). Since then, his talent has led him all over the country for competitions. Along the way, he has learned how to deal with 47 as well. “ I know when to step back if I get 48 ,” Marcus says. He’s also 49 a bit of the true spirit of sports. During a match last year, when he was up 8 to 0, his dad flashed him a 50 ---- a quick move of his thumb over the shoulder----to let Marcus know he 51 allow his opponent(对手) to score 52 once. At 10 to 0, Marcus finally gave 53 a score. He took the next point, for an 11-to-1 victory.
Apart from table tennis, Marcus enjoys Game Boy, basketball and swimming. The straight---- A student hopes to study electrical engineering at an Ivy League colleges when he gets 54 . In the meanwhile he has two athletic goals: “ 55 in the 2008 Olympics in China and beating my dad on a regular basis.”
|
36. A. energy |
B. strength |
C. time |
D. ability |
|
37. A. eats |
B. makes |
C. has |
D. orders |
|
38. A. pulls |
B. pushes |
C. turns |
D. reaches |
|
39. A. directly |
B. gently |
C. strongly |
D. hard |
|
40. A. on |
B. across |
C. from |
D. through |
|
41. A. the world |
B. China |
C. America |
D. Europe |
|
42. A. owes |
B. regards |
C. compares |
D. treats |
|
43. A. beyond |
B. for |
C. over |
D. after |
|
44. A. fighting |
B. training |
C. challenging |
D. advancing |
|
45. A. praise |
B. admirer |
C. title |
D. pride |
|
46. A. got |
B. turned |
C. changed |
D. proved |
|
47. A. the match |
B. pressure |
C. the ball |
D. victory |
|
48. A. puzzled |
B. sad |
C. nervous |
D. excited |
|
49. A. made up |
B. turned up |
C. kept up |
D. picked up |
|
50. A. signal |
B. word |
C. picture |
D. pace |
|
51. A. could |
B. need |
C. should |
D. would |
|
52. A. almost |
B. at least |
C. at most |
D. already |
|
53. A. in |
B. away |
C. out |
D. up |
|
54. A. taller |
B. heavier |
C. smarter |
D. older |
|
55. A. competing |
B. winning |
C. expecting |
D. attending |